Consensus Commission without women representation an insult: Rasheda Chowdhury

Forming the National Consensus Commission without women's  representation is an insult and a sign that their issues are being ignored, said former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury.

"Voting is a vital civil right. Boycotting elections is not a solution to the issue of women's rights. The formation of the National Consensus Commission without female representation is an insult to women. The commission is busy with the distribution of power and political issues, while women's concerns are neglected," she said, according to a press release.

Speaking at a shadow parliament on women's empowerment and reserved seats, held at FDC today (23 August), Rasheda Chowdhury added, "The policy of 'no decision on women without women' is followed internationally, but it is absent here. On 3 August, 67 women's organisations submitted specific proposals to the Consensus Commission, but there has been no response. Political parties have also not discussed the matter with us."

She said the proposal for 33% to 50% female nominations in political parties is still being ignored.

"Parties want to nominate only 5% to 7% of women in the national election; this is like a charity. There is still a lack of confidence in matters of justice, reform, and elections. Women should not only demand rights from the state, but also raise the demand for empowerment in families, society, and institutions."

The event was organised by Debate for Democracy and presided over by Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran.

In his presidential speech, Kiran said the current system for electing women to reserved seats is essentially a party nomination process.

"It is a system where one has to become an MP through the grace of party leadership rather than the votes of the people. This prevents voters from being able to assess the true popularity, efficiency, and qualifications of female candidates," he said.

"Since there is no direct election for reserved seats, the democratic process is incomplete. The female MPs in reserved seats were once called 'ornaments of the parliament', which is never an honourable description. Their qualifications or knowledge of the constitution were of no concern. This has dishonoured the reserved seats and turned parliament into a circus," Kiran added.

He said that although more than 30 political parties took part in dialogues with the Consensus Commission, no female representatives from the major parties were present.

"Without the goodwill of political parties, it is impossible to increase women's seats, hold direct elections, or ensure empowerment. Women leaders should hold dialogues with the major parties, including BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, on increasing representation and securing direct elections," he said.

The shadow parliament carried the theme "Women's empowerment will be secured only through direct elections for reserved women's seats." 

Debaters from Manarat International University defeated Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology.

Judges included Professor Abu Muhammad Rais, senior journalist Mainul Alam, Maidur Rahman Rubel, Nishat Sultana, and journalist Jannatul Bakea Keka. Participating teams received trophies, crests, and certificates.