Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar, the head of the Election System Reform Commission, said that a golden opportunity has arisen to eliminate past injustices and discrimination.
Majumder, also the secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), said: "We now have an excellent opportunity to remove all the injustices and discrimination that occurred in the past. We aim to build a country where equal opportunities will be available for everyone. We want to be guided by the same values that our movement was based on."
He made these remarks during an exchange of views with various sections of society, including indigenous communities, Dalits, and people with disabilities, on Wednesday at the Cabinet Room of the Parliament House.
Dr Majumdar suggested that a rotation system could be implemented in local government elections to ensure women's participation. In this system, women could be elected directly in turn.
He cited the example of West Bengal in India, where a rotating system is used, resulting in greater representation of women, sometimes even exceeding that of men in some areas.
He also emphasized that to ensure good governance, the rights of indigenous people must be safeguarded.
He said: "Our recommendations have not been finalized yet, but one thing is clear: no indigenous, Dalit, or marginalized group should face any discrimination. From voting rights to legal rights, these should be established. We have identified several inconsistencies, such as a bicameral parliament, balancing the powers of the Prime Minister and the President, how the upper house should be elected, reserved seats for women, and rotational seats for women, which have been strongly discussed in previous dialogues. We have made notes on these issues honestly. We want our proposals to be data-driven and well-informed. We need clear information on how many indigenous people, Dalits, and people from different ethnic groups reside in the plain and hill regions."
Dr Majumdar also mentioned that the issue of party-based local government elections was raised strongly.
He said that the president's election should not be party-based, and there was also a proposal for whether the presidential election should be direct.
He raised concerns about the voter list and issues faced by the indigenous communities and other communities.
"There are mistakes in the names of my own family members on the voter list. We will make recommendations to address this," he added.
Dr Majumdar continued: "There is a significant demand to maintain educational qualifications for elections, but it should not be considered disqualification. If we look around, we see that many people involved in corruption are highly educated."
Dr Tofail Ahmed, a member of the Election Reform Committee, said: "If we can make the right recommendations and the government accepts them, it could bring about revolutionary changes in local government. For example, in upazilas (sub-districts), there will be wards where a woman and two men can be general members. Women should have no barriers to direct election in local government. If there are 13 wards in union, women candidates should be able to stand without any obstacles."
Dr Tofail also mentioned that local government reform proposals include the removal of the post of female vice-chairperson in upazilas. Instead, each upazila will have wards, and in a upazila with ten unions, there will be 30 seats, with 30 elected representatives including a chairman and vice-chairman. This will ensure more opportunities for standing and election. He also highlighted the need to increase the number of seats for indigenous people in the permanent committees, if not in the general elections.
He added: "The violence in the last three elections must not be repeated. To prevent this, there needs to be political empowerment of indigenous people. There has been a student movement, and we need to engage with them. I will stand as an indigenous person, not aligned with any specific party. We need to move beyond this mindset."
Jasmine Tuli, a former additional secretary of the Election Commission and a member of the Reform Committee, commented, "In the last three elections, everything was destroyed. This has never happened before. Now, regardless of who wins, violence occurs—whether the candidate wins or loses."
Sanghya Malo, a representative of the indigenous community, said: "When we talk about indigenous people, the plains and the hills are seen as separate. I believe it's better to start with the marginalized groups, and then bring everyone forward."
Ripon Chandra Banai, an executive member of the Bangladesh Indigenous Forum, emphasized the importance of ensuring representation for indigenous people in the election system.
"This should include both parliament and local government elections. There are 50 reserved seats in the parliament, but this should not be party-specific. Candidates should be chosen from marginalized and indigenous communities, as they have never had a representative in parliament. Representation should also include women, indigenous people, Dalits, tea workers, farmers, and other communities."
Bimal Chandra Rajwar, the General Secretary of the National Indigenous Council, said: "If we file a complaint about the elections, it remains unresolved even after the elections. Therefore, complaints should be investigated within 24 hours, and candidacies should be canceled if necessary. This would help stop the influence of black money and muscle power in elections."
He added: "We are already afraid. From the time of British colonialism to the present, indigenous people have been brutally oppressed, and everyone knows this.
"In the plains, we are still without representation," he concluded.
Rajkumar Shaw, Executive Director of the Anagrasar Samaj Unnayan Sangstha (ASUS), noted that the voter list for indigenous people must be updated.
"We need to involve indigenous people in this process to ensure it is done correctly. Whenever we speak, we are labeled by political parties like Awami League, BNP, or Jamaat, and we are attacked because of these labels. This is our weakness. We are not well-educated, and we struggle to express ourselves clearly."
He further pointed out: "The problems of indigenous people in the plains are different. Therefore, a separate ministry could be created for them, and a land commission could be established. If educational qualifications are required for elections, our indigenous people, who are behind in education, will not be able to stand. This is why they should be included in the parliamentary permanent committees. Many indigenous women leaders are capable but unable to run due to these restrictions."
