The HRCP Council welcomes the departure of the military leadership from the Presidency and the filling in of parliament and key public offices by people’s elected representatives. This marks only the first step towards establishing a democratic order in accordance with the wishes of the people. The concentration of power in the hands of any single individual never bodes well for democracy or a just dispensation. Now there is an urgent need for building and strengthening institutions of governance so that a democratic culture takes root in the country. The supremacy of the parliament needs to be strengthened, the judiciary has to be made truly independent and effective and the Election Commission must be transformed into an autonomous, and multi-member institution.

Lack of good governance causes increased impoverishment of the people, and allows lawless elements to wreck havoc with the rights and interests of the people.

HRCP welcomes the Sindh government’s initiative in including landless women among those entitled to receive land grants. It calls upon the government to make good its promise of abolishing the death penalty and reviving student and trade unions in the real sense of the term.

The Council is deeply worried that an increase in the incidents of terrorism and the devastation caused by them and the spread of militancy have blocked the country’s way to progress and the entire population seems to have been taken hostage. The government of Pakistan must realize its duty in guaranteeing the citizens security of life, liberty and property. This will essentially require a comprehensive strategy which must include sharp intelligence, appropriate use of force, timely political intervention and above all due respect for human rights in the conflict areas. While use of adequate force may often be necessary to counter the wave of violence unleashed by the terrorists, yet it must conform to human rights standards in terms of justification and appropriateness. In particular extrajudicial killings, torture and disproportionate use of force must be avoided at all costs and in all situations. Above all, every effort must be made to prevent harm to innocent and unarmed civilians.

Terrorism is surely a threat to the very existence of Pakistan and must be collectively challenged by all political elements and sincerely backed by the security forces if the country is to overcome this ultimate peril. The recent attack on Marriott Hotel in Islamabad is one serious example in which many innocent people lost their lives. In the conflict zones in Swat and FATA this is a regular feature. The disruption of electricity supply in Swat accompanied by scarcity of water and edibles has made the life of the people incredibly unbearable. So far, the government’s plan of action, if there is one, does not inspire confidence. HRCP finds the government’s crude claims of having saved the lives of the country’s leadership in bad taste. Such statements only reflect officials’ lack of sensitivity and maturity.

The government has not taken any notice of incitement to violence against religious minorities through popular media. This not only adds to the growing sense of vulnerability among the minorities, but has also resulted in several wanton killings.  

The issue of enforced disappearances cannot be allowed to hang fire and the democratic government must release all missing persons, or disclose their fate and whereabouts.

The government is yet to put in place implementing legislation to ensure that a human rights treaty it ratified and two others that it signed earlier in the year become legally enforceable in Pakistan.

Above all, HRCP earnestly pleads for abandoning ad hoc relief measures in favour of properly thought out strategies to fight poverty, hunger and joblessness.

Issued on behalf of HRCP Council members

By Asma Jahangir

Chairperson

We hope that the political parties will accept the reality and submit themselves to the changed expectation of the people and of the country.

There is no logic to straightway reject the regulations, one can best suggest to modify or rectify one or more clauses if they found it against their ideals or impractical or impossible to materialize.

An ordinary citizen

News:
RPO of contention[DS], AL yes to nearly all [DS], BNP no to all [DS]
EC relaxing the conditions for regstartion of the parties[DS]
Part registration process hits snag-BNP stillin dilemma [DS]

Badawi would want to cling on to power.  He has said before, he is the Prime Minister and he "pantang dicabar".  He is currently holding on to his power, albeit a slippery one.  We the rakyat do have enough of the chaos in the political scene.  It would definitely be ideal if we go on with our lives and the ruling coalition chosen by the people continue to rule for the betterment of Malaysia.  Sadly, Badawi's rule is not one accepted by most rakyat.  The 8th March political tsunami wasn't that fair either.  The EC has been bias and lopsided and leaning towards the BN.  Will a fresh election change that?

Yeah, go back to the people.  If Badawi's ear is not deaf to the rakyat, then call for a fresh election.  But he is deaf!  He is selfish.  Everything is about himself.  He said he will make decisions which will benefit the country and the rakyat.  But since his reign in 2004, we have never seen that at all! 

For the good of hte country and for the benefit of the rakyat, tell Badawi to QUIT then!

At least four of the dozens wounded were said to be in serious condition [EPA]

Thailand's army chief has ruled out the possibility of a military coup, hours after Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, declared a state of emergency in the capital.

"There is no possibility of a coup. We must turn to the  parliamentary mechanism," General Anupong Paojinda told reporters on Tuesday.

The army chief also vowed not to use force against protesters following the declaration of the state of emergency.

Protesters are demanding the resignation of Samak's government which they say is a proxy of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's former prime minister, who was ousted in a coup in September 2006.

Samak declared the emergency after one person was killed and dozens were injured in Bangkok as police and both pro- and anti-government protesters clashed overnight on Monday.

New crisis

Shortly after Samak spoke, a new crisis confronted his government.

The election commission recommended that his People's Power Party (PPP) be disbanded for alleged electoral fraud committed during the elections in December.

