Jamaat urges CCTV installation at polling centres to ensure fair polls
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Amir Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher on Wednesday, January 7, said the installation of CCTV cameras at polling centres is essential to ensure a free, fair, and credible election.
He said the Election Commission (EC) has agreed in principle to the proposal and informed them that CCTV cameras would be installed at least 90 percent of polling centres.
"We want to be reassured by their commitment that the CCTV cameras will indeed be installed and made operational," Taher told reporters while briefing journalists after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin and the four other election commissioners.
The meeting was held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon area.
Taher said Jamaat-e-Islami wants to place its trust in the EC as the party is participating in the electoral process. "Now it is the responsibility of the EC to prove that it is making its utmost effort to ensure a fair election," he added.
The six-member Jamaat delegation also included its Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Assistant Secretaries General Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad, Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Central Executive Council member Mobarak Hossain, and senior Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir.
Taher stressed the need for a level playing field, saying a genuinely fair election requires an equal and conducive environment for all political parties.
"The core problem Bangladesh has faced for the last 56 years is the absence of fair elections. If the upcoming election turns into another managed or arranged one, then the country may face an existential crisis and move towards an even more dangerous situation," Taher added.
He urged all stakeholders to accept political realities and act in the national interest to avert such a crisis.
Calling on the Election Commission to act firmly, Taher said the EC must demonstrate its resolve and sincerity. "Otherwise, the nation will hold the Election Commission responsible, not the government," he said.
He also reiterated Jamaat-e-Islami's demand for the appointment of neutral Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs), noting that a level playing field has not yet been ensured.
Source: BSS