Reforms in political parties essential, proposal to fix age for political leaders

It is essential to organise the elections as soon as possible in the current context. Otherwise, crises will intensify.

This was said at a roundtable on democratic transition in Bangladesh at the National Press Club in the capital on Friday.

The speakers at the roundtable said reforms within the political parties are essential first to turn the state into a state for the people. No reform initiatives will be sustainable unless political parties are not reformed.

Leaders of various political parties, civil society members and cultural activists attended the roundtable, which was organised by weekly magazine Ekota.

Noted economist professor Anu Muhammad proposed to fix a retirement age for the political leaders.

According to him, this is not right that a person is made a leader and he gets the position forever. Autocracy is born from this thought of permanency. That is why it is necessary to have an elected representative at every layer of a political party, with a fixed age for each layer.

Urging to mobillise public opinion for reforming the political parties, Anu Muhammad said ensuring a balance in representation of all religious groups, ethnicity and gender within a political party is a must for the organisation to be called a national level political party. Otherwise, no pro-people political power will emerge.

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) president Shah Alam urged for an election as soon as possible. Otherwise, crises will deepen, he remarked.

He acknowledged that they could not realise the first stage of the student-people uprising of July. That is why the rightists have made a stronger footprint.

Shah Alam put emphasis on unity among the left-leaning democratic forces in the second phase, before the elections.

Udichi Shilpi Goshthi president professor Badiur Rahman pointed out that the past military rulers did not try to compose a new constitution, instead, they ruled keeping withholding the constitution. Now an attempt has been made to compose the constitution anew.

He criticised the proposal to change the four fundamental principles of the constitution.

Journalist Mozammel Hossain Manju called for opening the gate of democracy holding the elections as soon as possible by carrying out minimum reforms.

Professor Tajul Islam said the country was kept in a non-democratic condition to create scopes of looting during the previous government. That is why the democratic situation has to be brought back through elections.

He expressed that a democratic condition would return to the country through either two or three or four elections.

Observing that there are many good things written in the constitution though the document has been amended 17 times but none are following those, BASAD general secretary Bajlur Rashid Firoz said, what is the guarantee that the reform proposals that have been made today will be followed tomorrow.

He also puts emphasis on reforming the political parties.

CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said the chief adviser, during a meeting with them, assured that reforms will be carried out in cases where a consensus will be reached with the political parties. And discussions will be organised before taking any decision in cases of disagreements.

He urged for initiating discussions with the political parties soon.

Weekly Ekota editor and CPB presidium member Afrozan Nahar Badshah chaired the roundtable, where Bangladesh JASAD leader Mushtaq Hossain, Gano Forum general secretary Mizanur Rahman also spoke.

Afrozan Nahar Badshah regretted the absence of female participation in the closing speech.

Former head of development research at the United Nations and professor at Institute of South Asian Growth, Nazrul Islam presented an article on the reports of the reform commissions on the constitution and the electoral system in the roundtable.

Besides, chairman of economic research bureau at Dhaka University, MM Akash, presented an article on democratic transition of Bangladesh and its socio-economic reforms.

Nazrul Islam, in his article, raised questions on whether there is any necessity to write the constitution anew, as has been proposed by the constitution reform commission. He, however, remarked that there could be reforms by including the aspirations of the student-people as has been expressed in July.

Speaking about the bicameral parliament system, he said this was not clarified why it was necessary for Bangladesh. Neither has it been clarified about the jurisdiction and process of division of power between the two houses of parliament.

According to Nazrul Islam, the proportional election system is the best possible system. The reform commission said about the proportional election system for the upper house but this system is more necessary for the lower house.

Professor Nazrul Islam remarked that the proposals of the constitution and electoral system reform commissions regarding strengthening the local government are positive.

He, however, apprehended whether the proposed national constitutional parishad turns into another centre of power or not.

Professor MM Akash mentioned bringing reforms in the financial, energy and market sectors. Otherwise, social instability will intensify. According to him, already symptoms of these are appearing.

MM Akash in his article also said a list has to be prepared about the police, and education officials, bureaucrats and traders and they have to be brought to book.

Proper trial instead of mob justice has to be ensured and there should be emphasis on how to bring back the huge amount of money laundered in the last decade, he stressed.

MM Akash hoped, “However uncertain the future is, it is expected that there would not be any debate about settled issues like the liberation war.”

In a discussion on both the articles, Centre for Policy Dialogue’s (CPD) distinguished fellow professor Mustafizur Rahman said the white paper has shown that USD 16 billion have been laundered. If the initiative is taken to bring back the money, all the money launderers will start opposing this government in unison. But there should not be any backtracking from this, rather efforts should continue in this regard.

Mentioning that there is a pressure on the government to generate revenue, Mustafizur Rahman stated revenue cannot be increased through VAT and supplementary duty. Instead, direct tax has to be increased.

The government had an opportunity to tighten the grip on the people’s tendency to evade taxes for a long time. This has been wasted. But still there is time, he added.