The Election Commission (EC) has decided to issue online cards to media workers for covering all elections in the country, including the national parliamentary election. Toward this end, an initiative has been taken to build software based on feedback from stakeholders, including the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED), an organization of media workers who cover elections.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed shared the information with reporters Monday after a meeting with stakeholders at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka. “We have formed a committee. They will submit their report by Sept. 24. A decision will then be made based on that report,” he said.
At the meeting, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) managing director and editor-in-chief Kader Gani Chowdhury said an election’s credibility depends heavily on independent journalism. He said many unprofessional individuals and party workers had obtained press cards in the past, and that a transparent process is needed to prevent this from happening again. He requested that the Election Commission’s new initiative ensure professional journalists receive cards properly.
EC sources said the process for issuing press cards to journalists covering elections is being made more transparent and effective this time. Software is being planned based on feedback from various media organizations and relevant stakeholders.
Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum on Feb. 12, the EC had decided to issue online cards to journalists and observers without any trial run. A website was hastily built for the purpose. But after journalists applied on that website, the personal information of nearly 14,000 journalists was exposed.
Facing objections from media organizations and nationwide criticism over the incident, the commission abandoned that online card process. This time, learning from that past experience, the EC has taken the initiative to build a secure and effective piece of software through consultation with stakeholders.
Earlier, a meeting with stakeholders was held at the Election Building conference room, chaired by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed. It was attended by BSS managing director and editor-in-chief Kader Gani Chowdhury, Press Information Department chief information officer Syed Abdal Ahmed, Bangladesh Television Director General Kazi Jesin, EC additional secretary Samsul Alam, RFED president Kazi Emad Uddin Jebel, general secretary Ekram-ud Doula, and other relevant officials.