The commission forwarded its findings to the attorney general's office to decide whether to submit the case to the constitutional court for a final ruling.

This process could take months.Samak and other party leaders would be banned from politics for five years if the ruling is upheld.

Al Jazeera's correspondent, Selina Downes, reported many were saying that the unanimous vote by the five-member commission could be the beginning of the end of the PPP.

Tuesday's move was reminiscent of the court dissolving of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party last year. The party later regrouped under the PPP flag.

Thai newspapers have reported that the PPP is preparing for the worst and is lining up a new "shell" party to admit all its MPs, who could try to cobble together another coalition government.

Kudeb Saikrachang, the PPP spokesman, told that party MPs already had another party in mind in case the PPP were to be dissolved.

Soldiers deployed

Under the sweeping emergency powers announced on television and radio, all public gatherings in the capital are banned and restrictions have been imposed on media reports that "undermined public security".

"There is an urgent need to solve all these problems quickly. Therefore the prime minister declares a state of emergency in Bangkok from now on," the announcement read.

Around 400 soldiers armed with batons and shields were sent to back up police struggling to contain the street battles in the worst violence since the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) launched its street campaign against the prime minister in May.

Kudeb told Al Jazeera that the PPP had "no part" in the violence.

"We don't support violent means whatsoever," he added.

By sunrise on Tuesday, General Jongrak Jutanond, Bangkok's police chief, said "the situation is now under control".

Some schools were shut in Bangkok on Tuesday, but morning rush-hour traffic was flowing as normal and the airport, the main gateway for foreign tourists visiting one of Asia's top holiday destinations, remained open.

'Soft option'

Samak called emergency rule the "softest means available" for restoring calm.

In a nationally televised news conference on Tuesday, he gave no timeframe for how long the decree would stay in effect but said it would be over "moderately quickly".

The protesters have vowed to force out Samak's government [EPA]

The prime minister had said last week that he had hoped to avoid declaring an emergency, but said he was left with little choice after violence erupted."I did it to solve the problems of the country," he said. "Because the situation turned out this way, I had no other choice."

Correspondent Downes said the emergency law gave the prime minister absolute control over the situation, as he had made himself defense minister when he was elected in January and was therefore in charge of the military.

Under a state of emergency, Samak has special powers outside of the constitution to deploy police and soldiers on the streets to quell protests.

Our correspondent said there had been mounting pressure on the government to get a handle on the increasingly chaotic situation.

The PAD had been in the driving seat after storming and occupying the Government House compound a week ago.

Many analysts said there appeared no other way out of the situation.

Strike threat

On Monday, the PAD had announced that its supporters in state enterprise unions would cut off water, electricity and phone service to government offices as part of a "general strike" set for Wednesday.

Alliance supporters said they also would delay departures of flights of the national airline.They were already disrupting rail service and planned to cut back public bus transportation as well.

Samak has repeatedly said he would not be bullied by a mob into resigning or dissolving parliament and calling fresh elections.

Leaders of the anti-government protest movement that has occupied the prime minister's official compound for the past week said they would not budge.

"There are not enough jails to put us all into," Chamlong Srimuang, one of the leaders of the PAD that is leading the anti-government protests, told thousands of supporters inside the compound camped in behind makeshift barricades of razor wire and car tyres.

Samak's announcement blamed unnamed people for "wreaking havoc" and undermining the economy and national unity.

Thais Al Jazeera spoke to were angry and frustrated that they were "back to square one" two years after Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup after weeks of street protests against the then prime minister.

]]> http://hrcpblog.wordpress.com/?p=365 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:18:26 +0000 HRCP http://hrcpblog.kn.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/next-president-must-be-non-contentious-hrcp/ Press Release, August 25

Lahore:  The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has demanded that the country’s next president must be non-contentious for democracy to survive.

A statement by HRCP said: HRCP has consistently called for a transition to democracy and the departure of President Musharraf has been a significant turning point.

The president must be elected by the parliament through a transparent process. HRCP appeals to political parties to make the choice with great wisdom as the country is undergoing serious crises. It reminds the political forces that the democratic process is fragile and still in the very early stages of transition.

The Office of the President must be headed by a person who inspires the confidence of all sections of society. Past experience has proved that any aspirants to the Presidency must also have unqualified credibility. A parliamentary federation demands that the president be a person who is neutral in terms of party politics and disassociate himself or herself from any single political party. There should be no shadow of doubt on his or her past.

This critical time requires that the “symbol of the federation” should be able to build bridges amongst all democratic forces rather than be seen as partisan or a manipulative politician. The struggle against military dictatorship was a collective effort of all democratic forces and, therefore, they have a stake in ensuring that a proper transition to democracy does indeed take place.

The candidature of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari does not fulfill the objective criteria that a president is expected to meet. Apart from the constitutional requirements, democratic conventions must also be observed if true democracy is to be achieved in the near future.

HRCP recognizes that Mr. Zardari has spent many years in prison and been tortured. This alone cannot be a qualification for aspiring for the highest office of the country in the background of the muddy deals and underhand manipulation that has given legitimacy to a National Reconciliation Ordinance granting blanket immunity to political activists.

