The chair of the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, on Monday said they are embarrassed and concerned that the diversified communities who took part in the movement against Hasina have not been reflected in his or even the other reform commissions formed by the interim government.
“Diversity was not reflected in the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission and other reform commissions. We are very embarrassed and concerned over it. It should not have been done. But we have tried and will receive opinions from all diversified communities,” he said.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), was addressing the Citizen's Conference 2024 titled “People-centric Reform for Good Governance: Aspirations of Disadvantaged Communities” in the capital.
The Anti-Corruption Reform Commission chief said the interim government has yet to form any commission over two important areas – one is the minority issue and another is disadvantaged communities or diversity.
“But it will have to form the minority commission and diversity commission. We will continue raising the demand for the formation of commissions in the two areas,” he said.
He said the Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Ministry has not only kept it a way from overseeing the rights of indigenous communities in the plain lands but also has become a tool of snatching rights of the indigenous people in the CHT areas.
“We do not need this ministry. We need the diversity and minority ministry to ensure the rights of the diversified communities including indigenous people. We will have to be vocal about it,” he said.
“Nothing happened over [to address the issue of] diversity,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman.
Corruption spurs authoritarianism
The TIB executive director said corruption was the main reason behind the development of authoritarianism in Bangladesh.
“I can say one thing undoubtedly without any hesitation that corruption was the main reason behind the development of authoritarianism in Bangladesh. It’ll have to commit corruption, misuse of power and enjoy the benefits of the culture of impunity. This is why it will have to grab the state power and its different institutions including ACC to do so,” he said.
“We reject all authoritarianism, but we fail to reject the practices of authoritarianism,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, adding that it is still heard that the word "adivasi" (indigenous) cannot be used, though this practice was introduced by the previous authoritarian government.
He said no reform commission has been formed in the education sector, though the discrimination in education was the main reason behind the student-led movement.
The reform commission chair said a textbook curriculum review committee was formed, but it was cancelled in the face of a silly claim that one or two members of the committee were concerned about the rights of sexually deviant communities.
He, however, said the member was a very strong voice in favour of the movement. Sitting beside him in a programme at that time, the person in a louder voice demanded the release of student coordinators. “But it is very unfortunate that the government cancelled the committee bowing down to the demand,” he said.
Spirit of uprising absent in admin
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said they do not find any indication that the main spirit of the July-August uprising is among the winners who now think that they have already been in power.
“Rather, they (winners) want to implement even agendas, which conceptualization, indoctrination and process are quite discriminatory and goes against the main spirit of the anti-discrimination movement, which is very unfortunate,” he said.
Even after it, all will have to continue raising our voices in unison, he said, describing August 5 as a milestone for the defeat of authoritarianism.
The TIB executive director said even an elected government has not so strong a mandate, unlike this interim government which has come based on the doctrine of necessity.
“So, why won’t this government take the steps to defeat all evil forces which are against the main spirit of the anti-discrimination movement? We‘ll have to raise this demand,” he said.
Noting that many think that the interim government is not an elected government and there is no basis for their power, he said an elected government is formed based on the verdict of the people delivered through their votes.
In the case of the interim government, it is also the people who gave the mandate to the government and brought it to power, he said.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman also raised several recommendations regarding the electoral system. He said there should be an obligation for the political parties to nominate at least 30 aspirants from women initially and another 30% from the young generation and then there should be a target to raise women's representation to 50% gradually.
He said there should be no more than 25% representation from any particular profession.
