Bicameral Parliament urged to check abuse of democracy

Speakers at the roundtable on bicameral legislature, context Bangladesh at the National Press Club on Saturday

Speakers at a roundtable in the capital on Saturday called for establishing an upper house of Parliament with a view to checking the abuse of Parliament's powers to ensure democracy and human rights

The roundtable on bicameral legislature, context Bangladesh was organised by the Voice for Democracy and Voter Rights at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the National Press Club.

Major Hifizuddin Ahmed Bir Bikram, BNP vice chairman, was the chief guest at the found table where prof. Abdul Latif Masum, former Vice Chancellor of Patuakhali University of Science and Technology presented the keynote paper.

Presided over by Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, GreenWatch Dhaka and convener of the organisation the roundtable was also addreaased by Prof Nurul Alam Bepari and Prof. Liutfur Rahman of Dhaka University, SM Solaiman of Amar Bangladesh Party, Ahsan Habib Loncoln of Jatiya Party, Subrata Chowhudhury of Adv Gono Forum, Qutubuddin of Workers'Party, Dr Tarek Fazal of RU, Dr. MA Safinul Islam Chowdhury, of CU, and Dr.Mesbahul Azam of Chittagong University.

In his Keynote paper Prof Abdul Latif Masum, traced the background of the idea of an upper house of Parliament in Bangladesh and said such a house acts as check against abuse of Parliamentary authority in a unicameral system. He said that the weight given by the BNP chairperson and acting chairman is an indication that this system will be established today or tomorrow. He said a bicameral system gives democracy stability and guards against infirngement of rights of the people.

Prof. Nurul Alam Bepari and Advocate Subrata Chowdhury said that the concept of an upper house of Parliament is not bad but this discussion should not shift the attention of the people from the ongoing movement for restoration of democracy.

Ahsan Habib Lincoln and Qutubuddin dealt aT length on the abuses of democratic rights and opined that the misrule and desturction of all democratic institutions of the country and called for concerted efforts for success of the democratic movement.

Major (Retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed cautioned against the ruise of communal forces in the country if good governance was not restyored as soon as possible. He underlined the need for talks within the opposition as to what they would do after the victory of the democratic movement. The memtioned about the three-alliance outline set during the anti-Ershad movement on the basis of which actions were taken subsequently.

The meeting was conducted by Human Kabir Bepari, mrmbrt=secretary of the Voice for Democracty and voter rights.  

In his presidential address Mostafa Kamal Majumder said that the roundtable was meant to prepare grounds for democratic actions after the success of the democratic movement to which it does not want to do harm.  He said if the bicameral system can function in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan it would succeed in Bangladesh too. The need for this system is felt out of the fact that the Unicameral legislature has not succeeded to assert itself against dictatorial party systems in Bangladesh in the last 50 years.

GreenWatch News Desk