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All-party polls must be held immediately

Observes a platform of leading citizens

Staff Correspondent
A participatory parliamentary election must be held immediately since the present government lacks legitimacy for assuming power through an election that was largely uncontested and the voter turnout was low, said eminent citizens at a discussion in the city yesterday.
Salehuddin Ahmed, president of The Dhaka Forum and also former governor of Bangladesh Bank, said the country was at a political and economic crossroads with a government not accountable to the people.
The Dhaka Forum, a newly formed group of retired professionals and senior citizens, organised the "Bangladesh at a crossroads" discussion at The Daily Star Centre.
Presenting the keynote paper, M Serajul Islam, former ambassador and a founding member of the forum, said the 10th parliament could not claim to have any legitimacy since it was formed through an election devoid of voters. He said the Election Commission should have postponed the elections respecting the people's right to vote for parliament members, which is stipulated in the constitution, rather than holding an uncontested farcical election to demonstrate compliance with legal compulsion.
This parliament, which has 153 members who won uncontested, does not reflect the will of the people, democracy and the country's constitution, he said.
Such an election was also a deviation from the spirit of the country's Liberation War, he said.
Serajul said the BNP seemed to be amenable to a political dialogue but it was the government's duty to resolve the legitimacy question.
Mainul Hosein, a former adviser to caretaker government, said the government was a product of an election devoid of voters and therefore it was not accountable to the people. "When people lose, we all lose," he said.
The way the Awami League distributed parliamentary seats among its allies in the election was tantamount to destroying democracy, he claimed.
The 15th amendment to the constitution remains the major roadblock to holding a free and multiparty election under a non-
partisan government.
"The Supreme Court judgment on the kind of election-time government created the present crisis and as a lawyer I am ashamed of such a judgment.” The crisis that brewed over holding a free and participatory election under a non-partisan government could have been avoided, he said.
Mainul said holding all-inclusive multiparty general elections, political reforms to ensure a functional democracy, constitutional amendment to bar anyone from holding the office of the prime minister more than twice, and ending politicisation of the judiciary and other democratic institutions were imperative to prevent such crises.
He said indifference of the civil society and the political division have paved the way for corruption to intrude into politics and the heyday for incompetent politicians.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, another former adviser to a caretaker government, said holding an election without the participation of major political parties on the plea of constitutional compulsion and then hanging on to power have aggravated the crisis.
A participatory election must be held within the shortest possible time, he said, adding that political and constitutional reforms should then follow to help economic growth.
Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder echoed the same.
Former ambassador Muhammad Zamir said the government did not prevent people from voting but it was the then opposition men who assaulted voters who went to exercise their franchise.
Political scientist Dilara Choudhury said a government without public mandate has to depend on foreign powers that may not be able to represent the public interest and in such a case people become subjects.
Mizanur Rahman Shelly, a noted social scientist, said the present political situation was a blend of craft, cunningness and coercion.
Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam Khan, editor of the Strategic Affairs page of The Daily Star, said everything legal was not necessarily moral.
Mahbub Jamil, another former adviser to a caretaker government, said the political parties were not practicing democracy within the parties and undemocratic political parties could not provide people with democratic governance.
"There is no difference between what the then Rakkhi Bahini had done and what Rab is doing today,” he said.
Mahfuz Ullah, a senior journalist and columnist, said it was a clash between democracy and autocracy, not a political clash between the Awami League and BNP.
Salehuddin Ahmed moderated the discussion.