Election Reform in Bangladesh

There have been much discussion about election reform in Bangladesh and the newly appointed election commission is proposing changes to keep out corrupt politicians and to create a level playing field. Some of the proposed changes are banning retired government officials from joining politics within three years of retirement, someone must be a member of a political party for at least three years before they are allowed to run for office, and reducing the number of seats anyone can run from to three seats (currently it is five). The most recent addition is banning use of pictures of "national leaders" in campaign posters.

Assuming all of this has been done with the good intention, I am afraid it will do nothing to address the real problems of our election system and many only create a smoke screen of reform. Reducing the maximum number of seats anyone be allowed to run in MP election to 3, in practice, will have no effect. There are only few people that do run from more than one seat and this change will not change anything on the ground. The parliament member is supposed to represent the constituency that she or he runs from. Therefore, if we are changing the law and the constitution, should we not ensure that the candidate that is representing the constituency should at least be a residence of that constituency and be a voter of that constituency. If the law require some one to be a voter and resident of the constituency that will automatically prevent anyone from running from more than one seat. Moreover, current constitution does not even allow a MP to vote his her conscious or the way that represents his/her constituency desires him to. This is truly a mockery of democracy. This black law that only ensures political dictatorship must be outlawed. This will empower the MPs to do the right thing and not blindly follow the commands of their leaders and can not be blackmailed.

Laws such as not allowing retired government officials to join politics for a time period after their retirement and mandating someone to be a member of a political party for 3 years are clear violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens. Moreover, the crooks and dishonest will find their way in politics and only the good would be prevented. What could be effective is to mandate elections in each constituency among party members and supports to elect the nominee of that party from that constituency (like the primaries in the United States). This will also significantly reduce absolute and dictatorial power of the party leaders.

I can understand the good intention of the current election commission of not allowing portrait of "national" leaders on election campaign posters, especially given our history of all the ugly politics with the picture of some of our past leaders. But this is a clear violation of freedom of speech and complication will arise with the definition of national leader and who will decide who the nation leaders are? This is a subjective matter and though the intention is to prevent controversy, it will create more controversy.

If the true intention of the election commission and the current government is to hold fair elections just not for once but for every time in the future, it must reform the commission itself to be independent, transparent, and accountable. The emergency government may have some good and fair fellows to the election commission to run the next election, what these government can do is create an institution is honest and good by ensuring that the election commission is transparent, accountable, and one person or position does not have the absolute power to do whatever they want without regards to the law. We must create democratic institutions and just not count on good, honest, and fair citizens be appointed to these powerful positions.