The ‘91 Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed and the ‘96 Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman caretaker governments were quite successful in holding fair elections, perhaps as a necessity of law. But the 2001 Justice Latifur Rahman and the 2006 Prof Iazuddin Ahmed caretaker administrations unleashed the darkness inherent in such a system.

Prof Ahmed’s partisan approach resulted in an army backed 1/11 caretaker administration which interrupted the flow of democracy for two years. By the time elections were held in December 2008, the realization was driven home that unless we learn to institutionalize democracy the uncertainty of caretakers will remain a threat to the evolution of democracy. When the entire western world is run on the spirit of the Westminster system, why does Bangladesh at all have to nurture the caretaker concept? Rather, we should strengthen our Election Commission so that it can hold fair elections. The existing Election Commission has already demonstrated the strength of its neutrality during recent local body polls in which the opposition BNP got reasonable wins. We still have more than two years in hand before the next parliamentary elections to further equip and give autonomy to the Election Commission.

After ridiculing the caretaker concept in the past, the BNP has now started accusing the Awami League of election engineering by abolishing the caretaker system. Interestingly, this very BNP was noticeably absent from the parliament where it would have been within its rights to voice concerns about the said abolishment. Even though, top AL leaders have requested BNP parliamentarians to offer a formula for free and fair elections, BNP is unfortunately preparing for a showdown on the streets, which is nothing short of an attempt to assassin whatever little peace and economic growth we have left.

The role of opposition in the parliament has consistently remained absent, whereas all the while these opposition parliamentarians have never once refused their salaries and/or foreign tours. The Awami League may have failed to deliver all that it promised in its election manifesto, but really how responsible have we seen the BNP as a shadow government or party in opposition.

The 2001-06 BNP-Jamaat government turned a blind eye to the rise of militancy and corruption. Bangladesh became comparable to Pakistan in terms of grenade attacks and politics of religion. We even had to suffer the wrath of western Islamophobic blacklists. The Awami League has, at least, reestablished secular order in which minorities are safe like before and socio-cultural activities are free from the threats of religious traders and militants. The moment foreign investors, even from the militancy-torn Muslim world, started eyeing Bangladesh as a safe place for investment, the BNP-Jamaat duo has once again resorted to public strikes in a visible attempt to bottleneck the feel-good atmosphere for investment and business.

We have yet to see the opposition shoulder any pro-people agenda. All they are doing is showing concern about an election that will take place after two and a half years. This election- and power- politics has become boringly repetitive and out-dated. Having said this, one would also like to see the party in power address urgent issues like inflation, power shortage, security, stock-exchange dacoity, corruption and abuse of power by partisan cadres. To top it off, the unnecessarily totalitarianesque attitude of some of the sitting ministers and members of parliament are tarnishing whatever little good this government wants to achieve.

We ordinary people expect a higher level of tolerance and maturity from the party in power, not loose talk and disregard for public sentiment. The Awami League leaders should welcome criticism from every corner to show who the bigger person is, and they should, on priority basis, work towards strengthening the Election Commission as a means of upholding their promise for fair elections in 2014.

I fervently hope the ruling upper brass has learnt from the experience of 2001 and 2006 caretakers that any level of election engineering is destined to backfire. And the BNP should stop getting paranoid about election-rigging. Based on the lessons drawn from the trials and errors of democracy, it’s a safe bet that winning the hearts of powerless marginal people alone will decide the fate of 2014 polls.

No wonder that the ‘Prothom Alo’, which is publicly established as ‘the parliament’ of this military-backed Government, killed the letter and labelled it red to uphold their so called credibility just to regulate their corporate interests for the time ahead.

But ‘unfortunately’ the letter and the scandal are now flying in the open. Because Dr. Anwar Hossain published it on 28 July in Chittagong while giving a speech to the general people and freedom fighters who gathered to form a human chain in front of the Shaheed Minar demanding the trial of the war-criminals of 1971. It was organized by ‘Ekatturer Ghatok-Dalal Nirmul Committee, Chittagong. The human-chain was a memorable event, because freedom fighter Sheikh Mohammad Ali Aman, who was recently assaulted by the followers of the collaborators of the liberation war for telling the truth about their activities, had participated.

