Good governance and eradication of poverty

People want to be governed well and to have a say in what happens in their lives, to be safe, to earn a decent living for themselves and get good treatment from government and public officials.

Bangladesh government's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) attaches due importance to improve governance. The strategy includes: (a) Establishing good governance in all spheres of administration; (b) Expediting separation of the judiciary from the executive; (c) Appointing ombudsman; (d) Raising the police force as a neutral organisation; (e) Keeping the administration neutral; (f) Ensuring transparency and accountability; (g) Providing appropriate clientele service; and (h) Reducing corruption in government offices. Needless to say that very little could be attained of the objectives stated above so far.

In the PRSP some constraints have been identified in attaining good governance. They are: (a) Fundamental imperative of maintaining political capacity vis-a-vis contenders; (b) Pressure for responding to the electorate's demand for development; and (c) An inherited bureaucratic culture which emphasises administering rather than governing.

Some NGOs (such as Samata) have been able to reduce poverty to some extent specially in the lives of the poor section. In fact Samata believes that without striving at improving governance by establishing transparent, accountable, and pro-people government, poverty cannot be reduced in a sustainable way.

It is specifically working for the landless people and has been successful in enabling the poor and landless people to organise, make their voice heard, exercise rights as well as knowledge and skills to improve their livelihood and well-being. It also claims to have been successful in improving governance at village, union and district level.

As strategy, it emphasises on including local government and other authorities and power holders as partners in the development and reform process. This way the poor and the marginalised people have representative voice in local decision-making and can ensure inclusion of issues affecting their lives. Samata is reported to have pulled out 153,859 landless households with 800,067 people from extreme poverty through recovery and distribution of 78,468.19 acres of khas land and khas water-bodies.

To make governance work for the poor, there is a need for intensive and integrated effort of government, political parties, NGOs, private sector, civil society, media, and citizens. Building better governance takes time. It has to develop from within, and international partners are only to support.

As poverty is mainly structural, it needs focus on policy reformation, good governance and building of capacity of government to respond to the need of the poor. Just for continuation of development policies and their implementation, it is essential that there is national consensus on major issues of national interest. Confrontational politics must stop for pursuing common national goals, plans, and programs. Political parties must shed their negative image of being power hungry. Unscrupulous and demoralised public services can be transformed into corruption-free and responsive development administration if politicisation and polarisation of every aspect of national life is stopped. Leadership in each field has to work with greater sense of patriotism, dedication and enlightened national interest to inspire and mobilise the enormous workforce for translating the nation's vision of a self-respecting, self-sustaining Bangladesh.

Though Bangladesh constitution provides for all the elements essential for good governance, despite the return of parliamentary democracy, establishment of democratic norms and practices has not been smooth in the country. With democratic governance, the constitutional rights and interests of the common citizens would have been safeguarded and better performance of state functionaries would have been ensured.

So far accountability of the parliament to the people and that of the executive to the parliament could not be institutionalised. Lack of adequate accountability and transparency resulting in widespread corrupt practices and unsatisfactory law and order situation have become endemic with political, social and administrative activities dampening the spirit of development.

Bangladesh will have to traverse a long way to reach the desired momentum in economic growth, poverty reduction, improvement in quality of life, and overall social development. Political situation in Bangladesh is certainly miserable, politicians acting mostly for personal or party interests. People are increasingly questioning their motivations and moral integrity.

The dilemma of political leadership in shown clearly in party politics. These leaders rather promote division in society at large. Only reforms in political parties will make them stronger institutionally and people will hold them in higher esteem. The political parties and civil society will then become natural allies. Otherwise political parties in Bangladesh will degenerate into self-serving political entities unable to satisfy the expectations of the people.

It is time the major parties must realize that if they fail to involve people in general (without making any discrimination whatsoever) in developmental activities, there cannot be any balanced growth towards eradication of poverty.

ABMS Zahur is a former Joint Secretary.