http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=3D35144
Daily Star, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 12:14 AM GMT+06:00
EDITORIAL
Election engineering will be a forgotten art?
By Shahnoor Wahid
ELECTION engineering had evolved into a unique art in this country. It
is an acquired technique that can reduce a mountain into a mole-hill,
and vice-versa. In politics, those who could master this art,
prospered. Those who could not, perished. Applying skill to its
exactitude, election and election results can be manipulated to the
utmost satisfaction of the engineers and their masters.
Over the years, the skill has been carved and honed into a piece of
magnificent art. And in the recent years, with the help of this skill,
a motley band of politicians, barrister cum law ministers, police
officials and bureaucrats had made attempts to redefine and
restructure election and the Election Commission. Know what? They
almost succeeded in snatching state power once again by applying this
unique art of engineering. But things got a little out of hand at the
end.
Today, with the (in)famous "engineers" in jail or remaining bhagawat,
there is little chance now that the coming elections will be
engineered. This bleak prospect has caused flatulence in many of our
"leaders." So, if you walk down the corridor of power you will hear
people lamenting: "By God! Those stubborn people in the Election
Commission (EC) have thrust their 'hand in our rooti-rojgar!'
What shall we do if we cannot take part in the elections as we always
did in the past? It was our seasonal dhanda to earn one thousand crore
in five years! What business on earth can get that kind of money! No,
no, this is not right. This is not done. We must retort back. Just
wait for the home-based (ghorowa) politics to begin."
The Election Commission (EC) has long been cleansed of the clowns who
had taken up residence there to implement the blueprint of the
engineers (the paler goda was a barrister of "repute" who always
carried a copy of the Bangladesh constitution under his armpit). So,
after the departure of the =93Jokerias," the EC has gotten back its
dignity, power and substance to materialise the aspirations of the
people.
Yes, aspirations of the people, and not that of some hoodlums as per
diktat of the men in the Windy Castle. Therefore, gangs of smugglers
and drug peddlers are not to be seen with suitcases-full of money
crowding the streets of Banani or Bangabandhu Avenue. They have tucked
their tails between the hind legs and fled to the forest where they
belong. The days of bliss are gone. They cannot withstand the
blizzard.
So, finally, it seems politics is going to be truly "difficult." This
time around, there will be no buying of nomination with black money
and then tampering with the results in the dark of night by
brandishing guns and bombs, thus scaring the hell out of the poor
polling officials. O yes, we do remember those days of shame and
disgrace.
This time around, electoral laws are going to be much tougher with the
incorporation of some provisions, to the utter dismay of some
professional politicians. If we think about it carefully we will see
that, in fact, the EC is not doing anything out of this world. They
are implementing what should have been there in the first place! There
is nothing amazing about it. What is amazing, most of these laws were
not there when the past elections were held.
What are there in the electoral laws, really? The draft electoral laws
say that political parties will have to register with the EC, to begin
with. We see nothing wrong in that. We should have everything in
order, shouldn't we? Next, political parties will have to submit
authentic accounts of the expenditure during the elections.
There is a ceiling for such expenditure and they have to abide by the
rule. If they fail to submit the accounts in three months the
registration will be cancelled. Nothing wrong in that, either. It is
to set things in order. Order is the first condition to make a nation
civilised. And only a civilised nation can progress and prosper.
The electoral laws dictate a candidate to submit eight pieces of
personal information and limit the election expenditure ceiling. If a
candidate exceeds that ceiling and fails to submit authentic accounts,
his or her election results, even if he/she wins a seat, will be
declared vacant. Subsequently, reelection will be held for that seat.
The candidates will have to submit statement of wealth and other
information to convince the EC that he/she is a clean candidate.
Election results greatly impact the future development and progress of
a country. If some thieves in tuxedos get elected, only doom will be
hastened. We have plenty of examples to cite on this point. We are not
in a mood to go back to those days of national horror. The time has
come to further polish the electoral laws and organise the elections
in the given timeframe so that a pro-people government can be
installed. Let there be a fresh beginning for the nation in 2009.
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