Minorities under election threat
Rabindranath TrivediThe elections in Bangladesh have become a tussle between army-owned political party versus people's organizations. It reminds one of the 1970 elections. Under the BNP-Jamaat alliance rule, Bangladesh has been transformed into an inauspicious outpost of Islamic militancy and terrorism.
The government is now facing a lot of criticism, ranging from accusations of a cover up to the protection of the godfathers. As this is undermining the government's credibility, it is incumbent on the government to come out with a denial, and proof, that these allegations are not true, or suffer the consequences at the general election fixed for January 2007.
Meanwhile, the government-supported newspaper "Amar Desh" on September 3, published a lead story under the headline: "Abar Kamidas Boidya: Bharate Bangladesh Birodhi Sharajtantra: 25 Zila Niye 'Nutun Bangla' Namey Manchitra Prokash." (Kalidas Boidya Again: Conspiracy Against Bangladesh in India: A new map constituting 25 districts under the name of 'Nutun Bangla' revealed.)
Quoting NSI sources, the reporter mentioned that an Indian Bangla newspaper, published from Agartala in October last year, stated that Hindu leaders are trying to create a new Bangladesh out of 25 districts in south-west Bangladesh. A year old fossil news item became a lead item in a Dhaka local daily. Is this a new style of campaigning to dismantle the vote bank?
The Hindus are scared about this sort of news as they had to suffer great humiliation and tortures during Ershad's regime because of the so called "Swadhin Bangabhumi" movement, and the nasty political campaign against Hindus after the demolition of Babri Mosque in December 1992, and during the last two elections, in 1996 and 2001.
We are afraid of all these power games. We feel insecure as the polls draw nearer. If needed, we will not cast our votes in the next general election as we are being "commanded" not to vote.
In some parts of Bangladesh, BNP and Jamaat imposed certain conditions: that the Hindus might continue puja provided they did not blow conch-shells, beat the daak (Drum), ring bells, or make any uludhani during Durga Puja.
The Durga Puja is going to be held from September 28. We are again feeling insecure. Begum Zia, in her last election campaign, said if the alliance were not voted to power the Azan from mosques would be stopped and uludhani and ringing bells would be heard.
It may be mentioned here that the Hindus were humiliated and tortured before and after October 2001. In October 2001 election, the incidence of violence was the highest. Minorities were violated in 2,685 villages in the country. Minorities were debarred from casting votes in the election -- a fundamental right of any citizen of Bangladesh. They were obstructed from casting their votes on the way to the voting center.
In this context, it may be asked why the incidents of violence on minorities was so high during the eighth parliamentary election compared to elections immediately before that. It was probably because social control mechanisms regulating violence faltered more during this election than before. It was widely observed that the caretaker government, throughout its tenure, remained quite indifferent to the violence perpetrated by the four party alliance in the contest for winning the election. The government formed after the alliance won the election was absolutely blind to the violence that the BNP cadres were committing against their political rivals. (See, e.g., Can We Get Along? Mohammad Rafi, 2005).
So the "Kalidas Boidya syndrome" will act as election campaign for the ruling BNP-led Islamist alliance politics.
The status of the Hindu community, after the general election in 2001, has also been focused in the report of the US State Department entitled Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The US Record 2005- 2006 which stated: "Because minorities, especially Hindus, were subjected to intimidation and other forms of pressure during previous election campaigns, the United States has increased its monitoring of this issue in anticipation of the 2007 election."
That is why the Hindu leaders of Satkhira informed the visiting European Union (EU) representatives that they would not cast their votes in the next general election as they are being "threatened not to vote." The EU delegation, on September 15, visited different areas of Kaliganj upazila to exchange views with local political leaders and people of different religious communities on the coming election.
"In the last general election we voted, and only for that our houses were set on fire, lands were grabbed, our daughters and wives were raped, young men were tortured and we were driven out of our homes," one of the Hindu leaders told the visitors at Bathuadanga.
Local Hindu leaders including Gobindo Sarker, Parimal Kumar Mondol and Sabita Rani Sarker said as the election is nearing they are feeling insecure due to "repeated threats" as in the previous pre-election period. So we need not elaborate the matter further.
The Election Commission on September 7 published the updated version of voters' list with a total of 93,082,499 voters. A total of 16,654,729 fresh voters have been included in the previous list of the year 2000, which had 76,427,771 voters. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the number of voters was supposed to increase by some one crore during the five year-period (2000 to 2005), but it has increased by one crore and 67 lakh in the new voters' list.
The abnormal rise in the number of the voters in the new list has created questions among the concerned circles. Moreover, it is learnt from reliable sources that a certain per cent of minority voters have been dropped and that 10 percent of the "Hindu" voters on the list are fictitious This could not be verified from EC sources. Hindus are totally confused about the new voter list . Leading dailies in Dhaka wrote that the EC officials refrained from making any comments on the abnormal rise in the number of voters in the new list.
A US-based election monitor (NDI) said in Dhaka on September 11 that it had received complaints that Bangladesh's Election Commission was incompetent and biased, which could lead to serious problems when it conducts the general election next year. The team held meetings with the commission, leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, civil society, and media.
"The delegation was deeply concerned to hear of a widespread lack of confidence in the Election Commission, and specifically the chief election commissioner," said a copy of a statement given to reporters at a news conference. The NDI delegation was deeply concerned that the new voters' list has over 93 million names out of a population of about 140 million, a size that was "substantially inconsistent with the 2001 census data." The statement also said: "a voters' list containing two-thirds of the population strains credibility."
Uncertainty looms over the holding of the next general elections, scheduled for January 2007, as the Awami League-led 14-party opposition combine, and the National Unity Front led by Bikalpadhara Bangladesh and Gono Forum are bent upon not participating in the election without the implementation of reforms of the Election Commission and the caretaker government system.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, head of the present ruling coalition government, in her public addresses indirectly refused to accept the reforms proposals of the opposition by announcing that the next election would be held as per constitution, and if needed without the participation of the opposition parties.
It, thus, indicates that the country is heading towards dangerous confrontational politics if all these controversies are not resolved across the table before expiry of the tenure of the present government on October 28.
In the latest development, the prime minister called for a dialogue between the secretaries general to break the stand-off. The opposition leaders have questioned the sincerity of the call, but they did not reject the offer. The US ambassador is trying to resolve the current political dispute at the negotiating table. We desire a happy ending of the disputes between the parties over the proposed electoral reforms before October 28.
Bangladesh is under attack; she is struggling for existence as a democratic secular country. Bangladesh is now a rudderless, leaderless ship wallowing in the deep sea of conspiracy. The vision that mobilized the nation during the Liberation War in 1971, of a society economically prosperous, exploitation free, democratically governed, tolerant of pluralism, and respectful of peoples' rights, is still alive in the minds of average citizens. We demand the people's uninterrupted voting rights.
Rabindranath Trivedi is former Press Secretary to the President of Bangladesh and Vice President Sammalita Samajik Andalan.
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/09/19/d609191502118.htm