EC search committee: Short time, tough task

President Abdul Hamid has formed a six-member search committee, led by Justice Obaidul Hassan, in line with the new law on forming the Election Commission.

The search committee has six working days to recommend names to the president for the appointments of the chief election commissioner and other commissioners as the tenure of the current EC, headed by CEC KM Nurul Huda, expires on February 14.

Justice Hassan, a Supreme Court judge, was a member of the previous search committee constituted in 2017.

The other members are Justice SM Kuddus Zaman, a High Court judge, Comptroller and Auditor General Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Public Service Commission Chairman Md Sohorab Hossain, former election commissioner Sohul Hussain, and psychiatrist and writer Anwara Syed Haq, according to a gazette issued yesterday.

The committee will perform its duties in accordance with the "Appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act-2022", the gazette said, adding that the Cabinet Division would provide all necessary assistance to it.

The gazette came nine days after parliament passed the law amid protests from opposition lawmakers.

Talking to The Daily Star, four members of the committee, including its head, said they would work sincerely to find out the right people for the EC appointments.

"We will carry out our responsibilities, given by the honourable president on behalf of the nation, with utmost sincerity and fairness," said Justice Hassan.

Replying to a query, he, however, said, "I cannot say whether the new Election Commission to be formed following recommendations by the search committee will be neutral and acceptable. But we will do our job as per the law and the constitution."

The new panel will recommend two names for each of the posts of the CEC and other commissioners, who will oversee the next general election slated for late next year.

The outgoing EC and the previous one faced huge criticisms over their roles in the national elections in 2014 and 2018.

Many alleged neither of the polls was credible.

For making the recommendations, the new committee can seek names from political parties and professional bodies. It will make decisions based on the majority.

As per the EC law, the search committee can get 15 working days to recommend names to the president.

If the new EC is to be formed by February 14, when the current EC expires its tenure, the committee has only six working days to complete its task.

Based on the recommendations, the president will appoint the CEC and other commissioners, according to the law.

Soon after the formation of the search committee, the ruling Awami League welcomed the move while its arch rival BNP said it was "very much like the previous ones".

The previous search committee was formed in 2017 by President Hamid following talks ahead of the 2018 polls.

The one before that was formed in 2012 by the then president Zillur Rahman after talks with 23 registered parties.

The Rakib-led EC drew huge flak for holding the 2014 January 5 "one-sided" election, in which 153 lawmakers were elected unopposed.

The Huda-led commission received criticisms for massive vote rigging and polls irregularities.

Asked about the new committee, Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, a former election commissioner, said, "I hope that something good will happen. I don't know much about them except Mr Sohul Hussain. I hope they will find the right people so that the current electoral crisis can be overcome."

Transparency International Bangladesh said the search committee should maintain transparency and impartiality in forming a new EC.

In a statement, it said there was no scope of deviation from the constitutional consciousness behind the formation of a neutral, acceptable and efficient Election Commission and the fulfilment of the expectations of the people.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said, "We respectfully request the members of the committee to consider the names of people who are well known for their honesty, impartiality, fairness, objectivity and sincerity in their personal and professional lives. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the nominees are not involved in any form of crime such as immorality, corruption and defaulting on loans."

TIB also hoped the committee would ensure the names recommended are made public.

Hailing the formation of the search committee, AL Joint General Secretary

AFM Bahauddin Nasim said the upcoming EC would be the first under the new law.

"We hope it will strengthen democracy and the electoral system. The next Election Commission will be formed in light of the constitution. It will be more powerful and elections under it will be free, fair and participatory."

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told The Daily Star, "The issue of search committee is not important for us. We have repeatedly said that free and fair election is not possible without an election-time neutral government."

WHAT NEW MEMBERS SAY

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Justice Obaidul Hassan said it has not yet been decided when the search committee would start functioning.

"The gazette on the search committee was issued around one hour back. The cabinet secretary is yet to communicate with me. I could not talk to my colleagues in the committee. However, I hope we can start working very soon."

