Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said it is not the responsibility of the government to bring any party to the election.
“The Election Commission is in charge of holding the election and the government (ruling) party is (just) a party in the election like other political parties. It is not the responsibility of the government to bring any political party to the polls,” he said.
The information minister said this while participating in the discussion on the proposal presented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under Rule 147 in the special session on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the National Parliament on Saturday.
Mentioning that the national elections will be held in the last week of December this year or the first week of January next year, the Information Minister said that today there are various conspiracies to obstruct the elections and threats are being made not to participate in the parliamentary elections.
Elections should be held on time regardless of whether any party comes to the polls or not to keep democracy and parliament functional and to consolidate parliamentary democracy, said the minister.
“Fair, free and impartial elections will be held. All parties will participate in the polls. It is not the government's responsibility to invite someone and take them to the polls,” he added.
He alleged that opposition party BNP is hatching various conspiracies to obstruct the polls.
The minister recalled that BNP set fire to 500 polling stations to rig the 2014 elections, “Dozens of people were killed. However, parliamentary elections were held. Parliament continues to run. The march of democracy continues.”
“Even today the conspiracy has started. A few days ago, the BNP MPs resigned to obstruct the progress of the parliament and the parliamentary democracy,” said Hasan.
Jatiya Party MP Anisul Islam Mahmud said that there might be a difference of opinion among the political parties.
“However, if you want to establish democracy in the true sense, if you want to make the parliament really work, there must be a discussion about the sufferings of the people in this parliament.”
He said there should be loyalty to the party but the state and people are above the party.
Referring to the next election, the former minister said that the election should be acceptable to people.
“Who will do it? It is said that it is not the responsibility of the government. I also believe that it is not the government's responsibility. It cannot be the government's responsibility to bring all the parties to the elections. It is the responsibility of the Election Commission.”
He said that the Election Commission has to create that environment. “But the government should provide the necessary support to the Election Commission to create the environment. That is the responsibility of the government.”
Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said, "Father of the nation Bangabandhu had said that we will form such a parliament that can be a matter of education for others. But unfortunately the experience what we have been seeing for the last several years-- the quality of our parliament is decreasing gradually.”
Quoting a study on the fifth national parliament, Menon said that study shows that people speak for three minutes in an hour's speech in the Parliament. The rest of the time one talks about himself, his party and the leader of his party.
The President (Abdul Hamid in his Friday’s speech in parliament) also said that the need may arise to invite external experts to examine, evaluate and analyse laws presented as bills in parliament as the way number of lawyers is decreasing in parliament.
Menon said, “Today the character of our Parliament is constantly changing. Commercialisation of politics, commercialisation of elections has resulted in a new face of parliament.”
He said that it is necessary to review the constitution and reform the parliament.
Another JP MP Shameem Haider Patwari said hundreds and thousands of laws have been passed in the last 50 years of parliament.
“But to what extent have we been able to make the government accountable? That assessment is necessary. How much can we force the government to come back from its wrong decision?”
AL MP Tanvir Shakil said that today they see various local and foreign conspiracies.
“Today our great liberation war and independence is insulted. By insulting Independence Day, there is a conspiracy against the government through child exploitation,” he said.
“I will ask the civil society and their newspapers, where was the spirit of freedom when the Indemnity Ordinance was promulgated? Where was freedom when the grenade attack was carried out on August 21? You didn't talk about independence then.”
Quoting Harold Laski (an English political theorist) AL MP Shajahan Khan said freedom of speech and freedom of the press are relative.
“How much freedom a country enjoys depends on its social and economic conditions. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is more advanced in a country that is more educated and more aware of civil rights, economically developed,” he said.
He also said that It is unfair to expect as much freedom of speech in a country that is backward in terms of education and social awareness and financial system.
“If this freedom is given to a backward country, it will be like handing a cooking spud to a child.”