PARTY REORGANISATION
AL plans top-down approach,BNP for bottom-up
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury and Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee
Major political parties, including the ruling Awami League and the opposition in parliament Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are planning to democratically revitalise respective parties and hold national council sessions after the January 22 upazila elections.
The Awami League is planning to hold its national council session first, to be followed by the councils of its grassroots units. Its political archrival BNP, which faced a debacle in the December 29 general elections, is planning to revitalise the party from the grassroots.
The political parties in general and registered parties in particular need to ratify the changes in its constitution made by respective policy-making bodies for the registration with the Election Commission.
The parties in question must ratify the provisions in national council sessions six months inside the first sitting of the ninth parliament, according to the Representation of the People (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2008.
The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, has summoned the first session of the ninth parliament on January 25.
Thirty nine political parties have so far registered with the Election Commission till November.
‘The Awami League has plans to make room for young and dedicated leaders in all tiers,’ the party’s presidium member, Matia Chowdhury, also the agriculture minister, told New Age on Saturday. ‘There is nothing to be surprised about in making room for the young in keeping with the demand of the time.’
She said the party would begin making preparations for national council sessions in March. ‘The [national] council session is likely to be held in April.’
Syed Ashraful Islam, the spokesman of the Awami League which has so far 228 lawmakers in the 300-strong parliament with 48 per cent popular vote, on Friday told New Age the party would hold conferences at grassroots after holding the national council session.
Although the tenure of the national committee of the Awami League is three years, its national council, which was due in 2005, could not be arranged.
The Awami League’s previous council session was held on December 26, 2002 when Sheikh Hasina was re-elected the party president and Abdul Jalil the general secretary.
The BNP secretary general, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, said the party would begin reorganisation from grassroots immediately after the upazila elections. ‘We are planning to reorganise ward, union, upazila, municipal, city and district committees to make the party active and strong,’ he told New Age on Saturday.
He said the party would form joint secretary general-level committees to look into the conditions of grassroots committees.
Asked, he said the national council session would be held at the earliest after reorganising grassroots committees.
The BNP, which had 193 lawmakers in the eighth parliament, has secured only 28 seats in the present parliament with 32.45 per cent popular vote. The BNP last held its last council session in 1993.
The Jatiya Party’s presidium member Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu on Saturday told New Age they were also planning to hold the national council session in six months to met requirement of registration of political parties with the Election Commission. The Jatiya Party has so far 25 lawmakers in the parliament.
Islami Andolon Bangladesh, which has emerged as the fifth largest party securing 1.5 per cent popular vote, has convened a two-day meeting of its majlish-e-shura to decide holding of the national council sessions, Maulana Hemayetuddin, Dhaka city unit president, told New Age on Saturday.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
