CG for continuing emergency until JS polls, CA tells Time
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed has said his caretaker government (CG) wants to continue with the state of emergency until general election as they think emergency will help control the old tricks of money and muscle power during the polls, reports UNB.
In an interview with the Time magazine in New York where he went to attend the 63rd UNGA session, he also said it would depend on the Election Commission (EC) whether or not the two former Prime Ministers-Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina -- would be allowed to stand for election.
"Well, that will depend on the EC. The law under which elections will be held stipulates certain conditions for anyone to submit a nomination. Anyone who satisfies these conditions is eligible," he told the American newsmagazine in a preview of the perspective in which the politicians will have to perform at the next polls following a paradigm shift.
Asked could there be an election without them, particularly in Bangladesh's context, Ahmed parried this question: "I really don't want to speculate on that."
Asked about political parties' demand for lifting the state of emergency, the CA referred to the municipal elections that took place in early August. "We relaxed the emergency rules to allow for normal election campaigning. We haven't heard any complaint from any of the candidates."
But, the Time World Editor said, the political parties are asking for the emergency measures to be withdrawn now. In response Ahmed said, "Yes, but we are explaining that there is no reason elections can't be held-free, fair, credible elections-with relaxed emergency rules."
He was told that emergency was declared in 2007 because of certain circumstances-violence in the streets, chaos. But that is not the case right now.
Ahmed responded: "Yes, there has not been any disruption of normal economic activities during the past 20 months. But we'd like this to continue until the election. Please remember that one of the problems with the election process has been that money and muscle power were used in the past; in order to retain control over that, I think the emergency rules will help."
Asked why the elections are being held now, the head of the interim caretaker government said soon after he took over as CA, he announced that they would hand over power to the next elected government as soon as the EC had completed a proper voter-registration process.
"We've also done some institutional reforms to the EC, the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and other areas to establish good governance. We've set up a national human rights commission, passed the Right to Information Act, strengthened local governments."
Asked whether he is now confident that these reforms are irreversible, the CA said he felt quite confident, because these reforms were demanded by the civil society, and by the political parties. "I do hope that the next government and the governments thereafter will strengthen these reforms."
The Time World Editor pointed out that Bangladesh is now going into an election with exactly same people standing for office, the same parties that have been tainted by charges of corruption and whose governance has been discredited.
In response Ahmed said, "Right from Day 1, we have been saying that the anticorruption cases will be tried under normal laws of the land and everyone will be allowed due process under the law. [Zia and Hasina] have been released on bail by the courts. One of the reforms we did was making the courts totally independent from the executive branch. Basically the process will continue under the next government."
Asked about the current status of the anti-corruption drive that had landed former ruling politicians in jail after the 1/11 changeover, he said, "It's gone well. Quite a good number of people have been convicted by the courts. Cases against others are continuing in the course of law."
Asked how many people have been convicted, he said probably about 70 or 75 people. "But the anticorruption strategy also has expanded to include preventive measures. So we are building up a campaign against corruption through the independent Anticorruption Council. I believe that this kind of comprehensive approach ultimately will make corruption feature less and less in our daily lives."
The interviewer quipped: "But if politicians under corruption charges come back to power in the elections... you can see how people may think it's all been wasted."
Ahmed disagreed. "I don't think so. As I said, a good number has been convicted. Yes, some of those accused are released on bail and that has been done through due process of law."
Asked about the two former prime ministers -- one set free on bail in all the graft cases filed against her under the purge while the other released on parole-the CA said, "Yes, they are still facing trial."
The Time noted that the fear is that whichever party is elected will use the power to have all the charges against its own leadership dropped.
In response Ahmed, whose government is conducting comprehensive reforms with military backing against the backdrop of past politico-electoral crisis, said, "I think it's a question of whether we are going back to the [old] system. There have been major changes in the system. Institutions have been strengthened, and these institutions have gotten support from society at large. I think everybody hopes that will continue."
In an interview with the Time magazine in New York where he went to attend the 63rd UNGA session, he also said it would depend on the Election Commission (EC) whether or not the two former Prime Ministers-Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina -- would be allowed to stand for election.
"Well, that will depend on the EC. The law under which elections will be held stipulates certain conditions for anyone to submit a nomination. Anyone who satisfies these conditions is eligible," he told the American newsmagazine in a preview of the perspective in which the politicians will have to perform at the next polls following a paradigm shift.
Asked could there be an election without them, particularly in Bangladesh's context, Ahmed parried this question: "I really don't want to speculate on that."
Asked about political parties' demand for lifting the state of emergency, the CA referred to the municipal elections that took place in early August. "We relaxed the emergency rules to allow for normal election campaigning. We haven't heard any complaint from any of the candidates."
But, the Time World Editor said, the political parties are asking for the emergency measures to be withdrawn now. In response Ahmed said, "Yes, but we are explaining that there is no reason elections can't be held-free, fair, credible elections-with relaxed emergency rules."
He was told that emergency was declared in 2007 because of certain circumstances-violence in the streets, chaos. But that is not the case right now.
Ahmed responded: "Yes, there has not been any disruption of normal economic activities during the past 20 months. But we'd like this to continue until the election. Please remember that one of the problems with the election process has been that money and muscle power were used in the past; in order to retain control over that, I think the emergency rules will help."
Asked why the elections are being held now, the head of the interim caretaker government said soon after he took over as CA, he announced that they would hand over power to the next elected government as soon as the EC had completed a proper voter-registration process.
"We've also done some institutional reforms to the EC, the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and other areas to establish good governance. We've set up a national human rights commission, passed the Right to Information Act, strengthened local governments."
Asked whether he is now confident that these reforms are irreversible, the CA said he felt quite confident, because these reforms were demanded by the civil society, and by the political parties. "I do hope that the next government and the governments thereafter will strengthen these reforms."
The Time World Editor pointed out that Bangladesh is now going into an election with exactly same people standing for office, the same parties that have been tainted by charges of corruption and whose governance has been discredited.
In response Ahmed said, "Right from Day 1, we have been saying that the anticorruption cases will be tried under normal laws of the land and everyone will be allowed due process under the law. [Zia and Hasina] have been released on bail by the courts. One of the reforms we did was making the courts totally independent from the executive branch. Basically the process will continue under the next government."
Asked about the current status of the anti-corruption drive that had landed former ruling politicians in jail after the 1/11 changeover, he said, "It's gone well. Quite a good number of people have been convicted by the courts. Cases against others are continuing in the course of law."
Asked how many people have been convicted, he said probably about 70 or 75 people. "But the anticorruption strategy also has expanded to include preventive measures. So we are building up a campaign against corruption through the independent Anticorruption Council. I believe that this kind of comprehensive approach ultimately will make corruption feature less and less in our daily lives."
The interviewer quipped: "But if politicians under corruption charges come back to power in the elections... you can see how people may think it's all been wasted."
Ahmed disagreed. "I don't think so. As I said, a good number has been convicted. Yes, some of those accused are released on bail and that has been done through due process of law."
Asked about the two former prime ministers -- one set free on bail in all the graft cases filed against her under the purge while the other released on parole-the CA said, "Yes, they are still facing trial."
The Time noted that the fear is that whichever party is elected will use the power to have all the charges against its own leadership dropped.
In response Ahmed, whose government is conducting comprehensive reforms with military backing against the backdrop of past politico-electoral crisis, said, "I think it's a question of whether we are going back to the [old] system. There have been major changes in the system. Institutions have been strengthened, and these institutions have gotten support from society at large. I think everybody hopes that will continue."