If the government is serious about the credibility of its claim that the Election Commission is strong enough, in jurisdiction and in manpower, to hold an acceptable general election next year, then the government must stop meddling in the affairs of the EC and honour its authority as a separate constitutional body.
Any kind of amendment to the Representation of the People Order that diminishes the authority of the EC cannot bolster the Awami League’s claim that free and fair elections are possible under a political government.
If the EC’s authority to cancel candidature is taken away, it will be difficult to believe that the EC is in absolute control over the general elections. Surprisingly, the opposition has not commented on the latest change. However, it had earlier opposed the idea that the EC has the authority to cancel candidature and declare a winner if only one candidate remains.
Historically, both BNP and the Awami League have stood against a strong EC. However, such a stance is ill-suited for an election under a political government.
The people of the country have shown that they are not as politically naïve as many politicians believe them to be.
Rather than curtailing the jurisdiction of the EC, the political parties would be better advised in further strengthening the EC, and providing it any and all authority that may be required during election time.
The people of Bangladesh, in recent history, have shown that questionable elections cannot sustain for long. A repeat of the events of February 1996 should be something all parties should try and avoid. The nation must have made collective progress in the bygone decades and going back to square one is not an option.
