Fixing the reform priorities

Much expectation has been generated among the masses following a people's revolution in Bangladesh culminating in the assumption of office by an interim government. There is now almost a universal consensus that the state needs to be repaired before a national election is held in order to put the country on the path of a genuinely liberal democratic dispensation. Heeding this popular demand, the chief adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus has announced the formation of six commissions- tasked to submit recommendations on reforming six critical domains of the state, viz. the constitution, public administration, the police, judiciary, electoral system, and curbing corruption.

Reforming the state is a very complex and difficult task. Besides, there is widespread demand and aspiration for reforms among the masses. However, compromises may have to be made due to the limited time and resources of the interim government, and the impossibility of materialising all aspirations at the same time. Therefore, priorities have to be set at all stages of this upcoming reform exercise.

Now, the question arises as to how the government will fix priorities, and what would be the basis or premises for such reforms. Besides, the width, depth, timing and coverage of reforms will also have to be addressed. Decisions will have to be made on whether to undertake procedural reforms only by keeping the structure intact, or to overhaul the whole structure. For this, priorities have to be set through objective and unbiased analysis before execution of reforms. This is not an easy task, as the objectives and interests of various parties may often diverge. Therefore, the concepts and ideas for reforms will have to be clearly spelt out by following an objective methodology, and their width, depth, and boundaries will have to clarified based on major aims and objectives of reforms.

Professor Golam Rasul of IUBAT has suggested a framework for undertaking the review exercise for reform. These include: deciding on the fundamental policies cum criteria for reforms, collection of reform proposals and their preliminary screening, analysing the proposals based on their importance and applicability, and then prioritisation of recommended reforms.

Determination of major aims and objectives is the first step in the reform process. However, it should not be difficult to arrive at an agreement on these because of the massive support for reforms following a mass upsurge and people's revolution. This agreement can be arrived at through dialogue with all relevant parties and stakeholders, and by reconciling their interests in the light of national priorities. A fundamental criterion will be to establish a discrimination-free state alongside minimising the scope for re-emergence of another autocracy. Apparently, all political parties now seek a liberal democratic system that does not provide room for flourishing of fascism.

Another basic criterion for reform should be to endow the state with the capacity to maintain law and order as well as ensure politico-economic stability. It has been observed across the globe that the popularity of interim governments gradually diminishes with the passage of time. Therefore, the time aspect should also be considered during prioritisation of needed reforms.

The first among the basic policies and criteria for reforms should be to maintain social order, and safeguard people's lives and properties. The law-and-order situation must be improved, and the security of people should be ensured. Priorities should therefore be attached to those measures that aid in the improvement of law-and-order situation.

The second objective should be ensuring politico-economic stability, as politics and economy are intertwined with each other. Priorities should therefore be attached to those reforms that aid in generating people's employment, income and livelihood, removes economic disparity, and reduces inflation.

Identification of existing discriminations in the state apparatuses, and their gradual eliminations -so that all citizens irrespective of race, colour or religion get equal opportunities - should also be one of the fundamental priorities in any reform exercise. Consequently, matters related to fundamental rights, social justice, and removal of discriminations must be prioritised.

As the masses are seeking a liberal democratic order, priorities should be attached to those reforms that support the strengthening of democratic institutions, and enable those bodies to run independently and efficiently by shunning politicisation, promoting citizens' rights, and ensuring transparency cum accountability. As time is of essence, the likely tenure of the interim government should also be taken into consideration while deciding on the reform package, as popular support may wane with the passage of time.

The proposals for reforms must be obtained from all sections of society, as all citizens should own the subsequent implementation. They include all political parties, students and teachers, the civil society, mass media, NGOs, and the working classes. All proposals should be evaluated in the light of aforementioned criteria, and any proposal that does not tally with those should be discarded. The proposals should be evaluated objectively without any bias, and those passing the preliminary test based on basic criteria should then be included in a list of reform priorities based on their importance and conformity with the major reform objectives.

In the final stage, the prioritised reforms will have to be implemented phase-wise. This will require proper action-plans, identification of implementation challenges, steps for overcoming those challenges, appropriate measures for implementation, regular monitoring of progress, and making adjustments when needed.

The principal task of the interim government is to create a conducive environment for holding a free and fair election, so that a competitive cum participatory polls takes place. It will then have to hand over power to the democratically elected government, so that the elected administration can complete the reform process. Besides, necessary legal cover will also have to be assigned to reforms undertaken by the interim government.

Proper selection, prioritisation, and execution of reforms will reassure the stakeholders about the democratisation process in the country. Effective stewardship will be required at all stages of this reform exercise. The country's citizens have high hopes that this will materialise in due course under the pragmatic leadership of Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Dr Helal Uddin Ahmed is a former editor of Bangladesh Quarterly.

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