Difficult politics, Inu's hopes and bribery bashed

Politicians are finding things a bit tight, JSD President hopes for a free and fair election, and bribery has abated miraculously

by MARUF CHINU

Acting Chief Election Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman has tended in his resignation. Maj. Gen. (retd.) AM Matin says, 'And now it is the Anti-Corruption Commission's turn.' He has accordingly advised the Anti-Corruption Commission to follow in the footsteps of the Chief Election Commissioner. In the meantime, the joint armed forces continue in their crackdown on corruption nationwide. And under the state of emergency, politics has become more than difficult for the politicians.

Hawa Bhaban and Sudha Sadan

There's a ban on processions and rallies. Irresponsible political statements and remarks are also prohibited. Top-ranking leaders of the political parties are  unable to travel abroad. Those who have attempted to do so have been turned back from the airport. Giasuddin Al Mamun, businessman and close associate of BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Tareq Rahman, has been arrested. Also arrested are Sheikh Hasina's APS Dr. Aulad Hossain, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, Mir Nasir, Amanullah Aman, Dulu, Naser Rahman, Barrister Nazmul Huda, Iqbal Mahmud Tuku, Salman F Rahman, Mohammed Nasim, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Lotus Kamal and Pankaj Debnath. Haji Selim and Nasiruddin Pintoo are absconding. Now the only places where the leaders of the two major political alliances are meeting are Hawa Bhaban and Sudha Sadan.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia sits at Hawa Bhaban and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina at Sudha Sadan. The venues no long throng with leaders and workers as in the past. No longer are the surrounding areas crowded with people. Even inside it is comparatively quiet. Only senior leaders come and go throughout the day to assess the situation.

Chief Advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed has said that his government would hold the election as soon as possible. However, the politicians remain at a loss as to when this will be. Some say the polls will take place in six months. Some say not this year. Others say it will take at least two years before the election is held.

While the anxiety on this head is mounting among the politicians, the general people are quite happy to sit back while criminal godfathers and the other 'untouchables' are being arrested.  They are happy to be free of the bitter bickering between the two mainstream political forces. The political parties are well aware of this. That is why there has been hardly a murmur of protest from either of the major political parties over the arrests being made.

Inu's hopes

JSD President and 14 Party leader Hasanul Huq Inu has said that he wants to see all persons involved in crime, from the former Prime Minister to the lowest level, in jail before the next election. He said that he doesn't want to contest in the election alongside and corrupt or criminal element. He praised the government of Chief Advisor Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, saying that this government would not let anyone go free simply on the basis of party or position.

After US Ambassador Patricia A Butenis, British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhury and Canadian High Commissioner Barbara Richardson, another group of foreign diplomats, including ambassadors of eight countries of the European Union and the Indian High Commissioner, recently called upon Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Advisor for Foreign Affairs, and urged free and fair elections to be held at an early date. However, Hasanul Huq Inu is in no hurry for the election. In a recent interview he said, 'We want a free, fair and neutral election. Simply holding the election in the next 90 days won't rectify the last caretaker government's violation of the provision to hold the polls within 90 days.'

Inu said that the political elements still remained in the administration, though this had been amended to a certain extent already. He said that the administration would have to undergo a major overhauling The Election Commission would have to be restructured and the 300 controversial election officers would have been be dropped. He advised the government of Dr. Fakhruddin to maintain transparency in all its activites and to explain to the people what measures it was taking for the election. This would dispel any suspicions or misunderstanding.

Bribery bashed

Army personal caught a police sergeant red-handed in the act of receiving an underhand payment from a passenger bus in Chittagong. He was charged with taking a 300 taka unlawful payment and handed over to AC Traffic. But bribery took a real nosedive when a televised report was shown of a police officer at Fatulla police station being caught in possession of a huge amount of unlawfully collected money. When a bus conductor tried to hand over a 100 taka note to a police sergeant recently instead of giving him the bus documents, the sergeant immediately handed him over to the nearest police station.

Chittagong Customs House has made an announcement, calling for a halt to all bribery. This organisation was known to be the hub of underhand financial dealings. Now it has informed all the C&F agents that there's going to be no kickbacks. Now all dealings are above board, with no unlawful payments being made. This was unthinkable even just a few days ago. Sources at the port say that member of the armed forces as well as intelligence agencies are keeping a sharp lookout for any form of bribery. So no one is taking any more risks. A certain senior officer of the customs department has said that they have contacted the importers and informed them to refrain from offering any form of underhand payments.