TIB proposes JS consensus panel to form election-time govt

Transparency International, Bangladesh, on Friday proposed a formula for election-time government with an observation that general elections under a partisan government would not be acceptable and credible.

According the proposal, the Jatiya Sangsad speaker

would form a parliamentary consensus committee taking equal representatives from political alliances or parties represented in parliament, or taking representatives from each of the parties in proportion to their representation in parliament.

The parliamentary consensus committee will form an 11-strong election-time government selecting people from both inside and outside parliament or only by taking representatives from parliament or only from outside parliament.

The proposal was put forward at a press conference at the BRAC Centre Inn in the capital.

Proposing the formula, TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that they have all the doubts whether the conflicting political parties would agree to accept such an idea. He, however, hoped that good sense will prevail upon the parties.

He asked all stakeholders to put pressure on the political parties, particularly the governing parties, to reach a consensus to ensure holding a free, fair and credible polls to end the political standoff.

In reply to a question, Iftekharuzzaman said that the 15th amendment to the constitution has been an obstacle towards ensuring a level-playing field during the polls.

‘The sitting MPs may influence the administration if the elections are held before the dissolution of parliament,’ he added and proposed to hold the elections after dissolution of parliament.

‘The parliamentary consensus committee will select the head of the polls-time government apart from selecting other members of it. If it fails to reach a consensus to find a single person as the head of the polls-time government, it will select a three-member panel for the head of the polls-time government,’ he said citing the TIB proposal.

He said, ‘The JS speaker will send the three-member panel to the president and the president will pick anyone from the three as the head of the election-time government to be constituted for 90 days.’

TIB’s trustee and adviser to a past caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan said that it would be very difficult to reach a consensus by the parties at a time when all the opposition leaders have landed in jail.

‘Given the attitude of the political parties, a fair election is not possible under a partisan government,’ Hafizuddin Khan said.

Citing example of Pakistan, Hafizuddin Khan said, ‘Had there been a mindset and good will for reaching a consensus among the big parties, finding out a mechanism for holding a fair polls would not be a big deal at all.’  

Though both of her colleagues—Hafizuddin Khan and Iftekharuzzaman—were of the opinion that elections under a partisan government would not be credible, the TIB chairperson, Sultana Kamal, said that it would be possible had there been a strong Election Commission.

Voicing concerns over the escalating political violence in the country, Sultana Kamal, who was also an adviser to a past caretaker government, said, ‘We, the people, cannot let this war-like situation continue for an indefinite period.’

The political parties must reach a consensus to find a common ground for ending the political stalemate. 

After the 15th amendment to the Constitution, a general election of the members of parliament shall be held within 90 days preceding such dissolution by reason of expiration of the five-year term of parliament, suggesting that the sitting MPs will be allowed taking part in the JS polls.

Several political parties including ruling alliance’s Workers Party of Bangladesh during their talks with the Election Commission had said the 15th amendment has created an obstacle towards ensuring a level-playing field as the sitting MPs will contest the polls with all of his or her perks and privilege as an MP. (Source)

Indian envoy’s car attacked in Khulna

Unidentified miscreants hurled three crude bombs apparently targeting a parked car being used by the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Pankaj Saran, as he was on a two-day visit to south-western Khulna district, officials and witnesses said Friday.

‘The high commissioner is completely unhurt and there is nothing to be

worried about . . . he will return to Dhaka in line with his visit schedule,’ an Indian high commission official told the news agency.

A police official in Khulna said unidentified miscreants hurled the bombs in front of a number of parked cars while the Indian envoy was in a meeting with the local chamber leaders.

The assistant police commissioner, Abul Kalam Azad, said the explosions slightly wounded five people including two drivers. But the cars were not damaged. A massive manhunt was launched to track down those who exploded the bombs.

‘We suspect that activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami exploded the bombs ahead of their planned general strike in the [Khulna] district to create panic... we think it is a stray incident,’ the official said.

Witnesses said the explosions came as Saran was addressing the function.

The Indian High Commission officials said the envoy went to coastal Khulna region Friday to witness cyclone-affected areas as a project was under way there with Indian assistance for rehabilitation of the victims. (Source)

Brokers keep prowling BRTA offices

Brokers continue with their illegal business in Bangladesh Road Transport Authority offices at Mirpur and Ekuria in managing vehicle certificates as the punishment for such acts is not adequate.

Even no punitive measure is now being taken against such brokers due to inadequate punishment for such acts.

Mohammad Monir Hossain, who is in charge of the Ansar members at the authority’s office at Mirpur, said that as per an order issued by a deputy director of the authority, any broker held by the Ansar members is now released after taking an undertaking from the person.

According to the records at the office, 55 brokers were held between January 2 and March 25 and they were released after they had given such undertakings.

Monir Hossain said that earlier they used to hand over the detained brokers to the Kafrul police, but the new order was issued as the detained brokers used to get released from courts paying a fine of Tk 150 only.

Kafrul police station duty officer on Friday said that usually the police sent the detained brokers to court under Section 84 of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance 1976 on charge of trespassing on the authority’s premises and the courts released them realising a fine of Tk 150 as per the law.

The director (enforcement) of the authority, Mohammad Moshiar Rahman, however, said that they were regularly operating mobile courts against brokers.

Asked about releasing brokers after taking undertakings, he said that he was not aware of it.

Brokers should be placed before the magistrate of the authority, he said.

Delay and harassment in getting vehicle fitness certificates from the authority also contribute to the continuation of brokering, many people said.

Brokers offered to obtain for this correspondent a vehicle fitness certificate without even having to bring the car – a process that one broker said would taken even less time than if the car had been brought.

