Dhaka city dwellers are leaving the city for their home in masses ahead of the upcoming general election to be held on Sunday.

The home rush began yesterday, as the two weekends, today and tomorrow, make up an ideal three-day holiday to visit ancestral homes.

The photo was taken at Gabtoli Bus Terminal. Photo: Star/ Palash Khan

Because many of the dwellers are voters of their home districts, they must travel back to their home land to cast their ballot and exercise their franchise.

READ MORE: Festive atmosphere indeed!!

The photo was taken at Sadarghat launch terminal. Photo: Star/ Prabir Das

People were seen gathering on all the exit points of the city. Gabtoli, Kamlapur and Sadarghat were teeming with outbound people since this morning.

The photo was taken at Sadarghat launch terminal. Photo: Star/ Prabir Das

The home-goers are expecting to enjoy happy times with their near and dear ones along with exercising their democratic rights to vote.

The photo was taken at Airport Railway Station. Photo: Star/ Palash Khan

BNP candidates for Manikganj-1 Khondaker Akter Hamid Dablu allegedly came under attack today.

Dablu claimed that criminals fired gunshots at his car twice in Ghior upazila town and Mohadevpur area of Shivalaua upzila while he was returning home from Daulatpur upazila nirbahi officer’s office this afternoon.

However, the two bullets missed his car, he said adding that he informed Manikganj police superintendent about the attacks.

Contacted, Rifat Rahman Shamim, superintendent of police in Manikganj, said that after investigation, police couldn't find any evidence of such incident.

"Every scoundrel wants to be a poet; ants are hell-bent on flying / The jungle's tusked boars lay claim to the highest throne."

Poet Mohammad Rafiq wrote these two fiery lines during Ershad's regime, in protest of the military dictator's attempt to portray himself as a poet by publishing poems on the front pages of national dailies. There is a rumour that those poems were written by one of his loyal bureaucrats. Presently, the ostentatious and feverish pursuit of nomination papers for the impending election—which, as things are going, would be anything but free, fair, and participatory—brings to mind this timeless verse.

Read more

We are heading towards another one-sided election

From the ruling Awami League alone, 3,362 individuals have collected nomination forms, indicating an average of 11 AL nomination seekers vying for the party ticket in each constituency. In the Chattogram-8 constituency, there are 26 nomination seekers for the ruling party! There's nothing inherently wrong with aspiring to be a Member of Parliament (MP), as anyone with specific qualifications can contest for the post. The presence of such a large number of candidates might typically be viewed as a sign of a vibrant democratic system. However, in the current reality of Bangladesh, such an abundance is rather indicative of a deep-rooted crisis within our democracy.

It's nearly certain now that the main opposition party (for all intents and purposes), BNP, won't be participating in the upcoming election as long as Awami League remains in charge of the election-time government. They have learned their lesson from the 2018 election, in which, despite the prime minister's assurance of a free and fair election, the reality on the ground was so flawed that it gained infamy both nationally and globally as the "night-time election." BNP has already boycotted the election schedule.

Read more

Why the hasty delivery of 'justice' for opposition members?

Moreover, despite the expectation that the AL government would create a level playing field for all candidates before the election, the ruling party has instead deployed all the coercive forces at its disposal, in order to decimate the opposition. Since October 28, over 13,000 opposition leaders and activists have allegedly been arrested, most of them under ghost cases or cases which are false or fabricated.

Unfortunately, loopholes in the legal system in Bangladesh hold the judiciary back from checking such blatant violations of the fundamental rights of citizens. Similar to the ghost cases, we are also witnessing ghost trials. In one recent trial, Sajedul Islam Sumon, a victim of enforced disappearance a decade ago, was sentenced by the magistrate court. Most worryingly, opposition activists are now falling victim to targeted killings, infamously referred to as "non-government crossfire." Consequently, with BNP sidelined, the upcoming election appears to be a one-sided and friendly contest.

Read more

A fair election is the cornerstone of democracy

Even within this arrangement, ruling party allies are unwilling to take chances and are, therefore, relinquishing their own party symbols and instead all opting for the "boat"—the symbol of Awami League. Their decision seems to have been influenced by the recently held by-elections in Brahmanbaria-2 and Lakshmipur-3, where ruling party candidates shamelessly resorted to electoral fraud to triumph over candidates only aligned with the ruling party.

