Think tank says PR, appointment committees may sound attractive but not practical
Drawing on experiences from other countries, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) today suggested that the interim government's National Consensus Commission drop the proposal of a bicameral parliament, saying it is not realistic considering the Bangladesh's political culture.
To strengthen parliamentary accountability and democratic institutions in Bangladesh, CPD instead recommended that the existing unicameral parliament be made stronger through legal, institutional, and structural reforms.
CPD, at its national dialogue, titled "Can the proposed upper house ensure accountability of the majority party in the National Parliament?", disseminated recent research findings on parliamentary reform and accountability.
The research findings were presented by Khandaker Golam Moazzem, research director at CPD, and Prof Nizam Ahmed, of Chittagong University's Department of Public Administration, at InterContinental Dhaka.
According to CPD's analysis, several proposed constitutional and electoral reforms, such as a bicameral parliament, proportional representation, inclusion of non-partisan individuals, or formation of appointment committees, may sound attractive in principle but are not practical in Bangladesh's political context.
The research pointed out that due to long-standing political loyalty, patronage networks, and a "winner takes all" culture, such reforms often become symbolic. Instead of ensuring accountability and balance, they may lead to political deadlock, greater influence struggles, and increased centralisation of power.
CPD said that without structural and cultural change, institutional reforms alone cannot bring effective accountability. Therefore, instead of forming an upper house, efforts should focus on making the existing parliament more functional.
To strengthen the parliamentary system, CPD suggested several practical measures. These include appointing opposition MPs as chairs of parliamentary standing committees, ensuring transparency in political party funding and spending, making local government more financially independent, increasing women's participation in local and national elections, and reforming laws to prevent defection from political parties.
CPD also believes that the ruling party should have the authority to make appointments to key executive and constitutional positions to ensure smooth governance. However, these appointments should be subject to review by parliamentary scrutiny committees.
The study further recommended forming an independent commission to provide consultation and evaluation before and after the legislative process. Modelled after the European Union's "European Commission for Democracy through Law," this body could be named the "Commission on Democracy, Legislation, Executive, and Parliamentary Affairs."
According to the CPD research, this commission would work to strengthen the constitution, laws, and administrative policies, protect citizens' rights, and promote democratic development of local government.
