Political parties in Bangladesh run like businesses

There is no truly democratic political party in Bangladesh, as politics has become a business driven by nomination trade, said Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik, yesterday.

“Selling party nominations is one of the biggest reasons political parties are being harmed. This is now the main source of money for parties, and because of this, politics has turned into a business,” he said at a discussion in Dhaka.

Money, muscle, and religion together form the core of political capital in Bangladesh, and without addressing them collectively, political culture will not change.

— Dr Iftekharuzzaman Executive director, TIB

The roundtable, titled “Political Financing Culture in Bangladesh and Business Protection: Realities and Pathways to Solutions,” was organised by the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics.

Badiul Alam said many so-called political parties were essentially business syndicates that collect money, influence elections in various ways, and then operate as they wish.

He said religious political parties did not function as political entities either. “Major changes within political parties were necessary to address the problem, he said, adding that both the electoral arena and political space needed to be cleaned up and freed from wrongdoing.

In another discussion, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said they had proposed that every elected representative publish a full account of income and expenses within one month of taking office, with any mismatch triggering accountability.

He said money, muscle, and religion together form the core of political capital in Bangladesh, and without addressing them collectively, political culture will not change.

Although many believe the problems can still be fixed, he said most opportunities had already been lost.

He said there had been strong expectations for clear reforms in politics, bureaucracy, and business, but while everyone demands reforms in all sectors, “they do not want reforms for themselves.”

Shama Obaed, organising secretary of BNP, said political parties registered with the Election Commission cannot ensure transparency in their income and expenditure unless the commission is strengthened.

Decentralising power, she said, could help bring parties under greater financial accountability.

The event was moderated by Dhaka University Professor Asif M Shahan.