The month of Victory, December, brought a fitting end to an eventful year. The Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) demonstrated once again on December 22, 2016 that the citizens of this country can, if they so wish, participate in an electoral process and prove that democracy exists in the framework of this country.
Different quarters had expressed doubts about a fair election prior to the NCC election. Many also suggested that politicisation among the officials involved with the election would negate the chance of a free and fair poll. Others had said that the law-enforcement authorities would exercise their powers negatively to the detriment of candidates who were not associated with the ruling party - the Awami League. Certain quarters alleged that candidates not associated with the Awami League would not be able to conduct their campaign peacefully and that political workers from the Awami League would use force to affect their campaign. There were also some who remarked that supporters of candidates not belonging to the Awami League would have difficulty in coming to the polling stations and exercising their right to vote. Fortunately for Narayanganj in particular and Bangladesh in general, though there was some tension, such anxieties and concern were proven wrong.
It would be useful to refer here to some important statistics as provided by the Election Commission. The total number of voters for the NCC election was 4,74,931, and the total number of wards 36 of which 27 were of the general category and nine of reserved category. The total number of polling centres was 174. These centres had 1,304 polling booths. Out of these centres, 137 were classified by the Election Commission as being of a "risky" nature. The Election Commission, aware of possible disorder, took the step of deploying about 9,500 members of the law-enforcement agencies to maintain law and order. That included representatives from the Police, the Border Guard Bangladesh, the Rapid Action Battalion, Coast Guard and Ansar.
There were a total number of seven Mayoral Contestants and 156 Councillor Contestants. The important element in this whole exercise was the fact that the electoral process was participated by several political parties including the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The most interesting aspect of the NCC election was that the mayoral candidates were party nominees and they contested the election with their respective party symbols. In the case of the AL, it was the 'Boat' and for the BNP, it was a 'Sheaf of Paddy'.
Selina Hayat Ivy was the candidate for mayor from the ruling Awami League. Advocate Sakhawat Hossain Khan was the mayoral candidate from the BNP. The candidate from the main opposition party in the Jatiyo Sangsad, the Jatiyo Party, withdrew from the race in favour of the Awami League candidate. Similarly, the candidates from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Bangladesh Kalyan Party withdrew from the race and extended their support to the BNP candidate.
A total number of 2,96,036 voters cast their vote (about 62.33 per cent). Selina Hayat Ivy received 1,75,611 votes as against Sakhawat Hossain Khan's 96,044 votes and was re-elected Mayor for another five-year term. The mayoral candidates from all other political parties together received about 24,380 votes. This reflected the confidence of the people of Narayanganj in Ivy's abilities and in her honesty as a politician. Awami League supported candidates won in 13 wards while those with BNP's endorsement won in 12 wards. The Jatiyo Party and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh also won one post of councillor each. In the category of reserved seats, Awami League-supported candidates won six seats while the rest three went to BNP-backed contestants.
The print and electronic media reported that unlike on previous occasions in Narayanganj, there was no chase, counter-chase, attacks and examples of vote-rigging. The attending election observers said that the election was free, fair and credible. The losing BNP candidate Sakhawat Hossain Khan, however, observed that there might have been some errors in the counting process. A senior leader of the BNP suggested that the relevant authorities could consider undertaking a judicial review of the electoral process to ascertain if any wrong-doing or vote tampering had taken place. Nevertheless, no political party rejected the results of the election. This was indeed an important step forward.
One must admit that Mayor Ivy made a wise move immediately after the election. That reflected her sagacity. She visited Sakhawat Hossain's residence with sweets after her victory was confirmed. She sought his cooperation and called upon him to work with her jointly for the welfare of the people of Narayanganj. Sakhawat also reciprocated the good gesture. This was indeed a positive development.
Ivy called on the Prime Minister in her residence. She thanked the Prime Minister for nominating her as the Awami League candidate and reposing her confidence on her possible re-election to the post of mayor. These two steps, in my opinion, have raised her to the national level as a politician.
This latest NCC election has proved beyond doubt that our Election Commission (EC), if it wants to and also receives full cooperation from all the relevant quarters, can hold a free, fair and credible election. The NCC poll was an opportunity for the EC to regain the required credibility that had eroded over the past five years. It was good to see that they seized the opportunity. This has consequently opened up a new positive paradigm.
Such a peaceful election has been possible due to the 'good intentions' (as noted by some observers) of the law-enforcers to act properly in the absence of political pressure and influence. Media reported that members of the Police, RAB and BGB were 'very active' since early morning on the day of the election to maintain the law and order situation and ensure a healthy election atmosphere. Such a development has only re-affirmed that contrary to claims by the BNP, fair and credible elections can be held under a political government as is done throughout the world.
One should note here three other aspects. The first is the commitment and attitude shown by the mayoral candidates while they were canvassing their positions on issues in the weeks before the election. That was a lesson in grassroots political inter-active engagement. Mayor Ivy had a distinct advantage in this regard having been in charge of the corporation for the past five years and also before that as head of the Narayanganj municipality. The second important factor is the winner's connectivity with the female voting population. The media reported that women voters in particular, turned up in great numbers and waited for long hours to vote for her. That underlined the fact that the winner had made quite a bit of effort during her previous term in office to look after their needs. The third element that has emerged from the electoral exercise is that despite the large gap in numbers of votes related to the election of the mayor, the BNP did very well with regard to election to the post of councillors. That demonstrates that they still retain some of their grassroots support. They need to have more faith in themselves, in the existing political process and engage with their supporters within the rural matrix. They need to do this instead of relying on outside support from foreign friends. This has assumed particular importance given the fact that the next parliamentary election is only a little more than two years away. Boycotting the next general election would be a major mistake.
The NCC poll has been a victory for democracy and for that, the present government deserves thanks. However, this has only been the first step. This has also raised expectations among the citizens. One can only hope that in the coming weeks it will be positively reflected in the complex process of selecting the suitable relevant officials and reconstituting the next Election Commission. If all concerned actors in this exercise, play their desired role with confidence, we will then have a future free from intrigue, violence and negative branding of our country.
The writer, a former Ambassador and Chief Information Commissioner of the Information Commission, is an analyst specialized in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
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