Bangladesh is united to hold free and fair elections under constitutional provisions, experts in different fields in a civil society dialogue have said, adding that foreign interference will “violate the principles of democracy” and may cause “long-term damage” to diplomatic relations.
“No more experiments with our elections, please. We cannot allow us to be guinea pigs,” Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman said on Saturday, after 14 members of the US Congress proposed a UN mechanism to oversee the general election to be held by January.
The Election Monitoring Forum organized the dialogue at Hotel Lakeshore with six invited foreign observers - political analysts from the US Terry L Easley, China's Andy Lin, Japan's Yusuke Sogo, South Korea's Park Chun Sung and the UK's Micheal Jhon Sherriff, and journalist Nick Powell from Ireland.
Former justices of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division, teachers of different public universities, former secretaries of the government, agriculturists, writers, journalists, businessmen and representatives of different non-government organizations came together for the dialogue on the “pre-election situation and political environment of Bangladesh.”
The dialogue took place against the backdrop of an ongoing political impasse, in which the ruling Awami League has said the upcoming general election will be held according to the constitution, while the opposition BNP is adamant in its demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Fourteen members of the US Congress, in a letter, sought UN intervention in the election via the US ambassador at the UN headquarters in New York.
The dialogue participants said everyone is united to hold free and fair elections under the constitution, which mandates the Election Commission to hold the elections like elsewhere in the world.
They said allowing diplomats to talk about internal issues of Bangladesh is against “political etiquette.”
They also said there is no alternative to political dialogue and compromise, adding that it is not possible to win public support with violence. They added that the only way to change a government is through elections and voting and that elections have to be held in line with constitutional provisions.
Provision for neutral government, need for dialogue
“No neutral government exists in the constitution that would oversee the elections,” Terry L Easley said.
Former Supreme Court Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah, Bangladesh Press Council Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Haq, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Kazi Reazul Haq, former secretary Uzzal Bikash Datta, University Grants Commission Member Prof Sazzad Hossain, Ekushey award-winning journalist Ajoy Dasgupta, Buet Prof Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, Jahangirnagar University Prof Mohammad Emran Jahan, businessman Mizanur Rahman Mazumder and agriculturalist Dr Ajadul Haq spoke at the program among others.
Dhaka TribuneDU Vice Chancellor Akhtaruzzaman told the discussants that former US senator Edward Kennedy, in his 1972 speech at Dhaka University, rightly said “Bangladesh is a reality, and it will be doing good and becoming one of the models for the world.”
He said chaotic situations surface in almost every country before an election. This is a common phenomenon all over the world. There is no exception in the case of developed countries like the US and the UK.
“We need to address our problems through interactions and dialogue. But that does not override the question of the election and the electoral process,” he said.
“The Election Commission is a constitutional and independent body. Some political parties of military origin tried to question the Election Commission,” he said, in an oblique reference to the BNP, which was founded by the first military ruler of Bangladesh, General Ziaur Rahman.
“Interference with any sovereign country by any country is not welcomed. We have experience in testing neutral governments. We have the experience of testing the Election Commission. Bangladesh is now united under constitutional provisions. Bangladesh is now united to hold free and fair elections under the Election Commission,” he said, asking all not to allow the country to be used as an “experimental laboratory” by others.
Prof Mizanur Rahman of Buet said foreign interference in national elections “not only violates the principles of democracy but also threatens the sovereignty and independence of any country. It can lead to political instability, social unrest and a loss of public trust in the electoral process. Furthermore, it may cause long-term damage to diplomatic relations between countries and escalate tensions in the international community.”
“To protect the integrity of elections and the democratic process, it is essential for countries to work together to uphold democratic norms, respect the sovereignty of other nations, and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs,” he said.
Prof Sazzad said statements of the foreigners in Bangladesh created fear with the memories of 1975, when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with his family members. His two daughters, Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, survived as they were abroad.
“Do you understand the political complexity of Bangladesh? We are 170 million people. We are a densely populated country. We have to have a stable country. Your comments hurt us. It can put our stability in jeopardy. We are all united in holding free and fair elections,” he said, referring to the letter of the US congressmen.
Justice Nizamul Haq said: “If you want to do politics in Bangladesh, you have to maintain the spirit of 1971.”
“On the pretext of right to speech, you cannot say, ‘I do not want independence,' or ‘I do not want this independence,'” he said, adding that“participation is the backbone of free and fair elections.
“If you do not participate in elections, you cannot say that it was unfair,” he said, asking foreigners not to act as "brokers.”
Justice Siddiqur Rahman Miah said in the current context there is no way to reinstate the caretaker government system to oversee the election.
“Those who want that are not right. This is our country. We will govern our own country. You cannot interfere in everything. It's an independent, sovereign country,” he said.
