TIB’s Report and Bangladesh’s Political Climate

TIB’s Report and Bangladesh’s Political Climate
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Highlights

TIB’s Report and Bangladesh’s Political Climate, The report of Non-governmental corruption watchdog Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on 18 March’14 said that

The report of Non-governmental corruption watchdog Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on 18 March’14 said that Bangladeshi parliament lack a proper opposition party to hold the executive branch accountable to people. TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman has been said in the press conference releasing of their organization’s findings of a study on the ninth parliament “There is no opposition in Parliament in a real sense. There is an opposition in alphabetical meaning but not in real sense. Indeed, they are a part of the government”.

Since the beginning of 2014, a series of political turmoil have paralyzed the country, and hundreds have died in violent clashes between rival political factions. Volatility, indiscretion and abnormality appear to be present everywhere in the country, be it in the political field or in the economic sector or within the administration or in the social arena. The basic fabric of the society has been shaken. Top opposition leaders, political workers, general peoples have been arrested. Courts have delivered guilty verdicts and death sentences that flout the most basic standards of due process.

Responsibility for this crisis sits squarely with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the Awami League party. Ms. Hasina seems determines to hang on to power after the general elections in January and to neutralize her opponents by any means necessary. In 2011, she scrapped a constitutional provision for the governing party to cede power to a neutral caretaker government three months before elections take place. Instead, Ms. Hasina set up an “all-party” government over which she presides.
Before 5th January’14 election there were many survey conducted by a government-leaning leading newspaper, has revealed that around 90% of the people wanted the parliamentary election to be held under the non-party caretaker government. Yet the government is arrogantly has held the election under their party government. The provision of the non-party caretaker government was in the Constitution. But the government - disregarding overwhelming majority views of the people, civil society and legal experts. TIB’s recent report concerned over the journey of incumbent Parliament without opposition which do not know about its sustainability whether the 10th Parliament would be able to fulfill the expectation of the people.
sheik hasina
The TIB parliamentary watch report has revealed that the quorum crisis during the ninth parliament caused the country waste of time worth over Tk 104 crore where total of 222 hours and 36 minutes were wasted during the 19 sessions of the ninth parliament from 2009 to 2013. This estimation has said around Tk 78,000 is needed for every minute when parliament is in session. It showed that only 8.2 percent time, meaning 109 hours and 44 minutes, was spent for enacting laws during the ninth parliament. According to report, a number of important laws were passed within three to four minutes during the last parliament that dissolved on January 24. So this is very unfortunate situation for our country politics or economic situations.
The police in Bangladesh have been acting as political cadres of the governing party. They are behaving in an apparent discriminating way and applying the law with utmost partiality. The government party workers and leaders appear to be above the law, whereas the opposition party workers and leaders seem to be the victims and targets of all actions and atrocities of the police force. This is totally against the principle of non-discrimination ensured by Article 28(1) of the Constitution. The recent attitudes, behaviors and actions of the police force clearly suggest that the primary duty of the police has changed in Bangladesh.
In the present time upazila election is the very up to date information that is being what’s going on in Bangladesh. Election Commissioner talking about present election but his expression of satisfaction over how the election passed is not borne out by the reportage in the media that revealed incidents of blatant violation of electoral rules in a fairly good number of polling centres. This is very clear election commissioner has failed to look at the whole picture while making that rather sweeping upbeat assessment so finally he was going to fly as like thief from the country. On the other hand, the prime minister's political adviser's claim that this phase of election passed more peacefully than the earlier ones is clearly an overstatement. Truly, an election where more than 12 people were killed and where violence occurs in 300 out of the 500 UZ where the election was held cannot be, by any measure, called peaceful.
There are enough reason for TIB’s fears to deepen accountability of the government where have no real opposition parties and as the UZ elections violence at present time. With economic progress the people hoped that the rule of law would help to secure and safeguard democratic norms, but that's not happening in the present scenario of Bangladesh where government had made immediately after re-assuming power after the January 5 elections by their false promises.
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