Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :
Democracy has been cherished by all as the best way of governing the country with the components of popular participation through representation. The voters repose faith in parliamentary democracy for a change. The true meaning of democracy is anchored in the voice of the people as the voice of God. A real meaning of democracy as’ a rule by the majority with the consent of minority’ echoes people’s say in the public policy and decision making that concern public interests – public participation in other words. The essence of democracy is governance by consultation. It proclaims resolving any crisis through dialogue, share and care. In other words participation is the dynamic aspect of democratic political culture. Democracy does not stand for violence and confrontational politics. For extra-constitutional agitation politics vitiates political environment very much contraindicated in democratic practice. For the present political crisis to be mitigated the best way out is democratic practice. In democracy the political party that win a majority of seats in the legislature, form the government and rules the country till the end of its tenure. There is nothing wrong in rule by majority as long as the party in power fulfils its constitutional obligations. The parliament is thought to be a house for national debate on the vital national and global issues. The participants in the debate as people’s representatives are supposed to have oratory skills for expressing views cogently and argumentatively. The conscious citizens appreciate the art of parliamentary debate and normal practice in the deliberation process. Our law makers perhaps know parliamentary culture and traditions with pre-existing norms and courtesy that developed overtime in western democracies Democracy in theory proclaims that every citizen including the minority has a share in power. The opinion of the minority cannot be by-passed. It values popular sovereignty, representative government, consensus decision, rule of law and human rights. ‘Democracy is unlikely to work unless the opposition is taken into confidence.’ For a well-functioning democracy the ruling party must take the opposition on board even if opposition members are wrong in its stance.
“It is only in a democracy that people can be empowered to demand and shape better policies, express grievances, seek justice and hold leaders and the private sector to account. Societies with strong, democratic institutions empower people to influence their government to prioritise national development that is equitable and sustainable. In a true democracy, people can demand better policies, express grievances, hold leaders to account and seek justice from abuse.However, governance has been distorted and abused by elites who have captured public institutions to advance their narrow interests. Globalization has created conditions for corruption both in its broad and narrow senses to flourish. At the same time, developing countries face pressure from aid agencies and foreign investors to pursue policies consistent with their ideologies in line with a neoliberal agenda. The top-down aid conditionality imposed by Washington-based institutions adds further pressure to introduce neoliberal reforms and makes developing countries’ governments more accountable to donor institutions than to their people. The true measure of good governance is its ability to deliver development based on realizing people’s human rights. It entails transparency, accountability, participation, and responsiveness to the needs of the poor, marginalized and underrepresented groups. Good governance is essential to achieve development while true participatory democracy ensures that development is equitable and sustainable. Public institutions need to be able to manage public resources and conduct public affairs in a manner that is free of corruption and abuse that upholds the rule of law and that protects and promotes the realization of the rights of its people. The true measure of good governance is the ability of a government to realize people’s human rights and deliver sustainable and equitable development. Good governance is derived through transparency, accountability, participation and responsiveness to the needs of the poor, marginalized and underrepresentedgroups.
The campaign for People’s Goals makes the following recommendations for good governance.
Actively engage people’s participation in development and implementation of policies at local and national level, and paying particular attention to include traditionally underrepresented groups such as women, basic sectors (workers and farmers), youth, disabled persons, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples;
Fully guarantee freedom of speech, a free press, the right to assembly and association, and the right to vote and be elected in public office;
Limit influence of money in politics by imposing spending limits, contribution limits, and bans on certain types of donations to political parties and offices;
Recognize and value cultural diversity of different communities and support and promote traditional knowledge and customary practices in governance;
Uphold the right of indigenous peoples’ communities to free prior and informed consent in all actions, policies and developments affecting their communities; and
Consciously expand education and awareness raising on people’s rights to participate in public affairs.
Institute measures for accountability, transparency, democracy and justice in governance.
