Earning trust over EVM: EC initiative suffers setback

The Election Commission's initiative to earn political parties' trust over Electronic Voting Machines sustained a blow as five parties, including the BNP, skipped its views-exchange meeting yesterday.

The EC invited 13 political parties to join the second round of the meeting at its office in the capital.

Apart from the BNP, four other political parties that did not attend the event are: Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab), Bangladesh Kalyan Party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Muslim League.

JSD is a component of the Jatiya Oikya Front that also includes the BNP. Kalyan Party is also a part of BNP-led 20-party combine.

Contacted, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said there was no question of joining the views-exchange meeting. "It is an illegal Election Commission and they are doing nothing but carrying out the instructions of the government."

JSD leaders said they did not participate in the meeting because attending such events would be "meaningless and unnecessary".

In a statement, the party said people believe that the EVM is a reliable machine for "digital manipulation" to keep the government in power.

"It would not be appropriate to use EVMs in the elections of Bangladesh, and people will not accept this decision," it added.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan told The Daily Star that they invited all political parties so that they can clear their confusion, if any, by questing experts present at the meeting.

"We invited them -- some joined and some did not. It is their own matter."

The election commissioner said he had a meeting with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam in late May and personally requested the BNP leaders to take part in the views-exchange meeting on EVMs.

In the first phase of the meeting on June 19, three political parties -- Gono Forum, Krishak Sramik Janata League and Bangladesh Jatiya Party -- out of 13 invited refrained from taking part.

Meanwhile, eight political parties -- Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, National People's Party (NPP), Jamiote Ulamaye Islam Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Islami Front and Khelafat Majlish -- attended yesterday's meeting.

At the event, representatives of different political parties recommended introduction of paper slips in the EVM system so that voters can understand which symbol they voted for.

Mohiuddin Ahmed, NPP technology adviser, proposed e-voting and said EVMs should be sent to polling centres directly from Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory.

Bangladesh Islamic Front Organising Secretary Jahangir Alam said EVMs at least ensure that voting would take place on election day. "It is a matter of question whether all will serve the purpose of the government or the people …"

He added that it should be ensured that no musclemen could poke their noses into elections.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said they would remain 100 percent honest.

"Ballot rigging and booth capturing took place but you [political parties] could not stop it," he told the parties there.

"There are some dilemmas among political parties over EVMs. We will try to clear that. We are listening to you [political parties] and giving importance to that. We are yet to make any final decision on using of EVMs [in polls]."

The EC would sit with 13 more political parties, including ruling Awami League, on June 28.