HRCP fully opposes any form of revenge or victimization but cannot accept indemnities and impunities for past and future holders of public office. The Presidency must in no way be seen as a shelter-home for those accused of serious wrongdoings.  

A few good traditions of the past must be retained and a candidate for the Presidency must declare all his assets and tax returns in public. 

HRCP reminds the Election Commission of Pakistan of its constitutional duty to organize and conduct all elections “honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law and that corrupt practices are guarded against”. It welcomes the prompt announcement of an election schedule but laments that the timeframe given for submitting the nomination papers was fixed in an arbitrary manner. There was no consultation with the political parties represented in the parliament. This raises doubts about the motive of an election schedule fixed much before the 30-day deadline was to expire, denying political parties the opportunity to plan for the eventuality of the breakup of the coalition government by Wednesday the 6^th of September.

HRCP repeats that a healthy transition to democracy is in the interest of the political parties. They must not cut the branch on which they sit. A president with doubtful integrity would lead to precisely that. 

Asma Jahangir

Chairperson

PERMATANG PAUH, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysia's opposition alliance, which backs Anwar Ibrahim in his bid to return to parliament, said on Monday that some of its supporters had been removed from voter lists ahead of a crucial by-election.

As tensions mounted in the usually sleepy northern Malaysian enclave of Permatang Pauh, police sent in reinforcements to prevent clashes between rival groups and there were reports of a scuffle between Anwar supporters and government backers.

The vote pits Anwar, an ex-deputy prime minister who is now the de facto opposition leader, against the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the coalition that has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957.

Tensions have mounted with the nightly airing on television of testimony sworn on the Koran by a 23-year-old former male aide who says he was sodomised by Anwar. Anwar has been formally charged with the offence and will appear in court on September 10.

"Clearly this election can only be fair and free when the media is free and when the Election Commission is credible and respected as an independent commission. We don't have that on both accounts," Anwar told a press conference on Monday.

Earlier, the Anwar camp said that Malaysia's Election Commission had removed 949 names from the voter list that was used in the March 8 general elections. [http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKKLR18099320080825]

The names were nowhere to be found on the updated list issued by the Election Commission, said PKR election committee deputy director Fuziah Salleh.

She said most of the missing names were those of party supporters.

She however said that 868 of the total 949 names could still be seen in the June 19 list, which was gazetted, but “surprisingly” missing in the July 31 roll.

“These people voted PKR during the March 8 general election but we could not find them when we checked the updated list.

“We also found there were 861 new registered voters included in the roll with 490 of them being postal voters.”

She said 83 voters were also found to had three similar addresses and “we believe they are phantom voters.”

Fuziah said EC should not use the July 31 electoral roll -- which has registered 58,459 voters, because it was only an updated version and not gazetted.

She said the law stipulated that the EC should use the gazetted electoral roll and the latest one should be in June

PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: If the decision of the Congress party to field former chief election commissioner Manohar Singh Gill as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha in 2004 was bad enough, the move to make him a member of the Manmohan Singh ministry in the last reshuffle was worse.

Not only had a body blow been struck on the notional independence of the Election Commission, by dangling carrots before its high officers, it had handed a blanket licence to the BJP to impudently follow suit for eternity: "After all, didn't the Congress do so too...?"

However, Gill's record as a sports buff provided some comfort. As a mountaineer, he had trained with Everest hero Tenzing Norgay. He was a reasonable cricketer. And, at least, he was not as dogmatic as his predecessor Mani Shankar Aiyar on matters of sport.

Yet, three incidents in the last ten days give three good reasons to ponder:

# Amit Varma reports that on the day Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual gold medal in 117 years at the Olympics, India's Cambridge-educated sports minister grandly said on NDTV: "I congratulate myself and every other Indian."

Yes, myself and every other Indian.

# When "The Goldfinger" returned to Delhi, The Times of India reports that Gill, who chaperoned Bindra around in the capital, suggested that while he should call on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, it was not necessary to visit the leader of the opposition, L.K. Advani.

However, it is Gill's latest boo-boo that takes the breath away.

# When Saina Nehwal, the women's badminton quarter-finalist at the Beijing Olympics, paid a courtesy visit on the minister, Gill greeted the Hyderabad lass heartily. But the 72-year-old minister failed to recognise her coach who was alongside.

"Who are you?" Gill is reported to have asked the coach pointblank, leaving all those present dumbstruck and embarrassed.

The coach? Pullela Gopichand, one of only two Indians who have won the All-England Open championships.

Hopefully, when he bumps into Deepika Padukone during one of his many social engagements, Mr Gill won't ask her father, "Who are you?"

Photograph: courtesy Election Commission

Also read: Say hello to Mani Shankar Aiyar for a real cock-up

They are both Republicans. Now a Democrat has filed with the State Election Commission. Barbara Lightner (publisher of ES Folk) has asked for a Monitor specifically for the Eureka Springs site, as follows:

First, let me thank The State of AR Election Commission for handling the ten complaints filed against the Chair of the Carroll County Election Commission, Levi Phillips; Poll Captain Mickey Schneider; County Clerk Shirley Doss and Jamie Correa, during the preferential presidential primary in Carroll County. There were many significant changes in the Eureka Springs polling place after Schneider indicated in testimony before the Eureka Springs City Council she had seen the complaints.

