Editorial
Back AL nominee blindly?
A matter of misplaced emphasis
PRIME minister Sheikh Hasina has asked grassroots leaders of the Awami League to consider only the party's election symbol while casting votes irrespective of whether they like or dislike the nominees.
This places the emphasis not on the quality of the candidates based on their credentials but rather on party diktat imposed from the top.
What the PM was asking of her party people is in effect blind, not enlightened, allegiance. This runs counter to the basics of intra-party democracy.
As a vehicle to convey people's choice of representatives to hold public office, a political party is the starting point for workers and leaders to get trained in democratic principles. And their convictions are put to the test at the time of election.
Her counsel amounts to riding roughshod on the constituents' and grassroots leaders' opinion of who should represent their constituencies. And far from serving any purpose, candidates imposed in this manner can prove to be a liability to the party and the people.
We think the procedure of selecting a party candidate from three names suggested by local level leaders, as the ruling AL has adopted, is ingenious. But for the process to be worthwhile it must also have to reflect the true opinion of the people and local party leaders and workers. And any compromise in this regard runs the risk of bringing the party to avoidable disrepute.
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