Elections not free, fair without participation of all: Experts

While there were issues with the caretaker government system, the upcoming election would not be considered free and fair without the participation of all major political parties, experts said at an event in the capital on Saturday.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion styled "Geopolitics centring election", organised by the Editors Guild Bangladesh in Dhaka Gallery in Banani, Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, a former election commissioner, said, "I don't think the upcoming national polls would be free and fair without the participation of all, especially the major parties. You cannot term the election free and fair when a major party leaves it."

He added, "Voting power is also a human right. When a large portion of voters do not go to vote, that election cannot be called free and fair elections…"

Citizens for Good Governance (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said, "Free and fair election means a participatory and competitive election. And to ensure free and fair elections, you need to guarantee three things – effective and neutral empowerment of the Election Commission, neutral role of administration and unbiased role of law enforcement agencies."

"The governing party always enjoys a favour from these organs, which is why we need a caretaker government to hold free and fair elections," he added.

Regarding the issue of caretaker government, The Daily Amader Notun Shomoy Emeritus Editor Nayeemul Islam Khan, said, "From 1991, we have experienced that caretaker government inherently drives the incumbent government to a corner. No incumbent government can win under a caretaker government."

On the issue of "foreign interference", Brigadier General (retired) M Sakhawat Hossain noted that foreign diplomats interfered in our elections many times before.

"Former Indian foreign secretary Sujata Singh came to Dhaka and she directly interfered in our elections back then. We didn't oppose the stance then," he said.

Mozammel Babu, editor-in-chief of Ekattor TV and the president of the Editors Guild Bangladesh, said, "Except in Pakistan, no country in the world has a caretaker government system. Even in our country, this type of government is not there in the constitution."

On foreign visits, he said, "The governing party looks relieved. They have heaved a breath of relief during the US under secretary Uzra Zeya's visit."

He also said no foreigner had spoken about a participatory or inclusive election. Instead, they talked about free and fair elections.

Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, former BNP leader and a career diplomat, said, " If you read Uzra Zeya's statement, they [the US] have linked free, fair and inclusive elections with the recently issued US visa policy. They vowed again that visa policy would help make the election free and fair."

The Daily Amader Notun Shomoy Editor Nayeemul Islam Khan said, "I have not seen any change in the US stance regarding the Bangladesh election. They are in a straight line. The visa policy is contradictory to the theory of caretaker or nonpartisan government. If they wanted a caretaker government, they wouldn't issue a visa policy. Even Peter Hass, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, didn't ask for participatory or inclusive elections. Peter Hass is the most misunderstood person in the country."

Ali Imam Majumder, former cabinet secretary, said no one was free of geopolitics. "From the ousting movement of the Ershad regime to now, we have seen geopolitical activities every time we fall into any political instability. I firmly believe that if there was an average-standard, public-backed party in power, then they [foreign delegations] wouldn't be able to come and interfere with our elections in such a way."

Sadeka Halim, a professor at the University of Dhaka, said, "India and China both have their different and contradictory geopolitical visions. But at one point, regarding Bangladesh, they share the same strategy on regional stability and Bangladesh's stability. And none of them expects US's lone interference in the region.

"When you take the instance of the Indo-Pacific region --- If India and the US want to weaken or control China's influence over the region, then the US wouldn't want to upset India. And we have a better relationship and understanding with India."

Professor Abdul Mannan, former chairman of UGC, and former diplomat Munshi Faiz Ahmed also spoke at the dialogue.