[Speech of Dr. Anwar]

And though the Government have done nothing to console the brave freedom fighter, Dr. Anwar Hossain gave him the honour by disclosing a short description about the corruption at the Chittagong Customs House by some army officers. As we were being told by him, a packet was delivered at his office at the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Dhaka University. It contained the copy of the letter sent by an employee of the Chittagong Customs House.

In the letter the sender(s) says that a group of Army officers who were given the responsibility of reforming the Chittagong Customs House were engaged in severe forms of corruption. The group is led by Brigadier General Nasir Hasan and includes Major Tarikul, Major Quddus, Captain Arif, Captain Moyeen, Captain Delwar etc. This group has already collected over 15 crore Taka from various businessmen, importers, stock holders and CNF Agents of Chittagong in the form of ‘chada’ or extortion.

The long letter told the story about how the face of the crusaders against the corruption has been fading away. It also recalls the nightmares of the past, the long army regime who turned corruption in to the form of an institution. The army-corruption in Chittagong Custom House is in fact tip on the iceberg! We don’t know what the reaction of Gen. Moyeen U Ahmed, his neutral Caretaker Government and their domestic parliament, named ‘Prothom Alo’. But people were really happy to see Hossain’s way of honouring the freedom fighter Aman. He congratulated him for being in the centre of the collaborators like the war days and telling the whole truth about their activities and demanding their punishment.

Dr. Anwar took it as a good omen as people are reacting. But alongside Anwar warned about the Governments real intentions as their recent activities show as if they are actually protecting the war criminals. If so, Aman was only an instance, because a million Amans are there who would do anything to uphold the true spirit of 1971. And the consequence will be vague.

-

Sushanta Das Gupta is the Editor, E-Bangladesh.

This was indeed yet another major setback for the four-star military Generals who have purportedly installed an interim government, which tantamount to violation of the principles of non-interference in state polity. Well the verdict was an insult to injuries already inflicted by international communities. Will star-studded Generals give any heed to the verdict?

The over-zealous military general’s in a conspiracy game aborted the scheduled elections to the ninth parliament in two weeks time when they grabbed power in mid-January last year. They kicked the caretaker government legitimately formed; banned freedom of assembly, fundamental rights by imposing emergency rules and of course throttled press freedom by blanket censorship, which still exists in another form.

The Generals, the de facto ruler of the state affairs did not hesitate to claim that they sponsor the interim government. The Chief of Army Lt. General Moeen Uddin Ahmed explained that the nation needed to be cleansed of evils of institutional corruption, criminalisation of politics, money laundering and organised crime, until then restoration of democracy would yield futile.

After more than a year effort to zero tolerance of all evils, the international watchdogs especially Belgium based International Crisis Group does not agree with the achievement the military Generals and the interim government claim.

In tragic episode of de facto military governance, those citizens who demanded restoration of democracy and to hold a credible election, the dreaded military security services harassed, intimidated and reprimanded scores and hounded hundreds, which includes among others are members of civil society, university teachers and journalists. Others do not dare to return home in fear of persecution.

Most pro-democracy activists and civil society in Bangladesh and expatriates do not believe that the military generals would be bothered about democratic institutions like the Supreme Court, which upholds the constitution has proven balance of scale of justice.

The High Court on May 22 says the Election Commission has violated the constitution by failing to hold elections in 90 days from the dissolution of parliament in October 2006. This ruling was in response to a public interest litigation filed by barrister Masud Reza Sobhan last January.

In an observation, the court however said the election planned for December in line with the EC roadmap was a “logical decision”. It added that the court did not have an alternative to accepting the EC decision on holding polls in December, writes BDNews24.com.

Though chief adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, blue-eyed boy of the military is not authorized to announce an election schedule, it blames the Election Commission, which did not comply with its constitutional obligations, thus “it violated the constitution.”

