DHAKA | Sunday | 19 December 2010 | 05 Poush 1417 BS | 12 Muharram 1432

Hijri

Pros and cons

Dilemmas of dual role in being PM and
PC
Abdullah A. Dewan

In a predominantly male dominated Muslim country, having two women alternating the position of Prime Minister
(PM) and opposition leader (OL) while remaining Party Chairperson (PC), ever since parliamentary democracy
was restored in 1992, is unprecedented. In fact, in the USA and elsewhere, many Bangladeshis brag about this feat.
Unfortunately, last few years’ politics of tearing down political rivals through reciprocity of diatribes and rants
have turned such ostentatious boasting into a vanity — a personification of vainglory.

It was the political expediency of the respective party — not the indispensability of their leadership traits that
dragged them into politics; one lost a famous political father and the other lost a “freedom fighter” husband —
both were Presidents when assassinated. Khaleda Zia’s high jump from being a fulltime housewife to country’s
PM is indeed a meteoric rise. In addition to father-daughter dynamics, Sheikh Hasina has some early experience
with student politics. Much to her credit, she served as parliament member prior to becoming the opposition leader
in the House and then PM in 1996.

A country’s leader doesn’t need to have a university degree, although advanced education blossoms one’s
intellectual faculty modifying personal demeanor. Leadership attributes are genetically predisposed but also can be
harnessed through self-learning and experience. Blema Steinberg (Political Psychology, Vol. 22, 2001) examined
if birth order, sex of siblings, and parent-children dynamics have any pattern in accession to leadership positions.
She found strong evidence that first-born male are overrepresented as compared with later-born siblings.

Two other hypotheses tested also confirm that first-born women, like first-born men, are overrepresented among
political leaders; that first-born women are overrepresented among female political leaders as compared with their
numbers in a larger sample population; and that fewer female political leaders have an older brother than would be
expected to occur in a larger sample population.

Steinberg’s study on parent-daughter dynamics suggests a possible explanation for the success of women who
achieve senior-level positions of political power. These findings are broadly consistent with Hasina’s political
pedigree while Khaleda’s (who lacks all of Hsian’s lineage) accession to leadership would not, in all likelihood,
have happened, if her husband was not assassinated.

With a university degree, years of political grooming, and father-daughter dynamics, Hasina has had all the
prerequisites to be a great leader but her straight talking abrasive demeanor and apparent readiness to attack the
opposition or any one she dislikes is her major Achilles heel.

The opposition is essentially a “government-in-waiting.” The people voice their frustrations and aspirations
through the responsible opposition. Add to that the expectations of the people from the parliament to act upon the
functions of “checks and balances” of the executive branch. But if parliament acts as a rubber stamp body–
pampering the party chief and the PM while denigrating the voices of the opposition—that party will face what
BNP-Jamaat alliance was meted out by the electorates in the 2008 elections.

Neither BNP nor AL, after winning the majority, had ever taken any concrete initiatives to develop a healthy
rapprochement with the opposition. After the election victory the primary goal has been to trample the voices of
the opposition. Instead of inhibiting the party functionaries to harass the opposition, the PM joins the foray
in the parliament as if that “House” is the ruling party’s headquarter. The place for personal attacks and
exchanging diatribes is party office, Paltan Maidan — not the parliament.

The dual roles in being the PM and PC requires a delicate balancing act – one that is more often violated than
maintained. For example, Sheikh Hasina – like her predecessor—often muddles up her roles between the two. How
can you forget that you are the PM first for all the people regardless of who voted your party to victory. Hasina’s
December 17 victory day speech at the BICC organized by AL was the right venue and the right speech people of
all stripes would like to hear.

The PM should never unleash a personal attack to any citizen — be they political rivals, civil society
members (e.g. Transparency International Bangladesh), and business executives (Grameen bank) and so on.
Suspicions of or allegations of wrong doing by anyone should be communicated internally to law enforcing
agencies. Marginalizing or intimidating the voices of dissent, making derogatory statements against anyone
based on allegations (e.g. Dr. Yunus) or asking government ministries/offices (like NBR, ACC, BB etc) and
law enforcers to investigate someone is undignified for a country’s PM. They create controversies, develop
adversarial relationships, and almost always confound the issues with political overtones.

For example, whether Khaleda have acquired wealth illegally or submitted false tax and wealth report should be
investigated by the appropriate authorities. The PM ordering the finance minister to investigate that in a
parliamentary session makes the case as being politically motivated.

Another glaring un-Prime Minister like recent episode is her indulgence in Khaleda’s cantonment house and
household items. The house was pure and simple a matter of legal recourse but the PM made it look like a personal
pay-back. If punching the already fallen rival is irresistible, then do it as the party leader in the party office
or in party organized public assembly.

If these issues and many others were not politicized, the opposition would have much less appeal for inciting the
people for hartals, political unrests, and boycott of the parliament. Even with 90 percent majority seats in the
parliament, non-participation of the opposition bench in the parliament isn’t simply ignoring the voices of 32 MPs
but nearly 43 percent of the electorate who voted for the opposition party. That’s not a sign of viable democracy in
operation – in effect, gives the impression of democratically elected autocracy in action.

In a democracy there’s no room for perpetuity of a party in power. Cowing down the opposition doesn’t guarantee
future election victory – having a worthy and strong opposition assures return to power more often than not. The
fear of being unseated from power and paying heed to legitimate voices of the oppositions establishes good
governance and makes the ruling party more appealing to voters.

Will my commentaries have any impact on our politicians? This is how I see: Experts write about safe sex
not just for the HIV/AIDS-infected people, but for those who are yet to be infected.
Writer, formerly a BAEC physicist and nuclear engineer, is Professor of Economics at Eastern Michigan University
(email:aadeone@gmail.com).