Print media journalists advise Election Commission to earn trust

The Election Commission must earn credibility from all political parties to ensure a neutral polling environment during the next election, print media journalists have said.

Twenty-six editors and senior journalists of Bangladeshi newspapers shared their views during a discussion organised by the Election Commission or EC on Wednesday.

A total of 37 had been invited, but 12 were absent from the talks.

It is the second in a series of dialogues to be hosted by the EC. The first was held with representatives of the country’s civil society.

The meeting with print media journalists began at 10am and continued until 1:30pm.

“We asked the EC to hold an inclusive election by first ensuring the participation of all political parties,” Bangladesh Pratidin editor Naem Nizam said after the meeting.

The EC was also advised to make use of relevant laws, he said. 

National Press Club President Shafiqur Rahman spoke against the deployment of army personnel for poll-time security. He also urged the EC to be more careful in selecting observers for the election.

“It must play a neutral role to ensure participation,” he later told bdnews4.com.  

“Elections are political festivals. So measures must be taken to make sure everyone participates. The EC must gain political parties’ trust,” said Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, president of a faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists.

The majority of the print media journalists advised against army deployment, but some suggested that its personnel be used as a strike force, he said.   

As for keeping a ‘No vote’ section on the ballot, there were opinions both for and against its use.   

Ensuring the safety of minority communities from volatile situations should be a top priority, said Bhorer Kagoj editor Shyamal Dutta. “The EC must be tough if necessary.”

Senior journalist Amanullah Kabir said the EC should talk to political parties about using electronic voting machines and make a decision based on the majority view.

“We advised that the votes be held on present demarcations of electoral constituencies. The boundaries must be redrawn based on population. The last census was done in 2011, so there is no need for redrawing the boundaries,” said Ashish Saikat, managing editor of the Daily Ittefaq.

The official gazette must be announced after counting in the people living in newly-formed administrative zones and enclaves swapped with India, he added.  

Any party opposed to the idea of Bangladesh’s liberation must be kept out of the electoral process, said Farida Yasmin, general secretary of the National Press club.

“There must be legal measures against any attempt of participation by Jamaat-e-Islami. The party cannot be allowed to register in any name or format,” she said.

The 11th national election is expected to be held in 2019. The previous election from 2014, which saw the Awami League return to form a second consecutive government, was boycotted by the alliance of parties led by the BNP, then main opposition.

The other senior journalists who took part in the EC talks are Nurul Kabir, Saiful Alam, Mostafa Kamal, Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Khandaker Moniruzzaman, Nayeemul Islam Khan, Anis Alamgir, Md Shafiqur Rahman, Samshul Haque, Omar Faruk, Md Abdullah, Mahfuzullah, Kazi Shiraj, Anisul Haque, Golam Mortuza, Bibhuranjan Sarkar, Mahbub Kamal, Sohrab Hasan and Kazi Rokonuddin Ahmed.

Thirty-four journalists from online news providers and TV and radio stations have been invited to talks at the Election Commission on Thursday.