Repealing Clauses of RPO: Shujan terms EC’s decision ‘suicidal’

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik yesterday expressed concern over the Election Commission's steps to formulate a separate law for political parties' registration with the commission, after repealing some clauses from the Representation of the People's Order-1972.

In a statement, Shujan said such decision by the statutory body could be "suicidal".

Shujan, a good governance campaigner, held a virtual press conference to address its stand on the EC's step, said the release.

Its Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said as an independent body, the EC is accountable to the countrymen but to not any political party.

"Whether formulating the [new] law is for public interest or political parties' interest remains a big question," he said.

If political parties are the priority, then the goal should be to democratise them, he added.

Criticising the EC's activities, eminent jurist Dr Shahdeen Malik said the EC has emerged as a "great obstacle" for the nation's progress.

Reading out a keynote paper, Shujan Central Coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarkar said as per the proposed "Political parties' registration with election commission act, 2020", in some cases, parties do not have to achieve their targets by December 31, 2020 which were set under the RPO.

Instead, they have to highlight the progress of the targets in annual report, he added.

As per the present RPO, which was amended in 2008, political parties must fulfill at least 33 percent of their committee membership by women and the target should be achieved gradually by 2020, said the keynote which was sent with the press release.

However, so far, apart from one exception, no political party achieved the target, it said.

Dilip said the proposal was made in the draft law in such a way that it will not be possible for a new political party to get registered with the EC, if it were not a participant in two previous elections.

Such proposal of the draft law is not acceptable, he said.

Presiding over the virtual press conference, Shujan Central Committee Treasurer Syed Abu Naser Bakhtiar Ahmed said to formulate such law, decisions should be taken after dialogues with all political parties.

Rights activist and Supreme Court lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan said such a step by the EC was "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional".