Shujan for non-partisan local govt election

Badiul Alam Majumder, general secretary, Shujan - Wikipedia

Shushashoner Jannya Nagorik (SHUJAN), a non-partisan citizen’s platform, has demanded the law amendment in a bid to returning to the previous system of non-partisan local government election.

Supporting their demand, Shujan said that the non-partisan election in the local government would create more competition among the candidates and allow the voters to choose their representatives.

The demand was made during an online press conference organised by Shujan on the occasion of presenting the comparative study of the upcoming city corporation elections in Mymensingh and Cumilla scheduled to be held on March 9.

“We had opposed partisan local government election in the past. Now talks are going on for non-partisan election in local government. The law should be amended to return to the previous system. The number of candidates will be increased and the poll will be more competitive if non-partisan election is held,” Shujan Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumder said.

Explaining the non-partisan system, he said, “Non-partisan does not mean that candidate be chosen from the party. Rather no party can support any candidate.”

About the submission of affidavit, he said, “Each candidate will submit affidavit in all elections except Union Parishad as per law. If any wrong information is found in the affidavit, the candidature will be cancelled. It is a punishable offence to give false information.”

“Many of the information of the candidates are not correct. We hope, the Election Commission will scrutinise it,” he said.

Criticising the 12th parliamentary election, he said, “The last general election was questionable. That’s why there is less interest in local government election. But local government election creates the foothold of general election. So the local government election is similarly important.”

Shujan’s Chief Coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarker said, “We were in the opposition of holding local government election under partisan system. Now Awami League government is taking about non-partisan election as BNP is not in the field. If BNP had participated in the poll, would Awami League have gone for non-partisan election?”

He demanded for the amendment of law to bring back the local government election under non-partisan system.

Presenting the candidates’ information, Dilip Kumar said, “Of the five mayoral candidates in Mymensingh City Corporation election, there is a post-graduate degree, two graduates while two others self-educated.”

Of the mayoral candidates in Cumilla City Corporation, there are three candidates having graduate degree while another one is only intermediate certificate.

About the occupation of the mayoral candidates of both cities, three candidates are businessmen while two others are lawyers in Mymensingh while, three are businessmen and one is service holder.

Regarding the legal cases, three mayoral candidates under Cumilla City Corporation have involvement in criminal cases.

Regarding the city corporation election, Shujan urged all election stakeholders to play proper role to ensure free, fair and peaceful election.

Urging the candidates, Shujan called upon them to abide by the election code of conduct and refrain from vote buying.

“Stay away from any implicit activity to intimidate voter and supporters of other candidates. Accept election as a competition and accept the election results,” Dilip Kumar Sarker said.

Meanwhile, the 12th parliamentary poll has been heavily criticised for one-sided election as BNP and some other political parties boycotted the election.

As the major opposition BNP did not take part in the election, Awami League took the ‘tactic’ to field their people as ‘dummy candidates’ to show the world that the election will be participatory.

However, the West especially the US did not endorse the election as free and fair yet, saying the opposition BNP was out of the election and their leaders and workers were detained before the poll.

Following, the general election, the Election Commission is now moving ahead to hold the local government election, which BNP has again boycotted, saying that no election will be free and fair under the Awami League government.

When BNP is boycotting the local government election, the government changed its strategy that the local government election will be non-partisan which means that the candidates will not bear their respective party symbols.

Meanwhile, Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader in the parliament session on Tuesday said that the results of the 12 th parliamentary election were predetermined and the result sheets were pre-prepared.

Terming the election as ‘freestyle, he said that muscle power and money were used freely to capture polling centres. - Staff Reporter