Jamaat-e-Islami has placed a nine-point charter of demands before the Election Commission (EC), including the immediate removal of the recently contractually appointed Additional Secretary Shamsul Alam, ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The demands were presented on Tuesday during a meeting between a Jamaat delegation and Chief Election Commission (CEC) alongside other election commissioners at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka.
Following the meeting, Jamaat Secretary General Professor Golam Porwar briefed journalists, adding that Samsul Alam is an active member of a political party. Porwar revealed that Jamaat had raised concerns with the Commission regarding Alam’s political background the previous day as well.
He argued that appointing a political affiliate to a senior position in a constitutional government institution is unconstitutional and a direct violation of the law.
According to Porwar, the EC commissioners admitted they were previously unaware of Alam’s political background but have since found evidence of his political involvement.
Although the EC stated they are not the appointing authority, they promised to convey Jamaat’s concerns to the government.
Porwar warned that if Alam remains in office, the elections cannot be neutral and will suffer from political bias, adding that Jamaat will continue their protests and objections.
In its charter, Jamaat also demanded that ministers, members of parliament (MPs), and other key government officials be barred from participating in any publicity or campaigning for local elections.
The EC reportedly assured the delegation that they are considering incorporating this restriction into the electoral code of conduct.
Porwar raised strong objections to the EC’s recommendation declaring teachers of Monthly Pay Order (MPO)-listed institutions ineligible to run in local government elections.
He noted that there are approximately over 30,000 such teachers in Bangladesh who have historically participated in all elections, including the recently concluded 13th National Parliamentary Election.
He pointed out the contradiction where an MPO-listed individual can contest as a Member of Parliament, yet is recommended to be barred from running in a local Union Parishad election.
Porwar argued that disqualifying them violates Articles 27 and 28 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality and non-discrimination to all citizens, and warned that the move would face legal challenges.
Furthermore, Jamaat demanded the disqualification of leaders of political parties whose political activities are banned by the government, specifically mentioning the Awami League.
Porwar asserted that holding office in a banned political party is also a political activity, and such individuals should not be allowed to participate in local elections.
The delegation also strongly protested against the recent political appointments of administrators in local government bodies.
Porwar stated that district and upazila presidents and other office-bearers of BNP have been appointed to various zila parishads, city corporations, and eight development authorities.
Jamaat demanded that these administrators be declared ineligible to contest the upcoming local elections, even if they resign after the election schedule is announced.
Addressing a query about whether Jamaat would boycott the elections if their demands are not met, Porwar said that they had placed similar demands on 29 July but received no response or follow-up.
He added that while the EC has now taken some of their demands into consideration, others are yet to be addressed.
Porwar stated that the time has not yet come to make a decision on boycotting the election. However, he expressed that the Commission appeared to be acting under pressure from the ruling party, noting a sense of helplessness in their conversation.
The Jamaat delegation led by Secretary General Miya Golam Porwar included Member of Parliament Md Izzat Ullah, Nazibur Rahman Momen, Executive Council members Mobarak Hossain and Abdur Rab, and Central Election Committee member Yasir Arafat.
The Election Commission was represented by CEC AMM Nasir Uddin, Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud and Anwarul Islam Sarkar, and Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed.
