Policy Research Group   - Strategic Insight: BNP's First NEC Meet's Top Agenda: Anti-govt strategy

BNP's First NEC Meet's Top Agenda: Anti-govt strategy
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editor on 30 July, 2010 05:20:00
 
Dhaka: Conflict within the party and strategy to forge an anti-government
movement are likely to top the agenda for the first meeting of BNP's national
executive committee tomorrow.
The meet will be held at the Diploma Engineers' Institute auditorium in the
capital.
Party's Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday told The
Daily Star that at the meeting the party would draw up guidelines on
organisational issues in consultation with both policy makers and the
grassroots.
Leaders from district units said, they would bring intra-party feud to the BNP
chairperson's attention if allowed to address the gathering.
MA Salam, president of its Bagerhat district unit, said there was a huge
disagreement within the party and it must be patched up immediately.
On organisational weakness, GK Gouse, general secretary of its Habiganj district
unit, said the party has to find out its way to overcome the flaws.
Party men said about five hundred leaders including central committee members,
chairperson's advisory council and presidents and general secretaries of
district units will join the meet.
The party announced names of 386 members of the executive committee on January 1
this year -- 22 days after holding the national council that re-elected Khaleda
Zia chairperson and elected her elder son Tarique Rahman senior vice-chairman of
the party.
As per the BNP constitution, the meeting of the national executive committee
will be held at least once in every six months. But the meeting can be convened
anytime, if necessary, with the permission of the chairperson.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148659
2. Financial Transactions, No move from major parties to inform EC
Dhaka: As many as 31 of 38 political parties including Awami League, BNP and
Jamaat-e-Islami are yet to turn in reports on annual financial transactions to
the Election Commission with the seven-month deadline for submission expiring
tomorrow.
Only seven parties -- Jatiya Party, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Khelafat
Majlish, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Bangladesh
National Awami Party and Zaker Party -- submitted reports on last year's
financial transactions, EC officials said yesterday.
The indifference of most parties to the legal provision prompted the EC to send
them letters on Monday reminding them about the deadline and the stipulation, a
senior EC official said.
According to the Political Parties Registration Rules 2008, a party has to get
audited its financial transactions in the last calendar year by a chartered
accounting firm and submit a copy of the report to the commission by July 31.
Prior to the ninth parliamentary election, registration of political parties
with the EC was made mandatory and the rule for submission of reports was framed
to ensure transparency in their financial transactions.
The rules said the parties would get seven months from January to comply with
the legal provision for submitting reports on financial transactions in 2009.
Interestingly, the EC exempted all political parties from submitting audit
reports on financial transactions a few months before the last parliamentary
election.
The parties were registered with the EC in October 2008 before the ninth
parliamentary election the same year.  According to the Political Parties
Registration Rules 2008, they were supposed to audit three months' financial
transactions in 2008 and submit reports to the EC by July 31, 2009.
Registration of a political party may be cancelled in line with the
Representation of the People's Order for failing to provide the EC with any
information for three consecutive years.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148662
TIB Survey, Most people against clipping ACC wings
Dhaka: Three in every four people in the country oppose the government move to
make it mandatory for the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) to take permission
before filing corruption cases against public servants, a Transparency
International Bangladesh (TIB) survey says.
An equal number of respondents of the survey said the government did not take
necessary steps to strengthen the ACC in line with its electoral pledges.
Conducted on 3,998 adults of age group between 18 and 57 in the country's seven
divisions in early July, the survey finds that the cabinet's approval to amend
the ACC law will turn the anti-graft body into an ineffective institution.
The cabinet on April 26 approved amendment of the Anti-corruption Commission
Act, 2004 by incorporating the provisions of taking government permission before
filing graft cases against bureaucrats, making ACC accountable to the president,
introducing penalty for filing false cases and appointment of ACC secretary by
the government.
The cabinet approved these amendments ignoring criticism from various groups and
experts and the appeal from the ACC itself not to do so.
Notably, 43 percent of the surveyed government service holders are against
taking permission prior to filing a case against public servants. Eighty percent
politicians, 81 percent private service holders and 78 percent businessmen are
also against the provision.
“Prime minister repeatedly assured us of making the Anti-corruption Commission
stronger. Now we have to see what that stronger means,” said Prof Muzaffer
Ahmad while speaking at the press conference organised to present the survey
report yesterday.
