oN December 9, a set of recommendations by the Nagorik Forum -- a vision paper for Bangladesh in 2021, and a draft of the ordinances for bringing necessary amendments to the Representation of People order (RPo) -- prepared through 15 dialogues across the country, was formally handed over to the two major political parties, BNP and Awami League.

in this comprehensive document the civil society recommended bringing about massive reforms in the political system, electoral laws, electoral code of conduct and administration so as to strengthen democracy in Bangladesh, and reap its benefits. A brief recount of the major recommendations is in order: = Mandatory audit of earnings and expenditures of all political parties: it is common knowledge these days that the funds of major political parties come mainly from ill-begotten money holders. it is also an open secret that money making during incumbency is not motivated by

self-interest only. increasing the party's funds is also a major factor that drives the political parties mad for amassing money for the next general elections. Mandatory audit is supposed to act as a viable deterrent in this regard.

= Bar on becoming chief of a political party for more than three consecutive terms: Complete lack of democracy in the political parties that cry hoarse for democracy is a burning issue in our country. Democratization within the political parties not only brings dynamism and the motivation to perform better, it also definitely infuses tolerance of the rival political parties in the leadership, and the rank and file, something which has become a rarity in our political arena, leading to the contemporary extreme political confrontations.

= Bar on the same person becoming head of the government and chief of a political party: This mechanism will no doubt work as a real check and balance. it will definitely provide more time and space to both the persons. in our country the tendency to cling to

more and more posts gives rise to manifold problems. Besides, there are many instances in history which show that great leaders cannot become great statesmen. Thus, the jobs can well be apportioned according to aptitudes, and the result is bound to be productive.

= Professional bodies should not be affiliated with political parties: Unfortunately, most of the professional bodies of the country representing the civil society are now divided into two poles. Truly, there are many points and demands of the civil society groups which coincide with those of political parties. However, reluctance to call a spade a spade on the part of many affiliated professional bodies undermines the very appeal and force of the concept of civil society.

= issue of women's empowerment and gender equality: Gender equality strengthens a country's abilities to grow, to reduce poverty, and to govern effectively. Promoting gender equality is thus an important part of a development strategy that seeks to enable all people to escape

poverty and improve their standard of living. Meanwhile, women empowerment is an instrument to set in motion a balanced and harmonious process of development. Unfortunately, however, major political parties in Bangladesh, at best, provide lip service to these vital issues.

= Loan defaulters should be barred from participating in the election: Though loan defaulters cause severe damage to the country's economy, their importance increases enviably during the elections times in Bangladesh. Parties start vying for nominating loan defaulters as they promise to come out successful in the elections through the money they have not given back. Moreover, arrangements by the banks to save the hardened loan defaulters embolden them all the more.

= None should be allowed to contest in more than two constituencies: i, however, think it should ideally be one man, one constituency. The system of contesting in five seats is not only ridiculous, it is also a sort of insult to the people whose constituencies are

forsaken by the winners during the by-election. By preventing such farcical elections wastage of money can be stemmed, and promotion of local leadership ensured.

= Number of women's seats should be increased, with a provision for direct election: The percentage of successful candidates in the national parliament rose slightly in 1996 elections. But, that is again declining, the percentage was just one percent in the last elections. interestingly, the elected women members include the top political leaders of the mainstream political parties, i.e.Khaleda Zia of BNP and Sheikh Hasina of AL. No woman belonging to the rank and file has yet registered victory in the national parliament.

= Separate voter lists for the three hill districts in the light of the peace treaty: This is likely to quell growing tension among the tribal people due to lackadaisical approach of the government in implementing the peace treaty. The world is increasingly adopting cultural pluralism. Bangladesh just cannot lag far

behind. Thus, concerted efforts to integrate the tribal people into the national identity, with genuine respect for their distinct culture, should become more the rule than the exception.

= Six days of election in six divisions: This will certainly contribute to making elections more transparent and secured. As the administration will be able to provide better support, the margin of error in all respects is bound to decrease to a minimum. However, security personnel will have to make extra efforts to arrest entry of goons (from other divisions) who might become rampant during the election days.

= Deduction of allowances for the parliament members for absent days: Admittedly, quorum crisis was a regular phenomenon during the tenure of the last parliament. Though the opposition parties boycotted the parliament for a long time, the ruling party members also enforced a sort of auto-boycott through remaining absent in the parliament for many a day, contributing to severe damage to the working

hours.

= Making it mandatory for the public representatives to stay at least 10 days a month in their locality: in Bangladesh, there are instances that some members of parliament visit their constituencies just a few times in between two elections. Some even boast that there is no need to go to villages and talk to the poor people who are quite happy with the money dished out to buy votes during the elections.

= The president to be elected through an electoral college: The proposed system of electing a president will provide more fervour to the presidency. in the present system anybody can become a president with the blessings of the majority party in the parliament. The presidentelect thus remains more loyal to the parliament members than to the people. Hopefully, the Electoral College system will fetch better personalities for the exalted position.

= Ensuring vote casting by the minority community without fear, and cabinet membership based on local quota: Frankly speaking,

ensuring fearless vote casting by the minority in Bangladesh becomes a real problem in some areas of the country. However, for making the elections really free and fair, there is no alternative to uprooting this menacing spectre. While political parties have a major role to play to ensure this, tougher mechanisms should be in place to be followed by the local administration.

= Electing prime minister from the party with majority seats, speaker from second majority and deputy speaker from the third majority: The current system of majority party grabbing everything hardly shows respect to the people who have voted against the majority. Thus, providing something to others will definitely reflect the true spirit of democracy.

Kazi SM Khasrul Alam Quddusi is Assistant Professor, Dept. of Public Administration, University of Chittagong.