Where have all the possible good candidates gone?
Its not about good or bad, per se. It is about reality. It is a question whether you have the proper framework and system in place that will enable and encourage the honest, competent people to become involved in the politics. Until you do that, its only a long talk.
There are around 5500 local observers for the 4 city corporations and 9 poura shovas. Presumably, these are all well educated, responsible person who are acting for the sake of social responsibility and patriotism.
On the flipside, it has been alleged that there are few good candidates (honest and competent) in these local body elections. It seems that there is a lack of interest among the possible good candidates to run for office, compared to the interested people who wants to ensure the fairness of the votes.
So, its not true that there is not enough people who want to make sure that change happens in the governance scenario. At the same time, it is also true that all these possible candidates are prefering to stay part-time volunteens for the sake of the good governance!
How to change this dynamics? Do our policy makers understand the topic that we are trying to convey? We have discussed this elsewhere, let us repeat it again. The posts of elected officials are currently designed to be voluteer type job. However, the time and commitment that these positions need are more than a professional position. These positions do not even pay that is competitive enough for a sportsman, let alone competent, hard-working and honest youth. As a result, the current scenario is happening, as expected.
The real volunteers are all observers.
The fake volunteers are all candidates.
Election Commission has the responsibility to change this, only if they understand it. For details, read this article:
"Government should make the elected positions attractive to the young generation. Make this positions professional, i.e. an elected mayor or a chairman of a union parishad or an MP should earn more money than those of their peers who, for example, plays professional cricket or professional football or working 8-hours a day job. After all, these positions are supposed to be a 24-hour jobs if they are really willing to serve. Doesn't it make sense to make the most important jobs in the country to be professional, instead of the current part-time nature of these positions (if you are not sure whether the elected officials jobs are professional or not, read closely the job-description and their salary structure). "
One related question which many of my friends would usually ask, is it the same reason that we do not volunteer ourselves to the real field of politics, instead of writing columns which seems to be on-target in many cases? That is really a good question - a tough one, too. That is a topic for another day. But let us say this for today: It might be possible to volunteer ourselves and may be, some might become elected. However, the few number would not be enough to change the system. Give me something similar which are proposed in these articles, we will deliver a better Bangladesh in a decade, with visible changes from the upcoming elections, by accelerating a rather complex and social system. How? Because if the policymakers make these elected offices as professional posts, only then, there will be enough winners to make the system bow down to the need of the general people, to the need of the country. That is if you want to make the system respond quickly - if you want improve the system now. If we are not prepared to do that for whatever reasons, we should be prepared to be patient. Going into politics is a personal decision - everybody has different circumstances to base their decision. All you can do is change the structure so the individual decisions are easier. And hope that there will be enough number to get the kind of result that you want now.
This is probably nth number of time that we are pursuing the same topic. However, the policy makers seems to be irreponsive to the proposal. We have also hypothesized on some of the reasons in our two previous articles. Only they know why they are failing to see the logic. Its not late yet.
If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.
Thanks for your time,
Innovation Line
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Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different internet based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members of new generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify yourself as someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column, please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for publishing the article as Creative Commons contents.
Dear readers, also, if you thought the article was important enough so it should come under attention of the head of the government please forward the message to them. Email address for the Chief Advisor: feeedback@pmo.gov.bd_ or at http://www.cao.gov.bd/feedback/comments.php .
5,500 observers to monitor polls
Shakhawat Liton
Over 5,500 local and international election observers will monitor the August 4 polls, the first ones to be held under the state of emergency.
What many consider a litmus test for the Election Commission's (EC) preparations for the all-important ninth parliamentary polls, the forthcoming local elections have generated a huge interest among the foreign missions in Dhaka and non-government organisations.
Political analysts say the next month's polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities are crucial also in that they would determine whether a free and fair election is possible under the state of emergency.
So far 16 foreign missions have announced plans to employ 119 observers in the polls while local organisations have sought the EC's permission to deploy around 5,500 observers, sources in the EC Secretariat said.
In the last city corporation polls, held on April 25, 2002, only NDI and the British and Canadian high commissions had election observers and that too was for only the capital. This time, they prepare to observe polls in all four city corporations and some of the nine municipalities.
The number of foreign monitors in 2002 was 19 while that of local ones was 1,883.
The next month's local government election will be the first ones under the military-backed caretaker administration that took over on January 12 last year, a day after the state of emergency was promulgated. It will also be the first election to be conducted by the reconstituted EC.
Major political parties and different foreign missions have repeatedly argued that it would be difficult for the EC to ensure a free and fair conduct of the parliamentary election with the state of emergency in force.
In response, the caretaker government said whether to go for a complete withdrawal of the state of emergency for the parliamentary polls would be decided in the light of how the August 4 polls go.
On June 20, the EC announced the election schedule for four city corporations and nine municipalities. The same day the government relaxed the emergency power rules to allow rallies and processions in the areas going to polls.
According to the electoral rules, the electioneering that began on July 14 will end 32 hours before the polling starts at 8:00am on August 4. The emergency rules will switch back to full mode automatically with the end of electioneering. It means the polls will be held amid the state of emergency in full force.
Of the foreign missions, the European Union Delegation has sought permission for eight observers to be in Khulna and Rajshahi cities and Manikganj municipality, German embassy for three to be in Sylhet city, Swedish embassy for four in Sripur of Gazipur and Phulbaria of Mymensingh, Danish embassy for two in Phulbaria, NDI(National Democratic Institute) for seven in Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet cities, Dutch embassy for three in Dupchanchia of Bogra, Turkish embassy for two in Sripur, Italian embassy for one in Manikganj, Japanese embassy for 10 in Sripur and Manikganj, Norwegian embassy for one in Phulbaria and Swiss embassy for one observer in Sripur municipality, according to a report by the EC Secretariat.
Besides, the British high commission wants to employ 11 observers, French embassy seven, IRI (International Republican Institute) 28, USAID 26 and DFID four. The report however did not specify the election areas where the observers will be posted.
