The New Nation - Internet Edition

Tayeb Husain

Democracy, like anything else, has many faces and most unfortunately most of the people in Bangladesh do not understand it. Recent election in Bangladesh is an example of rotten democratic system that prevails in most of the 3rd world countries that makes many members of Bangladesh Jatya Parisad (JP) NOT really representative of the people. You may not understand what I am talking about but please don't get puzzled, hold your tongue and let me talk. I say clearly and loudly again and again that the present JP members of Bangladesh DON'T, at large, represent the people of Bangladesh truly and correctly. Many of them would NOT have been JP members or legislators of the country if our election system were civilized, up-to-date and based on right principles. Let our Election commission and political leaders note this comment carefully.

Our present election system is called majority-voting system. Anybody who gets majority of the votes wins the election where sometimes even the wishes of 80% voters may be completely ignored.

This is a very primitive, rotten and utterly an unfair system. No civilised country in the world, except USA and UK, follows this system. If our leadership and the election commission were wise they would have abandoned the majority voting system long time ago by introducing what is called 'Proportional Voting' system. Democracy is better respected in proportional voting system (or proportional representation) where one votes to a party rather than an individual. Among advanced western democracies it is also the predominant voting system.

The basic approach of proportional voting system is simple: legislators are elected in multimember districts instead of single-member districts, and the number of seats that a party wins in an election is proportional to the amount of its support among voters. So if you have a 10-member district and a party wins 51% of the vote, they receive 51% seats.

If another party wins 30% of the vote, they get 30% seats; and if a third party gets 20% of the vote, they win 20% seats and so on. This system also eliminates 'mushroom' growth of political parties by fixing it obligatory of obtaining a minimum percentage of popular votes in the election or to disappear from taking seat in the parliament.

Proportional voting system was devised to solve the many problems caused by majority voting system. As a rule, proportional-voting system provides and guarantees more accurate representation of parties, better representation for political and racial minorities, fewer wasted votes, a higher levels of voter turnout, better representation of women, greater likelihood of majority rule, and little opportunity for vote buying and using muscle power.

Decent people are attracted in politics by this system because they need not spend money or run after voters to be elected. A party that nominates thieves and thugs are generally rejected by the decent voters and thus, possibility of nicer people winning the election prevails.

By this system, the government of the ignorant, fanatics and politically ill motivated people can be eliminated to some extend.

Let us now consider some points carefully from Bangladesh's recent election. In Dec. 29, 2008 election result, due to majority voting system, we find the result as follows:

Bangladesh Awami League : 230 seats

Jatiya Party: 27 Seats

Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal: 3 seats

Workers Party of Bangladesh: 2 seats

Liberal Democratic Party: 1 seat

Bangladesh Nationalist Party: 29 seats

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh: 2 seats

Independents: 4 seats

Vacant: 1 seat

Total: 299 Seats

Now, let us again get into a little deeper and consider the popular votes the different political parties got:

Bangladesh Awami League : 49%

Jatiya Party: 6.65%

Bangladesh Nationalist Party: 32.75%

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh: 4.55%

Others: 7.04%

If the election system was on the basis of Proportion voting system the result would have been as follows:

Bangladesh Awami League : 49% votes, i.e. 147 seats only

Jatiya Party: 6.65% votes, i.e. 19 seats only

Bangladesh Nationalist Party: 32.75% votes, i.e. 99 seats only

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh: 4.55% votes, i.e. 13 seats only

Others: 7.04% votes, i.e. 21 seats only

Proportional voting systems eliminates 'mushroom' growth of political parties by fixing it obligatory of obtaining a minimum percentage of popular votes in the election or to disappear from taking seat in the parliament. If that 'minimum percentage of popular votes' was 10, then Jatiya Party and Jamaat would have not qualified to continue as parties. There was also possibility that they could gain higher percentage of vote and obtain peoples' mandate and greater legitimacy to get involved in Bangladesh politics.

Thus, the following numbers of members in different political parties are not true representative of the people as per Proportional voting system:

Bangladesh Awami League : 230-147 = 88 seats

Jatiya Party: 27- 19 = 8 Seats

Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal: 3 seats / most probably all

Workers Party of Bangladesh: 2 seats/ most probably all

Liberal Democratic Party: 1 seat/ most probably all

Bangladesh Nationalist Party: 99-29 = 70 seats lost

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh: 13-2 = 11 seats lost.

Independents: 4 seats / most probably all

Similarly, in 2001 election, if the election system was proportional voting system the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) would have formed the government and NOT Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). AL got more popular votes than BNP in 2001 election.

In Dec. 29, 2008 election AL has won majority popular votes and the party has absolute majority.

The new government can take this opportunity to pass a legislation by which the next election could be on Proportional voting system making our future JP members more representative of our people.