AL's claim of fairest upazila polls: April Fool's joke
MANY politicians, particularly those belonging to the party in power, consider us as 'fools.' They want us to believe blindly whatever they say, whether it is right or wrong or a distortion of facts. This is why AL could make the bizarre claim that the just concluded upazila parishad elections were much fairer than all previous polls to local government bodies. It, thus, justified the capturing of polling centres, snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes, driving away of opponents' agents from polling booths, and engaging in clashes by the ruling party men with opponents in at least100 upazilas. This is a glaring example of the impunity enjoyed by the ruling party men.
Sorry, we are unable to believe the claim the AL made on Tuesday, April 1, after conclusion of the fifth phase of the polls. April 1is popularly known as “April Fool's Day.” It is observed across the world as a day when people play practical jokes and tricks on each other. We want to believe that the AL might have played a joke on us by making that claim on April Fool's Day!
But the truth is that the AL is serious about its claim. Flanked by some party leaders, AL Presidium Member and Communications Minister Obaidul Qauder, who was assigned by the AL chief to monitor the upazila polls, read out his party's written statement on the upazila polls. The AL also thanked and expressed its gratitude to the government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Election Commission for what it claimed was holding of successful elections despite many obstacles.
By giving “thanks” and expressing “gratitude” to them, AL might not have played jokes on them on April Fool's Day! They had remained silent about the unlawful activities of AL men who were hell-bent on securing win of their candidates in the upazila polls. The overall outcome of the polls could have been different had they not remained silent.
AL's claim that the upazila polls were much fairer than other local body elections held previously has also undermined the credit the government had earned by holding free and fair polls during its previous term from 2009 to 2013. Elections to more than 4,000 union parishads and over 230 municipalities held in 2010 and 2011 were largely free and fair. The polls to five city corporations held in the middle of 2013 were also free and fair. The AL men had not resorted to violence in the mayoral elections for the five city corporation in which the BNP-supported candidate made a clear sweep. Though the AL-backed candidates lost, AL and the government could take the credit for holding free and fair elections. Both the government and the party had banked on that credit to reject the BNP-led alliance's demand for restoration of a non-partisan parliamentary election time government. The BNP-led alliance was unable to show any instance of vote rigging by the ruling party men to mount pressure on the government to meet the demand.
But the situation took a different turn in the January 5 parliamentary elections held amid a boycott by the BNP-led alliance. The January 5 general polls were a glaring example of a stage-managed national election in which more than half of the parliamentary seats were won without a single vote being cast. The situation turned even worse as the BNP leaders stepped into the battle to challenge the AL contenders in the upazila parishad elections. The upazila polls provided evidence of how ruling party men could rig the elections, denying people's constitutional right to exercise their franchise to elect their representatives.
Riding on rigging, AL has established its supremacy over the BNP as its favourites have been able to grab more chairman and vice-chairman posts. But this win has bulldozed AL's long history of struggle for people's voting rights, electoral system and the EC. So, the damage the AL men have done while ensuring their win in the upazila polls is much bigger than this tainted win. Yet, Mr. Obaidul Quader, on behalf of his party, claimed that upazila elections once again proved that people are the source of power and they have elected their favourite candidates. This claim is nothing but a joke to many on April Fool's Day; even more than that.
The writer is Senior Reporter, The Daily Star.
Comments