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'Lift emergency for free, fair elections’

Media urged to help achieve the goal

Staff Corri sfonofm
The state of emergency' should be lifted to create an environment conducive to free, fair and credible elections and die media would have to play a responsible role to Uiis end so that all political parties can participate in die polls, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.
They also said the electronic and print media have a greater role to play in resolving the current crisis and establishing sustainable democracy in the country through involving people.
Civil society members, politicians, media personalities, educationists and rights activists took part in the roundtable tided ’National Election: 2008 and die role of the media’ organised by Bazlur Rahman Foundation at Cirdap auditorium in the city.
Foundation member Abul Hasnat presented the keynote paper at the roundtable presided over by Foundation Chairman Khandaker Ibrahim Khaled.
Speaking as the chief guest, former chief election commissioner Abu Hena said (he state of emergency should be lilted to hold free, fair and credible elections.
Emergency is an unusual situation and free and fair elections cannot be held in such a situation, he said, adding that if it is not possible to lift emergency, the government can relax it in the run-up to die election.
Abu Hena also said diat even the political parties holding dialogues with the government have doubts about whether the national election will be held by December.
He said the media can play an important role in ensuring free and fair elections through publishing reports on elections and candi-
dates. So, the journalists should be provided with training on electoral laws.
Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed said that if the national election is not held by December, the consequences would be disastrous.
"It has now been proved that only the politicians can run the country successfully. The people have also realised drat it will take several years to recover the economic losses incurred in the last 20 months due to emergency," he said.
He also called on die government to lift the state of emergency immediately and not to hold any other elections before the national elections.
Former adviser to die caretaker government Syed Manzur Elahi said the governments should be made truly accountable in order to
improve the quality of democracy and (hat (he media can play an important role to this end
Mahfuz Anam, editor anil pub Usher ofThe Daily Star, said that the media should publish the political parties' election manifestos in lull to inform the voters of the commit merits made by the politicians before the elections.
Although fair elections were held in 1991, 1996 and 2001, good governance could not be estab lishcd due to corruption, he said, adding that honest and competent candidates must be elected in order to ensure good governance.
He also stressed the need to ensure the empowerment of women and their participation in the elections.
BNP leader Rizvi Ahmed said the 1/11 took place in order to undermine the politicians.
"If the media plays a positive role, the democracy in the country will be functional," he said.
Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon, JSD President Hasanul Huq Inu, Editor of The Bangladesh Observer Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Editor ofThe New Age Nurul Kabir, Editor ofThe News Today Reaz Uddin Ahmed, CPB leader Morshed Ali, ProfAAMS Arefin Siddique, Dr Atiur Rahman, Dr Abul Barkat, journalists Nawa jesh Ali Khan and Muniruzzaman and woman leader Ayesha Khanam also spoke at the roundtable.