In spite of the changes, I would like to ask for an Election Monitor. I am aware that an election monitor has been requested for Carroll County elections but I would like to assure that one is present at Eureka Springs.

There are continuing abuses of the election law by Poll Captain Mickey Schneider, which I believe might best be handled better through an election monitor rather than through filing of complaints. Many of the abuses are on-site, and subject to “he-said/she said” sorts of problems, which an Election Monitor could handle according to the law.

I request an Election Monitor specifically for the Eureka Springs, AR polling place for the following ten reasons.

1) Mickey Schneider once again attempted to keep Barbara Lightner from taking a picture of the polling place when no voters were present. This time Lightner wanted to take a picture of the new privacy sleeves that had brought the polling place into compliance with the law. Schneider at first told her she could not. Lightner runs ES Folk, online news about Eureka Springs.

Schneider grabbed the lens barrel of Lightner’s camera, twisted it and pushed it hard into, and against, her, saying she could “read about it in the Citizen,” a local weekly newspaper.

Schneider ultimately let Lightner take a picture after Schneider had demanded she (Lightner) go outside to talk, and berated her for not including a picture of her (Schneider’s) son in an article on a July 4th celebration she had published on ES Folk....

2) Schneider filed a false complaint accusing Lightner of physical abuse in twisting her arm during the camera incident at the recent special election of August, 2008. All of the poll workers signed on to the complaint as witnesses, among them out-of-town poll workers (Please see # 4, below).

Lightner says that she did not touch Schneider, and she doubts that any of the so-called witnesses could testify under oath with any precision to physical abuse on her part. Lightner points out that Schneider did not call the police, ask for help, cry out, or in any way indicate she was being assaulted.

Lightner also points to the facts of the case, indicating it would have been virtually impossible for all of the poll workers who signed on as witnesses to have seen the interaction between Schneider and herself, as well as certain other facts that a trial would bring out to show that she did not touch or physically abuse Schneider.

Ultimately, Lightner found it necessary to file a cross-complaint against Schneider for not being allowed to take pictures.

It is imperative that an Election Monitor be present to witness and to testify to any incidents that might occur.

3) Mickey Schneider maintained that no one informed her that there would be poll watchers at the polling place for the preferential primary election, and that’s why adequate provision had not been made.

The falsity of Schneider’s defense is made clear by the fact that she illegally restricted poll workers when balloting was at the Victoria Inn, as noted in one of the several complaints previously filed against her. The set-up of the tables was such that poll watchers could have stood as the law allowed, but Schneider and her co-worker Michael Walsh told Lightner and other poll watchers said they could not, and had them move.

4) Mickey Schneider continues to use out-of-town poll workers when she does not need to. Schneider openly brags about always having more than enough poll workers. At the special election of August 11, 2008, in Eureka Springs, she also said that she frequently had to send some of her extras to Holiday Island, because "I always have extras,” she said.

Among those poll workers at the special election who live out of town were Enid Swartz and her husband Carl, and Rebecca Miller. Miller actually lives on Holiday Island, the place Schneider says is always short of poll workers. As the Commission is aware, Enid Swartz has previously filed a complaint against Lightner for the mere act of “looking around” as a poll watcher.

There are other poll workers who most probably live out of town but in the absence of correct assurances, their names are not given here.

It would be helpful if an Election Monitor were to be present, in order to let the Poll Captain know the residences of poll workers is being reviewed, with an eye to maintaining an in-town registry of poll workers whenever that is possible, as is required by law, and as looks to be entirely possible in Eureka Springs.

5) Poll workers were not appropriately trained by Schneider at the judicial/ referenda elections in May, 2008. Poll watcher Barbara Lightner had to take Schneider aside and explain the incorrect information workers were giving to voters. Schneider then informed two different tables of poll workers of the correct information.

It would be helpful if an Election Monitor were at the Eureka Springs polling place to see that correct information is given to voters about the ballot in what is predicted to be a heated election, and to prevent Schneider or others from providing incorrect information.

6) In at least one instance regarding one of the referenda on the ballot at the May, 2008, election, Schneider told a voter “If you vote for this, you’ll be voting for a monopoly.” Not only was this in error (the referendum was about a “franchise” and whether it should be granted); it was essentially telling a voter how to vote (i.e., who supports a “monopoly?”)

Poll worker Ed Leswig asked a voter how he had voted, and then praised him for voting Democratic, within hearing of those at the registration table and in the surrounding environs.

An Election Monitor could help make sure that no poll workers tells a voter how to vote, or make overly-suggestive comments about how to vote.

