Restoring public trust in EC is the main challenge
Bangladesh has a new Election Commission (EC) now. It is for the first time that an EC has been established under a law. Although we had our views on the nomination process by the search committee, and had our reservations with the individuals nominated—that is in the past now. We welcome the new CEC and his team to what we feel is a most difficult and onerous responsibility. One would hope that as guardians of the country's most important democratic institution, they would bring a change for the better.
In this regard, we reiterate the CEC's initial comments following the announcement of the appointments. He has put his finger on the most vital of his tasks, which is to hold an election that would be acceptable to all. We reiterate that the last five years have witnessed the steady stripping of the credibility of this institution, and the consequent denudation of people's faith in elections and politics in general. The steady decline in voter turnout in the polls attests to that. This—for a country whose most important article of faith is pinned on freedom of electoral choice of the people, and freedom to vote without let or hindrance—is a sad state of affairs.
We believe that the new EC, with former Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal at the helm, has its work cut out for it. It is up to the CEC and other election commissioners to decide how they would acquit themselves and live up to the expectations of the people. Given the past five years, it is a tall ask. The EC does not have a magic wand. And there are impediments that would take time to remove. However, we hope that the new EC would take objective lessons from its predecessor's acts of omission and commission. Their task is not only to hold elections, but also to do everything to restore the credibility of this institution by providing an electoral process, at every level, that is transparent and free of coercion, and where every participant has a level playing field.
It is worth mentioning that the majority of the new commission members are successful ex-bureaucrats. They have been used to working in a milieu that demanded adherence to orders of the higher up—i.e. their political masters. In their new incarnation, they are obligated to no one except the people—and to them, and them only, are they accountable. They should keep in mind that they will be under constant public scrutiny, and therefore must perform in a fair, ethical and morally unimpeachable manner. We would like to caution that failure is not an option, and merely having regrets—for not being able to hold universally acceptable elections—is not an alternative to the "joy of success."
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