'Democratic politics is a respectable avenue for serving people in the best way'
Prof. Emajuddin Ahamed
Presently vice-chancellor of University of Development Alternative (UODA), Dhaka, Prof. Emajuddin Ahamed was born in Malda district in 1932. He obtained BA in 1952 and MA in Political Science in 1954 from Dhaka University. In 1961, he received MA degree in English from the same university and obtained PhD from Queen's University, Canada in 1977. He joined Dhaka University as a senior lecturer in 1970, and rose to the position of vice-chancellor of DU in 1992. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 1992, Michael Madhusudan Gold Medal in 1992 and Bhasha Padak in 1998. He has written 38 books. Shamim Ashraf took the interview.
How much has the country advanced since 1/11?
The caretaker government (CTG) has done quite well since January 12, 2007. It has been instrumental in making the judiciary independent, reformed a few public bodies like the Election Commission, Anti-corruption Commission, and reconstituted bodies like Public Service Commission and University Grants Commission. The new voter ID card-cum-national ID card is a great thing done. The law and order situation has remained mostly normal during this period. The relief works during the floods and Sidr were commendable. On the other side one may find a dismal picture. The agenda of reforms initiated by the government has been left unattended. Their role in the areas of economic activities especially in creating jobs for the jobless, in attracting foreign investment and in keeping the prices of daily necessaries within the reach of low-income people has not been at all satisfactory. They've taken quite a long time in performing their assigned responsibility of holding the general election and even now the situation remains a bit uncertain. By extending their areas of work, they seemed to have posed to be philosopher kings for the society and tried to handle each and every branch of socio-political activity, although they were supposed to concentrate on preparing the ground for general election. Some of the advisers were found to indulge in big talk rather than meaningful work. As a result, during the later part of this government, they have incurred a lot of displeasure.
You said the situation is a bit uncertain…
I think the stage has at last been set for the general election. The considered views of the government on the one hand and those of the major political parties on the other seem to have converged. Consequently, much of the fog of confusion has evaporated. The proper environment for a free, fair and credible general election is yet to be created, however.
How to remove this uncertainty?
If you look at the demands the political parties, especially the major ones, are making for creating the right kind of environment for a credible general election, you will find that some of these are very strongly worded and appear quite reasonable. They want total withdrawal of emergency provisions. They also want ceremonial burial of the "minus-two" theory. They want re-scheduling of the upazila election dates. The government can remove these bottlenecks by taking steps judiciously. What purpose is the emergency likely to serve when the general election is being held after a couple of months? The government seems to be convinced beyond any doubt that the ill-conceived minus-two theory has no room in Bangladesh. The upazila election, to be meaningful, should be held in time and that time must be propitious for such a massive electoral exercise.
What is the lesson of 1/11 and following exercises?
The event of January 11, 2007 has been educative for the many in the society. People in general have learnt a lot, political leaders also learnt quite a bit. They have been put in situations they could never think of. The civil servants and other functionaries of the government also have learnt a lot. When a new, elected government takes over, these lessons might be visible in some areas quite distinctly.
Is peaceful election possible under emergency?
A peaceful and credible general election and the emergency provisions are strange bedfellows. The two cannot be bracketed for several reasons. A credible election demands a kind of open environment, which is never generated under emergency provisions, in the first place, even though some of the provisions may be withdrawn. Secondly, the general election for the House of the Nation is such a significant event at the national level that it should take place in an absolutely free and unfettered environment. The instance of the elections for city corporations and municipalities under emergency should not be cited in support of the general election of December 18 because those were local bodies and elections were held under different conditions. Finally, election under emergency provisions may appear as a veritable slur and damage national reputation.
What can be the proper mechanism to ensure democracy in political parties?
If the political parties are determined to have a democratic system in the country, and are to be the prime movers, it goes without saying that the parties must, first of all, be organised democratically. The top leaders of the parties must be elected by the party workers, and not by the party chief only. The party programs must be absolutely transparent. The leaders of the party must be accountable for their activities, not only to the party workers and leaders but also to the people for whom party programs have been formulated. Moreover, policies should be framed by consent and consensus of all concerned. The leadership should be guided by interests of the people and the nation. These qualities should be the guiding force of party leadership. The leaders should be motivated, and they should, on their own, adopt these as the basic premise of party programs. These cannot be forced on them; they should rather acquire them through their experience and wisdom.
How to ensure transparent financial dealings of political parties?
Since the party leaders deal with the people, they should be open and transparent in regard to party funds. In this area, the Election Commission has a crucial role to play. The Commission may suggest ways and means of fund-raising and how the funds can be audited with a view to bringing in transparency.
Is there any need to bring the top two leaders to a table?
Democracy as a socio-political system works only in conjunction with democratic culture, and democratic culture implies a sense of mutual respect, tolerance, compromise, consent and consensus. The leaders of political parties must be gifted with these virtues. Power proposition is antithetical to democratic values. Since the two political parties -- Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Awami League -- are the biggest of the lot and since they account for practically 80 percent of the votes in any election, the two leaders should play a pivotal role in giving a sense of direction to other leaders in matters of democratic values. If they meet, as they should, well and good for the country; even if they do not meet, they can, by their behavioural and attitudinal manifestations, usher is a new chapter in Bangladesh by scrupulously following democratic culture, whether in position or in opposition. They are the ones who can, by setting examples, rejuvenate democratic culture in the political society. Democratic politics is after all the respectable avenue for serving the people and the society in the best possible manner.
What do you think of the ordinances promulgated by the CTG?
The promulgation of an ordinance by the president is necessary to handle any untoward situation in the country when the Jatiya Sangsad is not in session. The non-party caretaker government has not only taken much longer to discharge its assigned responsibility but has also exceeded its responsibility and performed more than what is within its jurisdiction. The promulgation of so many ordinances by the unelected government indeed looks unnatural.
What is your comment about Article 70 of the Constitution?
Article 70 of Bangladesh's Constitution is quite useful in that it has prevented the kind of horse-trading amongst the elected members of the parliament prevalent in some developing countries in terms of shifting of allegiance to a new party. It has, however, done a great disservice in that the elected members have to keep their mouths shut on anything which the party caucus dislikes. The jatiya sangsad has to evolve a satisfactory mode whereby the members of the sangsad elected on party tickets can express their views freely on anything, and at the same time maintain their loyalty to the party.
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