SALEEM SAMAD
Chief Adviser to the Interim Government Dr Muhammad Yunus parried a question by the German news organization Deutsche Welle (DW) recently to mention specific timeframe for holding elections.
In a much-awaited address to the nation in the second week of September, coinciding with 30 days of the interim government (Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5, Yunus, delivered a timely, thoughtful, and comprehensive message to the people of Bangladesh.
Political observers believe that the fresh elections would only be held after the planned series of reforms are carried out. It means forget about the elections for a year or two.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate said the interim government advisers would hold dialogue with political parties to determine how to make decisions regarding holding elections.
“We are committed to formulating an outline of a democratic Bangladesh for our children so that we don’t fall into the hands of any dictatorship and we can say we live in a democratic country…so that we all can claim that this country is ours – we’re working towards this goal,” he remarked.
He emphasized the need to implement various reforms to institutionalize democracy in the country, attending to the most pressing demands of our people.
All the constitutional and democratic institutions have collapsed during the 16 years of autocratic regime. The judiciary, bureaucracy, law enforcement agencies, Election Commission, parliament, education, media, local governments, decentralization, good governance, capacity building and other institutions – the pillars of democracy – crumbled in this period.
“However, we would like to remind the interim government that it has not one but two urgent tasks at hand. The first is to administer the country in these turbulent times and, simultaneously, to pursue reforms — both of which form a mammoth task,” says the editorial of The Daily Star, an independent newspaper.
Yunus said holding elections was a political decision and that he would leave it up to the people. “Here, we would like to commend him for reminding the nation where the power truly lies – with the people,” says the paper.
Yunus assured that a free, fair and participatory election would be held after necessary reforms were completed in the administration, judiciary, Election Commission, law and order, and information systems to ensure the success of the student uprising.
Yunus, who took oath on August 8, said the timing of the elections was a political decision that must be determined through political discussions.
Moreover, the chief adviser added that the Election Commission would be reformed as part of the government’s broader reforms.
He also expressed a desire to involve all stakeholders in discussions about the interim government’s tenure. But he did not make it clear how that could be achieved.
“Here, we believe the interim government needs to form a comprehensive framework for communicating with all stakeholders in society,” says the editorial of an influential newspaper the Daily Star.
Given the present state of the nation, the number of reforms needed may seem endless. However, pursuing all of them sounds neither realistic nor achievable in the short to medium term.
The interim government has decided to form six commissions to reform the judiciary, election system, administration, police, Anti-Corruption Commission, and the constitution.
The reforms aim to have a state system based on public ownership, accountability, and welfare, observed Yunus.
It has become essential to carry out some national reforms to prevent the re-emergence of fascistic or authoritarian rule in Bangladesh. At the core of these reforms is the establishment of a fair electoral system and good governance, said the Nobel laureate.
Nevertheless, the chief adviser mentioned that his administration has planned wide-ranging reforms that resonate with the demands of the student-led mass upsurge – the Monsoon Revolution that brought down the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
The inventor of microcredit and empowering millions of disadvantaged rural women, Yunus has also called for comprehensive reforms in education, the empowerment of local government bodies, and many other initiatives including taking action to ensure press freedom and freedom of expression.
The Bangladesh constitution was authored by reputed jurist Dr Kamal Hossain, who was also the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs. He is regarded as an icon of secular democracy in South Asia.
After 52 years, the interim government announced to amend the constitution, while civil society, academicians and concerned of the citizenry are demanding to rewrite the constitution to break free from the cycle of centralized power and its misuse.
Distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University, Ali Riaz, has said the constitution needs to be rewritten even through a constituent assembly if the democratic institutions are to be fixed.
He recently remarked, “We are talking about the rewriting of the constitution as there is no scope for amending the constitution. The possibility of amendment of the constitution is limited as one-third of the constitution is written in such a way that there is no room to change that. There are such matters here, you can do nothing if those are removed. As a result, the word ‘rewriting’ is being discussed. I am talking about the constituent assembly as a way of rewriting.”
A rewritten or new constitution will not allow the same person to become the party chief, leader in the parliament and prime minister. This was the case of the two Begums – Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.
The reforms are essential to prevent a return to a police state and a one-party rule, which would be a devastating outcome given the terrible suppression that people have endured for 15 years and the sacrifices made by so many to end fascistic rule.
Reforms are necessary to stop centralized power constitutionally, which will prevent creation of a Frankenstein or another elected dictator.
The people of Bangladesh eagerly await to see how institutional reforms can be safeguarded and how civil rights for the citizens can be protected from such egregious crimes in the future.
First published in Stratheia, a news portal. Islamabad, Pakistan on 19 September 2024
Saleem Samad is an award-winning independent journalist based in Bangladesh. A media rights defender with the Reporters Without Borders (@RSF_inter). Recipient of Ashoka Fellowship and Hellman-Hammett Award. He could be reached at saleemsamad@hotmail.com; Twitter (X): @saleemsamad
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