Zillur to take initiative on law making

President Zillur Rahman yesterday proposed to initiate enactment of a law in line with the constitution to form an election commission.
The offer came at his talks with the ruling Awami League on the last day of the dialogue with political parties on the formation of the next election commission.
The AL accepted the presidential proposal, party General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said.
Led by AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, a 15-member delegation took part in the talks held at the Bangabhaban.
Briefing journalists at the AL chief's Dhanmondi office, Ashraf bitterly criticised the main opposition BNP for raising the issue of restoring the caretaker government system at its talks with the president on Wednesday since, he said, it was not on the agenda.
Explaining the president's proposal, Asraf said, "He might promulgate an ordinance providing for constitution of the next election commission or he may send a proposal to parliament to enact a law to this end.”
“None of the successive governments in the last 40 years (since independence) came up to enact the law. But we told the honourable president that the present AL government will support his proposal to this end,” said Ashraf, also LGRD minister.
Besides, the AL team informed the president that the party will welcome any initiative taken by him for holding free and fair polls, he said.
The president initiated the talks with the political parties, excepting Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, as the five-year tenure of the present EC expires next month.
Starting on December 22, the much-talked about dialogue ended yesterday.
All the 23 political parties that joined the talks stressed strengthening the EC for holding free and fair polls.
Of them, 12 parties including BNP urged the president to take initiative for restoration of the caretaker system although it was not on the agenda of the dialogue.
Six parties -- AL, Jatiya Party, Shamyabadi Dal, Ganatantrik Islami Oikya Jote, Islami Oikya Jote and Islamic Front -- opposed the CG system either at the dialogue or outside.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Workers Party, Jatiya Party-JP and National Awami Party did not say anything on this issue at the talks.
But Tarikat Federation had proposed formation of an interim government with the incumbent prime minister heading it.
The caretaker system was scrapped through the 15th amendment to the constitution last year, triggering criticism from different quarters.
Asked about BNP's demand at the dialogue for restoring the caretaker system before the formation of the next EC, Ashraf said at the briefing the Election Commission is a constitutional body, and tenure of the present EC will expire in mid-February. So, there must be continuity of the constitutional body.
Besides, it has already been proved that free and fair polls can be held under the present political government, he said.
Asked whether AL will join if the president calls for talks on the caretaker government issue, Ashraf said, “We'll welcome any such initiative taken by the president.”
Replying to a question, he said BNP joined the talks with the president to escape people's wrath. “It is clear that their objective was not good.”