Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar today advocated for the introduction of a lottery-based system for transferring administrative officials following the announcement of the election schedule. He argued that such a system would ensure maximum neutrality and transparency in the electoral process.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Porwar highlighted issues observed in previous elections where large-scale reshuffles occurred immediately after the election schedule was announced. He suggested that a lottery-based system could significantly reduce potential biases. Porwar voiced these concerns during the Election Commission's (EC) dialogue with political parties in preparation for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, held at the EC office in Agargaon.
Porwar also expressed concerns about the simultaneous scheduling of the July Carter referendum and the upcoming national parliamentary election. He questioned how expatriates would participate in the referendum and how the Election Commission would educate less-informed voters about the referendum.
Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Dr. Hamidur Rahman Azad echoed the call for a level playing field for all political parties. He emphasized the necessity of conducting transfers of Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Election Officers, UNOs, and Officers-in-Charge solely through a lottery system to maintain neutrality. Dr. Azad also urged the Election Commission to collaborate with the government to address issues such as recovering illegal firearms, controlling legal weapons, and ensuring voter security.
Advocate Shishir Mohammad Monir pointed out shortcomings in the current electoral guidelines. He noted that while violations are considered punishable offenses, the responsible authority for determining punishment is unspecified, and the timeframe for addressing complaints related to electoral code violations is not defined. He called for these aspects to be clearly incorporated into the guidelines.
The dialogue session included Election Commissioners Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah, Abdur Rahman El Masud, Tahmida Ahmed, Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar, and Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed, along with other senior officials. Representatives from various political parties, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh, National Citizen Party (NCP), Gonoshonghoti Andolon, National Democratic Movement (NDM), and Bangladesh Labour Party, participated in the morning session.