AL must now prove seriousness of its rhetoric

The print and electronic media have carried numerous reports in the last couple of days about attempts by certain ministers of the present Awami League-led alliance government and members of parliament of the party to influence the results of the elections to the upazila parishads that were held on Thursday. Ministers and lawmakers of the ruling party allegedly visited polling centres, tried to influence voters, and even harassed and mishandled polls officials in some places. The Election Commission — which had sent an official letter to the cabinet division prior to the polls asking ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and persons holding equivalent ranks to stay away from electioneering — has stated following the elections that it would investigate the actions of some cabinet members and lawmakers of the Awami League and, if necessary, initiate legal action against them for breach of electoral rules.
Meanwhile, top Awami League leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are reportedly annoyed with certain ministers and members of parliament of the party for their alleged infraction of electoral laws prior to and during the elections to the upazila parishads. A New Age report published Saturday quotes the agriculture minister, Matia Chowdhury, saying that the allegations against some of her party colleagues, if true, are ‘unfortunate’ and that the prime minister would not stand in the way of the Election Commission investigating and taking action against the wrongdoers. In addition, HT Imam, an adviser to the prime minister, was quoted as saying that the Awami League would also launch an investigation into the allegations brought against its members.
While it may be reassuring to some that the Awami League has not rejected outright the allegations brought against some of its members, as our major political parties typically do in similar situations, it must be said that the silence of the prime minister and Awami League president on the matter till now, and the lack of any concrete action thus far by the party are disconcerting. It should not be forgotten that a similar drama played out with regard to the violence that was unleashed by activists of the ruling party in the days following the general elections. Even then, the Awami League high command had expressed their disappointment and annoyance, but did not take any concrete action against those who were responsible for the violence. As a result, the violence went on unimpeded for several more days.
We think that a party that came to power on the back of its promise to bring ‘change’ to our political and governmental culture ought to have used these instances to prove that it intends to practice what it has preached, by taking swift action with regards to those against whom there are allegations of misconduct. Hence, the Awami League must extend full cooperation to the Election Commission in its investigations of the alleged breaches and be ready to take stern action against anyone found guilty of electoral misconduct. Unwillingness or failure to act firmly will only suggest that the Awami League was not serious in its rhetoric to bring qualitative change to our politics. On the other hand, proper action will send out a powerful message to all party leaders and workers about how they are expected to conduct themselves in public life. We expect the Awami League to act quickly and decisively.