Shujan rolls out 18-point political reform proposal
Citizen’s platform Shushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) on Thursday said change in political culture and widespread reform in political landscape is needed to bring back welfare oriented politics in the country.
Shujan also called for reforms in the electoral system to restore people’s faith in elections at a roundtable on ‘Political Reform for Bangladesh and Citizens Perspective' at the capital’s Brac Center Inn Auditorium.
More than one speaker also called for introducing proportional representation in parliament and abolishing article 70 of the constitution which bars lawmakers from voting against one's own party in the parliament.
Shujan’s central coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarker presented an 18-point reform proposal which includes reinstating non partisan election time government, restoring non-communal spirit of the constitution, ensuring independent election commission, effective parliament, strong judiciary, free media, strong civil society and good governance in financial sector.
The youth called for ‘state repairs’ during last year’s road safety movement. The experience of the recent election has made it clear that reforming state mechanism is imperative, Dilip said.
Presiding over the session, Shujan president and former advisor to a caretaker government M Hafiz Uddin Khan called for introducing a neutral election time government for ensuring a free election.
“Our experience in over the last two decades has proved that no election would be fair in Bangladesh under the supervision of a political government. It has been proved over and over. So we want reinstatement of the caretaker government system or any other non-partisan election time government whatever you call it,” he said.
Claiming that no government organ has any accountability, Hafiz Uddin said the people must be entrusted with the power once they held.
Member of Shujan’s national committee CR Abrar said, “All our basic rights such as freedom of expression, casting our own votes, writing our opinions in the social media, are shrinking.”
Terming the present condition of the country as suffocating, the Dhaka University teacher said, “Abduction and extrajudicial killing have become normal. We don’t see much protest against the draconian digital security act nowadays. Sometimes, it seems that we have taken the matter as fait accompli and we are gradually surrendering.”
He urged all to get rid of fear and frustration to change the status quo.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan said the government is not giving any space to express difference of opinion.
Political parties started to demean people’s opinions after they started to get sweeping majority in parliament, she said.
“The electoral process has turned out to be a farce once the people were excluded from it,” Rizwana added.
Human rights activists Hameeda Hossain urged the political parties to practice intra-party democracy as they mostly were run by single person’s decisiona.
Former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain urged for decentralisation saying, “Federal system is very dangerous for country like us. No change will happen if we can’t decentralise our system.”
He raised his concern that liberal democracy is waning worldwide and Bangladesh is no exception.
Besides, Sakhawat fears that ultra-rightists may fill the vacuum created in political sphere.
Shujan secretary Badiul Alam Majumder, politician Rumeen Farhana, Zonaid Saki, Abdullah al Kafi Ratan, engineer Musbah Amin, among others, spoke at the roundtable.