Direct votes for district councils
The government should revise the electoral system and some legal provisions to make the district council bodies truly effective and functional, claimed Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN).
If the district council electoral system and some other provisions of the District Council (Amendment) Act, 2016 are not amended, the councils would turn ineffective and worthless, it said.
SHUJAN, a citizens' platform advocating good governance, came up with the claim at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters' Unity yesterday.
Only the elected representatives of different local government bodies cast their votes to elect a chairman -- 15 general and five women members in reserved seats in each district council -- according to the act.
The elected representatives include chairmen and members of the union parishads; chairmen and vice-chairmen of upazila parishads and mayors and councillors of municipalities and city corporations.
“We want a change in the electoral system… the district council should be constituted through direct votes of
people instead of elected representatives of different local government bodies,” said a SHUJAN statement.
Besides, the act has a provision that says local parliament members should be kept as advisers to the district councils, which should be scrapped, it demanded.
The act also gives the power to the district councils to play a supervisory role over upazila parishads and municipalities, which will act as a major barrier to their independence, the rights body thinks.
“We think the district council will be effective and able to play a due role at local–level development, if the legal provisions are amended,” it said.
SHUJAN also came up with a synopsis of the backgrounds of the recently-elected chairmen of the district councils after scrutinising their affidavits submitted to the returning officers (RO) with their nomination papers.
Out of the 64 districts, elections to 59 district councils were held on December 28. Elections to Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari were not held. Besides, polling in chairman posts at Bogra and Kushtia were postponed due to legal complications.
The elections witnessed use of black money, violence and violation of electoral code by lawmakers in different areas. But the Election Commission (EC) did not take any action against them, SHUJAN claimed.
Of the newly elected 59 chairmen, 45 are graduates, eight completed Higher Secondary Certificate, one completed Secondary School Certificate, four could not complete school education, while educational background of one chairman-elect was not available.
In case of profession, 38 are businessmen, eight lawyers, five service-holders, six are in agro-business and the rest are involved in different professions.
Only two chairmen-elect are accused of criminal cases, while 15 faced criminal charges in past.
People do not have trust in the country's electoral system as it has reached the verge of destruction, said SHUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder.
He also hoped the new EC, which will be reconstituted in February, will play a bold and efficient role in reviving a healthy culture in the electoral system.
SHUJAN's senior officials Dilip Kumar Sarker and Zakir Hossain also spoke.
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