Fundamental institutions must be separated from the government and be independent to carry out activities on their own to ensure complete democracy in a country, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.
"Democracy needs development of institutions. Institutions are not only to be developed but also be respected," said ambassador Jamil Majid, former principal of Foreign Service Academy, Bangladesh.
"Fundamental organisations like Public Service Commission, Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission and University Grants Commission must be separated from the government and must have independence and the ability to work on their own to ensure democracy in Bangladesh," said Dr Sayedur Rahman, coordinator of Hubert Humphrey Fellowship programme.
Dr Sayedur presented the keynote paper on 'Democracy & institution building with specific reference to Bangladesh' at the second session of the seminar organised by the Centre for Development Research, Bangladesh (CDRB) at Dhaka Club.
The speakers also observed that everyone in Bangladesh, including the media, want power to rule rather than govern and that development could not take place in fundamental institutions due to the power structure.
"Institution building is a process and Bangladesh is struggling for the entire period of the last century to go ahead. Institution develops through years," said Prof Ataur Rahman of Political Science of Dhaka University.
Former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury presided over the second session.
US-Pakistan relations
In the first session, the speakers underlined the need for democracy in order to keep a country free from crises that have plagued countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It is necessary for Pakistan to have its institutions out of military control as democracy is also the only way for Pakistan to overcome its existing crisis that has reached as far as to suicide bombing, they added.
Prof Charles H Kennedy of Political Science department of Wake Forest University in North Carolina presented a keynote paper on 'Current US-Pakistan relations and policy implication of South Asia'.
He said violence is rising rapidly in Pakistan with suicide bombing reaching its worst by years.
He mentioned that 354 explosions have taken place in Pakistan only in 2008. Bombing on Marriott Hotel has a symbolic significance, as the place has been an important place for both political and social purposes in the country, he added.
A recent survey conducted in Pakistan shows 72 percent of people think US military deployment in Pakistan is a credible threat while 86 percent thinks US policy in Pakistan is to weaken Muslim World, said Prof Kennedy.
Saying that it is urgent to address the issue of suicide bombing in Pakistan, Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of International Relations Department of Dhaka University identified intra-muslim conflict and effects of Diaspora and globalisation as factors causing severe crisis in Pakistan.
"When you commit suicide, you go beyond reason and rationality," said Prof Imtiaz.
The speakers said that most of the society in Pakistan is run by military as military is in possession of the biggest institutions in Pakistan and democracy cannot be resurrected in Pakistan unless military is taken out of the institutions.
Commandant of National Defence College Lt. Gen. Mohammad Aminul Karim, CDRB Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelley and former foreign secretary Abul Ahsan also spoke.