Party
constitutions: Rarely
followed
Rezaul
Karim
.........................................................
Although
the major political parties in Bangladesh,
particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party (BNP) and Awami League, have
continued speaking about establishing
democracy in the country since their
birth, but if we analyse and leaf
through the pages of the constitutions
of the parties we will see that there
is serious lack of democracy and absence
of democratic system within the parties
themselves. Both the parties also
speak about transparency and accountability,
but these are merely considered as
lip service now-a-days because the
parties do not maintain those within.
Both
the BNP and Awami League have miserably
failed to establish democratic system
within their respective parties and
the party leaderships continued sort
of dictatorship in running the party
affairs. Chairman or President of
the party holds absolute authority
and everything is determined as per
their desire. The wishes of the chief
of the party are given highest importance.
Everybody assumes that BNP means Khaleda
Zia and Awami League means Sheikh
Hasina. Both the two major parties
are absolutely in the grips of their
chiefs and in future family members
might keep the parties in their grips
too.
Awami
League formerly Awami Muslim League
was established on June 23 in 1949.
However, in 1955 the word "Muslim"
was dropped from the nomenclature.
The BNP was formed on September 1
in 1978. It seems that both the parties
have become quite old and matured,
but the two parties have not been
seen making any effort to bring or
practice democracy within, rather
dictatorship in running party affairs
seems getting stronger day by day.
There is none in the two parties dare
speak against any decision of the
party chairman or president even it
goes wrong.
Both
the parties seem run on the basis
of two words -- "Yes" and
"No". Leaders and activists
of both the parties are apparently
highly obedient and they say yes when
their party chairman or president
says yes and they say no when their
chief says no. The country might have
advanced much if the leaders and activists
adhered to the laws of the land changed
the way they complied with the decisions
of their party chiefs.
It
is true that most articles and clauses
of the constitutions of both the BNP
and Awami League provided democratic
system, but most cases these are not
followed it in matters of decision
making. Both the parties do not hold
their national council for years and
leadership remains in the same hand
years after years. Awami League's
constitution previously had the provision
of holding national council after
every two years, but later it amended
it to after every three years.
BNP
constitution has also the provision
to hold its national council after
every two years. But not a single
party active in politics holds its
council in time. Awami League held
its council recently but the time
difference between Awami League's
two council meetings was about 10
years. The national council of BNP
is not being held for over a decade.
BNP's last council was held on September
1-2, 1993.
Though
the constitutions of both the parties
provided that leadership must be elected
through the council, but there is
no voting in the councils. Party chairman
or president fills up the posts of
the party office-bearers as per their
choice, wish and desire, and there
is none to say anything against any
selection.
Currently
in BNP, from party chief to district-level
leaders, most are holding the posts
even after expiry of their tenures,
violating the party's constitution
that requires elections every two
years. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia,
who was elected the party chief in
1997, is currently leading the BNP
into the fourth year without party
mandate. The BNP constitution lays
down that the national council members
will directly vote the chairman into
office for two years.
Similarly,
the tenure of National Executive Committee
(NEC) has expired long ago. The last
BNP council was held in 1993 and an
extended meeting in 1996. This party
that won 195 seats in the last general
elections has a 15-tier organisational
structure, of which the National Standing
Committee (NSC) and the NEC are pivotal.
The NSC is supposed to sit once every
month and the NEC once every three
months. But they seldom hold meetings.
The NSC, the highest decision-making
body of the BNP, last met on July
17, 2003 at the Prime Minister's Office
to nominate a candidate for the Netrokona-3
by-polls. Since 1996, the NEC is yet
to hold a full-fledged meeting.
The
NSC is supposed to comprise 15 members
nominated by the chairperson, but
the body has long been operating with
12 members for years. The NEC should
also have a minimum of 25 women members
and another 25 representing workers,
freedom fighters, farmers, indigenous
communities and other sections of
society. But there are only 12 women
members.
The
constitution of BNP entrusts absolute
authority to the party Chairman and
its chief holds all the executive
powers of the party. The Chairman
will determine the posts, positions,
responsibilities and authority of
various office-bearers of the office.
The party Chairman has the absolute
authority to cancel membership and
take disciplinary action against any
member for misbehaviour, violation
of discipline and anti-party activities.
While
in Awami League, the president will
be considered head of the party and
he/she will chair all meetings of
the party's council, central working
committee and presidium. The president
if required will interpret any clause
of the constitution and pass ruling
accordingly. As per the constitution,
the Awami League President will announce
the nomination of members of the central
working committee.
The
role of Secretary General of both
the BNP and Awami League is pretty
less important. There is no such mention
of the power and authority of party
secretary general or general secretary
in the constitutions of the two parties,
which is not at all consistent with
democracy. In BNP, there is no separate
article or clause regarding secretary
general of the party, but Awami League's
constitution describes that the general
secretary is the organisation's chief
working secretary. There is a wide
gap between the powers and authority
of the Chairman and those of the Secretary
General or General Secretary.
As
per the constitutional provision of
BNP, the Chairman will control, supervise
and coordinate all the activities
of the party and to that end will
wield authority over all the committees.
The Chairman, if needed can also be
able to take action against any member
of any committee. The Chairman may
abolish the national executive committee,
the national standing committee, various
subject committees and other committees
nominated by the Chairman.
In
BNP's constitution, there is provision
of impeachment of party Chairman through
a no-confidence motion by two-third
of the national council members and
this motion will require the support
of three-fourth of the members. But
this is quite absurd to remove Chairman
because almost all members of the
council are directly nominated by
the Chairman. However, Awami League's
constitution has no provision for
impeachment of the party chief or
disciplinary action against any central
leader.
Among
the parties, there are some innovative
and positive clauses in the Constitution
of BNP, which no other party constitution
has. Those includes members ID card,
10 percent quota for women in the
251-member national executive committee
and another 10 percent representations
from workers, freedom fighters, farmers,
tribal and other sections of the society.
But the BNP usually does not maintain
the provisions as written in the constitution.
In
conclusion, it clearly seems that
the two major political parties to
a greater extent do not follow their
constitutions and there is little
scope for anyone to express their
opinion freely. There is truly little
room of democratic practice within
the political parties and differences
of opinion in the two parties are
considered as a challenge to the leadership,
but not as a democratic right. When
differences of opinion emerge in any
party, particularly within BNP and
Awami League, a party invariably lead
to a formal split.
.........................................................
The writer is a senior political reporter
of The Daily Star.
