Staff Reporter:
Stressing the need to restore public confidence in democracy, eminent journalist, poet and litterateur Mahbub Morshed yesterday urged the Election Commission (EC) to take strict measures to stop the use of money in politics, saying financial influence must end to ensure a transparent, fair and credible par-liamentary election.
“The money game before elections must be stopped strictly. If we can prevent the buying and selling of votes, trading of nominations, and the use of money to influence officials, then it will be possible to form a truly people’s parliament,” he said.
Mahbub Morshed, also Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), was addressing a views-exchange meeting with editors and senior journalists of print media at the EC Secretariat in the city’s Agargaon area.
Chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin, the meeting was attended by four election commissioners, editors and representatives from different print media and senior EC officials.
Morshed urged the commission to enforce laws strictly once the election schedule is announced to pre-vent nomination trading, vote buying, and attempts to influence administrative officials. “Those who plan to buy nominations or votes, or manipulate officials, must be brought under the laws from day one of the election process. Only then we can expect a meaningful parliament,” he said.
The eminent journalist cautioned that elections should not be treated as a one-day event but as part of a continuous democratic process. “We do not want a situation where voting appears peaceful on election day only as public opinion are distorted with the influence of money the night before. The Election Commission has the opportunity to set an example here,” he added.
Referring to the country’s political transition, Morshed said Bangladesh had entered a new era after the fall of an authoritarian regime. “That fascist government not only rigged votes but also took parliament out of people’s control,” he said.
“Businessmen, contractors, and vested interest groups entered parliament and corrupted the law-making process. Many were not true legislators but used parliament for personal gains, rendering it dysfunction-al,” said the senior journalist.
He lamented that many lawmakers in the previous one-sided parliaments were inactive and disengaged. “They spent their time sleeping in parliament, simply saying yes or no to whatever the party instructed. The people’s will was missing entirely,” he said.
Morshed called for elections where candidates earn people’s trust through merit and integrity, not through wealth or power. “While the commission cannot decide who is more educated or qualified as per the law, it can design an electoral process that minimizes the role of money and influence,” he observed.
He also praised the Election Commission for maintaining neutrality so far, saying, “No major controver-sy has arisen about this commission, and public confidence in it must be preserved. If the EC can con-duct a transparent and credible election, people’s faith in democracy will be restored.”
During the discussion, journalists put forward various proposals and opinions regarding campaign ex-penditure limits, transparency in the nomination process, updating of voter lists, punishment for violat-ing the code of conduct and ensuring media freedom.
Welcoming the journalists’ suggestions, CEC Nasir Uddin said the EC will take a tough stance from the beginning of the election process to control expenditure and enforce the electoral code of conduct. “No influential individual or group will be allowed to distort the election process,” he added.
Morshed concluded by underscoring the crucial role of the media in safeguarding democracy: “The elec-tion is not just about voting day — democracy begins long before that. The media must serve as the eyes and ears of the people, speaking out against injustice. We all want a parliament that truly reflects the voice of the people of Bangladesh.”
