Making Prime Minister balanced and accountable: Case of Bangladesh

[This was published in Dhaka Courier on 30 May 2014]

At the start of one of my pieces titled ‘PM’s role in a parliamentary democracy’ published in Dhaka Courier on 23 May 2014 I wrote ‘To speak the truth, preponderance of the office of Prime Minister, at the negation of the very spirit of Parliamentary system of government, widely called Westminster model, was neither static in the past, nor does it remain so today. And this may, historically, be viewed in three perspectives namely-- (a) she or he is the ‘Primus inter pares’ meaning she or he is first, among equals’ (Lord Morley and his view has also been echoed by Morrison. H. in Parliamentary System of Government, p.97) (b) she or he is an ‘Inter stallas luna minores’ denoting that she or he is a moon among lesser stars (Orgg and Zink, Modern Foreign Governments, p.90) and(c) she or he is the ‘Sun’ around which planets revolve implying that the Cabinet/Council of Ministers revolve around him both singly and collectively (Churchill, W.I. Their Finest Hour, p.15).

The first one made its appearance at the initial phase of Parliamentary democracy and continued up to the point of jumping to the take-off phase; second one prevailed during the take-off period, and it still prevails where the take-off period is yet to be accomplished and concluded; and third one began to swell at the commencement of the matured phase and it is still on in different forms and dimensions mostly in the western industrialized states.

All these three focuses are tied to a single whole since the concept of Prime Minister is innately tagged to the growth and development of Parliamentary democracy that moved onward, and is still moving onward, initiating gradual but uneven and labyrinth transfer of power from the King/Queen to Parliament to Cabinet to the Prime Minister depending on time, space and dimension’.

And at the end of the write-up added I ‘Therefore, let there be a political realization without a delay that today a PM under the ongoing Parliamentary system of Government is neither ‘first, among equals’ nor ‘a moon among lesser stars’ rather she or he is the Sun around which planets (Cabinet/council of Ministers) rotate. She or He is, under the cover of Parliamentary System of Government, actually having on head the cap of Prime Ministerial System of Government.

Prime Minister, in our perspective in Bangladesh, is also like the star ‘Sun’ and a replica of what Winston Churchill noted in his book ‘Their Finest Hour’ because our PM, currently sheikh Hasina for two consecutive term, is holding all the three leading offices in the single hold and fold. Speaking pragmatically, her overall standing has further been sharpened, enlightened and strengthened through informal modes and manners, which sometimes put the formal constitutional boundaries and limitations in the shade. Here Prime Minister has to poke her nose even into a matter that should amply be handled by the Minister concerned since PM’s involvement in almost  everywhere and everything is not only preferred by her but it is also liked by the people at large. This has generated maxims such as ‘where there is PM, there is a solution’; ‘Ministers are merely puppets looking at the PM powerlessly for instructions as to what to do, how to do and when to do’.

There is no denying the fact that Bangladesh has not been born to see and continue with this catastrophic feedback. Rather our very vision and mission are deeply rooted in the onward development of PSG. Therefore, pertinent questions arise instantly necessarily entail, inter alia, what are the possible modes and routes to strike a sort of balance to the increasing powers and function allocated to the office of prime minister through the Constitution(Twelfth Amendment) Act of 1991 at the same time ensuring therein befitting accountability accordingly? Points as follows may formidably be taken into considerations:

(a)   Articles pointedly in particular 55 and 48 in part dealing with the powers and functions of the prime minister in the constitution of Bangladesh after the passing of the constitution(Twelfth Amendment) Act of 1991 should immediately be rephrased with necessary deductions, addition, alterations and modifications in tune at least with the spirit  of the corresponding articles in the constitution of India;

(b)   Collective responsibility and individual responsibility of the Cabinet/ Council of Ministers shall have to be shown in practice, not in words cosmetically and to suit the purposes the very relation based on Sun-satellite relations (concept that the prime minister is a star sun around which rotate the council of ministers) should be scraped with due diligence and care. Needless to say that this very concept has given birth to the notion  of  ‘prime ministerial system of government’;

(c)   There must be a kind of cheek and balance between the powers and functions of prime minister and parliament.

