Thursday, July 24, 2008

Taking a cue from Dhaka

July 24, 2008

Taking a cue from Dhaka



Bangladesh's interim government deserves to be congratulated for having completed the mammoth task of preparing what is described as a fool-proof digital voters' list ahead of elections this year.
According to the country's election commission, the list includes the identities, photographs and fingerprints of 80.5 million voters after the commission removed some 12.7 million "fake names and duplicate entries" from the old list.
Given that elections in Bangladesh are routinely marred by widespread cheating including multiple voting, wildly doctored voter rolls, intimidation and bribery, the new list signals a landmark on the way towards the restoration of democracy in the country. It is expected to make vote-rigging and vote-stealing impossible in Bangladesh, which is rated as one of the most corrupt countries.
The preparation of the list at a cost of $65 million involved some 300,000 data operators, including 25,000 army personnel. It is part of the realisation of the interim government's pledge to clean up the country's political landscape and conduct fair and free elections by the year's end. It is also the biggest digital database prepared by a developing country.
There are indeed snags and troubles facing the interim government, which is accused by the political parties of seeking to cling on to power by organising local council elections before parliamentary elections. Some of the scandal-hit political leaders — whose corrupt practices, nepotism and favouritism have already been proven — have the audacity to demand that the interim government organise parliamentary elections first and then step down and hand over power to an elected government. They are in no position to make any demand because they have deprived themselves of such rights by their corrupt governance that plunged the country into chaos and made the rich richer and the poor poorer. It is indeed refreshing that the interim authorities are refusing to be initimidated or pressured into deviating from its pleges. They have already introduced new election rules making it compulsory for political parties to register to take part, and giving voters the chance to reject all candidates if they thought none were suitable.
The interim government in Dhaka has also set an example for many countries in the developing world where vote-rigging is routine. It is time clean-headed reformists — there should indeed be some in every country —  took their cue from Bangladesh and moved to streamline their electoral system.