Parties stick to their guns

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Following the caretaker government’s hint about holding parliamentary polls under the state of emergency leaders of major political parties said they would not step back from their demand for full withdrawal of emergency before the all-important election.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, a number of them said elections to the local bodies cannot be an excuse for holding the national election under the state of emergency.

“We will not dissociate ourselves from the demand for withdrawal of emergency ahead of the parliamentary polls,” said Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon.

On the peaceful holding of Monday’s polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities amid emergency, he said, “This is no logic.” He pointed out that voters faced numerous problems due to the emergency.

“We protest the statements of chief election commissioner and the advisers favouring emergency during parliamentary election,” Menon said, demanding holding of the election only after withdrawal of emergency.

LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal and Communications Adviser Ghulam Quader yesterday praised the success of Monday’s elections to the local government bodies, saying these polls have proved that holding of fair elections is very much possible under the state of emergency.

The Workers Party congratulated voters for electing non-communal democratic forces in the local government elections. “Despite limited scopes offered by the emergency, people voted against the BNP-Jamaat misrule and communal forces,” it said in a statement.

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said the elections were a dress rehearsal of the national elections–a test case to see if the national election could be held under the state of emergency.

On the government claim that the polls were held in a peaceful manner, he said, “It was not a normal peaceful situation.”

He alleged that the government wants a “rubber stamp government by arranging a staged election to legitimise its activities” and demanded immediate withdrawal of the emergency.

Awami League acting President Zillur Rahman also demanded that the government completely withdraw the state of emergency before the parliamentary polls.

“The local body polls lacked enthusiasm as they were handicapped by the state of emergency and many voters did not go to the polling centres for fear of emergency,” he said at a press conference at the party’s Dhanmondi office yesterday.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed said the government’s claim of holding Monday’s polls in a peaceful, free and fair manner is “one-sided”.

“The national elections in 1991, 1996 and 2001 were also held peacefully but without the state of emergency,” Mojaheed told The Daily Star, adding that everyone will say that election under emergency cannot be held in a free manner.

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