Parliamentary Democracy in Bangladesh: An Evaluation of the Parliament during 1991–2006

Abstract

This study of three parliaments in Bangladesh during 1991–2006 argues that parliament has failed to become the centre of political and legislative activities. This is mainly because the ruling parties deliberately bypass parliament, while the opposition deserts it. The parliament has been dysfunctional for more than half of its tenure. For the short periods it has been active, its business sessions were devoted more to party political bickering than legislative activity. Due to the opposition boycott, the ruling party's negligence and the absenteeism of ordinary members, the standing committees of the parliaments were less effective, and parliamentary accountability of government was lacking.

Notes

It became a common behaviour of the opposition parties in Bangladesh since the mid 1980s to denounce elections results, boycott parliamentary sessions, and resort to frequent mass demonstration, protests, transport and industrial strikes to unseat the government. The opposition politics remained more active in the streets than in the parliament.

Sheikh Mujib was released from prison in Pakistan and returned to independent Bangladesh on 10 January 1972.

Sheikh Mujib was assassinated on 15 August 1975. The AL observes the anniversary as a day of mourning.

This law in 1965 confiscated the properties of the Hindus who left for India during the Indo-Pakistani war.

The Bangladesh constitution allows a member of parliament to remain absent from the House consecutively for 90 days, after which s/he is stripped of membership.

Ghulam Azam, a Bangladeshi by birth and leader of JI, was outside Bangladesh when it became independent in 1971. He opposed the war of independence and sided with the Pakistani regime. He came back to Bangladesh in 1979 with a Pakistani passport. He then stayed in the country and acted as a de facto leader of JI, and in 1989 publicly declared himself as a Bangladeshi by birth. Interestingly, the AL leader personally met Ghulam Azam soon after the 1991 elections to seek his party support to form the cabinet. The JI did not extend its support to AL.

Ghulam Azam challenged the government in the court and his citizenship was restored by the Supreme Court in 1994.

Ninian Stephen proposed forming an interim government composed of five AL, five BNP and one technocrat members to conduct the general elections. But the AL rejected the deal.

Hartal refers to total stoppage of activities in all sectors of life called by political parties.

Weekly Bichitra, 30 Dec. 1994.

Weekly 2000, No. 7, 23 June 2000, p. 8.

Weekly Jaijaidin, No. 36, 20 June 2000, p. 29.

‘Four years of AL rule’, Weekly 2000, 23 June 2000, No. 7, pp. 35–43.

Weekly Jaijaidin, 13 June 2000, No. 35, p. 4.

Weekly Jaijaidin, 12 Sept. 2000, No. 48, p. 5.

The popularly known Janata Tower case refers to a corruption case involving Ershad and his wife, Ms Raushan Ershad, regarding purchase of a plot of land of the Dhaka Improvement Trust for construction of a building named Janata Tower for his daily newspaper Janata. The Anti-Corruption Department brought charges against Ershad of misusing power in purchase of the land while he was President of the country. Both Ershad and his wife and others were convicted in the case.

A detailed account is available in Weekly Jaijaidin, 5 Sept. 2000, No. 47, pp. 5–8.

Weekly Robbar, Vol. XXII, No. 33, 23 July 2000, pp. 13–19.

For example, one ruling party MP's question was ‘is it true Honourable Prime Minister that you have been selected for FAO prize? If it is then what is your feeling as Prime Minister. Furthermore, to what extent the prize would increase the honour of Bangladesh in the world?’ Parliamentary Session, 7 Sept. 1999.

The language movement during 1948–52 created the first massive anti-government movement in the demand for Bangla to be made the state language against the government decision to replace it with Urdu, a foreign language for the people. The Six Points Movement in the 1960s generated massive opposition demanding greater political and economic autonomy for the then East Pakistan; and the violent anti-government movement dominated 1960s politics following Agartala Trial of the AL leader Sheikh Mujib.