7) After ten complaints were filed against Schneider for election law violations during the preferential presidential primary, she has harassed both Republicans and Democrats who were involved in poll watching. Please see Attachment C for Schneider’s comments on a public bulletin board in which she calls the signing up of poll watcher Barbara Lightner “slimier than a slug;" and speaks hatefully—and erroneously-- of two Republicans who were involved with poll watching in several elections. Schneider goes by the screen name of mmouse.

An Election Monitor would make sure Schneider personal politics do not interfere in legitimate poll watcher rights under the law.

8) At the May 2008 election, Poll Captain Mickey Schneider said only one poll watcher was allowed “per station;” the voting machine was “one station;” and so only one poll watcher could be present to see the machine zeroed out, no matter if other candidates were to be represented. Schneider said she had checked with the Election Commission and they had told her she could do this.

Schneider kept poll watcher Barbara Lightner, who was there for Carroll County Court Judge Richard Williams, from observing because there was another poll watcher, Anita Langhover observing for another candidate.

The law says that candidates may each have a poll watcher at each station. Schneider said that would create chaos. It would not have created chaos in this case. Further, if there were so many poll watchers that “disruption” would occur, a poll captain could begin to restrict the number of poll watchers, as poll worker Ken Scully suggested to Lightner, under the law.

An Election Monitor could help impartially ascertain when or if there were so many poll watchers at a station that disruption could occur.

9) Poll Captain Mickey Schneider made a poll watcher leave the polling place before the ballot boxes had been loaded into her car which would take the ballots to Berryville, AR to be counted; and before the tally was taken on the voting machine, at the judicial elections and referenda in May of 2008.

Barbara Lightner specifically requested that she be allowed to stay so she could maintain continuity of observation in the chain of activities re: the ballots. Interference in voting frequently takes place when observation of the chain of custody has not been maintained.

An Election Monitor would be most helpful in making sure that observation of the chain of custody can be maintained.

10) Schneider has officially filed to run for City Council. Assurances need to be made that she will not disrupt the polling place either as a polling official or as a “candidate in person,” who is a poll watcher.

An election monitor would be an impartial witness, to help make sure Schneider does not agitate, complain, lie about, or otherwise disrupt the polling place as she has done as a poll captain.

When Anwar Ibrahim questioned why didn't Saiful was charged as well under the law when he himself has to be hauled to the Mahkamah Tinggi to plea "Not Guilty"??? Realli baffling but our "super intelligent" Home Minister 'rushed' out as if to defend the 'victim' Saiful by saying the police had to give protection to so and so because he is the victim in this tragedy.

Come on lah... Section 377B is very specific - anyone caught with their pants down performing a sexual act against the order of nature with another person is liable to be charged for an offence. Do you know what means consensus? There is NO VICTIM in the term consensus! How on earth our Syed Hamid got the wrong info will be no surprise to us as we all now know about the level of his intelligence and his ability to handle the internal issues of our country.

Then come the "AhLong" seeking payment from U Must Not Object party for all the 'promotional' items prepared for them to fight in the last General Elections.

"Weiiii... Kami bukan Ah Long... kami hanya nak tolong, OK?"

But to make matter worst, their Treasurer came out to defend the party (aiseh... memang pantang nenek moyang kalao tak defend... mati mati pun kena defend demi maruah!) by saying it's not UMNO but BN who owe this 'Ah Long' hundreds of millions of Ringgit Malaysia.

Adohaiiii, if Syed Hamid was not funny enough, Abdul Azim would be funnier! What is BN if it is without UMNO? How can Pak Lah become PM if BN did not win a simple majority in Parliament? Do UMNO alone hold a simple majority and thus, rendering all other component parties irrelevant? How in the world could these people make themselves the nation's laughing stock when they themselves hold such high and important positions in the administration of the country. Sighhhh... Dear fellow Malaysians, come and watch for yourself on the leaders whom they claimed were voted by us (hmmm... sounds questionable, right?) the rakyat to lead us in this 21st century!

As if this news is not bad enuff, our Penang CM came out to show to the rakyat how competant our Election Commission was when they blantantly turned both eyes blind to the extorbitant expenses made by Barisan Nasional during the past election(s). The Law stated very clearly - Section 19 of the Election Offences Act 1954, a candidate cannot spend more than RM200,000 to contest a parliamentary seat and RM100,000 to contest a state seat.

Simple calculations by (aisehhh...) our Accountant from Monash Uni will tell us that "with 219 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats contested in the 2004 general elections, this means that a party like BN that contested all seats cannot spend more than RM94.3 million or else BN's victories are illegal!"

In fact, there are toooooooooooooooo many things involved our EC that nobody seems to take Abdul Rashid or the government to task when they cancelled the use of the infamous indelible ink during the GE2008. Abdul Rashid claimed that the government has recommended for this cancellation but wait a minute, I tot the EC is supposed to be independant and free from any influence of any political parties in the country. But even when he came out to admit that such 'influence' existed, nothing was done against him or to those wielded such influence. Sighhhh... we are really in need of reform in our EC before we can ever claim that we have had a fair and clean election!

Will the people react in the same way and will political parties follow them?
Will AL and BNP take different stands and one will be looser even before the election?

