President’s Dialogue: CPB, BSD will not join
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) will not join the dialogue with President Abdul Hamid over the formation of the next Election Commission.
This is for the first time since 2012 that any political parties refused the president's invitation on holding dialogue with the President on the formation of the EC.
Although BNP is yet to get an invitation for the dialogue, top leaders of the party hinted that they are unlikely to attend the talks.
CPB, a leading left-leaning party, was scheduled to sit on January 3 while BSD was scheduled to hold dialogue today with Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban, according to the press wing of Bangabhaban.
Talking to The Daily Star, CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim yesterday said, "We don't see any necessity on holding dialogue with President Abdul Hamid on the formation of the Election Commission as the president has no power to work independently in this regard.
"The President told us that he wants to take advice from us on the formation of the Election Commission. But the fact is he has no power to work on his own as per the constitution. He will have to work on the advice of none but the prime minister," he added.
The CPB president also said his party had held a dialogue with the president in 2012 and 2016 on the same issue.
"In those meetings, CPB had categorically called upon the president to take measures to enact a law in the Constitution on the formation of the Election Commission. We also have submitted several other proposals on bringing change in the electoral system in a bid to hold elections in a free, fair and neutral manner," added Selim.
"None of our proposals placed in 2012 and 2016 were implemented. That's why we think holding a dialogue with the president is meaningless," he added.
Selim also said, "If he [Abdul Hamid] needs our recommendations on the formation of the Election Commission, he can go through our previous files."
Ruhin Hossain Prince, secretary, CPB, said, "We will welcome the president's dialogue if it is held on strengthening and reform of the electoral system."
BSD, another leftist party on December 24 sent a letter to the Bangabhaban and informed the party's "unwillingness" to join the ongoing president's dialogue, SPB central leader Razequzzaman Ratan told the Daily Star.
In the letter, BSD said that they have not seen the implementation of the party's proposal made to the president's dialogue in 2012 and 2016. The party does not want to see repetitions of previous incidents.
The party said that their previous proposals were still relevant and they wanted the president's steps to implement such recommendations.
"We have sent a letter to the Bangabhaban on December 24. We have enclosed our five points recommendations we made during the dialogue held in 2016 for president's consideration," Ratan said.
President Abdul Hamid began the dialogue with registered political parties from December 20 and so far held dialogue with the main opposition party in parliament -- Jatiya Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, a component in the Awami League-led grand alliance.
As of yesterday, the president has invited 13 political parties to join the dialogue till January 3.
The five-year tenure of the incumbent Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, will expire on February 14 next.
Now there are 39 registered political parties, according to the EC website. But only nine parties have representation in the parliament.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh National Awami Party is scheduled to sit in dialogue with the President at 4:00pm.
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