Civil society members yesterday urged the search committee to pick honest, capable, skilled, acceptable and apolitical persons for the next Election Commission (EC). They also opined that the search committee can consider enacting a law in accordance with the Constitution for forming the EC to oversee the parliamentary election in 2019.
 Persons who would be able to conduct the next general election in an impartial and transparent manner should be chosen.
The search committee held a previously scheduled meeting with 12 eminent civil society members at the Supreme Court judges' lounge in Dhaka yesterday afternoon.
The committee’s spokesperson, Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, told reporters that the search committee welcomed the 12 eminent persons for giving their valuable suggestions regarding formation of the EC. “We will keep their suggestions on record as they were valuable recommendations,” he said.
Most of the civil society members suggested that non-partisan, honest and skilled persons should be chosen for the next EC, he noted.
The Cabinet secretary also said that the search committee decided to meet five other eminent persons at the Supreme Court judges' lounge at 11am on February 1. They are: former chief election commissioner Abu Hena, barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud, editor of the daily Samakal, Golam Sarwar, editor of The Daily Star, Mahfuz Anam, and security and strategic analyst Maj. Gen. Md Abdur Rashid (Retd).
After the meeting, Dr Sultana Kamal said: “We suggested to the search committee that honest, skilled, capable and competent persons should be chosen, who can conduct the next general election in a transparent and impartial manner. We came as invited guests. It is the search committee’s duty to send the names to the President. The committee’s members are discharging their duty confidently. We should have confidence in them that they would form an acceptable EC.”
Former CEC ATM Shamsul Huda said they suggested that the search committee should pick non-political persons, particularly those not holding any post or were not involved in active politics as students. “If a neutral EC is formed, people will accept it. Otherwise, it will raise questions. If the EC is formed with questionable persons, it will not work smoothly,” he noted.
Dhaka University professor Dr AK Azad Chowdhury said he suggested that people who believe in the spirit of freedom should be chosen.
Former election commissioner Sakhawat Hussain said he submitted a written statement. “If the search committee fails to propose good names for the EC, it will be held accountable to the nation. We too cannot avoid liability,” he added.
In response to a query, Hussain said the search committee should select capable and experienced persons to form the next EC. “We think that the search committee is serious about forming an acceptable EC. Now, we are waiting to see the outcome,” he noted.
Dhaka University professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq said they discussed the criteria of the commissioners.
“There is still time to formulate a law in accordance with the Constitution to form the next EC. If the search committee needs two months to formulate such a law, it will not have any bad impact. People will accept this for the greater interest of a unique commission,” he added.
Shushanor Jonno Nagarik's Badiul Alam Majumdar said they suggested that the committee should specify the criteria of choosing persons to constitute the EC. It should specify the criteria to appoint the CEC and ECs for the greater interest of the country, he added.
The search committee should keep an option for the common people to propose names of commissioners. Also, competent and non-partisan persons should be picked, he noted.
Among the 12 personalities, former High Court judge Md Abdur Rashid, Prof. SMA Faiz, former EC commissioners Sohul Hussain, local government expert Tofail Ahmed and former inspector general of police Nurul Huda did not make any comment on the meeting.
However, some of the participants expressed disappointment to The Independent, saying they were doubtful about the outcome of their suggestions.
One of the civil society members, not wanting to be named, said he wanted that talks be held to settle the issue permanently. "I have given my suggestion considering the country’s interest," he added.
Another member said if the commission was formed with any controversial person, the impact would be serious in the near future.
On January 28, at its first meeting, the newly formed search committee urged 31 political parties, which attended the recent talks with the President, to propose five names each for the posts of Chief Election Commissioner and four commissioners.
But none of the political parties is yet to submit the names before the cabinet division, Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said.
He also said that political parties can give the names till 3pm today, an extension of four hours. The search committee had earlier asked parties to submit the names within 11am.
, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia held a meeting with senior party leaders at her Gulshan office last night and finalised the names the party would propose as CEC and EC members.
After the meet, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters that the party would submit five names to the search panel in time. He also said that BNP’s alliance partners would submit their preferred names separately.
The BNP is likely to send the list of the names to the search committee this morning, party sources said.
According to the proposal, the BNP is likely to propose the name of a person who was head of a constitutional body or former secretary or a renowned citizen for the post of the CEC.
A key alliance partner, BJP chairman Andalib Rahman Partha also said that the BNP and its alliance partners would submit names to the search committee separately.
The President formed the six-member search committee, headed by Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, on January 25 after holding a series of talks with 31 registered political parties, including the 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 held talks with 23 registered political parties and formed a four-member search committee.
Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain headed the search committee in 2012. The other members of that search committee were then PSC chairman, the CAG of Bangladesh and an HC judge. The present EC, led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, was constituted following the committee’s recommendations. The tenure of the present EC ends on February 8.