Reforming the Nation

1
Reforming the Nation

• Changes and Challenges in Bangladesh
• Iftekhar Iqbal
• Department of History
• University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

2
Background

• Existing democratic order since 1991 could not
  perform
• Non-functioning parliament
• Street agitations and political killings
• Wide spread corruption in politics and electoral
  process
• No inter-party democracy
• 11/1

3
Agencies (The caretaker government)

• Political parties to register with the Election
  Commission in order to be eligible for contesting
  in the next and subsequent elections. The
  eligibility criteria for registration is
• --A political party which has secured at least
  one seat in the previous eight national elections
  since 1972 or which have secured at least 2 of
  votes nationally.
• --For the new parties entering the elections
  have to have units at district and or
  sub-district-level with 1000 and 200 registered
  members respectively.

4
The caretaker government (cont)

• Complete financial transparency within and
  across the party.
• No political parties should have any front
  organization such as among students or teachers.
• No political party should have any branch abroad.
  
• Implication of this reform is two-fold to
  reduce the number of unknown or confusing
  political parties and fronts. Secondly, it
  indicates that the government is expecting new,
  sympathetic, parties to be formed.

5
The caretaker government (cont)

• Stopping nomination business During general
  elections, party nominations used to be given to
  the candidates who could buy them at a huge
  price. For instance, in the run-up to the
  now-postponed general elections, nominations for
  parliamentary seats were sold at prices between
  0.7m to 2.8m.
• People spend money in the hope that when elected
  to power they could amply recoup the investment
  by using the state machinery. Those in power,
  therefore, tend to resort to all sorts of
  corruption, including attempts to manipulate the
  electoral process.

6
The caretaker government (cont)

• Partys parliamentary committee headed by the
  chief of the party and some top leaders used to
  enjoy absolute discretion in nominating anyone
  they liked. Local people and grassroots level
  activists had little say in the process and
  therefore dedicated local leaders were sidelined
  at the expense of black money holders and
  businessmen. It was no wonder that in the
  Parliament 52 of MPs were businessmen.
• The Election Commission has proposed that
  electoral nominations come from the grass-root
  level. In this system, members of the local units
  of a political party will primarily elect their
  leaders through secret ballots.

7
The caretaker government (cont)

• Electoral Reforms
• Candidates are required to disclose their
  educational qualifications, criminal records and
  source of income and expenditure and information
  relating to debt and liabilities. The candidate
  is also required to consent to their information
  being published on the website of the Election
  Commission.
• Grounds for disqualification in participating in
  the election includes
• 1. If not member of a registered party for at
  least three years .
• 2. Government servant and NGO
  officials/activists who retired less then three
  years ago.
• 3. Loan defaulters.
• Results of a polling station has to be published
  as soon as available at the presence of the
  Presiding Officer, competing candidates and their
  agents to remove confusion.

8
Reforms within political partiessummary of
proposals within both BNP and Awami League

• There has been hardly any internal democracy
  within the political parties in Bangladesh. The
  Chairperson/President of the party retains
  absolute authority regarding major decisions and
  appointments.

9
Reforms within political parties (cont)

• Reform proposals are
• Party leaders to be elected by councillors
  /majority party members at all levels.
• Councillors, rather than Chairperson, will elect
  all members of the National Executive Committee.
• Members the National Standing Committee to be
  elected by National Council.

10
Reforms within political parties (cont)

• The Chairperson no more to enjoy the right to
  scrap the constitution of the Party at her will
  (BNP).
• No more than two terms for Party Chair
• Party Chief and head of the state should not be
  the same person
• Elected PM to consult the Party chairperson and
  National Standing Committee on policy issues.

11
Reforms within political parties (cont)

• Transparency about financial matters at all
  levels of the party hierarchy (regular submission
  of wealth statements etc.)

12
Reform proposals from the political parties for
state polity and governance

• Balance between the power of the President and
  the PM
• Ban on boycotting parliament sessions, making
  floor crossing by members of parliament difficult
  and prohibition on hartal or siege.
• In the parliamentary standing committees, ensure
  proportionate representation from lawmakers of
  both the treasury and opposition benches.

13
Reform proposals from political parties for state
polity and governance (cont)

• Two deputy speakers, one from the treasury bench
  and another from the opposition.
• If any lawmaker remains absent for 30 consecutive
  days instead of the present provision of 90
  days without the speakers permission, he or she
  will lose membership of parliament.
•  Government recruitment policy through Public
  Service Commission to be thoroughly reviewed.
• An attractive pay structure for public servants
  and proper training for them.

14
Reform proposals from political parties for state
polity and governance (cont)

• Independent judiciary.
• Independent Anti-Corruption Commission
• Independent and strong local government.
• Formation of a national security council for
  ensuring national security, integrity, law and
  order, containing militancy, and securing energy,
  food and water resources Echoes the Army Chiefs
  suggestions
• Appointment of an ombudsman.

15
Expected results of reforms

• End of dynastic rule and restore democratic
  governance
• Rule of Law
• Corruption-free polity
• Growth of economy
• Recovery of black money an estimated amount of
  25-30 billion black money in Bangladesh.
• Smuggled money to be returned. There is an
  estimated amount of 3b smuggled out of
  Bangladesh.

16
Cost of reforms

• National ID card with multipurpose (eg elections,
  passport application, opening of bank account
  national services like VGF vulnerable group
  feeding). To be coordinated by UNDP estimated
  cost 60-80 million will take five to seven
  years
• For National Voter ID card with or without
  photographwe will need 12000 laptops, 12000
  finger scanner, 12000 web camera, 3000 generator,
  500 server and a whole of lot of IT things
  30,000 voter registration centres, 200,000 data
  collectors. To cover between 750 to 900 million
  people.