Staff Reporter :
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has recommended that no individual should hold the offices of both the head of government and party leader simultaneously, in a move to prevent conflicts of interest.
The organisation also proposed that the same individual should not serve as Prime Minister for more than two terms.
In addition, TIB called for a comprehensive overhaul of the state structure to ensure transparency, accountability, justice, and human rights, with the goal of creating a corruption-free, democratic, and well-governed “New Bangladesh.”
These proposals were presented during a press conference held at the TIB office in the capital on Wednesday, with Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of TIB, presiding over the event.
To prevent the rise of a new regime influenced by authoritarian and partisan interests after the end of the current government, TIB’s recommendations address nine strategic areas crucial for preventing corruption and establishing democracy, good governance, and justice.
TIB made specific strategic recommendations in the areas of democratic practice, rule of law and human rights, prevention of corruption, irregularities and money laundering, constitutional, statutory, governmental and autonomous institutions, civil society and media, right to information and protection of personal data, local government, the banking sector, and power, energy, and the environment.
The organisation also advocated for completing the process of separating the Judiciary from the Executive, in line with the Masdar Hossain case judgment, to uphold the rule of law and human rights.
To ensure the independence and dignity of the Judiciary, TIB recommended establishing and operating a fully empowered secretariat under the sole authority of the Supreme Court. This secretariat would have overall control and supervision over the appointment, promotion, and transfer of judges in both the High and Subordinate Courts.
Additionally, TIB stated that the Speaker must perform all parliamentary activities free from party influence and conflicts of interest, and the Deputy Speaker should be elected from the opposition in parliament.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman noted that to ensure accountability in the executive branch, at least 50 per cent of the parliamentary standing committees, including those on Public Accounts, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Finance, Commerce, Home Affairs, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Defence, should have their chairs elected from opposition parliament members.
TIB also recommended amending Article 70 of the Constitution to allow parliament members to criticise their own party and vote against it, except in cases of no-confidence motions and budget proposals.
Furthermore, TIB called for the abolition of the unilateral authority of party leaders and family-based political dynasties within political parties. All activities of the parliamentary standing committees must be free from conflicts of interest. The organisation also suggested that when nominating candidates for parliament, the system should ensure representation of various demographic groups, such as the youth, women, indigenous peoples, and other marginalised communities. TIB emphasised that political parties should nominate at least one-third of their candidates from the youth.
TIB also called for the establishment of a non-partisan interim government during elections to ensure free, fair, impartial, and participatory national parliamentary elections.
Emphasising the need for peace, order, public safety, and administrative normalcy, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman urged that those responsible for the unprecedented loss of life and multifaceted human rights violations be held accountable both nationally and internationally, with direct involvement from the United Nations. Ensuring a lawful process is crucial to avoid undermining the judicial process.
In response to a question, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman stated that it is possible to recover funds siphoned off abroad by following the appropriate procedures and coordinating with the relevant countries. “The previous government did not follow the proper procedures, which is why the money was not recovered,” he added.
Regarding the tenure of the interim government, he said, “The government, which has come to power with the expectation of fulfilling certain promises, should be given as much time as needed to achieve that.”
On the issue of holding those responsible for murder cases accountable and assisting the victims, he stressed that accountability must be ensured for the unprecedented acts of murder. “The government cannot avoid this responsibility. There should be a compilation of a list of the victims, and serious attention must be given to this matter,” he added.
“The government has assured the participation of the United Nations, and it seems that these issues will be prioritised in their discussions. It is crucial to quickly identify those involved and ensure accountability for the murders,” Dr. Iftekharuzzaman concluded.