Roundtable calls for participatory democracy
Staff Correspondent
Representation of mass people has to be ensured in the next parliament to guarantee accountability of lawmakers and establish participatory democracy in the country, speakers said at a roundtable yesterday.
The next parliament will not be effective if parliamentary affairs are conducted on the basis of seat proportion because existence of such a small opposition cannot create the checks and balances required for a functional parliament, they observed.
The speakers referred to the eighth parliament during the five-year tenure of the last BNP-led alliance government when 12 of the 52 parliamentary committees did not hold any meeting while the highest number of meetings a committee held was just 12.
It takes at least a month to have a bill passed in parliaments in developed countries like the UK while in Bangladesh bills were passed in that parliament within a minute without any discussion even among the lawmakers, they observed.
The daily Prothom Alo organised the roundtable on expectations from parliament at its office yesterday morning. A number of prominent legal experts, educationists, economists, human rights activists and media personalities attended the discussion.
The discussants expressed opinions in favour of bringing some changes in the constitution and state structure, like appointing younger lawmakers as ministers and debarring the corrupt from becoming ministers.
“The situation arising out of such a small size of the opposition is totally different and measures like appointing the speaker or deputy speaker from the opposition will not make parliament functional this time,” said former caretaker government adviser and Chairman of Regulatory Reforms Commission Dr Akbar Ali Khan.
“In addition to ensuring participation of opposition parties, opportunities must be ensured for mass people to participate in making decisions in parliament,” he added.
The speakers emphasised the role of media in gathering public opinions on issues raised in parliament and making them aware of those issues. A bill must be made available for public discussion before passing it in parliament, they added.
“We have seen a bill getting passed in parliament in a minute without having any reading… The constitutional provision for discussing each bill in parliament has to be implemented,” said Prof Muzaffer Ahmad, convenor of Shushashoner Jannoy Nagorik, a civil society initiative to promote good governance.
“Devolution of power has to be ensured so that power reaches at the doorstep of every citizen,” he added.
Political scientist Prof Harunur Rashid said, “The winner must not take it all. No rule by numbers. We are having parliamentary democracy meaning the government and the opposition are part and parcel of the process of ensuring democracy.”
Emphasising the need for immediate trial of war criminals, discussants also spoke for ensuring absolute independence of the judiciary and impartial continuation of the anti-corruption drive. They said a change has also to be brought within the first year in public bodies like the Public Service Commission and University Grants Commission to stop politicisation.
“Only politicians can give the people of the country a better future. No advancement can take place in the country unless the political parties depend on and help each other,” said educationist Prof Emajuddin Ahmed.
The speakers recommended reducing the recess between two parliament sessions to a month from 60 days.
They also anticipated an impending trouble in dealing with 120 ordinances passed during the tenure of this caretaker government.
They also put emphasis on having an independent speaker in parliament, opinions of civil society representatives and people on bills before it is placed in parliament for approval, formation of a “prices commission” to check price hike, reducing the size of the prime minister’s secretariat, coordinated policy to ensure health services, reducing number of parliamentary standing committees and regular briefings–at least twice a year–by political parties to inform people about implementation of their promises.
Former adviser to caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan, economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, women’s leader Salma Khan, former adviser Sultana Kamal, jurist Dr Shahdeen Malik, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Annisul Huq, Prof Asif Nazrul, media personality Hanif Shanket and Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman were present at the discussion, among others. Abdul Quayum, joint editor of Prothom Alo, moderated the roundtable.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
