Talks with EC on next polls: 40 invited to Mar 22 meet
The Election Commission is going to hold the second round of dialogue with 40 eminent citizens on March 22.
The commission is holding the talks with representatives from different sections of society to seek advice on how the polls, including the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election, can be held in a free and fair manner.
According to EC officials, the dialogue is aimed at preparing the commission's roadmap for the next general election, due late next year.
The EC on Sunday held the first round of discussion with academics. It plans to sit with civil society members, election experts, media personalities and politicians, among others.
The commission has sent invitation letters to eight former advisers to caretaker governments -- economist Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud, former bureaucrats Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury and Hafizuddin Khan, noted entrepreneur Rokia Afzal Rahman, economist AB Mirza Md Azizul Islam, rights activists Sultana Kamal and Rasheda K Choudhury and economist Hossain Zillur Rahman.
The names of Gonoshasthaya Kendra trustee Jafrullah Chowdhury, three distinguished fellows of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Prof Rounaq Jahan, Debapriya Bhattacharya and Prof Mustafizur Rahman, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumdar, former University Grants Commission chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, and educationist Prof Syed Anwar Husain, are also in the list of invitees.
Former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, noted jurist Shahdeen Malik, Dhaka University professors Abul Barkat, MM Aksah, Amena Mohsin, Robaet Ferdous, SM Shameem Reza, Sheikh Hafizur Rahman and Kaberi Gayen, local government expert Tofail Ahmed, former foreign secretary Mohiuddin Ahmed, former ambassador AFM Golam Hossain, ex-secretaries Abdul Latif Mandal and Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan have been invited to join talks.
The other invitees include Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam and Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir.
Writer and columnist Mohiuddin Ahmad, Bangladesh Heritage Foundation Chairman Wali-ur Rahman, Leadership Studies Foundation Chairman Sinha MA Sayeed, strategy analyst Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Hafiz and Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples' Forum General Secretary Sanjeeb Drong have been invited.
The EC's dialogue initiative received an underwhelming response on the first day of the talks, as just 13 out of 30 invitees joined the dialogue on Sunday.
Comments