An ordinary citizen

Editorial, NewAge, August 6, 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh

The claim of the chief election commissioner and a couple of advisers to the military-controlled interim government that the elections on Monday to four city corporations and nine municipal corporations were ‘free’ and ‘fair’ and provided justification for holding the parliamentary polls under a state of emergency is only predictable. Their claim only lends credence to the suspicion that the incumbents went ahead with the local government elections to bolster their arguments that withdrawal of emergency is not a precondition for free and fair parliamentary polls. What was rather disappointing, albeit not quite surprising, was the overzealousness of a section of the so-called civil society, including some media organisations, to project the ‘freeness’ and ‘fairness’ of the city corporation and municipality polls. Such overzealousness may have been prompted by the absence of violence and the reasonable turnout of voters, but was, we are afraid, misplaced.
   

There are, we believe, more reasons than one to believe the elections were neither free nor fair. First, election and the state of emergency are mutually exclusive; while the former is a manifestation of free thinking and freedom of expression, the latter officially restricts the people’s fundamental rights to freedom of thought and expression. The state of emergency, restrictive and repressive as it is, also generates a pervasive sense of fear. In all likelihood, such fears have played on the people’s mind, at least at the subconscious level, when they exercised their right to adult franchise.
   Second, the fairness of the elections is also questionable. In the absence of one of the two major political camps, the city corporation and municipality elections degenerated into virtually a one-horse race and were hardly representative in nature. Participation by all competing political camps not only enhances the credibility of the elections but also guarantees fairness of the electoral process. Besides, the Election Commission lamented, three weeks or so prior to the elections, that its endeavours to free the elections from all sorts of irregularities and influence might go in vain because of shady activities of some field-level officials of the civil administration.
   

Third, while the commission and the government have used the ‘clean chit’ given by the elections observers to substantiate their claim that the city corporation and municipal elections were ‘free’ and ‘fair’, it has emerged that the election monitoring exercise was itself questionable. There are allegations that credible election monitors were given a cold shoulder by the field-level election officials and, in many cases, not afforded adequate access to the polling centres.
   Added to these, lengthy process of checking, flawed electoral roll and confusion over the use of national identity cards tested the voters’ patience at some places, indicating that the commission’s preparation, in terms of personnel and logistics, may not have been foolproof. 
   

Overall, there are very few reasons for the Election Commission and the government to think that Monday’s elections were ‘free’ and ‘fair’ or that the elections were conducted efficiently. There are even fewer reasons for them to think that the city corporation and municipal polls provided a justification for the general elections to be held under a state of emergency. Of course, they may try to hold the general elections with the state of emergency in force; however, such elections would be far from credible and, most importantly, may not facilitate the democratic transition the people aspire for.

PUTRAJAYA: The Election Commission will have to be notified by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker on the vacancy of the Permatang Pauh parliament seat before it can call for a by-election.

Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the procedure was for the Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to declare the seat as vacant and decide whether the vacancy should be filled.

“Once he has decided on it, the Speaker will inform the Election Commission. We will then call for a meeting to determine the appropriate date for the by-election to be held and to discuss on other matters,” he said Thursday.

PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has quit as Permatang Pauh MP to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election.

She handed her resignation letter to Pandikar Amin yesterday but said that she would remain as party president.

Abdul Rashid said a by-election should be held within 60 days after a seat has been declared vacant, adding it was the commission’s responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the election.

“We will consider all aspects to ensure the by-election is held smoothly, including the fact that it is soon going to be the fasting month,” he said [more]

Please click here to read the whole article.

Editorial, NewAge, July 26, 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh

That the Election Commission on July 24 revoked its decision to replace the Representation of People Order 1972 and ordered translation of the amendment proposals into English for incorporation into the law raises a few questions about the ability, if not intent, of the commission to bring about positive changes in the country’s electoral and political process in time for elections to the ninth Jatiya Sangsad scheduled for the third week of December. First of all, the commission went beyond its jurisdiction by initiating the process of repealing the RPO 1972 in the first place. It is not that the commission was not told about the jurisdictional trespass its plan represented. The political parties have repeatedly urged the commission to not to go for the repeal of the original law. It now appears that the law ministry also raised the question when the commission sent its package of political and electoral reforms proposals for vetting. Still, the commission persisted with its plan and reasoned that there would be a number of amendments and the new law would be drafted in Bangla, and that an amended version of the old law would not be user friendly. Eventually, it had the reforms proposal approved by the council of advisers on July 13.
   

The commission’s obstinacy, if not audacity, has now given rise to the prospect of a further delay in the electoral laws reforms and registration of political parties. All electoral reforms, including the finalisation of the conditions for registration of the political parties and the RPO, should have been completed by February 27 according to its own electoral roadmap. The commission has already missed the June deadline for registration of the political parties and extended it up to the announcement of the election schedule, which is expected to come in October. One may very well suspect that the delay has been deliberate and part of some hidden agenda.
   

