Speakers at roundtable express concern over rule of law
Rule of law in the country is at stake now as people are worried they won’t get justice from the existing system, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.
The speakers also stressed the need for a mass movement saying rule of law won’t be established until transparency and accountability are ensured in every sector.
They criticised lawmakers, law-enforcement agencies and the judiciary for violating laws and said law is now being used in the interest of politics and certain individuals.
Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan), a platform of civil society members, organised the roundtable titled “Current state of rule of law in Bangladesh” at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Shujan President Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said people expected a democratic environment after the national polls but it could not be achieved.
“Rule of law is now questioned as there is no such situation in the country where people can expect justice,” he said. Even efforts are on to snatch people’s rights through use of law, he added.
“We notice that conspiracy is on in a planned way to stifle the protesting voices,” he said, urging all to protest unitedly once again and stand against injustice for the sake of democracy.
Shujan would form a human chain on January 8 as part of its raising voice against injustice, he announced.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Chairman M Hafizuddin Khan said rule of law cannot be established until transparency is ensured everywhere.
“We apprehend an undeclared fascism in the country,” he said.
Referring to the judiciary, he said, “We could not figure out a transparent process to recruit judges in the last 40 years. It has become politicised.”
Rights activist Sultana Kamal said rule of law is a cultural matter and it is necessary to bring the culture into people’s habit.
The people have lost their faith in the judiciary as they do not believe they can seek its help, said Sultana Kamal, also executive director of Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).
“There is nothing more painful for a nation than this situation,” she said, adding, the people have lost their sense of seeking justice for being under military rule for long.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud said it is expected that laws of the land would be applied neutrally as law is more a moral issue, not a political one.
“But we can now say that laws are being used in the interest of politics and certain individuals,” he added.
“The state is becoming barbaric and rulers are becoming ferocious like animals,” he said, adding, the rule of law will collapse totally if the prevailing state does not change.
Justice Qazi Ebadul Haque said rule of law would not be established in the country until people respect the law.
“We have to elect representatives who are respectful to laws,” he observed.
Asif Nazrul, professor of law at Dhaka University, said, “We don’t make good laws effective but we often execute bad laws badly.”
It is regrettable that the people responsible for establishing rule of law are disobeying the laws themselves, he added.
Among others, Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, Inam Ahmed Chowdhury and Mahmudur Rahman Manna spoke.