Justice Hassan declined to make any comment on the current EC and its criticisms.

Justice SM Kuddus Zaman, another member of the search committee, said they would work with all their heart in the interest of the nation.

He hoped the next EC would be fair and neutral.

Sohul Hussain said, "This is a very important task for me. I am grateful to the president. If the right people are not picked as the commissioners, the entire electoral system will be at stake."

PSC Chairman Sohorab Hossain said, "I believe the committee chief will convene the first meeting soon, and there will be discussion on our work models there."

Asked what they would consider while recommending the names, he said, "I think the committee head will be the right person to speak on it."

The first meeting of the committee will be held at 4:30 pm at Supreme Court Judges lounge, justice SM Kuddus Zaman told The Daily Star.

A sketch of the EC search panel

Justice Obaidul Hassan

He became a justice of the Supreme Court's Appellate Division on September 3, 2020. He was made an additional judge of the High Court Division on June 30, 2009, and he became judge of the same division on June 6, 2011. He also served as member of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 and later as the chairman of the tribunal from March 22, 2012 to September 15, 2015. Born in 1959, justice Obaidul obtained his BSS (Honours), MSS in Economic and LLB from Dhaka University. He was first enrolled as an advocate of the District Court in 1986. Later, he was enrolled as a lawyer of the High Court Division and the Appellate division of the Supreme Court in 1988 and 2005 respectively.

Justice SM Kuddus Zaman

He entered in the Bangladesh judicial service on 22 February 1984 as a Munsif. He worked in various district courts as Senior Assistant Judge, Joint District Judge and Additional District Judge and was finally promoted to the apex position of the service, District Judge, on October 9, 2006. He was appointed District and Session Judge of Dhaka on February 5, 2015 and later elevated to the High Court Division on May 31, 2018. Born on August 12, 1960 in Rajbari, he passed Secondary School Certificate Examination in 1975. He obtained Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Degree in 1982 and Master of Laws degree in 1983 from the Dhaka University. He was the International Judge of United Nations in East Timor where he worked for dispensation of justice in civil and criminal cases

Md Sohorab Hossain

He became the chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission on 21 September 2020. Before that, he was the Senior Secretary in the Secondary and Higher Education Division. He obtained his Mr. Sohorab Hossain pursued his BA (Honours) and MA in Bangla Language and Literature from Dhaka University. He joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1986. He was born in in Chatkhil, Noakhali in 1961.

Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury

He joined audit and accounts cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service in 1984 batch, and has been serving as the comptroller and auditor general of Bangladesh since July 17, 2018. He was also Finance Secretary. Chowdhury was Finance Secretary. Before his elevation to the position of Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh, he had served as Deputy Secretary, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Finance Division, Ministry of Finance. He graduated with a Bachelor degree in Commerce with Honours and Master of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Chittagong. He also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Finance and Accounting from the University of Birmingham, UK.

Muhammad Sohul Hussain

He was appointed as election commissioner on February 5, 2007 and continued till 2012. During his tenure, then commission prepared the draft the law of appointment of the Chief election commissioner and election commissioners. He started his career as Munsef in 1967. He became the law secretary in 1997 and went on retirement on 2000. The following year, he enrolled as a lawyer of the Supreme Court. Born in Sylhet on April 27, 1942, Sohul's followers collected nomination papers for him to contest the national election from Sylhet-1.

Anwara Syed Haq

She is an eminent fiction writer and a psychiatrist by profession. Born in Jashore in 1940, she won the Bangla Academy Award in 2010 for her contribution to literature and in 2019 she was awarded with the Ekushey Padak for language and literature. After completing her SSC and HSC in Jessore, she enrolled in Dhaka Medical College from where she obtained her MBBS degree in 1965. In 1973 went to the United Kingdom for higher education. After having completed her post graduate degree in medical psychiatry in 1982 she returned home from the UK. She married to the eminent writer and poet Syed Samsul Haq on November 19, 1965.