Tamim Iqbal urged everyone to not be ‘dirty’ as the hearings of the objections over the draft voters list of the upcoming BCB directors’ election took place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday.
According to the chief election commissioner, Mohammod Hossain, 30 hearings were held out of 38 objections, as the rest were absent.
Among the 38 objections, one was against Tamim himself. But Hossain later said that it was dismissed, as the applicant was absent from the hearing.
After publishing the draft voters list on September 23, the main talking point was the snubbing of the 15 clubs based on a recommendation from the Anti-Corruption Unit.
Hossain said that hearings of 13 clubs were completed while the other two were absent. However, he stated that after receiving written objections, the election commission would make the same decisions for those two.
On Thursday, Tamim came as a representative of Gulshan Cricket Club. Later he addressed the media along with Iftekhar Rahman, a director of the current board and a potential councillor of one of those 15 clubs.
‘I attended as the vice-president of one of those clubs. But I told them this is bigger than just these 15 clubs; they must consider the lives of 300 cricketers before making a decision,’ said Tamim.
‘These clubs regularly play cricket in different divisions and pay their players. Around 70–80 per cent of the players’ yearly income comes from this money. Their families depend on it as well,’ he added.
He questioned the decision of the election commission, citing its timing.
He said, ‘This issue has been ongoing for six or seven months. Why did you have to act right now? And if there were objections, why issue councillor forms in the first place?
‘Some of these councillors could have been excellent leaders for the game. You’ve destroyed their dreams too. If this decision goes against them today, they may never get another chance to be councillors again,’ he added.
Tamim also reminded the election commission that sometimes they needed to take actions that were above the law or technicalities.
He said, ‘Since this is about cricket and the cricket board, sometimes decisions need to go beyond the letter of the law for the greater good of the game.’
‘Instead of focusing on where a club’s address is located, the question should be: did this club just appear overnight? These clubs didn’t just pop up—they have history, and they have payment records.’
The former national captain also accused the board president, Aminul Islam Bulbul, of trying to tilt the election.
He said, ‘Everyone knows why this is being done—it’s to weaken one side. It is unfortunate that just to win or fulfil personal ambitions, you are playing with the lives of 300 cricketers. Senior figures in cricket have told me they have never seen this level of nastiness in the board’s history.’
‘What you are doing right now will set a precedent, and this is what will be followed in the future. So my humble request is: don’t do this. Hold the election in an honest way,’ he added.
Tamim also reminded the government about their responsibility.
‘Why shouldn’t we expect a fair election? Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to ensure reforms?’ asked Tamim.
‘If a section of the government tries to manipulate the election this way, what kind of example does that set? Whatever I said in the press conference, the exact opposite has happened. All I will say is, nobody needs to speak for me—speak up for the truth.’
Tamim also stated that he was under immense pressure.
‘I can’t really say that right now,’ Tamim said when he was asked whether he would participate in the election after all this. ‘You can personally ask me whether I want to contest or not. But my question is whether I will even be allowed to contest; that’s something you also need to look at.’
However, the members of the election commission, who appeared before the media for the first time on Thursday, said that they were acting independently.
The final voters list is supposed to be published on the BCB website at 4:30pm today. The voting is scheduled on October 6.