Top bureaucrats who want to participate in the next general election have become active to amend the sub-clauses (f and h) under article 12 of the RPO
which bar bureaucrats from participating in the parliamentary elections within three years of their retirement.




For this reason, they have started to supplicate their preferred political parties.

Especially the pro-Awami League and pro-BNP bureaucrats are trying to raise the issue of the amendment to the EC, as per the sources of the party.




According to sub-clauses (f and h) under article 12 of the RPO, no government officials who performed the service of the Republic or of any statutory public authority or of the defense service can participate in the election unless a period of three years has elapsed since the date of his resignation or retirement.

On the condition of anonymity, several leaders of Awami League and BNP said, bureaucrats have made demands to them to propose the EC to amend the sub-clauses (f and h) under article 12 of the RPO that bars the bureaucrats to participate in the next general election as candidates.

EC sources informed that former bureaucrats have contacted with the EC several times on this issue in the last one year. They also met the EC secretary. Election Commission replied them it is not possible to bring changes in the RPO only depending on their proposals. For amendment, proposals from the political parties are required. After knowing this fact, top retired bureaucrats started to supplicate the political parties to bring changes in the concerned article.

However, several top leaders of Awami League and BNP informed that they are not likely to amend the concerned article of PRO. According to political leaders, it will be difficult to control the bureaucrats if this article is withdrawn.   
JaSoD (Inu), a partner of the ruling 14-party alliance, has disagreed with the Awami League and the BNP on the RPO amendment issue. On Sunday, they proposed to withdraw this article of the RPO in the dialogue with EC.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif claimed that he does not know about the agility of bureaucrats to amend the concerned article of RPO. ‘We don’t support the proposal to withdraw the bars’ he said.

Giving the same opinion, BNP Standing Committee member Dr. Mosharraf Hossain told the Bangla Tribune, ‘BNP is not in the favor of changing the rule of the Representation of the People Order regarding this issue. We will not make any such proposal in dialogue with the Election Commission.’

When asked about this, former Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder told the Bangla Tribune, ‘There is no such rule anywhere in the world that official of the government or semi-government organizations cannot participate in the parliamentary elections if three years have not passed of their retirement.’

On condition of anonymity, an Awami League Leader, working on the proposal for dialogue with EC, told the Bangla Tribune, ‘The bureaucrats want some changes in the concerned article of the RPO. The bureaucrats requested the Awami League to uphold to the proposal in the dialogue with EC.’ However, no decision has been taken so far to uphold this in the dialogue with the EC on behalf of Awami League.