Reform commissions: Less women, no members of the religious minority

The commissions formed for reforms in six areas, including the constitution and the judiciary, are not inclusive. While there is no representation of religious and ethnic minority communities, the number of women is also low.

The total membership of the six commissions is 50. Among them, there are 15 former bureaucrats, two former police officials, eight university teachers, five judges, six lawyers, six student representatives, and eight individuals from other professions (including NGO workers, human rights activists, and experts).

Of these members, only five are women, and the name of only one of the six student representatives has been revealed.

Apart from this, only the names of the heads of four commissions have been announced. In total, only one woman has been appointed to the chief position among the 10 commissions, and that is in the Women's Affairs Reform Commission.

Overall, the reform commissions appear to be dominated by bureaucrats, with a significant number of university teachers included. Notably, Dhaka University, particularly the law department, is more prominently represented with five teachers.

After the fall of the Awami League government in a student-people uprising, the student leaders of that movement and the interim government spoke about building an inclusive society; however, this vision is not reflected in the formation of the reform commissions.

Raja Debashish Roy, the head of Chakma Circle, expressed his frustration on Facebook regarding the lack of representation for ethnic and religious minorities in the reform commissions.

In a post on 13 October, he wrote, "In the reform commission, representatives of tribal groups, religious minorities, women, and other marginalised or disadvantaged communities are either completely absent or significantly underrepresented. This has tarnished the image of a government led by a Nobel laureate."

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Raja Debashish Roy said, "Those involved in the constitution of the reform commission proposed to include me in that commission. I cannot say why that proposal was ultimately canceled."

After the fall of the Awami League government, the new administration is emphasising reforms in various fields. A full-fledged commission has been formed to recommend changes in the constitution, judiciary, public administration, electoral system, police, and anti-corruption commission.

Subsequently, four additional commissions were established to recommend reforms in media, health, women’s issues, and labour. However, the names of the members of these commissions have not yet been announced.

On 17 October, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, stated that the names of the commission members will be announced within 7 to 10 days.

In addition to the commissions, the government has constituted several committees and task forces for initiate reforms in various areas. However, there is a notable lack of inclusive representation in these committees as well.

Regarding the lack of representation in the reform commissions, an advisor to the interim government told Prothom Alo that the commissions will formulate their recommendations or proposals based on input from all parties, including civil society, minority representatives, and political groups. As a result, the government believes that the opinions of all segments of society will be reflected.

Prothom Alo approached the heads of the four commissions for comments on the matter. While they declined to provide official statements, in informal discussions, they acknowledged that religious and ethnic minorities were not adequately represented in the commissions and that women were underrepresented as well.

Not only religious and ethnic minorities, but also various stakeholders have raised objections regarding the lack of inclusive representation in the commissions.

For instance, 25 cadre officials of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) have expressed their concerns about the public administration reform commission, claiming that it does not adequately represent all cadres. They argue that this lack of representation will not provide an accurate picture of the issues the public administration have been facing.

Six of the seven members of the public administration reform commission are former or current officers from the administration cadre. None of the remaining 25 cadre services are represented, as there are no former or current officers from any other cadre included in this commission.

The only addition from outside the bureaucratic sphere is professor AKM Feroz Ahmed, the former chairman of the public administration department at Dhaka University.

On 5 October, officials from 25 cadres of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), excluding those from the administration cadre, announced their rejection of the commission members formed for public administration reform.

Among the six commissions, the constitution reform commission is considered the most important. Led by political scientist Ali Riaz, this commission lacks representatives from minorities and various small ethnic groups.

Since the fall of the Awami League government, discussions about the constitution have intensified, with some even advocating for the drafting of a new constitution to replace the existing one.

Many believe that it is essential to include representatives of religious and ethnic minorities in this commission.

A little over 91 per cent of the country’s population is Muslim, while about 9 per cent belong to other religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. Additionally, there is a section of the population that consists of ethnic minorities, who are dissatisfied with their lack of representation.

Former Appellate Division justice MA Matin addressed the issue differently.

He told Prothom Alo that while there may be concerns regarding the underrepresentation of women and religious and ethnic minorities in the reform commissions, these commissions can still propose reforms that consider the interests of all parties.

He suggested that it is important to wait and see how this unfolds.

Professor Selim Raihan of the Department of Economics at Dhaka University is a member of a task force formed to redefine the economic strategy and gather necessary resources for non-discriminatory sustainable development.

However, the 12-member task force does not include a single representative from religious or ethnic minorities.

Selim Raihan stated that both the reform commission and certain committees need to be more inclusive.

He noted that the government has the opportunity to appoint new members to enhance representation.

"After the mass uprising, we are advocating for a discrimination-free Bangladesh," he said. "In all cases, this should be kept in mind, and actions should be taken accordingly."