Govt will do only routine work, no policy decision until election: Law Minister

The government will continue to do its routine work till the national election and no policy decision will be taken during this time, said  Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday.  

The minister made the remarks while replying to questions from reporters at his secretariat office, a day after the announcement of the schedule of 12th parliamentary election by the Election Commission (EC).

On Wednesday evening, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal announced that the 12th parliamentary election of the country will be held on January 7.

The law minister said in democracies, the government usually doesn‍‍`t take any policy decisions following the announcement of election schedule to maintain the level-playing field. 

“The government usually refrains from taking any policy decisions that might suggest that they (the government) are trying to attract people by taking new policy decisions,” said minister Anisul Huq. 

“With the announcement of the election schedule, the Election Commission will oversee all electoral tasks. Government departments and organizations will support the commission in fulfilling its electoral responsibilities without impeding the election process.” 

When asked whether any laws will be passed during this time, the law minister said no new laws will be enacted as the parliament is not in session anymore. 

“However, if necessary, ordinances may be issued in case of urgent needs as a special arrangement,” he said.  

When questioned about the nature of routine tasks, the law minister said, "Routine work refers to the ongoing operations necessary for administrative functions. This includes tasks such as disbursing salaries for autonomous bodies and maintaining daily activities, which will proceed under the current government.” 

“Ongoing development projects will continue as planned; however, no new initiatives or projects will commence during this period."

Regarding whether official transfer and promotion processes will fall under the Election Commission‍‍`s jurisdiction during this time, the law minister said "It‍‍`s within the Election Commission‍‍`s purview to decide on handling such matters. I‍‍`m unable to provide a definitive statement on that."

When asked whether the EC or the Ministry of Home Affairs will oversee the police during this time, Anisul Huq said, “If the EC communicates any directives regarding the police, they will inform the Ministry of Home Affairs. And if the concerns raised by the Election Commission are deemed valid, the Home Ministry will take appropriate action based on their guidance.”