President Prof. Iajuddin Ahmed in his address to the nation on January 11 very correctly pointed out that it was not possible to hold an acceptable election within the stipulated 90 days without correcting the voter list.
The existing inaccurate and defective voters list has, in fact, been made further unwieldy by the recent two-week long so-called up-dating efforts by the Election Commission.
Thus, the prime job of the newly appointed non-party caretaker government will be to ensure updating of the existing voter list in an effective and credible manner.
For that, a properly manned and managed re-constituted Election Commission should be in place without delay. Nobody can deny the fact that there cannot be any question of free, fair, and credible election in the absence of an accurate and reliable electoral roll.
But updating of the voter list in a credible and acceptable way within the shortest possible time will basically depend on the efficiency, sincerity, and sense of urgency of the Election Commission.
Generally speaking all citizens of voting age, irrespective of race, ethnicity, class, religion, status, or gender have the unhindered right to register as voters. They have also the right to freely participate in election campaigns and to make voluntary choices when casting their secret votes.
Democracy is generally defined as a political system in which citizens enjoy fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, expression, association, assembly and movement. The rule of law and respect for basic human rights also characterize a democracy.
The BNP-Jamaat appointed Election Commission and the Election Commission secretary have been constantly telling the media for the last several weeks that they have fully updated the voter list as per the guidelines of the higher court.
Even a recent BNP-Jamaat alliance delegation, led by former agriculture minister MK Anwar, after having a meeting with the Election Commission secretary strongly certified that the updated voter list was fully corrected to their satisfaction.
But the position in the field is totally different. Both my wife and myself are citizens of Bangladesh, and have been living in the same house for the last five years or so. Nobody has ever visited our home for registering us as voters.
On a demand from the Awami League-led political alliance, the Election Commission recently took an initiative for updating the voter list by going from house to house. Nobody visited our house. I made two phone calls to the Election Commission giving my full identity, including my 34 years of government service. But it did not work.
Our names have not been enlisted as voters. Interestingly, I have recently made it a point to ask all my friends and relations, whom I happen to meet, as to whether he or she is a voter or not.
Out of possibly 35 such eligible voters, I have so far found only three who have confirmed that their names are on the voter list.
However, the foundation of a good and fair election is grounded on a proper register of voters. A good register is one that, as far as humanly possible, includes the names of all eligible persons and correctly places them in their respective constituencies or polling areas where they should be.
The personnel who will be charged with the preparation of such a register need, obviously, to demonstrate impartiality, efficiency and skill to ensure that the interest of democracy is served, and confidence in the electoral system is enhanced.
To do this, both the letter and the spirit of the electoral laws must be strictly enforced. The revising officers, their assistants, and others associated with the process must, therefore, ensure that the voting population as a whole has easy access to the registration process.
As a matter of fact, a properly registered voter list should contain the names of all known persons who are eligible to vote in a particular election. During the process of creating the voters list certain procedures should, as far as possible, be undertaken:
* Displaying publicly the voters list for inspection.
* Providing the voter list to political parties and civic organizations for scrutiny.
* Making additions, deletions, or corrections to the voters list based on filed claims and objections.
* Resolving disputes lodged by political parties, civic organizations, or citizens, concerning the inclusion or exclusion of particular individuals from the voter list.
Moreover, a voter list can serve many purposes. It guarantees that those legally entitled to vote are able to do so. It prohibits ineligible people from voting, and prevents people from voting more than once. Thus, a really correctly prepared voters list brings individuals into the election process, and protects the right of their vote.
To enhance accuracy, efforts should be made to avoid the duplication of names. Even though indelible ink is used during the election, it is imperative that the registration officials make every effort to avoid duplications.
This may be easier in rural areas than in urban areas since, presumably, more people are likely to know each other in a locality or neighbourhood in a village
Finally, intending candidates, political parties, and civil society organizations must have sufficient opportunity to scrutinize the voter list for errors or omissions. They should have the opportunity to make claims and objections for names to be added, deleted or corrected, in the voter list.
The claims and objections need to be processed properly, and appropriate changes made to the voter list. Since political parties and intending candidates are the main players of the election game, they should be provided with copies of the preliminary, revised, and the final voter list.
Zahid Hossain is a political analyst.
Source : The Daily Starhttp://www.thedailystar.net/2007/01/16/d701161501140.htm
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