Why army's role in next election important more than ever

Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman has said it loud and clear.

At a regular Officers' Address at Dhaka Cantonment on Tuesday he said the country is heading towards the national election and his troops have taken preparations to assist the government in holding free and fair polls.

The role of the army in elections is always important. It ensured several free and fair elections since 1991.

The other side is not bright. It also guarded three one-sided and controversial elections since 2014 through which Sheikh Hasina clung to power until she was toppled on 5 August last year in an unprecedented uprising. The bottom line is leadership matters. The leaders who led the troops defined their role.

Before the next parliamentary election set to be held before Ramadan in February, Gen Waker has made it clear that his troops will make a difference this time.

On Tuesday he also urged all members of the army to be ready to perform their duties neutrally in accordance with the law.

Given the poor state of police administration and rise of the mob since Hasina's fall, the role of the army in ensuring law and order in the next election would be immensely significant.

The number of troops to be deployed in election duties may be around one lakh, much larger than the size deployed in any past elections.

Considering the significance of the army's role, the Election Commission proposed a change in the election law to empower the army personnel with the power to arrest troublemakers without warrants like policemen.

This sweeping power was first given to the troops before the 2001 parliamentary elections and continued till the 2008 polls.

The Hasina government in 2009 cut the power by amending the election law – the Representation of the People Order, known as RPO. This changed the game. The army personnel deployed in the last three consecutive elections, which were controversial, had little to do on their own as they needed a magistrate's order to take actions. Moreover, the army's top leadership was loyal to Hasina. Therefore, the troops on the ground could not play their due role. The inability has tainted their image.

Before the 2008 election the army as an institution did a great job: preparation of the voter list with photographs under the supervision of the Election Commission. The accomplishment of the herculean job paid off. It buried the perennial controversy over the voter list. Inclusion of fake voters on the list always kept the door open for fake votes. But the three consecutive controversial elections since 2014 made the voter list redundant as voters got little scope to exercise their franchise.

For standing by people during the July uprising against the Hasina regime, the role of the army has widely been lauded. Its continuous efforts to maintain the law and order after the uprising amid a sorry state of the police have also earned praise.

And the positive thing for the general and his troops is that Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has already made it clear that his government is planning to make the next election "the best ever and historic."