EC RECONSTITUTION
Parties urged to give names by Jan 31
STAFF REPORTER
The newly formed search committee yesterday urged 31 political parties, which attended the recent talks with the president, to propose five names each for the next chief election commissioner and four commissioners. The parties were asked to place the names before the additional secretary of the Cabinet Division by January 31.The search committee, at its first meeting at the Supreme Court Judges Lounge in the capital yesterday, also decided to sit with 12 eminent personalities at 4pm tomorrow (Monday) to take their opinions to reconstitute the EC. The eminent personalities are former High Court judge Md Abdur Rashid, former vice-chancellors of Dhaka University Prof Dr AK Azad Chowdhury and Prof SMA Faiz, Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, Dr Sultana Kamal, former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former EC commissioners Sohul Hussain and Sakhawat Hussain, local government expert Tofail Ahmed, secretary of Shushanor Jonno Nagarik Badiul Alam Majumdar, Dhaka University professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq and former Inspector General of Police Nurul Huda.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam disclosed the names at a briefing in front of the Supreme Court after the maiden meeting of the search committee.
All members of the committee were present in the meeting that lasted for half an hour from 11:15am, Alam said. The search committee determined the mode of its work process during its maiden meeting, he added. Meeting sources said that individuals can also submit their names before the Cabinet Division if think that they are qualified for the post of CEC or election commissioners.
One of the committee members citing not to be named told The Independent that they will take opinions from the 12 eminent personalities and seek their cooperation to form an acceptable EC for the greater interest of the country. It is a national issue. We want to give our best effort to form an acceptable EC to oversee the next parliamentary election. We expect that our outcome will be good for all, he added.
We will seek suggestions from 12 personalities to form a unique EC so that it can conduct a free, fair and neutral election, another committee member said.
After getting 155 names from the 31 political parties, which attended the Bangabhaban dialogue, the search committee will make a short list and finally submit only 10 names to the president to reconstitute the next EC, sources said. The president will appoint the CEC and other commissioners from among the 10 short-list names to be submitted by the search committee, the sources added.
The president formed the six-member search body, headed by Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, on January 25 after holding a series of talks with 31 registered political parties, including ruling Awami League and the BNP.
The other members of the committee are: High Court Division Justice Obaidul Hassan, comptroller and auditor general Masud Ahmed, Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Dr Muhammed Sadique, Dhaka University English department professor Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam and Chittagong University Pro vice-chancellor Prof Shireen Akhter. In 2012, then president Zillur Rahman had held talks with 23 registered political parties and formed a four-member search committee. Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, also headed the search committee in 2012, and other members of that search committee were the then PSC chairman, the CAG of Bangladesh and an HC judge. The present EC, led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, was constituted following the committees recommendations. The tenure of the incumbent EC expires on February 8.
