The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday expressing suspicion on holding the election demanded polls as per the Election Commission's roadmap. They said that election was the only solution to all the problems that the country was facing.

They also urged the government to remove all the suspicion regarding the election from the people's mind.

The roundtable was organised by Bangladesh Swachetan Nagorik Somaj at the National Press Club in the city.

Former CEC Justice Abdur Rauf was chief guest at the meeting while former Rajshahi University VC Prof M Yousuf Ali, Assistant Secretary General of Jamat-e-Islami Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, Jatiya Ganotantrik Party president Shafiul Alam Pradhan, NAP Bhashani president Mustak Ahmed and the New Nation Editor Mostafa Kamal Mojumder, among others, were present and addressed the meeting.

Justice Rauf said, "The caretaker government should only focus on the election and not on anything else and hand over power to a democratic government."

"The government should not think on who may be elected in the election thy should let it to the people to elect their representatives," said Justice Rauf and added, "Election is the only way to get rid of the problems like price hike, political crisis and economic collapse that the country is seeing now."

He said the voter ID cards that were ready should be distributed among the citizens.

Justice Rauf also said the country should now focus on food security rather than importing luxury goods.

M Yousuf Ali said, "Past evidence tells that Ayub Khan conspired by holding local elections before the national polls to make his base of power strong, this time also whether there is any plot or not I am not sure."

He said there was no alternative to election and the advisory council now should think how to hold the election before December this year and how the emergency could be lifted.

Prof Ali ended his speech saying, "I am concluding my speech expressing suspicion on holding the election."

Kamaruzzaman said the suspicion that was created in the peoples' mind was not created by them it was the creation of both the EC and the government with their different speeches at different times.

He said, "In the past the military governments extended their tenure by holding the local polls before the national elections and people are watching the same technique this time around whether any plot was going on to extend the emergency rule."

He urged the government not to think about who might win the elections but to hold the elections as per the roadmap.

Pradhan said that he would not mind holding local polls if the national polls were held according to the roadmap.

The roundtable was presided over by president of Swachentan nagorik Shamaj Alamgir Hossain Raju.