Mass people alienated from governance system: Experts

Bangladesh is presently facing a grave legitimacy crisis in the governance process from the grassroots to the top, said local government expert Dr Tofail Ahmed at a seminar in the capital yesterday.

Though there is a formal legitimisation in it, it severely lacks in effect, he said, adding, the mass people are not getting representatives of their choice and are alienated from the governance system.

The legitimacy of governance depends on whether the people who are affected by its decision and policies have participation in it, said Dr Zillur Rahman Khan, Rosebush Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, USA.

Moral legitimacy and accountability to people are central to governance, said Dr Ali Riaz, a professor of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, USA, while making a keynote presentation.

Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) organised the seminar titled “Governance: a critical examination” at Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies.The governance crisis cannot be resolved unless solution to legitimacy crisis is found, he said.

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, former advisor to a caretaker government, said the current realities in Bangladesh are just subversion of the country's founding dreams -- one being equality of all.  The rule of law has taken a backseat with the space for political competition reduced, he said. While the ruling government has achieved some progress in areas like social safety net, massive corruption too has been institutionalised like phenomenal escalation in project costs.       

A strong nexus between politics and business in some cases with the link to criminality virtually undermines political accountability, mother of all accountability, and weakens the state's capacity, said Manzoor Hassan, executive director of South Asian Institute of Advanced Legal and Human Rights Studies.   

“It is not in the general mindset that it is the people who are sovereign and the public office bearers have to serve the people,” said Tania Amir, a Supreme Court lawyer and activist.

New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, SHUJAN Secretary Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar and Prof Rashed Al Titumir also spoke while CGS Chairman Prof Ataur Rahman presided over the seminar.