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No fair polls minus free EC secretariat

Says CEC placing 6-point reform proposal

Staff Correspondent
The outgoing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) MA Syed yesterday submitted to president a six-point reform proposal, including the all-important proposal for an independent secretariat for the Election Commission.
"If the Election Commission is not allowed an independent secretariat with financial autonomy, it would not be possible for it in future to conduct elections freely and fairly," the CEC told journalists at his office yesterday morning before placing the proposal to the president.
Asked whether the absence of an independent secretariat had been unfavourable to holding elections in a free and fair manner, he declined to comment.
"The reforms in the election commission should be brought in through a consensus of the political parties," Syed said after attending the last workday of his five-year tenure, which expires tomorrow.
The CEC submitted the proposals for reforms during his farewell call on President Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban.
The president thanked Syed for fulfilling his constitutional obligations by overseeing the general election of October 1, 2001, as well as union parishad, municipality and city corporation polls impartially.
The president said he hopes that the commission would be able to hold future elections too in a "free, fair, impartial and peaceful atmosphere".
The CEC was scheduled to meet the press at his office after handing the reforms proposals to the president. But he did not come back to his office from Bangabhaban. He however replied in writing to a few questions from the journalists, and described his experiences as the CEC for the last five years.
The much-talked about proposals from the CEC also include introduction of electronic voting machines and electronic voter roll, army deployment in the city corporation and municipality polls, and introduction of electoral enquiry committees for the local government polls.
The proposals were placed against a backdrop of the mainstream opposition parties and the civil society calling for reforms in the caretaker government system and the EC.
The EC stresses the need for an independent secretariat as it on numerous occasions in the past had faced difficulties in conducting polls freely due to interference from the executive.
Election Commissioner AK Mohammad Ali said that they propose for the EC Secretariat to be under full control of the commission with budget as per its requirement. "Only the election commission should have the authority to recruit its officials including the secretary, and formulate its budget as per its requirement," Mohammad Ali told The Daily Star.
Election Commissioner M Munsef Ali told journalists at his office that they have initiated the move in the interest of the country and the people. "We together finalised the reform proposal, and there is no disagreement among us."
The CEC in written replies said that the reforms in the election commission should be considered overall. He said it has become a challenge for the commission to rein back the election expenses, and make registration with the EC mandatory for the political parties.
"Various other reforms in fact are needed while there is an absence of good governance and responsible media. Besides, black money, and a culture of defaulting on loans are creating a social chaos," he observed adding, "The election commission will consider if the civil society and political parties propose reforms to make conditions favourable for free and fair elections. Such reforms may be brought about through the caretaker government."
The CEC admitted that he did not always get all-out co-operation from the secretariat and the government in conducting the polls in last five years. He however described it as 'stray incidents'.
LAST WORKING
DAY IN OFFICE
The tenure of the CEC will be expired on May 22.But as the day coincides with a public holiday, yesterday was the last working day for MA Syed.
He came at his office at 8:30am and made preparations for meeting the president. Besides, he met different officials in the secretariat. He even paid a visit to the EC secretary in his (secretary) room. There has been a rift between the two and the EC secretary has been avoiding attending the commission's meetings for last one and a half years.
The EC secretariat did not arrange any formal farewell for MA Syed.