Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said they will strongly urge the government to keep the national identity (NID) services under the Election Commission's control.
“We will strongly voice our opinions in the law-making process. Wherever opinions are needed, we will give (opinions). Our entire commission wants this,” he said.
The CEC said this while talking to reporters following a sit-in programme of EC employees and officials in front of his office room at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.
The EC staff were protesting a fresh move initiated by the current government to enact a law for bringing a number of civic services, including birth registration and national identity registration services, under a single entity named the ‘Civil Registration Commission’.
They also gave a seven-day ultimatum to go on fresh programme unless any visible step is taken to over the issue by March 12.
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Nasir Uddin said he did not hear that the government had already finalised its decision to remove the NID operation from the Election Commission rather there have been discussions. “We will inform the government in writing that it should stay under the EC. We will inform the government on an urgent basis," he said.
Earlier, a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee was held in the Cabinet Division on Monday (March 3) to review the draft of the 'Civil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025'.
A representative from the EC Secretariat was also present at the additional secretary-level meeting.
In 2023, the previous Awami League government enacted the National Identity Registration Act, 2023 to transfer the national identity registration operation from the Election Commission to the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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But the Election Commission Secretariat has written to the interim government to repeal the law following the July mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
Replying to a question, the CEC said he heard that the government perhaps was thinking to provide all kinds of services from one place but the NID services will remain under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission, he said.
Nasir Uddin said NID is a byproduct of voter registration operation and the EC officials have worked hard for 17 years, developing the NID network across the country. “The government will definitely take all the issues into consideration. There may be a gap in information. After receiving the written opinion of the commission, this gap will definitely not be there,” he said.
He said their position on this matter is clear and they are working on the basis of everyone's consent.
The CEC, however, said: “I am not the ultimate decision maker. I represent the EC…I can speak on behalf of the EC. I can create a position before the government....we are a constitutional body. If the government makes a law, we have to obey the law. But we will urgently raise our opinion in the law-making process."
About the EC officials’ concern and programme, Director General of Electoral Training Institute SM Asaduzzaman expected that the commission would take all initiatives to ensure that the NID operation is not shifted from the EC. “If so, we will be with the EC,” he said.
He said if the NID operation would go from the EC’s jurisdiction, the elections would be under threat. “We have submitted a memorandum (to the CEC) expressing our concerns,” he said.
Convener of Bangladesh Election Commission Officers Association Mohammad Monir Hossain said there were several attempts before on several occasions to move the NID services from the EC’s authority. Last time, there was an attempt to shift the NID to under the authority of the home ministry but this time the attempt is to take it under a new commission.
“We think that these things are being done for some purposes. We have announced a programme on behalf of the association,” he said.
Noting that there has been no problem with the NID operation under the EC’s authority for 17-18 years, the EC official said, "Today, we believe that no such environment has been created, the NID should be taken to somewhere else from the EC.”
“We have informed the commission, given time, and expect visible progress by next Wednesday. Otherwise, officials and employees across the country, including the EC Secretariat, will go form human chains from 11 am to 1 pm on March 13. Even then if our demands are not met, we will go on a more stringent programme, including a work abstention," said Monir Hossain.
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