Anticipated frolic and festivity in city corporation polls

PARDON me, if this reads like a gossip column. For, this is no grapevine stuff, if you should look at it up close. American journalist Liz Smith once said, 'Bad gossip drives out good gossip.' No one contests her insightful observation. But it evokes an immediate reaction that the converse is equally true viz. good gossip drives out bad gossip. This is exactly what's happening in the animated run-up to the forthcoming three city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolises. The nice thing is condiments are being added to our daily diet of imposed boredom. With frightful forebodings yielding place to positive vibrations from electoral drum-beating by enthusiastic town criers, a new zest has dawned in our daily grind. 

In passing, as a metaphor to this festive radiance one cannot help refer to the candidate who had romped on a horse carriage with his supporters to submit his nomination papers only to be told off as he had flouted the rules. 

Sometimes bits and pieces of a major developing story can be more eloquent than a well-worded report or a narrative centering on it. Take the instance of lawyer Younus Akhand. He filed a writ with the High Court pleading for a stay order on the city corporation poll schedules altogether. Why? Because he was indignant over the high price of Tk one lakh tagged to obtaining nomination papers for the city corporation polls. There is a ringing message to his effort underscoring the fact that the city corporation polls have to begin with that kind of money. And, it is money all the way forward: the declaratory statements of accounts showing spouses having a wealth a few notches higher compared to that of the principal candidates may cast doubt over the veracity of the statements. The stipulated ceilings of expenditure are more likely to be exceeded than complied with.

In the worst case scenario, the nomination business of auctioneering to the highest bidder has been a phenomenon by itself, part and parcel of the electoral culture. 

The Election Commission may argue that they have prescribed high fees for nomination papers to restrict the onrush of entrants to the race; but isn't it in conflict with the democratic principle of equal opportunity? A City corporation poll, or for that matter, any election is not for a person of even modest plus solvency, howsoever honest, competent and visionary an aspirant he or she might be. 

The rejection of BNP-backed Abdul Awal Mintoo's nomination papers was on a point of technicality that was easily avoidable. Why were his nomination papers submitted by a non-voter in the constituency that he intended to contest for? His son Tabith Awal, however, has filed nomination papers, supposedly as a fall back candidate. But would he be as strong a candidate as his father --against AL-blessed Anisul Haque? Some observers tend to link this to a dynastic-familial bonding between Mintoo and an AL high up, which perhaps may not be to the liking of the BNP camp. For a public figure, nothing can and should be hidden from the public eye; that is the way politics in many countries pan out.

Apparently, levers are placed in the hands of the administration to influence the shape of nominations from the opposition by way of what they might see as legal recourse taken. At the same time, the AL-led alliance seems eager to ensure good contests from the BNP-led alliance aimed to gaining credence to the electoral process, electoral tactics and vote dividing strategy notwithstanding. 

To elaborate on the first point, 42 mayoral candidates have been accepted from north and south corporation of Dhaka while 12 from Chittagong with the caveat that there are cases against 12 mayoral candidates, let alone those against 69 aspirants for the councilor's post. An EC's spokesman has endorsed police assertion that cops need no permission to arrest anyone 'accused of crime'. Setting some candidates on bail will test the accommodative spirit on the part of the AL.

On the second point which radiates a positive approach, when nomination papers of Mirza Abbas were taken up for consideration, the EC official asked for the opinion of the representative from the law enforcement agencies. The latter said that a case against Abbas is still hanging. The EC representative then enquired if there was a court order declaring him a fugitive to which the police official replied in the negative. On hearing this, the EC okayed the candidature of Mirza Abbas. 

The BNP, to borrow the words of an American thinker, 'is not retreating but advancing in another direction.' And, even though its movement is railroaded, BNP seems to be 'backing into the limelight', to use a picturesque phrase.

The writer is Associate Editor, The Daily Star.
E-mail: husain.imam@thedailystar.net