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Scopes plenty, exercise little

SHAKHAWAT LlTON and Hasan Jahid Tusher
The ruling Awami League's national committee and central advisory' council remain dysfunctional in contrast to the party's constitution and election pledges to ensure internal democracy.
According to section 17 of the AL constitu-tion, the national committee must hold a meeting every six months, review decisions and functions of the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC), and take and approve accounts of the party.
But it is learned the national committee comprised of both central and grassroots leaders did not hold a single meeting since it was last formed after the national council in December 2002.
The tenure of 72 grassroots members of the 166-member committee expired in December 2005, but the triennial councils of the district units were not held to FROM PAGE 1
elect new members.
"I can't remember when the last meeting of the national committee was held," a senior AL leader told The Daily Star wishing anonymity.
The ALCWC has emerged as the most powerful body in making all major decisions on national issues without facing any scrutiny by its superior body due to ineffectiveness of the national committee.
In addition, the advisory council, which is empowered by AL charter to give the party advices and directives on various issues, remain completely dysfunctional, as it does not sit to review the situation, be it national or international.
Asked why meetings of the national committee and advi sory council do not take place, two high-up leaders said there is no answer to it, although die party constitution says many things.
Contacted by The Daily Star. AL Presidium Member Obaidul Quader said formation of national committee and completion of advisory council have remained incomplete due to business of AL chief and Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina.
" Die unfinished work of the party would be completed after the party chief ends her India tour next month. A presidium meeting of the party will be held and decision will be taken to form the national committee and complete formation of the advisory council, among other issues," said the AL policymaker.
Talking to Hie Daily Star, AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said the new national committee will be formed before the party's extended meeting in second week of January.
On the other hand, Deputy Office Secretary Mrinal Kami Das said the district councils would be held early next year through which new members would be elected for the national committee.
On the party's central advisory council, the AL constitution says the party chief will nominate 41 members for advisory council and he/she will consult the council on national and international issues.
TheALchiefon July30 nomi- • nated 20 members for the advisory council including AL veterans Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Abdul Jalil, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta, who were excluded from the party presidium. The rest of the members have yet to be inducted into the council.
The advisory council, which is supposed to work as the party’s "think-tank" as stipulated in the charter, does not sit, as the party chief does not direct any of its members to convene a meeting.
Even the party chief does not consult with the advisory council on national and international issues in line with the party constitution, said an advisory council member.
Some of the party leaders however said the think-tank of the party sat once or twice in 2002-03 when AL was in the opposition. They added the advisory council has become more dysfunctional after some veteran leaders, who were "pro-reforms" during the caretaker government rule, were included.
By inducting the Al. veterans into the advisory council from the presidium, Sheikh Hasina has apparently consolidated her power further as those who could debate on any Issues in the party forum are now more in the presidium or ALCWC.
The AL constitution offers decentralisation of power within the party, ensuring participation of grassroots leaders along with the central leaders in its top two powerful bodies - national council and nationalcommittee.
But in practice, the scenery is almost opposite which has triggered criticism both inside and outside the party. In the wake of such a situation, the party had moved to transform the political culture.
The AL in its electoral manifesto pledged to take lime befitting steps to ensure democratic practice and more reforms within the political parties and establish transparency of political funding, civility and tolerance in the parties.
But the way the ruling party is running its affairs made many AL leaders to express doubt over transformation of political culture in line with the electoral pledges stipulated in the charter forchange.
Without holding the council at grassroots level, the AI. hurriedly held its national council on July 24 to ratify provisional changes in its constitution to meet the criteria necessary for registration with the Election Commission.
The council, the highest level forum of AL, re-elected Sheikh I {asina as president and elected Syed Ashraful Islam as general secretary for the next three years.
However, the council was not allowed to elect the party's other leadership; rather it was made to empower the reelected party chief to nominate leaders for the remaining 45 ALCWC posts ignoring the party constitution that stipulates election to the posts.
Later, Hasina formed the 72-member ALCWC including the 13-member presidium and also nominated 26 members. But the presidium could not get the scope to advise the party chief for nominating the 26 members as it was not formed during the nomination.
According to the Al. charter, office bearers and members of the ALCWC are members of the national committee led by the party chief.
The AL has again amended its constitution this month scrapping Swadhinata Childtsak Parishad's status as an associated body and modified a provision on party's foreign chapters to make the charter compliant with the Representation of the People Order (RPO).
But the way it has brought the amendments does not conform to the AL charter that says only the party's national council will change or improve the constitution.
"On consent of the Awami League president, two provisions have been amended so the charter is more in keeping with the RPO provisions," AL said in a letter submitted to the chief election commissioner on December 20.