‘If you do not bring your vehicle I can get fitness certificate within an hour but if you bring the vehicle you will get the certificate in two or three hours,’ said a broker at the Mirpur office who gave his name as Mohammad Monir.

‘After getting your papers you can pay me whatever you wish,’ Monir said speaking from a corner inside the office premises.

‘I am not a BRTA employee but I have to continue this work for my livelihood,’ he added.

Sohel, another broker outside the office, sought Tk 2,500 to manage the fitness certificate.

At the BRTA office in Ekuria, there was a similar situation.

One broker called Masum demanded Tk 1,500 for providing a certificate within an hour whilst another broker Majedul asked the reporter to pay him after the work.

Many people were seen brokering within the transport authority’s offices at Mirpur and Ekuria and openly approaching those seeking a service from the office.

Mirpur office deputy director (engineering) Sirajul Islam said that two to three motor vehicle inspectors were manually checking about 500 to 700 vehicles for fitness every day at the office.

‘The brokers take the opportunity of this situation,’ he said. ‘We have applied for more manpower at this office.’

Sirajul admitted that sometimes the brokers managed to obtain genuine papers from the office.

‘Maybe the brokers get help from inside the office.’

The authority operates a mobile team, comprising Ansars, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Rapid Action Battalion forces, in order to arrest the brokers, the deputy director said.

‘We also hang notice boards at two places to make service seekers aware that they should not use brokers,’ he added. 

A senior official at the authority’s office at Ekuria said that time to time they also operated mobile courts to arrest brokers.

‘We also sat up three Close Circuit Television cameras at this office to observe their activities,’ he said.

The platoon commander of the Ansar forces at the office, Mohammad Faruque Alam, claimed that tyranny of brokers was less at this office than the office at Mirpur.

About a month ago 18 brokers had been caught by a mobile court and they were jailed, he added. (Source)

26 held in question leak scam

At least 26 people have been arrested in a crackdown on those involved with leaking the questions for exams to recruit assistant teachers for primary schools.

RAB claims the mastermind of the scam has been arrested by their personnel from Rajshahi.

Tests to recruit the teachers for primary schools started simultaneously in 61 districts of Bangladesh (except the three Hill districts) at 10:00am on Friday.

The job-aspirants were to answer objective questions for 80 marks in 80 minutes.

Near 1.19 million aspirants took the test for the 14,858 posts of assistant teachers in primary schools across the country.

‘We have heard from some districts of questions of this test been leaked. Some arrests have also been made. District authorities have been asked to compare the leaked questions to those answered by the job-aspirants,’ said Shyamal Kanti Ghosh, Director-General of Directorate of Primary Education.

Reports of leaked questions being photo-copied for sale to job-aspirants started floating in since late on Thursday.

Rapid Action Battalion’s intelligence chief Ziaul Ahsan told bdnews24.com that raids to nab the culprits responsible for the leak started late on Thursday.

Mostafizur Rahman, who RAB feels is the mastermind of the leak, was arrested along with eight others from Rajshahi by RAB-5, Ahsan said.

Samples of the leaked question paper were recovered from them, he said. But Ahsan could not provide details about how the leaks had happened and whether the seized question paper is akin to those used to testing the job-aspirants.

Six others were arrested from photo-copy shops in Gopalganj for suspected involvement with the leaks during raids before midnight.

Gopalganj Detective Branch of Police’s Sub-Inspector Moazzem Hossain said those arrested were photo-copying the question papers.

Five more were nabbed from one photo-copy shop at Gourango Bazar in Kishoreganj, Sadar Model Police Station OC Hammad Hossain said.

Seven others were picked up for suspected involvement with the leaks from Netrakona.

The district administration conducted raids on several photo-copy shops in the district on Thursday night, police said.

Leaking of the question-paper for the exams to recruit primary school teachers were reported from Kushtia, Mymensingh,Tangail, Narsingdi and several other districts of the country. (Source)

BSD splits up formally: Mubinul-led committee formed

The Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal faction led by Mubinul Haider Chowdhuy on Friday announced a convention preparatory committee to hold a national convention in six months.

The committee with Mubinul as the convenor was announced by the party’s central committee member Shubhrangshu Chakrabarty at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Mubinul and Shubhrangshu, two members of the six-member central committee of the party, held the press conference demonstrating the formal division of the Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal led by Khalequzzaman.

The six-member central committee was divided on the question of the party’s ideology.

One of the groups wanted to pursue the doctrines of Karl Marx and VI Lenin while the other was determined to follow through the ideology of Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) founding general secretary Shibdas Ghosh, party sources said.

The new faction considers Shibdash as the authority of the international communist movement and will lead the party according to his ideals, Mubinul said.

‘Most of the district committees and two-thirds of the leader of the student and women fronts of the party joined us,’ Mubinul said.

The group held a two-day meeting of the district leaders of the party in the capital which ended on Friday.

The splitting of the party became certain at a central committee meeting held on Sunday, when Mubinul and Shubhrangshu, party insiders said.

The ideological differences surfaced first at a central committee meeting in February 18-20, where Mubinul and Shubhrangshu alleged the party had deviated from the political ideology of Shibdas based on which it was founded in 1980.

Mubinul also demanded that the party should recognise Shibdas as an authority of international communism, the sources said.

Party general secretary Khalequzzaman and central committee members Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Zahedul Haque Milu, and Razequzzaman Ratan, on the other hand, argued that the party was founded on the basis of Marxism and Leninism as well as the thoughts of Shibdas.

They were in favour of maintaining the party’s ideological status quo.

Earlier in 2010, the BSD suffered another ideological rift that resulted in two of its central leaders, Abdullah Sarker and Saifur Rahman Tapan, quitting the organisation. (Source)