These two by-elections may also offer insight into the kind of role the Election Commission will actually play in the upcoming national election. On the day of the aforementioned by-elections, EC officials silently witnessed the spectacle of vote rigging. In one egregious case, a polling agent of the ruling party stamped 43 ballots in a mere 57 seconds. Despite complaints from candidates of other parties about such irregularities, no immediate action was taken. Only after a video of the ballot stuffing went viral did the EC withhold the gazette notification. Although the commission conducted an investigation and found irregularities, it published the gazette declaring the Awami League candidates winners a few days later.

Read more

Reading Donald Lu’s letter, intently

It can confidently be stated—judging by the above-mentioned election atmosphere—that, in the forthcoming election, a candidate nominated by the ruling AL is unlikely to face defeat, even if they were to cast a vote against themselves. This stark reality underscores the overwhelming surge of ruling party nomination seekers. After all, who would miss the golden opportunity to become a Member of Parliament? An additional advantage of being elected without a proper election is that one can enjoy all the perks of being a people's representative without being held accountable for their actions to the people!

Furthermore, examining the list of AL nomination seekers reveals another facet of nomination euphoria. A notable example is Shakib Al Hasan, the captain of the Bangladesh national men's cricket team—which performed poorly in the recently held cricket World Cup, with his individual performance equally lacklustre. However, this did not deter him from acquiring nomination papers from Awami League for three seats. Shakib seemed unconcerned that the cricket team holds a significant national symbol of unity and that the active involvement of its captain in partisan politics constitutes a glaring ethical violation. It appears that, akin to his engagement in various business ventures (from the share market to crab farming), Shakib now aspires to invest in the profitable enterprise of becoming and being an MP. His inspiration might stem from another ruling party MP, Mashrafe Mortaza, who became the first active player in the country to be elected as a lawmaker in the controversial 2018 election.

Read more

As things stand, Bangladesh election is all but doomed

The list of ruling party nomination seekers also includes Arshad Adnan, the son of the country's president; Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mahmud, the brother of the current Inspector General of Police; and Syed Nazrul Islam, the brother of the Deputy Inspector General (Dhaka Range). According to a report by Prothom Alo, Syed Nazrul Islam recently presented flowers to Kazi Zafar Ullah, the co-chairman of Awami League's election management committee, in Dhaka. His brother, DIG Syed Nurul Islam, was also present at the time. While there is no legal impediment to their candidacy, the participation of the aforementioned individuals in the national election is certain to erode public confidence in the impartiality expected from their relatives occupying crucial government positions.

Moreover, the abundance of retired government officials seeking nominations—who previously held significant positions such as principal secretary, secretary, IGP, Director General of Border Guards Bangladesh, and Public Service Commission chairman during various periods under the AL regime in the last 15 years—underscores the pervasive politicisation of these key government roles.

Read more

Both parties must exhibit conscience and actively support a fair election

This also sheds light on why many government officials breach the bounds of neutrality, aligning themselves with partisan interests while in office; even going so far as to solicit votes for the ruling party. It raises concerns that, in future elections, they might vie for the ruling party's nomination, citing their service in favour of the party during their tenure in government positions.

I am well aware of the regrettable truth that the respected role of a Member of Parliament in Bangladesh has often been marred, particularly by those who have opted for undemocratic methods. Nevertheless, I choose to maintain hope due to the historical fact that whenever the people of Bangladesh get the chance to elect their representatives through a process that is free, fair, and participatory, they never make the wrong decision.

Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist and researcher. His X handle is @shamsud_doza

Expressing concern over alleged harassment, intimidation and electoral irregularities in the December 30 election, Norway has called for a transparent investigation into the allegations.

“Norway is concerned about credible reports of harassment and intimidation, as well as the presence of serious obstacles to a level playing field throughout the election process. We deplore the violence and tragic loss of life during the campaigning period and on election day,” said Marianne Hagen, state secretary at foreign affairs ministry.

“Given the significant number of claims of irregularities, it is essential that these are investigated fully and transparently by the proper authorities.”

In a statement on Thursday, she said Norway commends the many Bangladeshis who exercised their democratic right to vote on election day, and welcomes the opposition's decision to contest the election for the first time in 10 years.

Hagen added, “Our countries' good and longstanding relations are based on mutual respect and the pursuit of common interests.

“Norway will continue to work with the government and the opposition, as well as other stakeholders, to further advance the democratic and economic development of Bangladesh.”