The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Election Commission has strongly objected to the statement of Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) prescribing the roles of different state organs of Bangladesh, including the armed forces.

"The foreign organization has no right to intervene in the internal affairs of Bangladesh," Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said yesterday.

The Commissioner expressed his clear negation against the comments made by NDI in internal affairs, including the issue of deployment of army and police in polling stations during elections.

"NDI is nothing but an election observer, and they should have no right to make any comment on our country's internal matters," Brigadier Sakhawat categorically said.

A visiting NDI delegation at a press conference on Wednesday placed a set of recommendations for Bangladesh defining the roles of the Caretaker Government, Election Commission, political parties, civil society as well as army in holding the election.

NDI prescribed Bangladesh "not to deploy police or military personnel on election day" and also suggested the military to "accept its proper role in a democratic society and refrain from intervening in the political process."

The NDI team, however, parried questions of journalists on what it suggests about the role of the diplomats and foreign election observers intervening in the Bangladesh affairs.

Brigadier Sakhawat yesterday condemned the behavior of the NDI team, which, he said, interfered in the country's internal affairs giving their statement about the election management procedure.

"NDI cannot make such comments on our internal affairs. The country's concerned authorities will decide whether the police, army or Ansar will be deployed in polling-stations during elections or not," Sakhawat emphatically said. "They must refrain from making such comment in future," he added.

The Election Commissioner made it clear that main objective of NDI is to observe the ensuing elections, not to make any comment on Bangladesh's internal affairs.

"They (NDI) have made comment on electoral process. It is unexpected, unwanted and illegal," he went on to say in his tirade.