By Staff Correspondent, The political parties should go through certain reforms to get rid of the politics of confrontation and address the issues of public concerns in an effective manner.

The reforms should focus on freeing the national politics from armed thugs and the influence of money, and the practice of democracy within and outside.

The civil society should play a greater role in the process of such reforms. If the nation is not freed from such a sick politics. the future prospect of the country’s economy is grim.

The suggestions were put forward at a seminar titled Rethinking Confrontational Politics: A Reform Agenda" in the city yesterday. Governance Coalition, a platform of sLx organisations. arranged the seminar at the IDB Bhaban conference room.

Feroz M Hassan of the Fair Election Monitoring Alliance and Manzoor Hasan of Transparency International prepared the keynote paper and the former presented It.

Professor Rehman Sobhan of the Centre for Policy Dialogue attended the seminar as chief guest, while renowned lawyer and Gana Forum Presi-dml Dr. Kamal Hossain. FBCC1 President Abdul Awal Mintoo and Khushi Kabir of Nljera Kori, an NGO, were special guests. Mahfuz Anam. Editor of the Dally Star, moderated the seminar.

Economists Debapriya Bhattacharya and Hussain Zillur Rahman discussed on the keynote paper. Later on. the audience was invited in the discussion.

Feisal Hussaiti^^Mreha 11 of the coalition. gavflHI address of welcome while Talcya Rahman gave the vote of thanks.

Terming the political culture as "peculiar.” Prof. Sobhan said the political parties are more interested in their own well-being than the nation’s: values and ideologies are largely absent. while major parties are falling to accommodate each other s views.

Once our businessmen used to finance political parties, then they started buying politicians and now they themselves are becoming politicians." he said.

Prof. Sobhan regretted that the civil society, too. is now politically divided In the context of a confrontational politics Involving hooligans. The armed thugs have no political colour... they float from one party to another — from Awami League to BNP and vice versa.

"The bipolar polity has. however, also contributed to the confrontational style of our national politics which is undermining the working of the parliamentary system. The emergence of two parties of equal strength has also contributed to the emergence of a duopoly over the national political system. This duopoly has served to stifle any challenge by smaller parties," read a paper he presented at the seminar.

The paper further said the duouollstlc structure has thus eroded the pluralism as well as

challenge within the political system, contributing to the emergence of structural weakness within the two parties as choices available to the electorate were reduced.

Dr Kamal Hossain strongly suggested that the members of civil society should immediately launch a campaign against the political parties sheltering and promoting the armed criminals for their vested interests.

Describing the current state of national politics as sick, he said the politics has made the people so sick that they are in the Intensive Care Unit. It has failed to give the people a sense of security. "Political parties should not be tribes, they should not divide the society."'

Noting the contributions of the vast majority in building up the civil society. Dr Kamal said. "We are betraying those people who have built us.”

About the presence of armed goons and black money in the politics, he said i( should be the most urgent agenda before the civil society.

Normal legitimate expectations of every citizen are not being understood by the political government, he said, referring to (he law and order situation. "We arc concerned, but we don’t know what we can do." said the noted Jurist.

Dr. Debaprlya Bhattacharya said In terms of democracy aiid development, the situation In the country was better in the 90s than (he 80s and there was stagnancy In the 80s while the 90s passed through unfulfilled potentials.

Abdul Awal Mlntoo stressed the need for a check and balance In the executive branch. He suggested that the President enjoy more executive powers to play an effective role in the crucial political situation.

The business leader also viewed that the local government bodies should be elven more powers to make the local administration accountable and effective.

Hussain Zillur Rahman refused to say that the nation is stagnated. "People are struggling (o advance, we should go for self-criticism to gel rid of the confrontational situation.”

Khushi Kabir said (hat lack of acrouuiabllHv Is resulting In Ilie social and political con-lioHlalK.u Like Hie government. the opposition should also prove their accountability. "

The keynote paper suggested that all elections be heidunder the caretaker government and the provision of by-election abolished. In case a seat falls vacant, it should be filled up through nomination of a person belonging to the party that earlier won the seat, the paper observed.

The paper proposed that the term of a government should be reduced from five years to four years because a five-year term makes the ruling party “despotic" and the opposition "desperate."

To make the role of the Speaker neutral, it recommended that the Speaker should resign from his party as soon as he/she is elected to the position and be given the opportunity to win the next election unopposed.

The keynote paper said the country's politics is Increasingly becoming confrontational and unstable. "The situation is such that whatever democratic institutions we now have could break down. The major political parties have boycotted the parliament on such pretext that they are not being given fair time to talk and all unable to bring their motions. Today, for all practical purposes parliament Is nonfunctional. The major political parties have also abstained from elections on the pretext that (he ruling party would rig (he elections."

It said, (he country's problems largely stem from lack of commitment by the political parties to basic norms of democracy. The civil society seriously needs to explore the possibilities of strengthening the democratic Institutions and demand from the politicians for greater social and economic development. It added.

The paper made a set of recommendations for reforms of the political parties, which Include; registration of (he parties with the Election Commission, practice of Intra-partv democracy. transparency of financial accounts, discarding armed cadres from (lie parries etc.

Awaml League lawmaker MS Akbar and Jamaat-e-lsiaml leader Quamaruzzaman; Farhad Mazhar. Mohammad Jahangir. Maj Gen (retd.) Ibrahim. Dr. Enamul Haq. Dr Md. Yusuf. Shamsun Ncssa, Nllnfar Banu. Md. Zakaria and Dr. Atlq were, among others, who participated in the discussion.