Participatory polls is the answer

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said participatory election is the only way of stopping polls rigging.

He also urged the opposition parties to avoid the politics of destruction and take part in the next election.

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“I would like to tell the opposition parties to participate in the election as the government has already brought massive electoral reforms to ensure a free and fair election,” he said while addressing the concluding session of Envoys' Conference at the Sonargaon Hotel.

He said muscle power is still an obstacle that could jeoparadise free and fair polls. “But this hindrance can be removed only through a participatory election.”

Muhith said despite his huge support, he lost the election in 2001 because of "rigging".

“After my defeat in the 2001 election, I met my party chief [Sheikh Hasina] and told her that I lost the election because it was rigged and expressed my desire to retire from politics.”

Muhith said after hearing everything, Hasina requested him to help her prepare a fully-fledged report on the rigging, weakness of electoral laws and how the loopholes could be removed permanently.

The finance minister said he then talked to all party MPs and those contested but lost and prepared a 17-point recommendation, which the Election Commission has accepted and brought the necessary reforms to remove ways of polls rigging.

“Now the only path of rigging which still exist is muscle power.

"And from this consideration, it is the opposition parties who can resist that muscle power through participation in the election."

In an oblique reference to the BNP, he said they do not need to shout for electoral reforms because "it's already done". "So now come and take part in the election.”

The finance minister advised the Bangladesh envoys attending the conference to tell the foreign governments and their people how the Bangladesh government has closed the paths of election rigging.

Muhith in his 28-minute speech described the economic development in the country and the steps taken to remove poverty, increase productivity, trade and investment.

He said due to the pragmatic efforts, more than nine crore people have been brought out of poverty in the last eight years. “But still we have three crore people under the poverty line and we have to work relentlessly for next 10-15 years to completely remove poverty from the country.”

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque also addressed the concluding session.