(d)   To create a kind of smooth and functional balance between the powers and functions of the prime minister and the president pragmatic initiatives both political and constitutional must be taken and ensured. President should not remain a mere titular head, which in the words of former justice-turned president Shahabuddin Ahmed is called a zero-powered president, head of state. In fact, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed earmarked the powers and functions by noting that ‘President in our ongoing constitution after the Constitution (Twelfth Amendment) Act of 1991 has virtually nothing to do but to attend milad mahfils and offer prayer at graveyards (all denoting religious festivities only)’. It is indeed a slap on the very face of the growth and development of a viable parliamentary democracy;

(e)   Provision should be made to the effect either constitutionally or politically( meaning that the political parties shall take decision in this regard from their own) or in both ways  that no person shall hold the office of the prime minister for more than two terms consecutively;

(f)    No person shall hold the office of the prime minister, office of the party in power and the office of the leader of the house all together. Each of the offices shall strictly be led by three singular persons;

(g)    It is better and wiser from the standpoints of the positive development of democracy, good governance and transparency that a person of wider integrity, acceptance, knowledge and experience, both political and organizational, shall be chosen and nominated by the respective political parties before election to parliament. It is immaterial whether she or he (nominee) is the chief of the party/alliance concerned.  Such practice has been on in India and it has been cashing positively for parliamentary democracy in India.

(h)   Most important for us all is the mindsets of the top leaders. Hardly there is a debate on the matter that unless and unless such topmost leaders fell free or obligated to embrace development of democracy in the right direction and trail, no sign of going ahead in this regard can be expected of. Yes, obsequiousness, philistinism and cronyism all are working together negatively in today’s Bangladesh. Everybody is busy with himself/herself. Nobody cares for others). Merits, qualifications, knowledge, experience, personality, sense of dedication, integrity and so on are no more weighed at all. Rapid fall of leadership and statesmanship is a reality. All these are taking place because ‘one man/woman show under the cover of parliamentary democracy and administration is on, on in a full swing’. Not a single politician either from the ruling alliance or from the opposition(s) dares to speak the truth. A sense of phobia to lose the present state of standing haunting them all. Nevertheless, I believe someone shall come and raise head without any fear in line with Bengali revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam who roared citing:

I am the burning volcano in the bosom of the earth,
I am the wild fire of the woods,
I am Hell's mad terrific sea of wrath!
I ride on the wings of lightning with joy and profundity,
I scatter misery and fear all around,
I bring earth-quakes on this world!

               

                I am the rebel eternal,
                I raise my head beyond this world,

                 High, ever erect and alone!

And who breathed a sigh of relief by noting:

"Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I the great rebel."

                                 

Therefore, Let there be a light, more and more light in the field of the practice of collective responsibility and individual responsibility in the Cabinet/Council of Ministers in Bangladesh, let there be light, more and more light in the field of checks and balances of the powers and functions of prime minister, president and parliament to suit the very purposes of parliamentary democracy. Let there be a light, more and more light in the field of parliamentary democracy here in Bangladesh putting an immediate end to the rise and escalation of prime ministerial system of government backed by the most irritating and unwanted notion  that prime minister is star sun around which rotate the Cabinet/Council of Ministers. Let us have a better conclusion that what Weinstein Churchill noted in his book ‘Their Finest Hour’ is just an observation in the context of World War Two. It is neither a theory nor a model indeed. Such observation can never be a case of application for others. We believe that parliamentary democracy must exist and continue with a head of government who shall neither be a sun nor be a satellite rather she or he must be a leader and statesman at the same time being a link and coordinator between and among President, Parliament and Cabinet/Council of Ministers. Let her or him be balanced and accountable for the successful and smooth running of government. Let all the three institutions from their respective standpoints say President Prime Minister and Parliament stand high in pride, not hung down in shame and thus illuminate us all the time, present and future.