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Talking Polls and Beyond

’They never take part in the election with the mentality of accepting defeat’
Mujahidul Islam Selim was born in 1948 in Savar, Dhaka. He took admission at Dhaka College but the then college authorities expelled him for his involvement in movement against the Pakistani rulers. He passed HSC from Jagannath College andlater obtained his honours and master degrees from Department of Economics at Dhaka University. He was arrested for the first time on June 7, 1966 during the six-point demand movement. A former general secretary and president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union and Bangladesh Khetmojur Samity, he became the first VP of DUCSU in the independent Bangladesh. He has been with the Communist Party of Bangladesh since 1965 and became the GS of the party in 1993 to serve in the post till date. Wasim Bin Habib took the interview.
Do you have any confusion over the next parliamentary elections even after the announcement of the detailed schedule?
It is not unusual to have confusion over the elections as, like in the past, we have been witnessing that a quarter comprising of local and foreign people wants a non-elected government to govern the country for at least five to seven years.
Secondly, the attitude of the political parties is also responsible for the confusion in peoples' minds. It seems that major political parties want to ensure their victory in the election, so have started bargaining. Besides, the incumbent government wants to keep a congenial atmosphere so that it can implement its plans for national consensus or security council.
How do you evaluate the caretaker government (CG)’s decision to hold the elections under emergency?
There is no need of emergency for holding the polls, rather we have been saying that there was no need to promulgate emergency. Not emergency, but willingness of the government is enough to curb corruption; and we are witnessing the consequences of the anti-corruption drive.
What about the demands of Awami League (AL) and BNP over allowing the convicted and the bill and loan defaulters to contest election?
Maybe they cannot find any candidates except the-!con,^qtcd people ro-gNt notnlri^ticln to, or the-par-" ties have become hostage to these people. It woh’t ' bring any benefit to the country.
Do you think political parties will resume "blame game" and reject election results again?
I think the tradition of "blame game” will remain as many things are related to it. In our election, political parties invest thousands of crores of taka and they want to win in the election to get the money back. They never take part in the election with the mentality of accepting defeat, as they do not see election as an element of democracy. They consider it as investment, so they try to recover their investment by any means. That is why they reject the result when they are defeated.
Should the upazila elections be deferred?
I must hold BNP and AL responsible for not holding the upazila election at the proper time. The matter is not which election will be held first, rather every election should be held in due time. The main thing is that both the parties want to go to parliament first, and then appoint their party people in different places. They do not want to empower the local government, nor do they want decentralisation of power.
How do you evaluate the reform measures undertaken by the CG?
There are some positive and significant elements in the reforms. Reforms in the EC, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and University Grants Commission (UGC), and preparation of a voter list with photographs are the positive reforms the government has brought about, but they are only cosmetic. The government is following policies which the previous governments had. A tradition of plundering had been created due to the policies. So, no reform will be meaningful and effective if the system in force continues. The system is more powerful than the cosmetic reforms.
Comment about the anti-corruption drive.
I consider the drive as necessary and also praise it. But there will be no benefit if the system remains, because corruption is being reproduced by the system itself.
Do you believe the RPO will be able to bring changes in the political culture?
The way the government is amending the RPO, it seems that the election will be farcical or semi-farcical like the previous years. It will not be a good election, but we think that an elected government should run the country, so we will take part in it.
Why do you think it will be a bad election?
It is because no fundamental changes have been made so far. The game of money wall be on, terrorism and attempts to influence the administration will be active this time.
What should the government do to avoid that?
The government should have moved with different approaches. It should have relied on the strength of the people instead of keeping their rights under lock and key.
What is your view about the administrative reforms?
Nothing has been done. The main result of administrative reform will be democratic decentralisation of administration, and for that the local government bodies will have to be given the responsibility of takingdecisions in local matters.
Do you support the EC's decision on front or associate organisations of political parties?
It is normal indeed. When we were the activists of student movements we were not a front organisation of any party, but we had carried out massive movements. But a student has the right to do politics as a member of a political party. The students have also the right to be organised for their own rights.
What is your opinion about the minus-two formula?
It is not the question of two individuals, rather it is the question of fighting against the political culture and developing an alternative political system. Replacing the two leaders will only be the replacement, of iridividuals. lt will not be acceptable or iwijlnn J ?^i'no7n'n!r.Dfovr^c'Tnr’v' effective.
Comment on the activities of foreign diplomats.
I think they are interfering grossly in our internal affairs. The behaviour of the foreign diplomats is similar to the behaviour of the viceroys of the British era. Any dignified nation should declare them persona non grata. But, unfortunately, the major political parties are busy trying to be better slaves of the foreign imperialist masters.
Do you support caretaker government system?
The caretaker system is not the main thing in holding a free, fair and neutral election; rather the main thing is to keep the election free from the use of money, muscle power and administrative engineering.
Did the politicians learn any lesson from the 1/11 changeover?
Of course, they have. But the lesson will not be same for all as the politicians are different. BNP and AL may think that they will not make such mistakes in the future, but for us the lesson is: all the snakes have poison. So strengthening a left democratic alternative and establishing them are imperative to save the country from crises.
What do you think about the proposed meeting of Sheikh Hasina and KhaledaZia?
I think it is an attempt to direct the peoples' focus to rituals. What will they discuss? Are they prepared to discuss fundamental issues like restoration of the main spirit of the constitution of 1972, saving the country from imperial forces, and saving the country's natural resources?
Do you think a congenial atmosphere for election is prevailing in the country?
The conditions necessary for a free, fair and neutral election are not fulfilled yet. Therefore, we think a bad election is better than no election.
Why have the conditions not been fulfilled yet?
Like in the city corporation and municipality elections, the use of money will be on this time. Moreover, the decision regarding the bill and loan defaulters is also a setback, and we don't know how much the government will sacrifice to bring all the parties for election.
Should political parties nominate the convicts?
No. The place of the convicts should be in jail.
Are you going to join or make any alliance ahead of the election?
We will try to form an alliance of the left leaning parties. But, unfortunately, some of the parties who are supposed to be with the alliance went to the two alliances. We will move forward with those who are still with us. If that doesn't work we will participate in the election unilaterally.
How many seats are you going to go for?
We won't give nominations for all the parliamentary seats. Our candidates will contest in about 30-40 seats. The main aim is to contest the polls and work against the war criminals so that they cannot win.
Do you support bringing a balance between the power of the president and the prime minister?
This is also a secondary issue. The main thing is empowerment of the people.
Election approaches nearer. What shall the government do now to remove confusion?
We have lost the opportunity. There is a little scope of holding the election in free and fair manner as the political leaders have started their showdowns and are spending a lot of money.
Many political parties oppose local observers in the coming polls. Do you support it?
Since the political parties desperately want to win in the elections they do not dare do anything that will not ensure their victory. So, they try to influence the activities of the government. EC, administration and the observers.