Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded the immediate cancellation of decision to appoint Shamsul Alam as an additional secretary to Election Commission (EC) Secretariat on a one-year contractual basis.
The demand was made by Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar during a press conference addressing contemporary political issues held on Tuesday at the capital’s Moghbazar.
He said the appointment of a politically-affiliated individual to a sensitive institution like Election Commission would undermine the commission’s neutrality. He further said that such a move would create public doubt regarding the upcoming local government elections.
Porwar also criticised the government for allegedly making appointments based on party considerations across various constitutional, autonomous, and government institutions.
He specifically highlighted the appointment of individuals associated with BNP to several bodies, including Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Moheshkhali Development Authority, and NGO Affairs Bureau.
Speaking on the second anniversary of July mass uprising, he questioned whether the country is progressing towards the promised discrimination-free state or reverting to old political cultures.
He said since the national election, the government has drifted away from its promises of state and constitutional reform, as well as the implementation of the mandate from the referendum held on the basis of “July Charter.”
Porwar pointed out that the ninth point of 31-point demand declared by BNP promised transparency, accountability, and credibility in constitutional and state institutions instead of politicisation.
However, he said these promises were violated after the election through appointment of partisan individuals to various government and autonomous bodies.
Of particular concern, he mentioned, was the appointment of Shamsul Alam to EC Secretariat. Porwar said following his retirement, Alam served as a member of BNP committee responsible for delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.
He argued that appointing such a person to a vital constitutional body like the EC raises serious questions about the commission’s impartiality.
He warned that if the appointment is not cancelled immediately, the upcoming local government elections will be called into question. He added that political parties might be forced to reconsider their participation in the electoral process.
He further said that the ongoing appointment of partisan administrators and officials to District Councils, City Corporations, and various development authorities contradicts the declared commitment to building a non-discriminatory, accountable, and neutral state system.
