AL, WP against EC contempt proposal

Trackback URL

Download PDF

Awami League (AL) and Workers Party (WP) yesterday agreed in principle on opposing some of the Election Commission’s (EC) proposals including one that says any criticism of the commission will be tantamount to contempt of court.

Leaders of the two parties will ask the commission to drop the proposal when they meet the EC for dialogues on electoral reforms — AL on November 4 and WP on November 11.

At a meeting between the two components of AL-led 14-party coalition held in AL Acting President Zillur Rahman’s Gulshan residence in the capital, they strongly protested the draft electoral reform proposal of the EC, observing that electoral laws of no country of the world stipulate criticisms of an election commission as tantamount to contempt of court.

Terming the EC’s proposal for mandatory registration of political parties as tough and an attempt to control political parties, they also decided to urge the EC to simplify the rule. The meeting observed that if the proposed registration rule is adopted, then it will be tough for many political parties to survive.

“Registration of political parties does not mean controlling of political parties. But unfortunately there are attempts through the Election Commission to control the political parties,” Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon told reporters after the meeting.

The EC should not control politics, observed Menon, a key-leader of the 14-party coalition. He said it is not the duty of the EC to do anything beyond its jurisdiction of holding a free, fair and credible election.

At the meeting both the parties decided to make strong demands to the EC for declaring war criminals, patrons of religious extremism, and communal forces disqualified from contesting in elections.

Besides, specific proposals for empowering women in the electoral process and in politics will also be placed to the EC, they decided.

Both the parties decided that they will sit for the dialogues with the EC based on the 31-point reform proposal already placed on behalf of 14-party coalition.

The meeting also decided that two committees will be formed on behalf of the two parties to coordinate further dialogues between them on the matter. At the meeting AL placed a set of reform proposals to WP, which will also give AL its proposals, sources said.

At the meeting Mahmudur Rahman Manna said it would not be right for them to decide on AL’s participation in the next election yet. Rather he told the meeting that AL will sit in the dialogue with the EC and tell the commission that AL is an election oriented political party which believes in democracy.

Although AL did not take any firm decision on going to the dialogue with the EC till yesterday, the party wants to sit with all the components of 14-party coalition and other like-minded political parties in a bid to hammer out a common position for sitting with the EC for the dialogues.

The initiative was launched yesterday with the meeting between AL and WP. AL will meet Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) on October 1 and Sammyabadi Dal on October 3.

Similar meetings will also be held with Ganotantri Party, National Awami Party (NAP-Muzaffer), and other components of the coalition, the dates of which are yet to be fixed.

AL leaders Zillur Rahman, Tofail Ahmed, Mukul Bose, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, Akhtaruzzaman, Advocate Rahmat Ali, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dr Dipu Moni, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, and Habibur Rahman Siraj attended the meeting among others.

While from Workers Party, Rashed Khan Menon, Bimal Biswas, Haider Akbar Khan Rano, Anisur Rahman Mallik, and Qamrul Ahsan were present.

TOFAIL WANTS TO QUIT
At the beginning of the meeting, Tofail, who is the coordinator of 14-party coalition, wished to give up the post as his name had appeared on the last list of corruption suspects.

But the insistence of the leaders of both the parties, including Zillur and Menon, convinced Tofail to stay on.

“I wanted to give up the responsibilities of the coordinator of 14-party coalition on moral grounds,” Tofail told the reporters.

The veteran AL leader said he must clear himself from the allegations before taking up the responsibilities.

NEWS BRIEFING
Briefing newsmen, Zillur said his party will hold discussions with all like-minded parties regarding the dialogues with the EC.

Regarding inclusion of Tofail’s name on the new list of corruption suspects, Zillur said it does not mean that he is corrupt or charged.

Terming Tofail a dedicated and courageous leader, Zillur hoped that no proof of corruption will be found and no case will be filed against him.

Tofail said although there are some similarities between their 31-point reform proposal and the EC’s draft proposal, there are a few differences on important issues.

“The main goal of the dialogue with the Election Commission will be to resolve those differences,” he said.

Leave a Reply