Rights activist and eminent citizen Sultana Kamal has filed a general diary with police seeking security, citing death threat from a militant outfit.

Abdul Latif, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station, confirmed The Daily Star this evening that she has sought security for her life.

The issue has been notified to cyber-crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, he said. Currently Sub-Inspector Harun-or-Rashid is investigating the matter.

According to the complaint, a militant group published a magazine in March this year, where it narrated preparations to kill three prominent individuals including Sultana Kamal.

Sultana Kamal said in the diary that United Nations and different international rights groups have already sought to know that what kinds steps have been taken by Bangladesh government over her security as a human rights activist.

Expressing grave concern over the death threat, she sought steps for her security and that of those eminent persons named by the militant group.

The Daily Star is launching a new series of talk show ‘The Election Talks 2018’ where experts will be analysing all aspects of the upcoming general elections, contemporary politics, events and incidents.

In today’s episode, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), talks with the show host Shakhawat Liton, planning editor of The Daily Star.

The show is the sixth episode of The Daily Star’s political talk show series ahead of the December 30 election.

"Law needed to prevent conflict of interest"

In the election manifesto of Jatiya Oikyafront revealed today, it has announced that a significant number of chairman posts in the parliamentary standing committees will be preserved for the representative political parties.

Commenting on this issue, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that the main barrier for the parliamentary committees on the way to be effective is the clash of interests. Those who become the members or heads of the committees try to fulfil their own interests.

As an example, it has been seen in earlier parliaments that the members of parliament (MPs) who own businesses are kept in the committees related to their business, he added.  

Iftekharuzzaman considers this conflict of interest to be the main hindrance towards establishing good governance in Bangladesh.

He hopes that to solve this problem all the politicians will agree to formulate laws preventing such conflict of interests.

Commenting on the work culture of the Anti Corruption Commission, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said that these commissions are formed by the government and are run by government money, but their responsibility is not to become a government institution.

They are created to ensure accountability of the government, he said.    

But when the commissioners are recruited based on party considerations, there's nothing to do other than just sitting idly, he added.  

Watch the video to know more!

Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain has urged people to bring about a "vote revolution" by exercising franchise, and said December 30 will be another victory day for the nation with the Oikyafront coming out victorious.

"We won in the past, and we will win this time too. December 30 will be another victory day. You will bring about a vote revolution on that day," he said at a press conference yesterday.

The eminent jurist made the call after attending an emergency meeting of the steering committee of the opposition alliance at his chamber in the capital's Purana Paltan.

Calling upon the voters to cast ballots for “sheaf of paddy”, he said, “The symbol does not belong to any party. It stands as a symbol of unity. Cast your votes for this symbol to free the nation.”

He further said the Oikyafront's win in the polls will be a victory for the people, not for any component of the alliance.

"People's ownership of the country will be restored through the vote revolution.”

The people of this country never bowed down to arms, money and power, he said.

"There is nothing to fear. We fought autocrats throughout our life, and we won, not the autocrats. Had the autocrats won, there would have been no '71 and no Bangladesh," observed Dr Kamal, also president of the Gonoforum.

Urging the voters to go to polling centres in groups early in the morning, he said, "You will be able to enjoy freedom if you cast ballots for sheaf of paddy." 

If the Oikyafront is voted to power, the administration would work for the people, instead of protecting the interests of any party, he pledged.

Speaking at the press conference, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “The government has already suffered a moral defeat as it is trying to ensure victory by using the state machinery.”

Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddiqui, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury, and Gonoforum Executive President Subrata Chowdhury, among others, were present at the press conference.

Earlier in a written statement to the media, the Oikyafront convener said the election was just two days away, but the level playing field was still absent.

The people expected that the situation would change following deployment of the army, Dr Kamal mentioned.

"But the army's role in the election is totally controlled by the Election Commission," he said, adding that it is difficult to expect an effective role of the army in a "controlled election".

"Yet, we hope the people, who are the owner of the country, will be able to exercise the right to vote in a peaceful environment. The Election Commission has to ensure that."

Otherwise, the EC will have to take full responsibility for all its failures and will be held accountable to the people, warned Dr Kamal.

He further said it seems that the public and the police administration as well as the state machinery unilaterally got engaged in destroying effective democracy in the country by taking the chance of "the EC's bias".

"We should not forget that destroying democracy is tantamount to denying Bangladesh's existence and the constitution."

The Oikyafront convener said there is a “tide of the masses” in favour of “sheaf of paddy” despite numerous obstructions, arrests, attacks, filing of cases, arson, bombing, biased behaviour of the administration, inactiveness of the EC, ghost cases and intimidation.

"Today, the people and the voters are the Oikyafront's main hope. Those, who did not make mistakes in the past, will not make mistakes this time as well."

The people consider voting as a festival, but they were deprived of it after the ninth parliamentary polls, he said.

"We hope that the people, who are now united, will thwart any anti-people blueprint of the government and the Election Commission."

He urged the people to vote for their preferred candidates to ensure their ownership of the country and restore democracy.

"The country achieved independence in 1971 because the people were united. If the people remain united, effective democracy and the rule of law will soon be ensured," he remarked.

The Daily Star is launching a new series of talk show ‘The Election Talks 2018’ where experts will be analysing all aspects of the upcoming general elections, contemporary politics, events and incidents.

In today’s episode, Former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder talks with the show host Shakhawat Liton, planning editor of The Daily Star.

The show is the seventh episode of The Daily Star’s political talk show series ahead of the December 30 election.

During unveiling the election manifesto for the 11th parliamentary election, the ruling Awami League highlighted a chart of development ensured in its last 10 years of rule.

Ali Imam Majumder expressed his solidarity with the Awami League’s claim in ensuring the country’s financial and infrastructural development.

On the other hand, Imam contradicted the party’s claim in improving the administrative activities. “I think, administrative degeneration has been done since the last one decade.”

The holding of a free and fair election has been made difficult due to the politicisation of the civil administration and the security agencies including police, he said. 

The Awami League was not eager in keeping the civil administration free from political influence during its last two-term rule, he said.

When asked whether democratic practices in the country have been interrupted as the government was engaged in carrying out development activities, he said democracy and development is a complementary matter to each other and ensuring of development of a country becomes possible when democracy exists there.