Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the CPD, said that “We expected that multiple political parties would participate in the national election. But in the end, a two-party election is effectively taking place in the country. As a result, candidates who make environmentally friendly or positive pledges often fail to receive adequate citizen support.”
He made the remarks at a media briefing held today, Saturday at the BRAC Centre Inn in Mohakhali, Dhaka.
The briefing, titled ‘Green Sustainable Economy in Electoral Areas and Expectations: Survey Findings of Candidates and Voters’, was organised by CPD with support from Climate Foundation Bangladesh.
At the media briefing, CPD’s research director Khandaker Golam Moazzem presented the survey findings. Also present were CPD’s senior research fellow Helen Mashiat, programme associates Sami Mohammad, Maliha Sabah, and Noor Yana Jannat, along with Shawkat Ara, programme director of Climate Foundation Bangladesh.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem said that a major challenge within a two-party election framework is that citizens’ multidimensional expectations are often not adequately reflected in candidates’ electoral goals and programmes. As a result, a kind of opportunistic tendency emerges among voters: they tend to vote for the candidate most likely to win. This means that candidates who make environmentally friendly or locally beneficial commitments may still receive fewer votes.
No commitment on environment protection
Khandaker Golam Moazzem said that to protect and restore the environment, it is essential to stop river filling, illegal sand extraction, stone theft, and unauthorised industrial factories.
He added that under the guise of local employment, brick kilns, sand extraction, or real estate projects are being presented as development, which is flawed. Since these issues are politically sensitive, candidates are avoiding them in their election manifestos and campaigns.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem believes that an MP-centric development framework will not be effective in the country.
He said that CPD’s survey provides a clear understanding of the role of MPs.
Voters want MPs to be involved in policymaking when it comes to project approval and funding. For the resolution of everyday local issues, voters prefer to rely on local government. Therefore, strengthening local government is necessary.
No clear funding structure in manifestos
When a journalist asked whether political parties’ election manifestos are merely for show, Khandaker Golam Moazzem responded that in recent years, manifesto-centric thinking among political parties has increased, which is positive. However, upon reviewing national-level election manifestos, almost all parties have spoken of ambitious goals and high expectations. Yet, there is no clear guidance on where the necessary funding for implementation will come from. Particularly, given the funding shortfalls left by the interim government in continuity with the previous administration, mobilising resources for new development projects will be a major challenge.
When asked whether this election will be inclusive, he said that recent surveys show that the votes of a dominant party (Awami League) are being treated as a “factor” in this election. This means a large segment of voters does not have the opportunity to vote according to their preference. As a result, voters’ freedom to choose candidates is somewhat restricted, which is not fully consistent with the concept of inclusive voting.
Khandaker Golam Moazzem also believes that for the sake of economic reforms, continuity must be maintained in some key positions appointed during the interim government even under future elected governments.
He said, “Especially in the reform process led by the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, I would request that no changes be made on political grounds.”