Reform commissions on the constitution and election process have both recommended measures that increase opportunities for the youth to run for parliament and become more involved in politics, sparking both hope and criticism.
While the constitution commission suggested lowering the minimum age for aspiring lawmakers from the existing 25 years to 21, both commissions have recommended that political parties reserve a tenth of their nominations for youth and other disadvantaged groups.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. “Political parties shall nominate candidates from among the youth for a minimum of 10 percent of the total seats in the lower house,” said the constitution commission.
The electoral commission suggested reserving 10 percent nominations for youths, religious and ethnic minorities, and people with physical disabilities.
Meanwhile, the Police Reform Commission proposed creating job opportunities for injured protesters from the July uprising in various government agencies, including the police. The Anti-Corruption Commission recommended involving the youth in anti-corruption awareness programmes.
However, several political parties, including the BNP, expressed concerns over the recommendation to lower the minimum age for MP candidates. They claimed it could “favour” a potential political party to be formed by the Students Against Discrimination, which spearheaded the July uprising, and its platform for citizens the Jatiya Nagorik Committee.
On the other hand, leaders of the Nagorik Committee welcomed the proposal, emphasising the need to acknowledge the youth’s contributions, particularly during the mass uprising that created an opportunity to reshape political culture.
“The reform commissions made these proposals to ensure greater participation of the youth and other marginalised groups in politics. The youth played a vital role in freeing the country from an autocratic rule,” said the head of the Electoral Reform Commission, Badiul Alam Majumdar.
Professor Ali Riaz, head of the Constitution Reform Commission, said the recommendations were made considering the demographics of the country, where a significant portion of the population is young. He said the youth of Bangladesh have immense contributions and the recent student-led mass uprising was a prime example.
“Youths shape the future of the country, so we must expand opportunities for their participation in politics. Their involvement will bring new ideas and perspectives,” he added.
The interim government formed 15 reform commissions to strengthen weakened democratic institutions, establish a state system rooted in public ownership, accountability and welfare, and lead the country toward genuine democracy.
Four commissions––on constitution, electoral system, police and anti-corruption––submitted their reports to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday.
The constitution commission also proposed a bicameral legislature––”National Assembly” as lower house with 400 members and “Senate” as upper house with 105 seats.
Of the senators, 100 will be elected through a proportional representation of the national election for the assembly. The remaining five will be nominated by the president from among people without any political affiliations.
The constitution commission suggested a lowering age floor for the lower house but did not mention anything about the upper house. The electoral commission, however, recommended a minimum age of 35 to be eligible for the upper house. It further stipulated that all senators have a bachelor’s degree.
The electoral commission proposes to prohibit associate organisations of the main parties that only act as their extensions. In other words, none of the parties would be allowed to have separate student wings or youth fronts under any guise.
Another criteria to be eligible for an MP nomination is a minimum three years’ membership in the party.
Currently, The Representation of the People Order clearly states that political parties are now allowed to have affiliated student, teacher and labour organisations. But most of the political parties bypass the provisions as they termed their student and labour bodies as “friendly” organisations.
BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the party would make detailed comments after reviewing the proposals.
“But what I can say right now is that people are criticising the move to lower the age for lawmakers and reserving 10 percent nominations for youths,” he said.
He said that the current minimum age is widely accepted. “So many are suspicious why this move is being taken now.”
“The interim government is party neutral and if this government goes ahead with such proposals, it will seem to be supporting a specific group, and people will not accept it,” he said.
He pointed out that there is contradiction between the proposals of the constitution commission and the electoral commission.
Typically, 21-year-olds are still university students, but then the electoral reform commission prohibits parties to have student wings, he said.
Communist Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said that the party will come out with its official reaction soon, after reviewing the recommendations. But lowering the age to 21 is “unnecessary”.
“They can urge political parties to have 10 percent candidates from youth groups. Many political parties always try to have new and young faces but you cannot make it mandatory. And also, who will define youth?”
He said that such a sudden proposal to reduce the age for candidacy without properly evaluating the society or reality has given rise to “many questions among the countrymen”.
“Many believe that this move was to serve the purposes of vested quarters, who are making questionable comments regarding the Liberation War and its spirit after the mass uprising,” Prince said.
Saiful Huq, general secretary of the Biplobi Workers Party, expressed concerns about the proposal to lower the minimum age for becoming an MP, describing it as “suicidal”.
He said many believe this provision is intended to benefit students involved with the Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee.
His party believes 21-year-olds may lack the knowledge and experience necessary for such responsibilities, as many would still be completing their education at that age.
Samanta Sharmeen, spokesperson for the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, said youths have struggled for long, and made sacrifices and played pivotal roles in all kinds of turmoil and crisis.
“But their contribution was never acknowledged sufficiently. Different political parties turned youths into political cadres and instituted politics of mafia. We stood against this culture. The recent mass upsurge has shown that youths have developed themselves as matured in politics,” she said.
“We congratulate them [reform commissions] as they have made such recommendations and acknowledge that youths should be involved in mainstream politics.”
Political culture should be changed, so that youths get priority in the political process rather than be used as muscle.
The Nagorik Committee in their proposals to the constitution commission said 18-year-olds should become eligible to run for MP as soon as they become eligible to vote.
Typically, the age floors are higher for the upper house of the parliament across the world.
Both India and Nepal have the same age requirements for their lower and upper houses, which is 25 for the lower house and 35 for the upper house. In Pakistan, it is 25 and 30 years. In the US, the minimum age for the lower house is 25, and for the upper house, it is 30.
However, in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Cuba, France, Canada, the UK and Sweden it is 18 for the parliament or their lower house. In Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, MPs must be 21.
As for the upper houses, it is 21 for UK, 24 for France, and 30 years for Malaysia and Canada.
Asked about the definition of youth, Ali Riaz said there is an international standard and the age for youth will be defined through a law. Again, political parties can also fix their definition.
The United Nations defines those aged between 15 and 24 as “youth”.
According to the National Youth Policy of Bangladesh, any citizen between 18 and 35 is considered youth.
Asked whether their proposals were made to favour the political party to be formed by the student platforms, Ali Riaz said, “I want to say clearly, giving benefit to a political party or possible political parties, was never our consideration.”