EC divided over under-18 citizens

The Election Commission appears to be divided on the issue of collecting information of under-18 citizens.

This at a time when it had failed to provide national identification (NID) cards to five million people enlisted in the voter list.

Officials said the EC’s plan to provide some 92.5 million people with ‘smart cards’ and update voters’ roll after every six months are massive tasks not easy to complete.

To embark on a new initiative like collecting details of under-18 voters without completing the earlier tasks would create problems, the officials said.  

Election Commissioners Abdul Mobarak, Abu Hafiz and Zabed Ali opposed the idea of abruptly taking up a new task.

They observed that the whole exercise of collecting information of those under 18 years of age at this juncture would lead to “wastage” of funds.

The EC is set to update the voter list with the information of those turning 18 on or before Jan 1 next year.
 
The EC’s division for NID registration also proposed gathering information of those who would become 18 on or before the first day of 2018.
 
It also planned to gather information going door-to-door from August this year. 
 
But the EC could not reach any decision on the issue in two meetings held on June 4 and June 9.
 
The relevant law requires the Election Commission to update the voter list every year. 
 
Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told bdnews24.com though the commission decided to gather information of under-18 citizens, some of the commissioners opposed the idea before the next update of the voters’ roll. 
 
“A few in the commission opposed the idea of registering under-18 citizens before the next voters’ roll update,” he said. 
 
“We have set up a committee (to reach a solution). We hope to decide on the matter after receiving their report at the next meeting.”
 
An EC letter, signed by commission’s Deputy Secretary Motiar Rahman last Thursday, required the four-strong committee to consult the rules regarding voter list and NID of other countries.
 
NID wing chief would head the committee that has seven days to submit its report, the letter said.
 
Public relations office of the Election Commission said the number of voters were now over 96.2 million.
 
Over 4.7 million people were included as new voters following latest update early this year. The commission was yet to provide them with NID cards.
 
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed was also upset with the delay.
 
NID Registration Division Director General Brig Gen Sultanuzzaman Md Saleh Uddin said gathering of information of citizens less than 18 years would not make them eligible for registration on the voter's list.
 
Election Commissioner Abu Hafiz said some countries did provide NID to 16-year-old citizens but there was no instance of providing NID to the citizens below that age.

 
“The important task now is to collect information of those completing 18 years on Jan 1, 2016 and providing smart cards to the already registered nationals,” he said.
 
Election commissioners Abdul Mobarak said the commission has legal obligations to update voter list every year but it could not provide NIDs to newly registered ones so far.
 
“This is an absolute failure.”
 
He said, “Our primary responsibility is to provide NID to the registered voters. It would not be correct to take up a new task without completing it.”
 
The matter of gathering information of under-18 citizens could be considered after providing the registered people with smart cards, he said. 
 
He observed under-18 citizens might also demand national identity cards if their information was collected.