Monograph Cover Page

PWD hard at work installing electricity for the Printing Press

Mr. Ove Fritz Larson in his Gulshan Office

E-Governance: Future of the Bangladesh Parliament

The Hon. Speaker has been receiving regular computer orientation from the IPS.   The IPS Newsletter requested the Hon. Speaker to provide a feedback on this training.

IPS: How would you rate the standard of training?

Hon. Speaker: The standard of training is very good both in terms of the form and the contents. It appears that the training is being imparted by capable instructors on a useful package of computer programs which will be required by the Parliamentarians on a day-to-day basis. Of course, I am pleased to have Mr. Jamshidur Rahman as my instructor, who is a very qualified person.

IPS: How important do you believe it is to be able to utilise the computer?

Hon. Speaker: I believe the Honourable MPs and the Parliamentary officials and Staff would be greatly benefitted by acquainting themselves to the Internet and E-mail which will allow them to communicate with other parliaments. However some knowledge of MSWord & MSExcel would be required to make proper use of the Internet and E-mail techniques.

IPS: Would you encourage MPs and senior officials to undertake the orientation provided by the IPS?

Hon. Speaker: Of course I will encourage the Honourable MPs and senior officials to participate in the computer orientation program. In fact I have already been encouraging them to do so. The MPs and the officials are also encouraged by my participation in the orientation course.

IPS: How do you see the future of computerization in the Bangladesh Parliament?

Hon. Speaker: I am envisaging the idea of an E-governance in the Parliament when the activities of the Secretariat will be computerized.  Under E-governance, the mainstream communication between the Secretariat and the MPs will be established through E-mail. This will on the one hand make the communication very prompt and effective while relieving the MPs of existing system of strenuous queuing for submitting notices etc. on the other.

IPS: Do you have any suggestions or comments regarding the orientation programme?

Hon. Speaker: The programme period should be extended for another six months.

An Update on the IPS Monographs

The IPS is pleased to report that the authors of the first series of Monographs are making steady progress with their work. The first of the Monographs, entitled Rulings of the Speaker, is soon to be published in both Bangla and English.

Second Series of Monographs

A new list of Monograph topics with names of prospective authors has been approved by the Hon'ble Speaker. New topics will include: The Presidency of the Republic of Bangladesh and its Constitutional Interface with the Parliament of Bangladesh; Policy Roles and Electoral Duties of the Members of Parliament; The Constitutional Reform Process in Bangladesh; The Parliament, between the Judiciary and the Executive Power; The Parliamentary Duties of the Comptroller and Auditor General; Legal Parliamentary Materials; The Parliament Secretariat; Role of Ombudsman in Democracy and Governance; The Caretaker Government and the Parliament; and The Private Sector and its interaction with the Parliament.

The Independence of the Speaker

Mohammad Nojibur Rahman (PS to the Hon'ble Speaker), has prepared the first draft of his thought-provoking Monograph, entitled The Independence of the Speaker: The Westminster Model and the Australian Experience. The seminal essay describes the painstaking Australian experience of making its Parliamentary Speaker "independent" in the model of the Westminster. Mr. Rahman develops a praise-worthy historical perspective in narrating and analysing the various phases of Australian democracy which made a 'pendulum effect' in its endeavour to accord autonomy to the office of the Speaker. The typical character of this historical process, as intensely shown by the author, is the gradually changing mind-set of the Australian democrats and parliamentarians which finally made it possible, after almost a century-long effort, to make the office of the Speaker free from political control. Manifesting the Australian experience, the author makes an optimistic note, though implicitly, that the parliament system in Bangladesh can be as healthy as that in Britain, if the journey towards democracy is unhindered. No doubt the Monograph will substantially enrich the existing literature on parliamentary democracy. It not only provides food for thought to our MPs but also gives them a good comparative framework for analysis.

Parliamentary Printing Press

The Parliamentary Printing Press is to be established in the IPS premises.   Equipment, imported from Germany, has recently been received by the IPS and has been installed over the past month.  Installation has also required major electrical works to provide the necessary electrical current to the Press.  This work has been efficiently completed by the Public Works Department.

The press will give the Bangladesh Parliament full control over the printing of its materials, particularly the urgent and confidential documents thereby improving significantly the timely availability of parliamentary documentation. To support the establishment of the press, the “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy” Project will be supporting a training programme for the staff of the Press, allowing the Press to operate on a turn-key basis allowing for the full and immediate functioning of the printing press.

Foundation Training for Parliament Secretariat Officials

The forthcoming Foundation Training has been designed with nine selected Modules, involving 19 sessions and 37 training hours. The training will be held in the newly renovated IPS Seminar Room and will be conducted by Hon. Members of Parliament, Parliament Secretariat Senior Officials and Professors of renowned Universities.   All participants will receive a Course Completion Certificate issued by the IPS.  The course is currently scheduled to start from 13 August and continues until 7 September. 

"Parliament is the most important institute for democracy"

Mr. Ove Fritz Larsen, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission of the Royal Danish Embassy in Bangladesh, has recently confirmed a cost-sharing agreement between the Danish Embassy and UNDP, making Denmark the largest bilateral donor to the Bangladesh Parliament Project “Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy”. Mr. Larsen, MBA University of Copenhagen, is a seasoned diplomat and has lived in Bangladesh since the 1st September 1997.  His earlier postings in Kathmandu and Delhi make him in an authority on South Asia and the SAARC Countries. The IPS Newsletter interviewed Mr. Larsen in his Gulshan office.

IPS: How is the Danish development cooperation structured in Bangladesh?

OL: Our major intervention sectors are agriculture, water and sanitation, and transport, on the basis of agreements signed with the Bangladesh Government.  The total allocation currently represents US$35 to 40 million per year, plus an additional US$10 million in scholarships and technical assistance. Crosscutting issues like Human Rights, Good Governance, Democratisation, Women and Development, represent around 10% of our total aid and will probably increase by Year 2003. Bangladesh is the first Asian Country in terms of aid for Denmark, and the third of the world after Tanzania and Uganda.

IPS: Why did the Danish Embassy decide to support the Bangladesh Parliament?

OL: We had a good cooperation experience back in 1996, when we supplied the conferencing and translation systems in the Chamber of the Parliament. A request from the Parliament for providing the electronic voting system is currently being considered. Bangladesh has a young Parliament, where, in our opinion, debates are more active within the Committees than the House itself. This has the negative aspect of keeping the debate outside the public eye, but also the positive aspect of strengthening good democratic practices. We see Parliament as the most important institution for Democracy. This is the main reason we are providing support in Bangladesh and several other recipient countries.

IPS: What is your current Governance portfolio?

OL: We provide support to Human Rights through a UNDP Project, we provide assistance to the press, we have recently hosted an identification mission on Local Governance, we have an agreement with the Government on programmes to prevent violence against women, we are supporting the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in setting up the Ombudsman Institution and now we continue     our cooperation with the Parliament.  

IPS: Could you give a broad picture on the Danish Parliament?

OL: Our Parliament is marked by the fact that, since the 2nd World War, all our Governments have been in minority in the House or formed through a coalition. This strengthens democracy and the parliamentary debate, as it creates the need for compromise in the House. Therefore, consensus across party lines is a frequent phenomenon in the Danish Parliament. For example, the Finance Bills, the Defense Bills, major political issues like Foreign Policy, are generally agreed among the major parties, and frequently even among all parliamentary parties.

If you want to contact the IPS Newsletter, please write to:

Board of Editors

Institute of Parliamentary Studies

Jatiya Sangsad

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207

Fax: 8124126 - Tel: 8124127