Dhaka, Sept 26(bdnews24.com) – Voter identity cards must be mandatory to ensure a free and fair election, said former chief election commissioner Justice Mohammed Abdur Rouf Tuesday.
Justice Rouf was one of the two former CECs who stressed the civil service's neutrality and voter IDs in lectures on "Democratic Processes, National Elections and Civil Society Initiatives: Indian Experience" organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue at the BRAC Centre.
Justice Rouf said people are not neutral but the electoral process can be made so. The Constitution spells out clear directions about elections, he said.
He said people's right to vote is an individual right and people should protect it.
He underscored transparency in voting and said some changes to election rules were necessary.
Mohammad Abu Hena said the neutrality of the civil service is important. In India, the civil service is neutral but the Bangladesh government influences the civil service here.
The former CEC said political parties have to be alert about the problem. The Constitution gives independence to the Election Commission and the EC has to be aware of it, he said.
Abu Hena said: "We have to have such people in the EC who can operate it independently."
"Many problems arise from here." He said the EC must have the power to exercise independence.
Hena said people questioned that the EC Secretariat is tagged with the Prime Minister's Office. But he said he did not run into problems because of it.
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan presided over the lecture session where National Coordinator of India's Lok Satta and Voteindia Movements Dr Jayaprakash Narayan was the key presenter.
Dr Narayan said election fraud came down to 2 percent from 12 percent in urban areas and to 0.5 percent from 10 percent in rural areas after India introduced voter ID cards.
He said the Indian Supreme Court in a recent ruling said police functioning must be independent of the government.
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