Untold Facts

Jalil’s Disclosures made Mid- term Election Obvious

Obvious
Awami League’s former General Secretary Abdul Jalil’s disclosures made in London on the 23rd September about organized fraud in the December 2008 election of Bangladesh even if he has not exposed everything in the fraudulent deals for reasons best known to him, it has made obvious for Bangladesh to hold a mid term election.

Nothing new
Holding mid term election is nothing new or uncommon in parliamentary democracy. The period fixed for a term of five years just as we have following the British example, there are precedence of holding mid term election in Britain as also in other countries like India, for example.

Democratic essence
If one would imagine the term in essence of democracy, it would only be logical that mid term election fits well and rightly into democratic values. It is so because, people are the sovereign and that for any reason the sovereign power of the people is dented that need be repaired and rectified by holding mid term election immediately as far as would be practicable and feasible in the shortest time limit.

Onus
It’s true that the seating government holds power and authority to hold such election. Nevertheless, they have no option but to hold the election immediately. In Bangladesh, the matter should be taken as urgent by the government for it has already put them to the vulnerable position of illegitimacy for the election had been fraudulent just as Jalil has courageously exposed, and many other had seriously doubted, even including the Awami League for many of their high ups got astonished for the overwhelming victory that they did not expect. Neither many believed the 85% turn out of voters that never exceeded 60% before, not to mention of many centers that calculated turn out figure of voters at over 100%!

The Election Commission
In case the authorities concerned takes on the stand that Jalil’s disclosures in the matter had been baseless, the onus would fall on the Election Commission, etc to prove that Jalil was incorrect. In such contesting points the Commission has no option but to go to the court immediately. Simple statements in the press may not believably do the job.

Clandestine fraudulence
Clandestine matters hardly keep concrete evidences. Even so, the matter should be opened to the people for future guidance and preventing recurrence of any fraud or any complaint about fraudulent acts

Frauds in the past
In the past there had been complaints about frauds in elections. The fraudulent acts involved inaccurate electoral rolls, false voters, counting frauds, etc. That the Election Commission took two long years in place of three months for the accurate preparation voters lists and all relevant subjects for the 2008 election for avoiding the previous shortfalls now seem to have failed, if one has to believe Jalil- no good reason to disbelieve him. That means that our systems are inefficient, corrupt and unreliable. We cannot have angels though from heaven for the job. The same inefficient and unreliable lots have to be put again and again to do the job unless and until it corrects from within and becomes more reliable one. That also means that we should have the mid term election right now and should be ready for such other in future as well till we become efficient and reliable through repeated exercises for likely transparency.

Hasina did not disown fraudulence
Quite obviously Hasina has reacted in New York (She is staying there) as is reported in medias in Dhaka on the morning of 29th September that she has advised Jalil to resign from the position of M.P. he had been elected in the same process that Jalil himself termed as fraudulent. That’s Jalil’s own matter. But why did not Hasina say anything so far yet on the underhand deal of Sheikh Rehana and others in the fraudulent mechanics! Such lack of transparency has further increased doubts about her integrity and that in turn strengthened the case for immediately holding the mid term election by her government.

Author: M.T. Hussain