'National Charter' to be formulated on consensus of political parties: Badiul 

Head of the Electoral Reform Commission and member of the National Consensus Commission, Badiul Alam Majumdar has said a 'National Charter' will be formulated based on the opinions of political parties as their commitments will be incorporated in it while a national consensus will be created based on this national charter.

"It is possible to establish consensus among the political parties by agreeing on the proposals sent by the Consensus Commission. There is nothing wrong with having differences of opinion in a democracy, it can be there. But at the same time, it is important to reach consensus on some basic issues," he told BSS in an interview recently.

Majumdar added: "This is a very important issue. Now we have that opportunity and a great moment. We have to rise above the small issues of the past on which our differences of opinion have become big. I am optimistic about this."

He hoped the 'National Charter' will play an important role in making the democratic system sustainable and effective. Through it, the political parties will express their opinions and by formulating that National Charter, they will express their commitment, he said.
"I think this will be an important milestone in the history of the democratic system of the country," he added.

Regarding ensuring a sustainable democratic system, Badiul, also secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujon), said if political parties commit to making the democratic system effective and do what needs to be done at the same time, then the democratic system will be effective.

Out of the 11 reform commissions formed by the interim government, six have already submitted their recommendations. 

"These have been shared with the political parties. If the democratic system is to be implemented, then our politicians will have to take the main responsibility. Because politicians will form the government through elections and run the state," he said.

Therefore, they will have to play the primary role in making the democratic system effective and along with this, of course, civil society will also have to play a role, he added.

At the same time, if citizens also play the role of vigilant watchmen, then it will be easy, he observed.

"What we, the Consensus Commission, have tried to do is - we have sent the recommendations made by the six reform commissions to the political parties. We want the political parties to give their opinions, whether they agree with them, disagree with them or partially agree with them. They should tell us in what process the issues they agree on will be implemented," he said.

In the past, political parties have made many promises to the nation, but in many cases they have not kept those promises, he said, adding that there are various reasons for not being able to keep the promises.

"This time, we are optimistic, because there was so much bloodshed, so many people lost their lives, so many people were injured and were subjected to oppression in various ways. This has created a different context. In this different context, a strong desire has been established among our political parties and all citizens," said Badiul.

He hoped that the situation would be different this time as political parties will implement their promises after coming to power.

He expresses his belief that the most important thing is to ensure a fair and impartial election, because through elections, the people have the opportunity to show the red card, that is, if political parties have to return to the people every five years, then if the people can tell them 'no', if they can show them the red card, then they will run the government in the interests of the people and based on the opinions of the people. 

But if the electoral system is broken, if it is possible to come to power without elections, if it is possible to stay in power, then there is no need of accountability to the people, he said.

At the same time, due to the destruction of the electoral system, the people who are supposed to establish the accountability of the government in parliament are also no longer effective, because none of them are elected by the people, he said.

Being from the same party, they have done more for their own welfare than for the welfare of the people, he said.

Badiul said: "We think that this time the situation will be different and they will focus on the welfare of the people, for this the electoral system needs to be corrected."

Referring to the need to expel the corrupt from the electoral arena on the issue of electing the right and qualified people in the elections, Badiul said, "Who will be elected through the elections is also important. So, we need to expel the corrupt from the electoral arena, clean the electoral arena and make this arena free of corrupt people."

It is important to verify the accuracy of the information given by the candidates during the elections so that the right person can be elected through a fair election, he said.

Stressing the importance of stopping the money game, he said, "If we cannot stop the money game in elections, then everything will go in vain. Because, if the money game is not stopped, it will be a democracy that can be bought with money. But this is not a democracy."

Money games, especially the invisible money game, nomination trading and buying votes with money must be stopped.

The Election Commission needs to be strengthened, because the main responsibility of the commission is to ensure fair elections, he said.

He said the EC could not fulfill its responsibilities in the past for various reasons.

Despite establishing the EC as an independent constitutional institution, they could not fulfill their responsibilities as in the past, the right people were not appointed and they were under various pressures, he said. 

Another thing is, if there is no neutral government during the election, no fair election was held in the history of Bangladesh under a party government, he said, adding that therefore, having a neutral government is important for fair elections.

Badiul said: "We want to trust the political parties that they will not betray those who have given their blood for the welfare and interest of the people. I want to be optimistic."

Regarding the establishment of an 'independent authority' for the national identity card, Badiul said, "This will not reduce the power of the Election Commission. The work of the EC is not related to the NID. When the home ministry wanted to take NID services, we were apprehensive, I myself opposed it and also recommended that the home ministry's taking of NID be stopped. Because the ministry can use the database by exerting influence. 

What the EC needs is a voter list. They can get the part of this voter list that they need. But NID is now used in all fields and it is now a widespread issue."

He said NID is now being used for everything, including shopping and birth registration.

The EC needs to focus on elections and therefore, an independent authority has been recommended for NID-related activities, he said, adding they will have access to it for whatever the EC needs.

"We have recommended this independent authority so that the EC does not divert its attention from the elections while doing NID-related work," Badiul said.

If the EC is impartial and if the government has no agenda, then fair elections are possible, he said, adding that those who perform their duties fairly and impartially under a neutral government cannot perform their duties impartially under a party government.

This time the elections will be conducted through an interim government, he said.

"I am sure that the caretaker government system will return again. In this process, neutral people will be appointed to the Election Commission and they will perform their duties properly and impartially. I am hopeful that the elections that will be held under the interim government in the future will be fair," he said.

Muhammad Yunus has no desire to form a political party or join a political party or do politics in the future as he is a respected and world-renowned person. 

"I am sure that he will not add slander to it. And I do not see any risk of the election being questioned and if this risk arises, I am sure Yunus will take the right decision. There is no alternative to a fair election at this time," he said.

On the political future of the Awami League, Badiul said the consensus commission has no thoughts on the political future of the Awami League.

It is a matter of the government and the EC, and whether their registration will be cancelled or not, the government and the Election Commission will decide on this in the light of the laws, rules and regulations. 

"We have no opinion on these. The EC will decide in due course who can vote and who cannot," he said.