However it may be, now that it has been somewhat forced to revoke its decision to repeal the RPO 1972 and incorporate its proposals into the law as amendments, it could easily have struck out certain proposals that are viewed as anti-constitution, anti-people and anti-progress. For example, as we have pointed out in a previous editorial comment, while the proposed criteria for recognition and registration of the political parties runs counter to the constitution, the proposal for ban on political ideals that contradict the country’s constitution is essentially an approach to stifle diversity of ideas and political thought.
   Overall, the commission’s handling of the electoral and political reforms, from the very beginning, has been lackadaisical, if not chaotic altogether, raising questions about the very content and intent of its reforms plan. The commission is already widely perceived to have been toeing the lines of a government whose constitutional validity is eminently questionable. Its refusal to be inclusive in the process of reforming the electoral and political process could only deepen such a perception.

   

NIKHIL MORO writes from Mount Pleasant, Michigan: The alleged use of "mine power" by the Bharatiya Janata Party to lure newly elected legislators from the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka is passé.

The real story is elsewhere.

Star of Mysore reports that swamis "of Veerashaiva mutts" are in an "operation to woo" Siddaramaiah into the BJP. No matter that Lal Krishna Advani continues to condemn "vote-bank politics".  Or that Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay rejected politics which impeded “integral humanism.”

Without commenting on what might, or might not, make Siddaramaiah politically eligible, the real story is how the BJP has given a new meaning to 'Swami and Friends': Should swamis, who are presumably living vows of renunciation, associate with particular castes?

Should they be playing such an avowedly political role?

Further, is communal advocacy consistent with Basava's teachings?  Might it create disaffected communities, cynicism, bitterness; even lead away from the constitutional egalitarian ideal?

Specifically, should Shivarathri Desikendra Swamiji (of Suttur) and Shivamurthy Shivacharya Swamiji (of Taralabalu) visibly advocate for Veerashaivas? Should Balagangadharanath Swamiji (of Adichunchunagiri) bat for Vokkaligas?

These questions are not new. But they gain importance in the context of the Election Commission’s proposals for electoral reform and continuing reports of Vidhana Sabha candidates abusing caste.

But most interestingly, the swamis' political activism exposes a severe disconnect between theory and practice.

Vedanta, the system of philosophy which forms “the foundation of the spiritual culture of India” (Swami Nikhilananda) lays an unequivocal emphasis on vairagya---a renunciation of temporal objects and of ego. 

Swami Vivekananda in Raja Yoga declares renunciation as the “real heart of all spiritual culture,” central to the four yogas of religious practice---Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Gnyana.

The goal of religious practice, Vivekananda writes, is to manifest the

“Divinity [which is] within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy---by one, or more, or all of these---and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.”

Separating religion and politics may not come easy in Hindu cultures because Vedanta prescribes merging of the temporal life with spiritual.  That’s why Hindu dharma is sometimes described as a pan-religious “way of living”. Still, that’s little threat to Western-style democracy or secularism, given that Hindu religious practice is inclusive and personal (non-proselytizing).

Karnataka has more than 50 large mutts which, together, possess real estate worth numerous billions, manage vast business and philanthropic empires in education or healthcare, and seem to be treated with kid gloves by reverential tax authorities.

The mutts are led by swamis who command the reverence of millions. Many swamis are renowned less for spiritual accomplishment, or for intellectual wherewithal, than for social service.

Which begs the question: What sort of religious gurus do we want?

Should they resemble spiritual giants such as Vivekananda or Ramana? Economic titans like Ratan Tata or Anil Ambani? Storytelling maestros like Morari Bapu or Bhadragiri Achyut Das? Intellectual hulks such as Rajneesh or Rajaji?

The "Veerashaiva swamis", acting as BJP agents, are recruiting a six-time legislator whose persona is underwritten less by statesmanship than by an abiding frustration. From being part of a 1980s’ “dream team of second-line leaders” Siddaramaiah today seems clueless to confront Deve Gowda’s Machiavellian politics. 

So why is the BJP recruiting him other than to access the substantial Kuruba vote which he controls?

What should be swamis' social role, if any?

Should they indulge in scholarly pursuits---explications of philosophy, tradition and ritual? Give us new interpretations of text? Prescribe tests for dharmic hypotheses? Or run schools and hospitals?

Or act as agents of political parties?

They should know best who own the least.

Photographs: (Left to right) Shivamurthy Shivacharya swamiji of the Taralabalu mutt, Visvesateertha swamiji of the Pejawar mutt, Deshikendra swamiji of the Suttur mutt, Balagangadharnath swamiji of the Adichunchunagiri mutt

The resignations are designed to sidestep the anti-defection law, on the one hand, and the opprobrium of power-mongering that usually accompanies defection, on the other, while giving the BJP government a semblance of greater stability. But they raise fundamental questions. One, is being part of the ruling dispensation the only hope for legislators and their constituencies? Two, can a legislator come to the conclusion inside 45 days of 5-year, 1825-day tenture that his constituency is not going to be well-served if he sits on the opposition benches?

Questions: Is it right of the MLAs to quit so early? Is their reason valid? Or have the constituents who had plumped for these candidates been tricked? Is the BJP right in admitting these MLAs for whatever reason or requirement? Or is a stable government more important? Should the parties be made to pay for fresh elections at such breakneck speed? And, at this rate, hypothetically speaking, if all opposition MLAs decide to join the ruling party, are we headed for one-party rule?

