Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has termed a recent statement by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General on its research report, ‘Institutional Governance of Political Parties in Bangladesh,’ misleading and contrary to facts.
The anti-graft watchdog also described Jamaat's claim that separate committees for women ensure their inclusion at all levels of the party as misleading, saying the move was merely an attempt to show nominal compliance with the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972.
Expressing surprise at the party's attempt to dismiss the research findings as false, TIB, however, appreciated Jamaat for reviewing the report seriously.
According to TIB's research, Section 90B(1)(b)(ii) of the RPO, 1972, requires political parties to set a target of reserving at least 33% of committee positions at every organisational level for women and achieve the target gradually by 2030.
However, an analysis of women's representation in the central committees of political parties reveals significant gaps in compliance with this provision, TIB said.
For the study, the term "central committee" referred to a party's central or national executive committee, central executive council or central executive body. TIB collected information on comparable committees across all political parties.
According to information published on Jamaat's website, the party's 19-member Central Executive Council for 2023-25 has no female members. This constitutes a clear violation of the relevant RPO provision, which requires women's representation in every committee, the organisation said.
In its statement, Jamaat claimed that its Central Working Committee has 21 female members and its Central Majlish-e-Shura has 122 female members. It also said women account for around 43% of its rukuns (members).
TIB clarified that its research focused exclusively on women's representation in central executive committees or councils, not in national or central councils, conventions or Majlish-e-Shura.
The RPO does not specify how many women a political party must have as members. Rather, it requires parties to ensure women's representation in their committees, TIB said.
Therefore, citing such unrelated examples in the secretary general's statement amounts to a distortion of facts, it added.
TIB further said that other political parties in Bangladesh maintain a single committee at each organisational level, with varying degrees of women's representation.
Jamaat's constitution, however, provides for separate committees for women at every organisational level to conduct activities exclusively among female members.
This means the party maintains one committee for men and another for women at each level. It also has separate Majlish-e-Shura and working committees for women.
However, the party has no separate central executive council for women, nor does its central executive council include any female member, TIB said.
The watchdog also observed that women are not included in key leadership positions, including Ameer-e-Jamaat, Naib-e-Ameer, secretary general and assistant secretary general.
Maintaining separate committees to conduct political activities exclusively among women does not ensure their meaningful inclusion in the party's overall organisational structure. Rather, it confines women to a limited sphere, TIB said.
Presenting these separate committees as evidence of women's inclusion in the party is therefore misleading, it added.
The research also found that Jamaat did not nominate a single female candidate in any constituency in the 13th parliamentary election.
Despite the party's claim that women make up around 43% of its membership, it did not nominate any woman to contest the election. Jamaat, however, did not address the issue in its statement, TIB said.
The watchdog also pointed out that several provisions of Jamaat's constitution appear to conflict with various articles of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
These include provisions on building society based on the fundamental beliefs and principles of Islam; rejecting sovereignty by anyone other than Allah; rejecting social, economic and political principles and practices not based on divine laws; and avoiding relations with institutions considered contrary to Islamic beliefs.
Other provisions concern granting associate or full membership to non-Muslim citizens subject to their agreement with the party's political and economic programmes, imposing different membership conditions on Muslim and non-Muslim citizens, and maintaining separate organisational wings and activities for women.
TIB said these provisions were inconsistent with constitutional principles, including the sovereignty of the people, secularism, religious freedom and non-discrimination on grounds of religion and gender.
The organisation said there was no basis for Jamaat to describe its findings on women's representation in the party's central committee as "false" or "misleading".
Rather, the party was attempting to deny the findings and obscure its actual political practices by citing irrelevant information, TIB said.
TIB called on Jamaat-e-Islami and all other political parties to take the research findings seriously and undertake institutional reforms in line with the report's recommendations.
On its research methodology, TIB said it follows internationally recognised research methods used in social sciences. To ensure the reliability and accuracy of its findings, the organisation cross-checks primary data against information from various direct and indirect sources and verifies it at different stages.
For the study, TIB interviewed representatives responsible for or nominated by political parties at the central level, party leaders and activists, Election Commission officials, political analysts, teachers and researchers.
It also collected and verified information from political parties' websites, party offices, media reports, research papers and books.
