Discussants lay emphasis on reforms in constitution

Establishing a truly democratic Bangladesh requires constitutional reform, as well as democratic practices within political parties themselves.
Discussants made the observation at a roundtable titled 'Political and Constitutional Reform Proposals for the Establishment of a Democratic Bangladesh' on Tuesday.

They presented several proposals, including preventing any individual from serving as prime minister more than twice, balancing the powers between the prime minister and the president, introducing proportional representation in parliament, establishing a bicameral legislature, and bringing a balance of power between parliament and the executive branch.

The Asia Foundation, RMMRU, and the Center for Political Studies organised the roundtable at the Prothom Alo auditorium in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.

Joining the roundtable online, professor at the Department of Political Science at Dhaka University, Tasneem Siddiqui, delivered the opening remarks.

She said the new era and opportunities, which have emerged, are moving all. Efforts and spirit are working to move towards a new arrangement.

Tasneem Siddiqui said the interim government has begun robust economic reforms. However, the main crisis is political. It is the responsibility of political scientists to scrutinize how steps are taken to resolve political problems.

She suggested that constitutional amendments have to be carried out rapidly. Whether the current government can amend the constitution or a constituent assembly (Constituent Assembly) will be needed can be discussed in the future.

Tasneem Siddiqui said that a bicameral legislature can be established to make constitutional changes more difficult.

Additionally, she recommended exploring the possibility of introducing a federal system and suggested that political parties should nominate 33 per cent women candidates after abolishing reserved seats for women in parliament.

Sonali Bank chairman and former Comptroller and Auditor General Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury said the accountability of the government to the parliament will increase to a great extent if proportional representation in parliament is introduced.

He gave various suggestions including restricting any individual from serving more than two terms as prime minister, establishing a bicameral legislature, making fundamental rights in the constitution unconditional as much as possible, enacting laws for political parties, ensuring the full independence of the judiciary, and appointing key posts of the important organisations through a constitutional council.

Pointing out who should undertake these reforms, Muslim Chowdhury mentioned that the constitution cannot be amended through ordinances.

He noted that a social contract with political parties can be made for reformation of state machineries.

All parties can sign a document committing to the implementation of necessary constitutional reforms.

However, he acknowledged that once a party is elected, it may not follow through, and reforms could be obstructed without a two-thirds majority. As an alternative, he proposed forming a constituent assembly.

Local government expert Tofail Ahmed said proportional representation is strong support, which is currently practiced in 87 countries.

Tofail pointed out that now there is no local government system in Bangladesh. The central government has turned the local government.
He suggested that only elections for members and councilors should take place at the local government level, and they should elect a speaker or chairman.

Former professor at the public administration department at Chittagong University, Nizamuddin Ahmed, highlighted the imbalance among the three branches of the state—legislature, executive, and judiciary.

He observed that the power of the executive or the prime minister, in particular, has been increasing. He stressed the need to reduce the prime minister’s power, ensure a balance of power, and ensure accountability to establish good governance.

Nizamuddin Ahmed also pointed out that establishing a balance of power between the executive and parliament is crucial, as is having an effective opposition in parliament.

He suggested that limiting prime ministerial terms to two could discourage dynastic politics.

Nizamuddin Ahmed advised that the government should initiate dialogue with political parties as soon as possible and provide a roadmap to allow further discussions.

Professor at the Department of Government and Politics of Jahangirnagar University, KM Mohiuddin, said that while the UK has a parliamentary system, it is supported by a robust oversight mechanism, which is absent in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, whatever the prime minister wants is usually done in parliament.

He observed that parliamentary committees, question-answer sessions, and other mechanisms are only strong on paper and not in practice.

He recommended reforms such as abolishing Article 70 of the constitution, making the election commission formation process transparent, reforming the electoral system, ensuring the judiciary's independence, and prohibiting the same individual from simultaneously holding positions as party leader, prime minister, and parliamentary leader.

Professor at Dhaka University Sabbir Ahmed suggested that some of the prime minister’s powers could be given to the president to achieve a better balance of power in the constitution.

Other participants included professor Farid Uddin Ahmed and assistant professor Mohammad Rashed Alam Bhuiyan from the Department of Political Science at Dhaka University, and Ph.D. candidate Harun-or-Rashid Mahadi from Kent State University in the United States.

The Asia Foundation’s Programme Director, Mohammad Zakaria, expressed gratitude, and the discussion was moderated by Prothom Alo’s assistant editor, Firoz Choudhury.