Polls should be in Feb or Apr, but no later

The election must not be delayed beyond April next year, said Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman yesterday.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has maintained that the 13th parliamentary election will be held between December and June next year. But Ramadan will begin in the third week of February and go on for two-thirds of March.

"We think there are two appropriate timeframes for the election," he said at the two-day conference of district and city Ameer of Jamaat at the Al-Falah Auditorium in Moghbazar.

One is in February, before the beginning of Ramadan,

"And the other is, if for any reason, the reforms and the visible justice process do not reach a level that builds public trust, then the election should not be delayed beyond April."

The election must be free and fair, he said.

"For the sake of fairness and objectivity, certain reforms must be made."

Jamaat is submitting a set of recommendations on this to the relevant commissions.

"We urge all parties that politics is not for personal gain. Politics is for the country and the people. The more we cooperate, the more the nation will benefit and the more free and beautiful the upcoming election will be."

Criminals must be brought to visible justice, he said.

"We have already said that -- this is what the nation wants to see. We understand that it is not possible to bring everyone to justice within this short time."

However, some trials must be conducted so that public confidence is built.

"Those who are the main culprits must be brought to justice and visible trials must be presented to the nation. We observe a weakness in the government -- we want to see more speed in delivering justice. We want to see the government more active in this matter."

If they are brought to justice, then in the upcoming election "black money and muscle power" will not be able to exert influence.

"And no one will dare to show such audacity again."

But if there is no justice, the fear will remain.

"To make this election meaningful and ensure 100 percent reflection of public opinion, we want to see a quality parliament in our country. For that, the election must be free from the influence of muscle power and black money."

The election must be held based on proportional representation, he said, adding that 62 countries around the world follow this system.

Most of them are known as developed countries and have benefited from it, he said, adding that the system was not abandoned by the countries that adopted it.

"We have seen the traditional electoral system. Under it, those nominated as lawmakers in parliament include people who cannot even read what is written -- how will they draft laws for the people of Bangladesh? What qualifications do they have to carry out legal reforms? That is why we have said that the system should be proportional."

The percentage of votes received will determine the number of seats.

"In this way, no one will dare to label a party as big or small."