Two reform commissions have proposed changing laws to ensure democracy within political parties and promote transparency and integrity in their financing, including election funding.
The Electoral Reform Commission recommended that leaders of all central and local committees be elected through secret ballot by general members.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The same process of voting should be followed to form a three-member panel that would nominate candidates for national polls.
The changes in electoral laws to ensure fund transparency were proposed by the Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission. The commissions unveiled the recommendations after submitting their reports to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday.
The Electoral Reform Commission proposed changing the Representation of the People Order, 1972, under which the EC registers the political parties.
The commission suggested that people convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal be disqualified from becoming a general member or committee member of a political party.
It said a special law is needed to prevent individuals accused of serious human rights violations — such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and attacks on journalists — from becoming general members or committee members of any political party if charges against them are accepted by an ICT.
The commission said that political parties should prepare a list of party members, publish it on their websites and update it once a year.
No parties should be allowed to have sycophant student, teacher or labour wings, or foreign branches under any kind of names, the commission said.
A person must be a party member for at least three years to vie for nomination in parliamentary elections.
A party will be able to take a minimum membership fee of Tk 100 and a maximum donation of Tk 50 lakh from any individual.
Donations should be received via banking channels and disclosed in the tax returns of the respective individuals.
The reform commission suggested auditing the annual income and expenditure reports submitted by registered parties to ensure transparency in their fund management.
The Electoral Reform Commission said election expenses should be fixed at Tk 10 per voter and all these expenses must be managed through the banking systems or mobile financial services.
It said the expenditures should be closely monitored by the EC and the returns of election expense accounts for candidates and parties will be audited, and penalties will be imposed for discrepancies.
The ACC Reform Commission suggested that political parties and candidates disclose detailed information about their financing and income-expenditure to the public.
With the assistance of the National Board of Revenue and ACC, the EC can verify accuracy of the information provided by candidates in their electoral affidavits and take appropriate action where necessary.
All elected representatives at all levels must submit their and their family members’ income and wealth statements to the EC within three months of assuming office and annually thereafter, and the EC will publish these declarations on its website, states the reform commission report.
“Political parties should not nominate individuals involved in corruption or irregularities for party positions or elections,” said the ACC Reform Commission.
Its chief Iftekharuzzaman said, “We are not talking about only those convicted for corruption, but also those involved in extortion and grabbing.”
“We are seeing that these people are being expelled from party posts. So, we can only hope that political parties will be firm while keeping these people out of election nomination,” he said.
Prof Dilara Choudhury, a former teacher at the Department of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, said the proposals to increase internal democracy and transparency in funding were positive.
“The use of black money must be stopped in politics. At the same time, democracy should be ensured among the political parties. Otherwise, there is no point in talking about democracy,” she said.
“But the implementation of these recommendations depends on the political parties. Again, the Election Commission should take a proactive role so that the parties keep their financial activities transparent,” she said.
Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said that they will review all the recommendations prepared by the Electoral Reform Commission.
Speaking at an event organised by the Reporters’ Forum for Election and Democracy, he said the implementation of the proposals would depend on the decision-making authorities, the political parties, and the capacity of the Election Commission.
INTERNAL DEMOCRACY A FAR CRY
Badiul Alam Majumdar, chief of the Electoral Reform Commission, said internal democracy is almost absent in the country’s political parties. “We cannot have a democratic country when democratic practice is absent of political parties,” he said.
In Bangladesh, top leaders have been leading their parties for decades. Party councils, where leadership transitions are expected to occur through a democratic process, are not held regularly.
And when the councils are organised, leadership elections frequently result in uncontested victories for incumbents, as potential challengers either shy away or are discouraged from running.
This practice hands the top leaders near-absolute authority to govern their parties. They personally select candidates for national elections and other polls and have the final say on critical party decisions. People remain in the dark about where the funds of political parties come from and how they spend the money.
Political scientist Professor Rounaq Jahan says in her book “Political Parties in Bangladesh” that those who highlight the role of political parties in consolidating democracy also underscore the importance of their internal democracy. This, she says, can be measured by the process of leadership selection, candidate nomination and policy-setting.
“A lack of this internal democratic practice is a major obstacle to making Bangladesh truly democratic,” Prof Jahan told The Daily Star recently.