According to the constitution, the HC said, national elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of parliament (in October 2006). In addition the EC does not have the authority to overrule the constitution, as the commission does not have the power to extend the 90-day time limit set by the constitution.

It is the constitutional obligation of the commission to hold polls, which would enable the caretaker government to transfer power to an elected government. But the commission found other excuse to delay the election on the plea of preparing a non-controversial voters list and voters photo ID for all eligible voters. A gargantuan task indeed!

However the court took into cognisance that as chief adviser addressed the nation early May and announced the national polls would be held in third week of December.

On this matter the court asked the Election Commission to provide specific date by April 30th of holding the parliamentary election.

Following the verdict, the litigant Sobhan has rightly called on the chief election commissioner and other commissioners to resign for their failure as described by the court. The court verdict brings in front a national shame of the performance of the Election Commission and their loyalty has been exposed.

The commission performance has proved that it was not truly independent. The EC was supposed to accountable to the eligible voters according to rule of law, but instead paid more attention to the military installed government.

It seems that the Election Commission in a comment to media is not dithered by the verdict and said that it would not affect the commission’s roles and responsibilities to hold the election planned in coming December.

Once again it was proven that the pro-democracy activists were consistent and speaking wisdom. Equally the issues raised by international watchdogs were similar tunes of the civil society, media and the international donor community.

Meanwhile to buy time, the military installed government is holding dialogue with political parties leaders. Those leaders walking to the living room of the Chief Adviser’s official residence to hold parleys are demanding similar request made to Election Commission to withdraw emergency rule as a condition to restoration of democracy.

The interim administration would discuss unconditional release of two former prime ministers – Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia—now detained in graft charges as demanded by political parties, professionals and former lawmakers.

‘The demand is coming in, naturally to the government. The advisory council will discuss it. They will definitely look into the demand,’ Syed Fahim Munain, the press secretary to the chief adviser, told reporters after the weekly meeting of the advisory council on Sunday.

He was asked about the government’s position towards the demands seeking unconditional release of the two former premiers who had run the country between 1991 and 2006 by different quarters.

But the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed detained them as part of its anti-graft drive.

Both Awami League and BNP have been demanding unconditional release of their leaders, now staying in two houses, declared special jail, adjacent to parliament building, ever since they were detained

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, was arrested on May 16, 2007 followed by the arrest of her arch political rival Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on September 3, 2007.

Sheikh Hasina who held the office as the prime minister from 1996 to 2001 is implicated in two graft cases and three extortion charges while Khaleda Zia, the prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 and 2006, charged with three graft charges. Sheikh Hasina is facing trail one case while the rest of the charges are under investigation. All the cases filed against Khaleda Zia were still under investigation.

In a letter handed to the Chief Adviser’s Office on Sunday, the BNP formally asked the government to release all political leaders, including the Khaleda Zia and her family members before March 26, the Independence Day.

On March 12, the AL made almost similar demand in a letter to the chief adviser, asking the government for unconditional release of ailing Sheikh Hasina to ensure her proper medical treatment in US.

Hasina was allowed to undergo treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka.

A group of former lawmakers of the eighth parliament in a statement on Saturday requested the interim administration to release of all the two top leaders before the Independence and National Day.

On a question, the chief adviser’s press secretary said the government must see the demand as “you know letter has come from the BNP too, and the journalists also demanded the same”.

‘These will remain in a democratic process, and they (the council of advisers) will definitely look into the matters,’ the press secretary said adding that the further steps will be taken after that.

To a question on the chief adviser’s reported comment on non-eligibility of the two former premiers to a proposed Truth and Accountability Commission, the official spokesman said the proposed commission is not only for them.

The chief adviser told the media that anyone convicted may be non eligible to appear before the proposed commission, he said adding ‘The terms and conditions of the commission is yet to finalised.’

The chief adviser had said that those who are convicted by the law are not eligible to appear before the proposed commission, that does not necessary mean he mentioned conviction of the two leaders, said Fahim Munaim.

The chief advisers’ interview with an international media, Aljajeera, was aired on early Saturday.