Shujan urges search committee to perform its duties transparently and impartially

Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) has hoped the newly formed search committee for the next Election Commission will fulfill its duties transparently and impartially.

The organisation made the call through a press release on Sunday (6 February). 

Shujan said there are reasons to be skeptical about the impartiality of the committee, but welcomed the newly formed committee.

"A member of the committee has sought the nomination of Awami League in the last parliamentary elections. The head of the committee himself was a member of the former search committee, which played a role in the formation of the controversial Nurul Huda Commission. Therefore, there is reason to be skeptical about the impartiality of this committee. Nevertheless, we welcome the newly formed search committee and call for transparency and impartiality," the organisation said. 

It added that the only way to properly screen the candidates for appointment to the Election Commission is to publish their names in a public notice.

"In the interest of following the principles of transparency and impartiality as directed by law, we request the search committee to disclose the names of the persons initially selected for appointment to the Election Commission and to hold a public hearing about them," Shujan said in the statement. 

The organisation also requested the search committee to publish a report in the form of public notice before submitting the recommending names for the posts of Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners to the President.

The reasons and arguments for the selection of the finalists should be clearly stated in the report, they added. 

On Saturday (5 February), Appellate Division Justice Obaidul Hasan was named as the head of a six-member search committee to suggest names for the next Election Commission.

Other members of the committee are Justice SM Quddus Zaman (chief justice nominated), Auditor General and Controller of Bangladesh Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury, Bangladesh Public Service Commission Chairman Md Sohrab Hossain, and former election commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain and author Anwara Syed Haque (president-nominated).