Thursday • June 01, 2006

Remove CEC or feel the heat of Dhaka Siege: Abdul Jalil

Reiterating their demand for removal of the partisan Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice MA Aziz by immediately summoning the Supreme Judicial Council, Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil MP has warned that otherwise Dhaka City will be isolated from the rest of the country through their Dhaka Siege Program scheduled for June 11.

"Side by side, we will also make the BNP-Jamaat alliance government dysfunctiional through the aforesaid action program of the 14-party combine if the alliance government does not concede to our demands for electoral reforms," he said when the leaders of Bangladesh Union Parishad Oikya Jote (BUPOJ) called on him at the party's Dhanmondi office in the capital yesterday.

Abdul Jalil told the BUPOJ leaders that Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to meet them but she could not make it as she was indisposed.

Extending party's solidarity and support in principle to the nine-point movement of BUPOJ and seeking their cooperation for launching a greater movement at this crucial juncture of the nation, the Awami League General Secretary said in its bid to cling to power to indulge in further misdeeds and to continue its misrule, the alliance government has prepared a voter enrolment with its sycophant cadres under the supervision of the partisan CEC in which there were nearly two crore fake voters.

Referring to women's empowerment and setting up of a Union parishad complex in every union across the country during the five-year tenure of the previous Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, Abdul Jalil said strengthening of the local government bodies, their independent functions and autonomy would be a far cry if a people-oriented government was not elected by holding a free, fair and credible election.

For this reason, he said the Awami League-led 14 party combine has put forward their proposals to bring reforms to the caretaker administration and the Election Commission but the alliance government has started dilly-dallying with the much-talked about talks on their reform proposals and hatched a conspiracy to hold farcical polls with the voter list full of ghost voters.

"We have firm belief that a free, fair and neutral poll is totally imposible without removing the partisan CEC... updating of the voter list in accordance with the judgement of the Supreme Court will also not be possible under the supervision of Justice MA Aziz and two partisan Election Commissioners," Abdul Jalil said adding that if the government declines to concede to their demand, the combined opposition will dislodge it launching a vigorous street agitation program after their Dhaka Siege of June 11.

The Awami League leader also sought support and participation of the representatives of the lowest tier of the administration in their action programs including the Dhaka Siege to compel the alliance government to step down from power, paving the way for a credible poll in the country.

The demands of BUPOJ also include autonomy and independence to the Union Parisads, budgetary provision of 25 per cent block allotment for the local government bodies to achieve the millennium development goal for the implementation of PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategic Paper) by the Union Parishads and enhancement of the honorarium of the UP chairmen and members to Tk 5000 and Tk 3000 respectively.

BUPOJ leaders including Golam Sarwar Milon, Motiur Rahman Tapan, Golam Sarwar, Mushtaqur Rahman Mafur, Lakshmi Sarker, Bazlur Rahman Bachchu, Abdul Hossain Khan and Begum Noor Afroza addressed the meeting.

Awami League central leaders including Zohra Tajuddin, Sajeda Chowdhury, Motia Chowdhury, Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Obaidul Quader, Mukul Bose, Abdur Rahman, Dr. Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Advocate Abdul Matin Khosru, Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and Dr. Deepu Moni also were present.

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