Recognize, legislate, enact and operationalize the right to information. This includes publishing and disseminating budget information in easy and accessible formats through all possible means;
Perform social audits in partnership with civil society;
Hold public justice and law enforcement agencies – police force and courts – to highest standards of integrity and human rights adherence. Ensure access to remedies for victims of human rights violations by strengthening ombudspersons, elections commissions and human rights commissions; and
Introduce accountability mechanisms which people can access and participate in regardless of their background and which they can use to ensure that their human rights are being met; and ensure that these processes are decided in a transparent and equitable process.
Strengthen corporate accountability and human rights adherence.
Ensure compliance of business and industry with national laws and international human rights and environmental standards; and
Strive to create international rules and monitoring mechanisms to guide the conduct of transnational corporations, addressing issues such as transfer pricing, price fixing, tax evasion, corporate lobbying and interference in national politics.
The contemporary politics in a seemingly hazy political landscape like Bangladesh suffers from the process of depersonalization as intolerance among the politicians has reaching a dizzying height Distressingly democratic institutions in Bangladesh have been somewhat affected by distortion-ridden political culture. Parliamentary participation has been going through the process of depersonalization with damaging effects on society and economy. The very recent showdown with bickering and squabbling hit the news headlines and became the talk of the town for a couple of days. The destructive politics now-a day has become a sad overtone frustrating the masses. The people do not expect any erratic behaviour from the politicians that may tarnish the image of the country.
Bangladesh syndrome of destructive politics has been well reflected in the way the politicians conducted themselves under the whirlpool of emotional predisposition far away from sense and sensibility, reason and rationality. With zero tolerance polics is sliding into anarchy with some members showing strength without any qualm of decency and decorum. The unmitigated confrontational politics centering vandalism and killings adds to the current level of political intolerance that makes urban and peri-urban areas a rumpus with rolling noise and warring gesture of party cadre comparable to terrifying dances of ghosts. They have been bogged down to ever increasingly rowdiness and rusticism. Deeply involved in blame game some quarrelsome leaders , as we have seen TV channels, made a terrible show with slang in local dialect.
From opposition’s prolonged blockade and hard lines adopted by the ruling party as clear from its unpalatable reactions with indiscreet remarks of some its front line activists it seems that the country is returning to the sinister days of confrontation. But the ruling party needs to react carefully to retain its image. Harboring politics of intolerance will create distance between the government and the opposition. Only democratic practice can minimize it.
Both ruling party and the oppositional forces should put their heads together to think to shun politics of confrontation resolving outstanding political issues. The alarming situation stemming from confrontation has concerned the civil societies, diplomats and donors. They termed it as a sign of volatile political situation helping our leaders find possible way of imbroglio. Unless there is political stability there is no possibility of implementing development prgrammes contained various sectors of public policy.
In our country democracy cannot work properly-all to the wrath of the voters who might have voted for a change. The voters’ expectation soon turns into utter frustration as government by the brute majority relishes an authoritarian attitude with party high-ups concentrating power in their own hands. A lot of policy matters and laws have been ‘masterminded in a closed-door party forum and then passed in parliament hurriedly amid opposition from the ruling alliances own ranks.’
The contemporary parliamentary democracy in a seemingly hazy political landscape like Bangladesh suffers from the process of depersonalization as intolerance among the politicians especially associated with ruling party has reaching a dizzying height Distressingly parliamentary institution in Bangladesh has somewhat affected by distortion-ridden political culture. Parliamentary participation has been going through the process of depersonalization with damaging effects on society. The parliament is thought to be a house for national debate on the vital national and global issues. The participants in the debate as people’s representatives are supposed to have oratory skills for expressing views cogently and argumentatively. The conscious citizens appreciate the art of parliamentary debate and normal practice in the deliberation process. Our law makers perhaps know parliamentary culture and traditions with pre-existing norms and courtesy that developed overtime in western democracies.
(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor of Public Administration, Chittagong University)
