The New Nation - Internet Edition

Bangladesh is very fortunate, my belief, for the first time ever to have an Election Commission as it is now having Dr ATM Shamsul Huda as the chairman and two others as the members, everyone is credible by all and sundry like ours among citizens in the country. I am sure that the people would continue not only to wish them all well so far as credible neutrality is concerned but also for them to fully accomplish the critically difficult task they have ahead as the prime goal in holding free, fair, neutral and credible general election in the country by the end of 2008.

The task is not only critically difficult for arithmetical issues of the eligible 90 million or so figures of voters in geting them enrolled, correctly registered ensuring various criteria, conduct the polls peacefully etc. but also the real difficulty that would be in reconcilement of contending parties over 100 on issues never reconcilable, because they remained irreconcilable for over three and a half decades now since 1972. The great difficulty and possibly the impossible task of the Commission would be, I am afraid, in trying anything towards such near impossible reconcilement The parties are divided not alone in their unbelievably huge numbers for the poorest country as ours is and typical leaders each of their own variety but also having many philosophies or differing outlooks about the country's future goals, in fact, nothing but for self-aggrandizement

It was a good decision for the Commission not to meet and exchange views with all of odd 100 or so parties but only 15 as they have listed for the first go. What we have seen very unfortunately, however, in the mean time in their meeting with only three of the listed ones enough of mud slinging as reported in the medias in the three sessions the Commission had with them. It is only as such likely that as they go on having other sessions with the rest of the parties we would have more misfortunes to hear about more mud slinging.

It may be a good practice as such for the Commission members to keep mum on irreconcilable contending issues, lest the Commission or any of its members are labeled partisan in one way or the other. Because, any such labeling may lead to labeling of the election process itself, howsoever neutral and fair the actual polling mater might in fact be. It may as such be good and useful for the Commission members to listen to more and more and talk less in their sessions and keep completely mum on controversial and irreconcilable issues in Bangladesh politics with the rest of the parties in the days ahead.

M.T. Hussain

Ibrahimpur

Dhaka-1206