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Interested only in state resources

CPD study shows top parties move away from politics for people

Staff Correspondent
Mainstream political parties, especially the Awami League and BNP, are in a race to "grab state resources", resulting in criminalisation of politics, increased influence of black money and emergence of "godfathers", says a study of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
The parties have also become less interested in ideological or policy debate, finds the study titled "Political parties and democracy in Bangladesh."
The study was unveiled at a programme at the capital's Brae Centre Inn yesterday.
The findings were acknowledged by top leaders of the AL, BNP and Jatiya Party, who were present at the programme, moderated by Prof Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the CPD. Tofail Ahmed, AL's advisory council member, said the malpractices in politics began during military rule after 1975. "Political culture is lost and it will take a long time to restore it."
BNP Standing Committee Member Moudud Ahmed said democracy is not practised within the parties. Politicians are now busy spreading falsehood.
He urged the ruling AL to take initiatives for a consensus among all political parties to consolidate democracy. Otherwise, he said, a confrontational situation would arise.
JP Presidium Member Anisul Islam Mahmud said the parties are run on the
decisions of one or a few particular persons. "Democracy won't flourish if this practice continues."
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Rehman Sobhan emphasised the need for a stable, representative and democratic political system for utilisation of the country's potentials for development.
The CPD picked four parties - the AL, BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami - for the comparative study.
Presenting the keynote paper, CPD Fellow Rounaq Jahan, who led the study, said all major political parties, including the AL, BNP and JP, are run by dynasties.
Though political parties played a key role in the nationalist and democratic movements of the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s, they have failed to foster democratic practices in the subsequent years, she said, terming it a paradox.
The study portrays a bleak picture of intra-party democratic practice and transparency in major political parties.
"Power is concentrated in the hands of party chief. There is no change or competition for party presi-dency/chairmanship for nearly 30 years intheALand BNP," saysthestudy.
"There is little policy/programme discussion at the party forums. There is little consultative process or collective decision-making. Key decisions are often taken by party chief, sometimes rejecting the views of senior party leaders."
The study also claims that new breeds of political musclemen are
evident in leadership positions at the grassroots level. These musclemen use violence to acquire huge wealth, which is used to establish their political clout.
Political parties generally depend on state resources and try to hang on to state power at all costs and engage in undemocratic and corrupt practices. There is also a lack of transparency in the parties' sources of funds and their expenditures. The parties are increasingly becoming dependent on people with money and muscle power, losing touch with common citizens.
"Democracy can be sustained only when parties make a credible commitment to promote democracy in the country and practise democracy within their own organisations," observes the study.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In a set of recommendations, the study says parties need to stop using state agencies and state resources to reward their supporters and punish opponents.
"Stop using violence to settle interparty and intra-party conflicts," the study recommends adding that the opposition should shun the practice of boycotting parliament.
The study also suggested maintaining a distance between the ruling party and the government. Party officials -president, general secretary and other office bearers - should devote full-time to party work and should not be given government positions like cabinet ministers.
It also suggested that parties primarily follow their own constitutions as well as the RPO guidelines and promote democratic practices within the organisations.
"Parties should get funds from the state budget to run the organisations and election campaigns. The competitions to raise huge sums of money for party/campaign activities are making parties dependent on special interests and corrupt and criminal elements," the study observes.