AL campaign rolls out

Although the election schedule has not been officially announced by the EC as yet, the ruling party campaign for the next general election has rolled out, literally on the rolling stock, with the first of its forays to the north of the country. This is a good sign since it shows that even after nearly 10 years of rule, and so much good that it claims it has delivered, the AL does not take the voters for granted.

We hope that the BNP would follow suit since it has so much to pick up after 10 years in near political wilderness and in somewhat organisational disarray, aggravated by the absence of its two senior leaders.

But for all the political parties to be able to conduct their campaigns, the government must ensure a healthy and safe environment for all with equal facilities. We cannot stress on this matter enough since various media reports show that the BNP party cadres and activists are on the run all over the country trying to escape the police, particularly from the time indication for the next election was made by the CEC in August. A level playing field is an indispensable precondition for a fair election, which the government is obligated to ensure. Election means freedom of choice, a form of freedom of expression, which the voters must be able to exercise without let or hindrance.

The next two months leading up to the election will see lots of political activities, and our wish is that they should not be a cause of public inconvenience like the train campaign of the AL was. While this mode of campaigning is nothing new, the AL plans ignored the matter of public convenience altogether.