Intolerant democracy prevailing in country

An intolerant democracy is prevailing in Bangladesh and through its modus operandi democracy's actual characteristics are eroded, former adviser to a caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan told a conference yesterday.

Democracy in Bangladesh is weakening despite the democratic movements of the last three or four decades alongside other mass movements, elections and change in governments, he said.

There are many derailments, including in constitutional bodies which are witnessing decay. For instance, power is concentrated at the core and the parliament was losing power, he said.

Stressing that democracy cannot be ensured only by replacing one ruling party with another, he pointed out that in the country's electoral system, a party which got only 40 percent of votes can have 60 percent of the seats in parliament.

“153 persons got seats in parliament without any votes being cast in their favour...After assuming power through elections, political parties think they can do whatever they want,” he said.

Hartals would become redundant if the country had a system of holding referendums on issues of national interest, he told the Fifth National Conference of Shushashoner Jannoy Nagorik (SHUJAN) in the capital's Institute of Diploma Engineers.

For example, whether voters want a caretaker government during elections could be ascertained through holding a referendum, he said, adding that whether a caretaker government was needed was an issue of the voters, not the political parties.

The country is witnessing an elected autocracy in the guise of democracy, said former chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, adding that the kind of electoral democracy practiced in the country was a reflection of regressive and limited conceptualisation of democracy.

As a result not even the limited scope of practicing democracy in the existing electoral system is utilised. Not even the benefits of electoral democracy are achieved in the country as the opposition frequently boycotts the parliament, he said.

“The 2014 election saw goals scored in an empty field...no party ever benefitted from boycotting elections,” said Shamsul.

Corruption prevails in every facet of the public sector. “Services for everything starting from birth certificates to death certificates and anything in between require bribes,” he said, adding that for this poor and low-income people suffered the most.

SHUJAN Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said political parties should immediately reach a consensus about a poll-time government to ensure that future elections were fair, competitive and participatory. 

“Judged by what we know from Bangladesh's history, it cannot be said with certainty that future elections will be free of rigging and the administration, law enforcement agencies and the election commission will be free of partisanship,” he said.

Discussants lauded SHUJAN and stated that establishing democracy required more civil society organisations like it.

With SHUJAN President M Hafizuddin Khan in the chair, former Dhaka University (DU) vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahmed, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua and DU teacher Robaet Ferdous also spoke.