Patriarchy blocked reforms on women’s seats in parliament , says Badiul Alam

Patriarchy prevailed in the election and constitutional reform commissions’ discussions on women’s reserved seats in parliament, Badiul Alam Majumder said on Thursday.

Referring to the political parties involved in those reform discussions, he said the parties had wanted to increase the number of women’s seats in parliament. However, they failed to propose a specific system for holding the elections.

“The Election Reform Commission had proposed allocating 100 seats for women in parliament under a rotation system, while the Constitutional Reform Commission proposed adopting the model used in Union elections.

I am convinced that the rotation system is the best option available. However, it was not adopted. We failed. We failed because of patriarchy. Patriarchy has won. The ball is now in the political parties’ court. It is now their decision how they deal with it,” he added.

He made the remarks at a roundtable discussion, organized by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, titled "Inclusive Politics: Women and Youth's Pathways to Leadership"

The discussion was held at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Auditorium in the city.

Joris van Bommel, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, and Badiul Alam Mazumder, Chairman of the Election Reform Commission were the guests of honor.

Badiul Alam also urged investment in the development of women, adding that the poor nutritional condition of women is actually affecting the nation, in line with the assessment of UNICEF. People in Bangladesh see more diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, and diabetes compared to the people in the western world, mainly due to the poor health status of pregnant mothers in Bangladesh.

“So, we have to invest more in women and their direct link to women's political rights and status,” he explained.  

Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, Secretary General, Jatiya Party, however, warned that the consensus commission won’t be successful as it remains non-inclusive. It has excluded big parties like the Jatiya Party and others.

“Even if they reach consensus, it won't survive.”

Advocate Fahima Nasrin Munni, Assistant Secretary, International Affairs, BNP, said that women have to fight ten times harder than their male counterparts to secure their position in politics in the country. They face a similar situation when it comes to getting a nomination from the political parties to fight in the election.

Prof Tania Haque, University of Dhaka, spoke for a qualitative change in politics to welcome more women and girls in politics, as the way people treat women on social media and politics remains toxic and increasingly unwelcoming.

Zahir Uddin Swapon, Advisor to the Chairperson, BNP, Md Rashed Khan, General Secretary, Gono Odhikar Parishad, Khaled Saifullah, Joint Convener, National Citizen Party (NCP), Sheikh Fajlul Karim Maruf, Central Dawa and Publicity Secretary, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, spoke among others.

They spoke for an inclusive society with an increasing participation of women and youths, as they historically, including in 1971 to 2024, played the key role in the nation’s fights for democracy and justice.

The roundtable will be chaired by Zillur Rahman, CGS, with Parvez Karim Abbasi, Executive Director of CGS, serving as moderator.

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