Polls on schedule

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that the 10th parliamentary elections will be held as per the constitutional guidelines and the schedules announced by the Election Commission, whether “some parties” participate in the polls or not.
She made the assertion at the weekly meeting of the cabinet yesterday with the Jatiya Party members abstaining.
Sheikh Hasina categorically said that Awami League would take part in the elections under any circumstances for the sake of continuation of constitutional process, several ministers told The Daily

Star after the meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.
“The prime minister said the elections must take place as per the current schedules,” Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said.
Meeting sources said the premier also directed the ministers, state ministers and lawmakers to ensure mass mobilisation of pro-liberation people at each district and upazila on December 16, the Victory Day.
The direction comes amid speculations that the death sentence against condemned war crimes convict Abdul Quader Mollah might be executed before the Victory Day.
On Sunday, International Crimes Tribunal-2 issued death warrant for the Jamaat-e-Islami leader. Following this, the home ministry and jail authorities have already completed all necessary preparations to execute the death penalty.
Meanwhile, referring to BNP Joint Secretary General Salahuddin Ahmed’s announcement of blockade and hartal programmes through video messages, the prime minister questioned whether mass media could broadcast and circulate such video clips through which BNP announced “terrorist programmes”.
JP MINISTERS ABSENT
No ministers, state ministers and advisers to the prime minister from Jatiya Party attended the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday as they had sent their resignations to the premier by post on Sunday.
When asked, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists that the cabinet division had not yet received any resignation letter from any of the JP cabinet members.
He said the JP ministers would remain in office until the issuance of gazette notifications on their resignations.
On November 18, five ministers and a state minister from Jatiya Party took oath and joined the polls-time cabinet. On December 4, JP Chairman HM Ershad directed the ministers from his party to resign from the cabinet.
MANDELA CONDOLENCE
The cabinet yesterday adopted a condolence motion on the death of former South African president Nelson Mandela terming him a true friend of Bangladesh. The cabinet conveyed deep sympathy to the government and the people of South Africa as well as the family members of the Nobel Peace Laureate and prayed for salvation of the departed soul.
The cabinet recalled Mandela’s contributions to global peace, his true love for Bangladesh, deep affection for Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and close relations with Sheikh Hasina.
The cabinet observed that Mandela became a symbol of world peace, unity, democracy, and equality through his political prudence and humane qualities.
The world has lost a great, wise and courageous leader at his death, the cabinet mentioned.
The cabinet approved in principle the draft of the National Oceanographic Research Institute Act- 2013 with a view to conduct research on the extraction and proper utilisation of marine resources.