“We haven't seen any serious efforts to make the ACC stronger since the
government assumed office 18 months ago. We've seen the government to be rather
hesitant on the matter,” said Muzzafer, also a Trustee Board Chairman of the
TIB.
Presenting the survey report at the National Press Club, TIB Executive Director
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said 71 percent people are against the appointment of ACC
secretary by the
government.www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148666
3. Usurpation of State Power, JS body mulls tough clause
Dhaka:  The parliamentary special committee for constitutional amendment might
recommend inclusion of a stringent clause in the constitution blocking the way
for extra-constitutional usurpation of state power.
A few members of the committee, including one who is an international law
expert, are examining constitutions of other countries that had experienced
martial laws and later returned to democratic rule.
A committee member said on condition of anonymity that they found stringent
clauses preventing grabbing of state power by imposition of martial law in the
constitutions of Argentina and Mexico.
He said such usurpation of state power is considered treason in those
constitutions allowing death sentence for the perpetrators.
Committee Member Fazle Rabbi Mia told The Daily Star on July 22 that it is true
the constitution of Bangladesh does not allow anybody to grab state power
illegally, but there is no specific clause in it on the matter.
"Therefore, a specific clause should be inserted in the constitution to that
end. I will continuously pursue inclusion of that specific clause," he added.
Released on Tuesday, the full verdict of the Appellate Division of Supreme
Court, confirming the illegality of the Fifth Amendment to the constitution,
also recommended meting out suitable punishment to persons who declared martial
laws and suspended the constitution in the country. It also said it is up to the
parliament to enact relevant laws.
Meanwhile, the special committee yesterday at its maiden meeting decided to
delve into the verdicts of the High Court and the Appellate Division, both of
which declared the Fifth Amendment illegal.
The committee assigned its chief Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, and Co-chair Suranjit
Sengupta to examine and analyse the verdicts for their consistencies and
inconsistencies with the constitution. They will consult the law ministry, and
the Law Commission regarding the matter.
"On completing the task, we will submit a report to the committee at its next
meeting on August 8," said Suranjit, also chief of the parliamentary standing
committee on law justice and parliamentary affairs
ministry.www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148656
4. New wage sparks protest, workers go on rampage
Dhaka: Thousands of readymade garment workers rampaged through different parts
of the capital on Friday morning protesting the wage declared on Thursday.
The agitating workers demanded Tk 5,000 as minimum wage.
The workers of several garment factories took to the streets of Gulshan 1,2,
Banani, Mohakhali and Karwan Bazar area rejecting the new wage structure. They
put barricade on the road and started vandalising in these areas.
They ransacked several buses, private cars and motorcycles on the road and also
vandalised roadside buildings including garment factories, residents and
business enterprises.
The government on Thursday announced Tk 3,000, up from the present Tk 1,662, as
minimum monthly wages for garment workers.
For the last few years, the country has been witnessing violence in the
readymade garment sector. Many factories were damaged while production has
declined putting the fate of the industry in jeopardy.
In the wake of such devastation the government stepped up to solve the problem
by fixing a new minimum wage for the workers.
www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=25044
Bangladesh signs deal to buy electricity from India
DHAKA, July 27: Energy-starved Bangladesh would begin importing electricity from
India by late 2012 after the two countries signed a landmark power transmission
deal, an energy official said on Tuesday.
India will export up to 500 megawatts under the 35-year deal signed by the
state-run power companies of both nations, the head of Bangladesh’s Power
Development Board, Alamgir Kabir, said.
“It’s a landmark deal as far as we are concerned. It will help ensure energy
security for our country and ease the acute power crisis,” he said.
Bangladesh has long suffered severe power outages because of demands from its
fast-growing economy. The power shortfall is especially acute in the hot summer
months from April to October.
Years of under-investment mean Bangladesh’s power plants generate around 4,000
megawatts of electricity a day, while demand totals 6,000 megawatts --- a figure
growing by 500 megawatts a year due to rapid industrialization.
Just 40 per cent of Bangladesh’s 146 million people have power while peak-time
shortages force some factories --- including in the country’s key garment
sector --- to halt production.
www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/bangladesh-signs-deal-to-buy-electricity-from-india-870