Khadimul Islam, NewAge, July 2, 2008. Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Election Commission missed its deadline of at least three tasks, as laid out in the electoral roadmap, with June passing by and is now extending time to complete the tasks.
 The tasks scheduled to be completed by June 30 are delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies, completion of field-level tasks of voters’ registration and the registration of political parties.
  

Election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain, when his attention was called to the deadline, Tuesday evening told New Age, ‘I have said it earlier that we have failed to meet the deadline of party registration and the issue of delimitation in now in final stages.’
 The commission missed its June deadline for the registration of political parties for delay in finalising reforms of the electoral law and is now extending the time up to the announcement of the election schedule, which is likely in October.
   

In keeping with the electoral roadmap, all electoral reforms, including finalisation of the conditions for registration of political parties, were to be completed by February 27. The commission also set a June 30 deadline for the registration of the parties, which were given three months, April–June, to get registered. But till date there is no sign of finalising the electoral reforms, setting the conditions for registration.
   

Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain in June hoped the draft of the laws on mandatory registration of political parties with the commission to contest polls would be promulgated in July.
 ‘They [political parties] will be given three months, if required four months, and even up to the time before the announcement of the election schedule to get registered with the commission,’ M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters in his office in June.
   

He said political parties would be given adequate time and scope for discussions and meetings to change their constitutions in compliance with the party registration laws.
 In keeping with the electoral roadmap, the commission was supposed to complete the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies through gazette notification by end of June. But the commission on Monday wrapped up the countrywide hearing in disputes over delimitation by taking up objections to the demarcation of 95 constituencies.
   

M Sakhawat Hossain on Sunday said they would not take more than seven days after the ongoing hearing in objections to the commission’s delimitation plan.
   According to the roadmap, field-level task of voters’ registration was to be completed by June 30, but it missed the deadline and set July 9 for its completion. According to a progress report, till June 28, a total of 8,03,81,882 crore voters were registered.

In the meantime, government also approved the local government Commission ordinance, 2008 to clear the path to hold the elections.[DS]

BNP, pro-Delwar faction declared that they will resist the local body elections throughout Bangladesh but AL which has recently changed their stand after the release of Hasina from jail, declared that the will participate in the local body elections though the local body elections will non-partisan and after winning the local body winners will not able to hold any portfolio in the political parties.

Ground was also being prepared as the local body representatives from different parts of the country met the advisers of the caretaker government and were demanding the local body elections before the national election.

The politicians and critics were against the move as they fear the government may use the election to form a base to counter the present political trend.

An ordinary citizen

Post script:
AL took again a turn and its acting president Zillur Rahman termed the declarartion of local government election as a joke.
But both election commission and the gvernment are on the way to hold the election.
The local people of the declared area where the elections will be hel d are showning great enthusiasm.
The Daily Star in its editorial said that free and fair election to all elected bodies is the need of the hour.[...]
The DS reported that the grassroots leaders overlook major parties boycot mood and prepare fr campeign[...]

SILIGURI/KOLKATA: At the peak of the Gorkhaland movement, Siliguri and the rest of north Bengal plains watched from a safe distance the gory battle in the Hills. Two decades later, with the Gorkhaland demand revived, these plains may no longer be bystanders.

For Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's Bimal Gurung, the indefinite strike call is not just another showdown between GJM and the Left Front government. It is an opportunity to flex muscles in the plains, mobilize supporters as well as arm-twist the government.

The inclusion of Siliguri in the proposed Gorkhaland has only made the situation more tense, making Bengalis living in Siliguri insecure and even ready to fight back.

Insecurity-induced violence is almost imminent. Groups such as Jana Jagran Manch and Jana Chetana Manch have emerged in the plains to oppose GJM and have started targeting Nepali-speaking people.

At least 16 people were injured on Sunday at Bagdogra and Naxalbari. A backlash from Bimal Gurung and his henchmen is only a matter of time. So far none from GJM have spoken against Bengalis and there has been no attack on Bengalis in the Hills. Gorkha Janamukti Morcha has instead tried to go out of its way to appear friendly to Bengalis, bringing in some Bengali-speaking people for a rally near Siliguri on May 7.

The flashpoint for the present turmoil was the administration's (read CPM) refusal to give permission to GJM to hold a rally at Naxalbari. The CPI-ML (Liberation) and Left Front partner Forward Bloc both feel the administration was wrong in denying permission.

"It is a democratic party recognised by Election Commission. They should have been allowed to hold the rally. The way things are going it will take a turn for the worse," said Smritish Bhattacharya, Forward Bloc district secretary. The Naxalite parties too want the dialogue to continue.

"Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee might have rejected Gorkhaland demand but the scope for dialogue still remains. We are all for a peaceful settlement of the issue. This could be in the form of another state or more autonomy," said Abhijit Majumdar, CPI-ML (Liberation) state committee member. [The Times of India]