Noted citizens at a roundtable here on Sunday stressed the need for the decentralisation of power to strengthen the democratic institutions and ensure the rule of law and strike a balance of power among the country’s three basic organs.
They, however, said the decentralisation of power is not possible without the good will of political parties and unity among them.
The eminent citizens also voiced concern that parliament has turned into one-party place and stressed empowering the Election Commission (EC), the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Judiciary.
They also opined that the elections to the local government bodies can be held with the direct participation of the political parties.
Concerned Citizens Group, a non-political platform of the country’s noted citizens, arranged the roundtable titled ‘Checks and Balance:
Decentralisation’ at the city’s Cirdap auditorium. Former Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, former caretaker government advisers, M Hafizuddin Khan, Dr MM Shawkat Ali, Executive Director of Policy Research Institute Ahsan H Mansur, and local government expert Tofail Ahmed were, among others, present at the programme.
Speaking at the programme, Shamsul Huda said, “We don’t have any desire to be the country’s President or the Prime Minister. Our objective is to make democracy and people’s empowerment sustainable. We also want the decentralisation of power, but we can’t do it. Only the politicians can execute it.”
He said, only the elections are not enough to consolidate democracy. “We need to make our constitutional bodies effective. The decentralisation will not be fruitful if the administration, judiciary, EC and ACC can be made strengthened and effective. Though unfortunate, this is the fact that these institutions are now politicised.”
Mentioning that a political consensus is necessary for the decentralisation of power, Shamsul Huda said, “The political division is more complicated in Indian than ours. But, their political parties are united when it comes to their national interests.”
Local government expert Tofail Ahmed said, “The current parliament has become one-party one…decentralisation of power is needed to overcome this situation. Or else, the situation will turn worse gradually.”
He said, over-empowerment and over-centralised power are not only harmful to a state, but also to a family. “Overpower makes people irrational and it also make some people desperate and crazy.”
About the empowerment of administration, he said, “A secretary’s power should not be ended up in the authority of a minister. But, decentralisation is not possible if the secretary becomes a political activist.”
He recommended bringing the Zila Parishds across the country under the rule of elected representatives as soon as possible.
Dr Shawkat Ali said the local government bodies cannot be empowered for lack of decentralisation of power. “Enough monetary allocation should be ensured from the centre for making the local government bodies effective.”
He, however, said the complete decentralisation of power is not possible in Bangladesh as it is an integrated state and it has no province.
Ahsan H Mansur said the decentralisation of power will not be possible if the country’s resources are not properly distributed and all sources of money remain in the hands of centre. “Financial independence must be ensured for the expansion of the government bodies alongside proper distribution of the national resources.”
He suggested formation of an independent finical commission for proper distribution of the national resources to empower the local government bodies.
