Upper house, PR to be impractical: CPD

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) argued that the idea of forming an upper house is unrealistic within the country's prevailing political culture and could deepen partisan divisions instead of ensuring accountability.

At a national dialogue titled, "Can the proposed upper house ensure the accountability of the majority party in the National Parliament?" held in city hotel on Thursday, CPD researchers called upon the Consensus Commission of the Interim Government to remove the clause related to the formation of a bicameral parliament from its final consensus list. The dialogue was organised as part of CPD's broader study on parliamentary reform and accountability in Bangladesh.

Presenting the research findings, CPD Research Director Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem and Professor Nizam Ahmed of the University of Chittagong's Department of Public Administration said, "Based on our analysis of different political systems worldwide, we find that introducing a bicameral structure in Bangladesh would be impractical and counterproductive. The priority should be to strengthen the existing parliament through democratic and institutional reforms."

The CPD report observed that while several reform ideas such as bicameralism, proportional representation, and inclusion of non-partisan persons in appointment committees may appear attractive in theory, they are unlikely to function effectively in Bangladesh's entrenched political culture characterised by patronage, party loyalty and a 'winner-takes-all' approach.

 "These proposals are largely symbolic within the existing partisan context and risk creating political paralysis and further concentration of power rather than ensuring accountability," the study stated.

"Institutional reforms without addressing the underlying culture of partisanship will remain ineffective. The focus must be on enhancing the effectiveness, inclusiveness, and oversight capacity of the existing parliament," the report noted.

To make the parliamentary system more functional, CPD proposed several pragmatic measures including appointing opposition lawmakers as chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees, ensuring transparency in political party financing, empowering local governments through greater fiscal autonomy, increasing women's participation in politics and introducing anti-defection laws to prevent opportunistic party switching.

The study also recommended that while the government should retain the authority to appoint key constitutional and administrative positions to ensure executive efficiency, these appointments must be subject to scrutiny by a parliamentary review committee to prevent abuse of power.

Highlighting the need for legislative oversight, CPD proposed the formation of an independent body titled the Parliamentary Commission on Democracy, Lawmaking, Executive and Law, modeled after the European Union's Commission on Lawmaking through Democracy (EUCLD). This commission would evaluate and advise on legislative processes before and after parliamentary enactment. "The proposed commission would work to strengthen the constitution, improve legislative quality, safeguard civil rights, and promote democratic governance at the local level," the study added.