The Election Commission (EC) is moving ahead with its plan to introduce the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in the upcoming elections, including the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) polls, despite the opposition BNP’s objection. “We’re moving ahead with the EVM project,” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told journalists at the EC Secretariat office in the city Wednesday, reports UNB.
About BNP’s opposition to the EVM system that it’s a weapon to manipulate vote, he said there is no similarity with the system that was recently shown by them (BNP). “The EVM system we’re applying and going to apply is not used in Germany and the United States. And it won’t have any connection with the central server,” he added.
“Every electronic machine will remain separated and nobody will be able to change the software of all the machines at a time,” the commissioner said, adding that technical experts from all political parties will be allowed to check the machines while uploading software in the machines.
He mentioned that the programmes of introducing electronic machines and ID cards in the elections were actually taken by the previous EC, headed by Mohammad Abu Syeed in 2003. “And we started that in 2009 in order to infuse dynamism into the commission’s works. The CEC (Syeed) had also brought two EVMs from India at that time.”
About BNP’s stance, the election commissioner said BNP should have come up with specific problems about the EVM through discussions with the commission or sent a proposal to it about loopholes of the system.
“BNP, as a political party, has given its opinions to the media about the system and it would be better if they come to us and pinpoint the problems after really seeing the EVM,” he said.
Sakhawat, however, admitted that any technological system may have some weak points in use or it could be misused. “In many advanced countries, money has been withdrawn through computer hacking. Question is, what system has no loopholes?”
Full Article: BNP fears unfounded, EC to move ahead with EVM: Sakhawat.