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OPINION

Expansion of parliament

Masud Rana Sarker
THE government of Bangladesh has decided to expand the parliament to 450 seats without negotiating with the opposition parties. The opposition on the other hand has not been able to oppose the government's decision with reason and rationality. They have shown the conventional opposition to this decision just for the sake of opposition. This is very sad that there is no constructive opposition and co-operation between the government and the opposition. Expansion of parliament may look, on the surface, as greater decentralisation of power. But deep down , it is not to serve any purpose for the good of people of Bangladesh. It will have the same effect as the creation of Upazila Administration by General Ershad had on the politics and people of Bangladesh. General Ershad created Upazila in the name of decentralisation of politics. But this upazila system created some mini-leaders and deputy mini-leaders at thana level who mainly started as brokers between administration, police stations and the people. It became rather a professional livelihood than a means to get involved in the process of democracy.
In every upazila , there sprang up a political coterie around the chairman. These coteries were no other persons than muggers, toll collectors, smug-
glers in disguise who were nothing but a social burden. This system increased corruption. This coterie controlled the power to transfer the local level officials to the convenience of their interest. Therefore the public officials often had to bribe them lest they should have been transferred to the most inconvenient work stations. This system basically decentralised corruption. The more Upazila chairmen we created, the more coteries grew up and the more gangsters and vandals sprang up, destroying the whole texture of society.
But if we think deeply, the idea of Upazila system or the decentralisation of government or the idea of local government is not bad in itself. If the upazilas were created with at least two thanas together, it would have meant less coteries around the upazila chairman thereby maintaining the check and balance between the bureaucracy and the local government. Decentralisation of government does not mean that the tools of government have to be moved to each and every family of Bangladesh. If our system of governance cannot put check and balance on operation, it is meaningless. So a new way of Upazila system has to be worked out.
Now the BNP-led government has decided to increase the number of parliament members by 150. This is too
much , given the fact that ours is a very poor country and it will cost a lot of money for the national exchequer. On the other hand it will create more and more coteries and parasites and eat into our society. Since the 1990s , terrorism and vandalism have increased to an intolerable extent. The rural people were safer before but now political terrorism has been ruralised too. The expansion of parliament will for now may help to reduce the scuffle for nominations for the next election. But in order for the political parties to implement their political agenda, we the public cannot let the country fall in the hands of hooligans more than ever before by supporting this stance of parliament expansion. There has been no provision for direct election to the women's seats in the parliament. This is not showing any respect to women either. Women do not need sympathy, they need equality. The indirect selective procedure for MPs will always leave the door open for vested interest. The women thus becoming MPs may be biologically women but will never represent the political and social women. Let the nation get rid of this hypocrisy forgood.
Masud Rana Sarkerstays in Ottawa, Canada.