prothom hello ,
The parliament formed through the January 7 election is, in effect, a one-party parliament. Even if the questionable turnout rate given by the Election Commission is accepted, the majority of people did not vote. How much of Westminster or parliamentary democracy as we imagine it has been preserved?
Rounaq Jahan
If a party comes to power repeatedly as the dominant elected party There is no problem if elections are acceptable to all and the government is formed. In India, Congress won elections for 20 consecutive years since 1947 and formed the government accordingly. Till date, Congress has formed the government by winning elections 10 times. The credibility of these elections was not questioned in India. The problem in our country is that three consecutive elections, 2014, 2018 and 2024, are not acceptable to everyone.
Questions have been raised regarding the election process and results. If democracy is to be kept alive in this country, then first of all the confidence of political parties in the election process will have to be restored. Our neighbors in South Asia – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives – all hold regular elections. There is intense competition, bitterness and bitterness among the parties, but everyone has confidence in the electoral system. They are taking part in the elections. They are accepting the election results. we are the only country Even after 52 years of independence they have failed to establish a credible election system.
The Awami League movement in 1996 resulted in all political parties accepting the system of elections under a non-partisan caretaker government. Everyone took part in such elections three consecutive times. The parties that lost raised questions about the election, but ultimately accepted the results. The power kept changing every time. Unfortunately, since the non-partisan caretaker government system was abolished in 2011, we have been unable to bring in an election system that is acceptable to all political parties. parties. All subsequent elections have been completely under the control of the ruling party.
Due to lack of competition and results being already decided, our people’s interest in voting is gradually decreasing. This time the voting percentage remains doubtful. Even if the official voting percentage is accepted, about 60 percent people did not vote. Unless we are able to conduct elections acceptable to all, we will not be able to fulfill even the minimum conditions of democracy. We will not be recognized as a democratic country on the international stage.
prothom hello ,
Even though the results were known in advance, a new government has been installed through an election on 7 January and a cabinet has been formed. The challenges facing this government are being discussed. What challenges will the government face in the political field? Are there really any challenges?
Rounaq Jahan
Having retained power after securing consecutive victories in three contentious elections, the government may well feel that it can use the state machinery, party power and various political moves and tactics to deal with all challenges from the political opposition in future. Can use. For many years we have been discussing and debating many political problems that remain Unsolved. Our democratic system and rule of law are continuously declining. Division is increasing in our society and politics. A handful of individuals and groups are exerting their vested influence over the policy making and implementation process of the government. All these problems pose serious challenges Government.
There is no consistency between the government’s various narratives regarding this election and the experience of people on the ground. The government says the election was fair; Democracy has been strengthened. But is this narrative acceptable to the people? But Conversely, this is the difference between the official narrative and The reality is creating a crisis of confidence in the country which is continuously widening the gap between the government and the people.
The first and foremost challenge before the government is to restore public confidence in its commitment to democracy. And to regain this confidence, first of all all the controversies related to the election process. There should be a settlement. Dialogue should be held with all major political forces in the country to design an electoral system that is acceptable to all. In the last 15 years, political parties could not reach any consensus on forming the government at the time of elections. People were unable to participate in truly competitive elections. Since the elections have been controversial, Bangladesh’s democracy has been questioned in global circles. Political stability will not be restored as long as the elections remain controversial.
The second challenge before this government is how to Identify the weaknesses and shortcomings that may arise in their work in the future. In a democratic system, generally speaking, it is the opposition in Parliament, the media and civil society that criticize government policies and discuss alternatives. They highlight the shortcomings of the government. But for the last several years the opposition has not played any effective role in our Parliament. Nor is there any opposition in the present Parliament. All of them are followers or supporters of the government.
In In the absence of an effective opposition, our media, think-tanks and civil society are discussing and criticizing the performance of the government. He has tried to hold the government accountable. But Media and civil society are gradually being intimidated By various laws and government pressures. When media and civil society organizations publish reports identifying various problems based on facts and figures rather than solving the problems, the government rejects such reports and describes them as malicious.
If there is no space to criticize the government without fear, the government will not be able to listen to diverse views. Policy formulation and implementation based on one-sided information and discussions will ultimately bring nothing good to the government. Therefore another task for the government would be to eliminate various laws that limit freedom of expression And create an environment for open discussion and debate.
The third challenge before our government will be to keep the political divide at a tolerable level so that people on both sides of the divide can co-exist peacefully instead of violence, so that they can resolve contentious issues. a process of Talk.
Nothing is impossible in politics. Our politicians often say that politics is no longer in their hands. Politics has gone into the hands of businessmen and bureaucrats. Now it is the responsibility of the politicians to bring politics back on track.