Watchdog accuses ruling alliance of blocking July Charter, opposition of pursuing partisan gain
The prospect of state reform created by the July mass uprising has become hostage to power politics and bureaucratic interests, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said on Friday.
In a statement, the anti-corruption watchdog said constitutional reform now effectively depends on the “unilateral wishes” of the ruling alliance.
It also accused the opposition alliance of abandoning its responsibility to advance reforms in the public interest and instead pursuing partisan political gains.
“The collusion between power politics and bureaucratic forces is blocking the central objective of the July movement: the establishment of an accountable and responsible system of government,” TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said.
TIB said the interim government had failed to build the necessary foundation for reform because of a lack of strategic planning and political courage, and had compromised in the face of bureaucratic resistance.
The situation worsened after the 13th parliamentary election, it said, as control over the country’s legal, institutional and bureaucratic structures merely changed hands under the influence of power politics.
Iftekharuzzaman said the winning party had pledged in its 31-point agenda and election manifesto to implement the July Charter “to the letter,” and its MPs had been part of the forces supporting the referendum.
However, their refusal to take oath as members of the proposed Constitutional Reform Council has created fresh uncertainty, he said.
He accused the principal party that emerged victorious after the fall of authoritarian rule of allowing the unchecked transfer of practices involving occupation, extortion and partisan control, describing this as an “it is our turn now” mentality.
TIB said this had made implementation of the Charter and wider reforms “virtually impossible.”
TIB also questioned the government’s handling of the 133 ordinances issued by the interim administration, a large number of which have since become law.
It alleged that ordinances strengthening executive power without sufficient accountability were passed, while those intended to improve accountability were repealed or suspended.
It pointed to the repeal of the Supreme Court Secretariat (Amendment) Ordinance and the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, both introduced to strengthen judicial independence.
Repealing them, TIB said, amounted to moving in the opposite direction from reform.
On the Anti-Corruption Commission, TIB said that despite political consensus on necessary amendments to the ACC Amendment Ordinance, parliament did not pass it with those changes and instead returned to the 2004 law.
This, it said, blocked an opportunity to address the crisis of public confidence that has affected the commission since its creation.
The watchdog said the new law enacted after the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance was repealed is inconsistent with international standards and undermines the demand for a genuinely independent commission.
It raised similar concerns over enforced disappearances, saying the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance was replaced by legislation that protects the agencies it described as most responsible for such violations.
TIB also alleged that an agency widely accused of abuses had effectively been given greater powers under a new name, in a process presented as the abolition of RAB.
No initiative has been taken to establish an independent Police Commission despite political consensus, it added.
TIB further noted an agreement requiring elected representatives to disclose their assets within three months of taking office, saying no such directive or practice had become visible since the current MPs took oath.
“Overall, by taking positions contrary to the public aspirations behind the July movement, the government is moving towards establishing a power structure in which the executive branch lacks accountability and responsibility,” Iftekharuzzaman said.
He questioned how political parties could so quickly forget the consequences of partisan control over the judiciary, law enforcement, ACC, Human Rights Commission and other accountability institutions under authoritarian rule, noting that the July Charter itself was drawn from those experiences.
TIB said the ruling party had moved towards “unchecked majoritarian power” while the opposition focused on partisan advantage.
It urged all parties to revive the consensus that produced the July National Charter and pursue reforms to strengthen democracy, good governance and social justice and prevent a return to authoritarian rule.