It is not acceptable to rush the passage of the Election Commission (EC) appointment bill without seeking the views of all stakeholders, although the initiative to enact the law is promising, speakers at a webinar have said.
They called for the participation of citizens and all political parties in scrutinizing the bill, and to ensure transparency in the activities of the search committee that will recommend the appointments at the EC under the proposed law.
The virtual roundtable meeting, titled “Proposed Election Commission Appointments Act: People's Aspirations and Actions”, was organized by the civil society platform Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) at 11am on Wednesday. The roundtable was conducted by leading political scientist Dr Rounaq Jahan.
SHUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder said there was no provision in the current bill to ensure transparency in the activities of the search committee.
“The law being made is completely unreasonable. It will lead to another controversial election under a controversial Election Commission selected through a search committee loyal to the government,” he added.
He stressed the need to ensure transparency in the activities of the search committee to remove any doubts about the EC appointment process.
Former chief election commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda said: "Our proposal was to have a former chief election commissioner in the search committee, as he has practical experience in conducting elections. The names recommended by the search committee will go to a parliamentary hearing, where discussions will take place. The names being recommended should be disclosed to the public.”
Former election commissioner Brigadier General M Sakhawat Hossain said two factors needed to be borne in mind when considering candidates for the Election Commission: Whether the candidates are neutral, and whether they have the ability and courage to enforce the law.
Dhaka University Prof Asif Nazrul claimed the current bill would only fulfill the will of the government.
"Without ensuring the neutrality of the government, it is not possible to ensure fair elections with the EC law alone,” he added.
Dr Rounaq Jahan said: “It is clear from the discussion that everyone agrees on two issues. Political consensus and transparency should be brought into the appointment process in the commission. Although it is difficult to build political consensus against the political reality of our country, it is possible to ensure transparency with the goodwill of the government.”