Hasina sees people’s victory as Aziz goes

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Terming Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Aziz’s going on leave as ‘victory of the people’s movement’, the Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the coming election is to free people from the grip of the corrupt and looters.

“People will vote against those who caused public sufferings through hiking up price of essentials and creating power crisis,” Hasina said at a crowded press conference at her party’s Dhanmondi office in the capital.

Postponing the non-stop blockade, the AL chief declared staging sit-in demonstrations in front of Bangabhaban and the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat from 10:00am to 2:00pm on November 27 and 28 respectively to press home their 11-point demand and said their movements for a free and fair election will continue.

Those who fear people are conspiring against a free and fair election, Hasina said, adding that the next election is to protest all grenade and bomb attacks and killings of people including political leaders and establish rule of law in the country.

The fresh programmes came at a meeting of the 14-party held at Sheikh Hasina’s Sudha Sadan residence after CEC MA Aziz went on a three months’ leave on Wednesday night that eased the political deadlock centring the CEC.

In the new political event, the 14-party leaders also talked to other like-minded political parties including the HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party, Liberal Democratic Party and different Islamic political parties before chalking out fresh programmes.

The 14-party had enforced the third phase of their non-stop countrywide blockade from November 20 to press home the popular demands for reconstitution in the EC after removal of ‘controversial’ CEC MA Aziz and three other election commissioners, neutralisation of the administration and correction of voter list.

Addressing the press briefing, Hasina thanked people of all walks of life for making the blockade programme a success and urged the people to make the sit-in demonstrations complete success.

The AL chief said although she (Khaleda) expressed her firm determination that the election would be held under Justice KM Hasan as the chief adviser to the caretaker government and Justice MA Aziz as the CEC, people’s movement foiled the plans.

She termed Aziz’s going on leave as ‘victory of the people’s movement’.

Saying that the existing EC has lost its credibility and trust at home as well as abroad, Hasina demanded immediate reconstitution of the EC with ‘non-controversial and acceptable’ persons to bring back confidence of all.

After MA Aziz’s going on leave, a person has been given the charge of acting CEC from whose residence arms had been recovered during the Operation Clean Heart, the AL president said.

She reiterated the demands for publication of updated voter list through cancelling 1.40 crore fake voters and including all eligible people with their photographs as per the Supreme Court directives.

It is possible to correct the voter list within two weeks by involving required number of officials, she said.

Referring to the constitution, Hasina said draft of an accurate voter list and its publication are to be made before declaration of election schedule.

Election schedules would have to be declared after the CG creates a congenial atmosphere for a free and fair election, the AL chief said.

Schedules had been declared 35 days after the CG took oath in 2001 election, she added.

President and Chief Adviser (CA) Iajuddin Ahmed has failed to perform his function neutrally, Hasina said, adding that he should step down from the post of CA and appoint an non-partisan person as the CA as per the constitution for a free and fair election.

Urging the CA to refrain from any conspiracy to rig the elections, the AL chief demanded that the CA work with the advisers and take combined decisions for a free and fair election.

The AL president blamed the CA for public suffering, saying that he took the strategy of killing time for which 67 people had to give their lives.

Although three weeks have passed, the CA did not take any initiatives to create a congenial atmosphere for a free and fair election, Hasina said, adding that the president in his speech on Wednesday night played hide and seek game with the people.

Senior 14-party leaders Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Obaidul Quader, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haque Inu, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, Aktheruzzaman, Abdur Rahman, Bimal Biswas and Dilip Barua were present at the briefing.

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