AL candidates persecuted us after losing elections: Minorities tell ERC

Leaders of various minority groups today (27 November) alleged that Awami League candidates persecuted them after losing elections against their own partymen in the last 15 years. 

They made the allegations while speaking with members of the Electoral Reform Commission (ERC) at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. 

"The marginalised communities faced persecution in the last three elections. The AL candidates contested against themselves. Whoever lost the election, persecuted us," said Sandhya Malo, a representative of the indigenous community.

Rajkumar Shaw, executive director of the Anagrasar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS), said indigenous communities are often labelled as supporters of different political parties at different times, making it hard for them to speak out.

"Whenever we try to speak for our rights, we get tagged. Sometimes they tag us as supporters of Awami League, sometimes of BNP, and sometimes of Jamaat. We are attacked because of these labels. This is our weakness. We are not well-educated, and we struggle to express ourselves clearly," he said.

Meanwhile, echoing Sandhya's allegations, National Indigenous Council's General Secretary Bimal Chandra Rajwar said, "It doesn't matter who we vote for. If we vote for the candidates we like and they win, then those who lost will beat us. We are already afraid. Everyone knows how much the indigenous community has been persecuted since the British era."

He also said, "If we file a complaint about the elections, it remains unresolved even after the elections. Therefore, complaints should be investigated within 24 hours, and candidacies should be cancelled if necessary. This would help stop the influence of black money and muscle power in elections."

Speaking on the occasion, ERC head Badiul Alam Majumdar said a golden opportunity has arisen to eliminate past injustices and discrimination.

"Our culture of injustice needs to end. We are members of one family irrespective of caste and religion. There should be no division between us. The sooner this happens, the better," he said.

The rights of the indigenous community can be ensured with good governance and making sure that everyone does their duty, he also said.

"We now have an excellent opportunity to remove all the injustices and discrimination that occurred in the past. We aim to build a country where equal opportunities will be available for everyone. We want to be guided by the same values that our movement was based on," the ERC chief said.

Former Election Commission additional secretary and ERC member Jasmine Tuli, said, "In the last three elections, everything was destroyed. This has never happened before. Now, regardless of who wins, violence occurs—whether the candidate wins or loses."

In order to end the post and pre-election violence against minorities, representatives of the groups proposed that the government provide security to the communities before and after voting. 

They also demanded their representatives in the national parliament and local government. Besides, they proposed that voting in hilly areas be conducted on separate days instead of alongside the rest of the country.

At the meeting, representatives of people with special abilities proposed introducing special measures to help blind voters.