We congratulate the Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, on her election as the chairperson of the executive committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at its conference in Cameroon this week.
She is the first Bangladeshi to be elected to this prestigious position in the body that promotes parliamentary democracy across the 53-member countries of the Commonwealth.
This is a worthy honour both for her personally and for Bangladesh.
Arguably it also marks good news for the present government, by indicating growing acceptance among the international community.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association plays an invaluable role in exchanging knowledge and best practice about parliamentary democracy among member nations and their parliamentarians.
It is important that our government pay heed to the ideals and aims of the CPA.
We hope the taking on of this prominent role by the Speaker of Bangladesh’s parliament will give more impetus to ensuring the government facilitates and maintains conditions for a more democratic polity.
Key questions such as how and when the next elections will be held must be addressed in a way that guarantees that they will be free, fair, and fully participatory. The holding of credible elections is an absolute necessity for the future of our country.
The government should do more to live up to the democratic ideals of the Commonwealth if it is do justice to the Speaker’s new role. This includes ensuring that our Constitution’s guarantees on freedom of expression are not undermined by intrusive and draconian laws. Democracy is about more than just elections.