No respite from dynastic politics if parties don’t choose leaders democratically: Salimullah Khan

There will be no respite from dynastic politics unless all the political parties do not elect their leaders democratically, writer Salimullah Khan has remarked.

He further said let the details of funds of political parties be published.

Salimullah Khan said this while addressing a session of national dialogue on “Unity in Which Way”, at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium in the capital on Friday.

Today was the first day of the two-day dialogue on unity, reforms and elections. The dialogue has been organised by the Forum for Bangladesh Studies (FBS).

Addressing the dialogue, Salimullah Khan said, “There has been scratches if not breaches in unity. Probably no consensus has been reached about reforms. There are not even any programmes where everyone would reach a consensus on reform issues. That is why we speak of the necessity of a bare minimum level of reforms, devoid of which we cannot hold elections.”

“We all know the basic principle of democracy is that the representatives elected by the people will establish the people’s governance. We need to reach a consensus on two issues here. The reform initiatives are like a two-storey building, with two rooms - state and national society - on the top floor. Whatever changes we are talking about now, a constituent assembly will be elected. Either they will adopt the constitution or change the old constitution. That will be subject to our consensus,” he added.

He also said the public opinion that has developed to create this society ... All kinds of institutions including schools and colleges, national religious organisations, trade unions, business associations - can be called the second chamber.

He mentioned that the 15 years of governance of Sheikh Hasina is proof that a fascist regime could be implemented without imposing a one-party rule.

“There has to be a minimum level of consensus among us in some cases. We will take the time necessary for that only. But that cannot be an eternity. This is because, if people agreed to be governed by an unelected government, they could have stayed under the governance of Sheikh Hasina,” Salimullah Khan pointed out.

He expressed, “If the parliament is made bicameral, the members of the upper chamber cannot be made without elections. We consider some reforms as compulsory for elections in the future. There are questions of reforms in the education sector as well.”

He remarked that nothing much is being discussed regarding the ground floor.

According to him a permanent reform is necessary in the economic system or production system, the base of everything.

Salimullah Khan also raised a question, where is the manifesto of what the next elected governments would do. This should be there in pledges to be made to the people that the political parties would establish democracy within themselves. There will be no respite from dynastic politics unless all the political parties do not elect their leaders democratically.

“The businesspersons would get the scope of doing business. We do not oppose the investment and growth of capital but that has to be done following the laws of the land. Social inequality has appeared due to the illegal accumulation of capital in the last 50 years,” he added.