The EC, or for that matter the CEC, has never been beyond controversy in a country where losing election is generally adduced to the partisan role of the Commission and the commissioners. But a full-proof and perfect system of holding election is not, perhaps, the motto we have in mind, at least at the moment. We are fully aware of the determinants of or deterrents to a free and fair election: level of literacy of the population, the politics of guns and goons, the polluted politics, and above all, the grievous attempts of governments in power to influence the EC in whatever ways they have command over. Therefore, the expectation of the nation always rolls round the provision of a relatively free and fair election -- credible at home and abroad -- where the EC is not instrumental in turning the popular tide for or against any particular party.

We are shocked to say that, of late, people's expectations have been dashed to the ground by the words and deeds of the present CEC and two other commissioners. Since his assumption of office as the CEC, the whole nation has been witnessing, as if, a circus, with the CEC playing the role of a joker. The performances of the jokers in circuses, of course, deliver some utility to those watching the circus. Our Justice-joker in the EC however seems to impinge on us some "disutility" that is not what he is there for. The most serious complaint against the EC, that had long been looming large, is that it is bent upon arranging a general election for 2007 that could be riddled with election engineering and massive vote rigging.

Arguably, a first step towards that was the "invention" of the idea of a new voter list. While the whole nation stood against such a move, terming it as unconstitutional and unprecedented, the CEC alone went ahead with the proposition. In consequence, a total of Tk 600 million was spent in producing one of the most scandalous voter lists in country's history. It became soon crystal clear that the means (new voter list) was targeted towards the "end" (favouring a particular group in the upcoming election). The cat came out of the bag! Quite obviously, in spirit, the movement by the opposition was heralded against the present bizarre activities of the EC under the alleged "partisan" leadership of the CEC Justice MA Aziz and his two mates on board with a maligned motive.

After the defeat in the legal battle, the CEC chose to nullify the making of a genuine voter list through conspicuous corridors. For example, he held up actions on the pretext of not receiving SC orders, although there was no bar on going with the process. It was about two weeks that the EC sat on files knowing fully well that time is the most precious element in the whole process of making a voter list. Then the order came at last but the CEC decided to ask people to come to specific places and enlist their names as voters.

Most of the constitutional experts and former CECs dubbed it as an attempt to foil a fair election. How can a dead person rise up from his grave to tell EC that he died long before and hence should be excluded as a voter? How could a rickshaw puller, for example, spend Tk. 100 as transport cost to see that his name is on the voter list? All these are common sense questions asking answers from those in the EC -- for whom common sense appears to be the most uncommon phenomena.

The Justice turned CEC Mr. Aziz went on with his personal vendetta, rejecting all the claims from different corners, including the government side for going door to door as an attempt to update the voter list. Field level actions showed that a very insignificant portion of the willing voters so far appeared before the specific places with proper documents. Then the decision was relaxed and voters were asked to go to the nearest stations specified by the EC. Criticisms flooded in against such steps. And at long last, the CEC took cognizance of the matter and decided to go door to door and prepare the voter list. Meantime, a lot of money and time have been wasted. The future of an election was put to serious doubt.

In the FIFA World Cup foot ball games, we find coaches resigning immediately after their teams lose in the games. Most of the time, they do it on their own by taking responsibility of the poor performance on their shoulders. This is a matter of common sense when the captain has to take the responsibility of the accidents. Our learned CEC already lost three games in his personal whims but still continues to cling to his power. He had been hated by people rank and file but seemingly shows no sign of moving out of the chair that he is occupying now. Pity on a Justice turned CEC who fails understand the gravity of the situation arising out of his maligned motives; who cares little about public perceptions and, sordidly, who places personal and partisan interest above the national interest. We hear that after all his mechanisms failed to provide us with a fake voter list, he is now deploying the same old ruling party cadres to go door to door and list the voters. That means the updated version of the list will be heavily bias to the alliances in power at the cost of the opposition.

We are thus watching a circus organized by the EC. The role of the joker in that circus -- meaning the CEC himself -- seems to produce a lot of pain rather than pleasure for the nation. We strongly feel that the circustic exercises of the EC should be stopped immediately and the "joker" should be removed right way. If the government declines to remove him on the pretext that he holds a constitutional post, then our suggestion would be to form Supreme Judicial Council to investigate into the wastages of public funds to meet personal whims.

Under Justice MA Aziz and his team of commissioners, no free, fair, and credible election could be expected in this country. Mr. Aziz should have long before realized the ramifications of his stay in that constitutional post. Judges never ever preside over any deliberations when they feel that any party might be aggrieved by their presence as judges. They feel embarrassed and step aside by applying their common sense -- the most uncommon thing nowadays prevailing inside the EC.

Abdul Bayes is a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University.