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The next election in Bangladesh will be most watched by foreigners

Published : Friday, 17 March, 2023 at 12:00 AM  Count : 665
Syed Badiuzzaman
There has been a tradition in Bangladesh for holding meetings among various parties or groups for exchanging views on various national issues. This kind of meeting usually takes place among the leaders representing political parties. But nowadays members of the journalist community are also participating in these meetings.

This is a new development in Bangladesh. Previously this practice was barely there. Usually, the members of the press never participate in any bilateral meeting with another party for exchanging views on any issue anywhere in the world. This is not the job of the journalists because if they take part in such meetings, they will be required to put forward their suggestions or advice on various issues.

So, for upholding journalistic integrity and maintaining their neutrality, journalists do not play any advisory role in any matter by participating in such meetings with other parties. However, if journalists have any legitimate demands regarding their professional rights or compensation and other financial benefits, they can give representation headed by their union leaders to the appropriate authorities or the government.

But for journalists to sit face-to-face across the table with another party and give them on-the-record advice on any issue -- even of national importance -- is generally not heard of. That is not what journalists are supposed to do. However, they too can put forward their point of view on any such issue in several other ways, such as by writing articles in the newspapers, participating in television talk shows, speaking at a seminar or through other forums.

However, as reported by the Daily Observer, a group of Bangladeshi journalists assigned to cover election beat met with the election commissioners at the latter's office in Dhaka last Monday and "exchanged views" with them on the upcoming election in the country. The meeting which should have never taken place in my view was also attended by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal. But had it been their press conference, no question would ever arise.

I had a good look at the short report and did not find any such outcome of the meeting. So, that meeting led me to believe that it was nothing but part of a PR campaign by the election commissioners on the upcoming national election in Bangladesh. After a close scrutiny of the report on the meeting between the election commissioners and journalists, I also found an effort by the former especially the CEC to spread a misleading idea about election transparency.

"If transparency is established through the media, our chances of staying above the controversy will increase," the Daily Observer quoted Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal as telling journalists during the meeting on Monday. It was, indeed, a very confusing statement of the CEC because it is Bangladesh Election Commission's sole responsibility as per the Constitution of Bangladesh to hold election in the country with transparency and reliability.

However, the way Awal has put it as if it is the responsibility of the media to establish election transparency. The CEC must be aware that the role of media in covering any event including national election in Bangladesh is very clear. If an election is held in a transparent manner without any obstacle to its coverage, it will be reported so by all responsible media outlets. However, if it is not held in such a manner and journalists are denied access to polling stations and vital election-related information, it will also be reported exactly this way.

The CEC encouraged journalists to collect information on the Election Day saying "transparency will be established if there is an open access to information." But here too the CEC was only partially correct because a guarantee of just access to information doesn't necessarily mean that the election is held transparently. A transparent election means many things -- an election held freely, fairly and without any interference from any quarter and all polling centres must have representatives from all political parties participating in the election throughout the voting hours.

A transparent election also requires local and foreign journalists and election monitors to have access to every polling centre in the country at any time on the Election Day. Election observers should not be given simply a guided tour through a number of pre-selected polling stations in the capital or other places in the country. If Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs are used anywhere to conduct election, they must have Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail or VVPAT for reliability and transparency like the system in neighbouring India.

Under the banner of a group called "Reporters' Forum for Election and Democracy" which sounds highly political, the journalists put forward a set of their demands including the one for their unrestricted access to polling centres on the Election Day. Here my question is: Why do journalists need to request Bangladesh Election Commission to allow them free movement through polling centres on the Election Day? Don't they know that journalists and observers must be given full access to any polling station for election transparency? Why should the access be sought?

And guess what - the election commissioners haven't been able to come to any conclusion yet with regard to the demands of the journalists. But still they talk about election transparency. As the Daily Observer report says, the election commissioners will first hold meeting among themselves and then they will consider journalists' demands. The CEC and his associates must be aware that unrestricted movement of journalists at various polling stations on the Election Day is extremely important for covering the election freely and transparently. Yet, they need a meeting for taking a decision on this matter.

After the last two general elections, the next election in Bangladesh will be watched widely by members of the international community. As we can see, almost all foreign dignitaries visiting Bangladesh nowadays are talking about one common issue with Bangladesh leaders and that is the next election. The stakes are high. So, the challenge facing the current election commissioners is really very big. If they fail to hold a free, fair and credible election, they will not deserve any pat on their back for a job well done.

Their names will probably be written alongside those of their predecessors in the history book of Bangladesh but they will not go down in history with any praise or appreciation. This is an opportunity only few people get just once in their lifetime. So, the election commissioners must seize it and show the world that they have the ability to hold a truly free, fair and credible election in Bangladesh. However, they are only talking about holding the next election in the country but not saying definitively that the next election will be free, fair and credible.

Bangladesh Election Commission has a significant role in strengthening democracy and establishing good governance through holding free, fair and neutral elections. As a constitutional entity, it is principally responsible for holding free and fair elections and performing other activities related to the election management in Bangladesh. However, organizing free and fair vote under an accurate electoral roll is the prime responsibility of the commission. As per the constitutional requirement, the commission must also operate with complete transparency and accountability.

The writer is a Toronto-based journalist who also writes for the Toronto Sun as a guest columnist


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