The Bangladesh Institute of Parliamentary Studies (BIPS), in accordance with its mandate to promote dialogue, discussions, debate, and interactions among various stakeholders of parliamentary democracy, began the journey as a forum. The Institute organised its first ever Round Table Discussion, a week after it hosted a seminar in which a group of Australian and Bangladeshi MPs participated.

The Round Table on "Parliamentary Diplomacy in International Relations" was presided over by the Hon. Speaker of Jatiya Sangshad, Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury as Chief Guest of Honour. The United Nations Resident Co-ordinator in Bangladesh, Mr. Jorgen Lissner, was the Guest of Honour of the event. Mr. Rajmohan Gandhi, a former Member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, graced the occasion as keynote speaker who later responded to the comments and questions raised by the distinguished audience. About 60 participants, comprising Hon. MPs, parliament officials, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and development agencies, academicians, leading NGO personalities, and people from the media, attended the programme.

Mr Lissner began his brief address by expressing profound satisfaction with the on-going activities of what he called "a newborn Institution" - the BIPS. The Resident Coordinator introduced Mr Gandhi before the audience terming him as an intellectual and an honest historian who is committed to create an environment for peaceful coexistence between communities. He observed the need for dialogue and interactions between Bangladeshi MPs and parliamentarians from abroad during the current transition when the country is taking painstaking effort to institutionalise democracy and representative governance. In this backdrop, the role of BIPS as a "focal point for the elected representatives of the people to broaden their knowledge about the science of democracy" is crucial - he added. Before requesting Hon. Speaker to take the floor, Mr Lissner reiterated the UN support to assisting the Bangladesh endeavours to create a transparent and accountable governance as well as a participatory society.

At the outset of his address, Hon. Speaker Mr. Choudhury thanked all those who have contributed toward building the BIPS to create an intellectual space to foster debate and research on parliamentary affairs. He shared his delight seeing BIPS as a forum for parliamentarians to interface with civil society, academia and the citizens at large. In his speech, the Hon. Speaker highlighted the key activities BIPS has been undertaking since its inception. Mr. Choudhury expressed appreciation felicitating the presence of Mr. Gandhi as keynote presenter of the day. He also spoke on the importance of the chosen topic Mr Gandhi would talk about. In his words, "a subject that has gained increasing importance in both the daily work of Parliaments and the agenda of the international community". Hon. Speaker recollected his interaction with Mr. Gandhi during Asian Parliamentarians Conference for Peace and Cooperation, held in Dhaka in September 1999, and hoped that his concept of "multi-track diplomacy" would help create conditions towards prevention and resolution of conflicts.

In his evening speech, Mr. Rajmohan Gandhi elaborated his thoughts, experiences and visions on a framework that he presented at the beginning of his note. In a fashionable and articulate analysis, the former Rajya Sabha Member spoke on four interrelated themes: (a) history of politics and nationhood, (b) process of dialogue, (c) collective responsibility of politicians and (d) individual responsibility of a parliamentarian. On his first topic, Mr Gandhi hypothesised that political goals of nations continued to change with the passage of time and thought that reconciliation within and between countries and good governance are the "calls of the age". He emphasised that problems such as mistrust, civil war, ethnic conflict, religious tension all can be addressed if an appropriate tool of reconciliation is adopted. He also highlighted on the varying norms in private business and public sector. On the second issue, Mr Gandhi made a distinction between debate and dialogue and showed his interest for more dialogue as a way to end misunderstanding and strengthen relationships between fighting states, institutions and individuals. In this regard, he referred to the contribution the Truth & Reconciliation Commission made in bringing peace in post-apartheid South Africa. Mr Gandhi's discussion on the third area concentrated on the distinction between statesman and leader. He perceived that leaders should take appropriate strategies to address the long-term developmental issues. Referring to the situation in South Asia, particularly the deteriorating relationship between Pakistan and India and also poor governance in most of the countries of the region, the former Parliamentarian suggested that institutional initiative to start dialogue among the South Asian countries would create enabling environment in reducing political tension. Finally, to talk about individual responsibility, Mr Gandhi preferred to see Parliamentarians to be attentive to the needs of the people they represent, one way they can do this is to have dialogue with them.

A nearly hour-long presentation was followed by a lively discussion session in which Hon. MPs, former civil servants, NGO activists, development agency representatives, and academicians participated. The first comment came from Col (Retd) Faruk Khan, MP. Sharing experiences of the presenter, he referred to the quorum problem in the Bangladesh Parliament. Ambassador (Retd) Waliur Rahman made an observation that diplomats would loose their jobs in a conflict-free world. He also expressed his view that the present military regime in Pakistan is foiling stability in South Asia. To respond to this, Mr Gandhi suggested that there is a need to scrutinise the role of Indian government as well. Rokeya Kabir, representing an NGO called BNPS, raised the gender issue vis-à-vis governance and fundamentalism. In her words she presumed the role of fundamentalism in resisting change in women's life. Mr Ramesh Sen, MP asked how democratic institutions can develop and what role of NGOs could be in the process? A somewhat supplementary question was shared by Mr. Rustom Ali Farazi, MP. Putting the present political context of Bangladesh, he wanted to know how politics could be made free from money and muscle power? Mr. Gandhi expressed his view that people have to take tough decision to choose their good representatives in which all democratic institutions need to play positive role. He explained that public would support committed people. Barrister Rabia Bhuiyan, MP mentioned about the problem of women in South Asia, and blamed the political parties for not advancing the gender agenda in their programmes. Others who provided feedback and made comments were Mr Azizul Haque and Professor Mohammad Habibur Rahman (UNDP consultants in SPD Project) and Mr Siegfrid Hertzog of the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung.

Television News & Current Affairs is fast coming of age in Bangladesh and is destined to play an increasingly important part in the development of the democratic process, building bridges between the people and the leaders of the political parties they will vote into Government - or into the Opposition. Over the years, much of the voting public in Bangladesh has lacked sufficient information on the political process and their knowledge of how their elected representatives are performing has been limited. Television now the most important means of communication and education for people throughout the country, will change all that, forever.
 
With the arrival of Ekushey Television, and its mandate to broadcast independent news and views; the proliferation of the satellite channels; and the gradual changes being made to the state-owned Bangladesh Television, the television news interview and the live television debate will soon become a familiar part of the electoral process. As Bangladesh begins to play an ever-widening role in both regional and international affairs, the positive presentation and articulation of policies and programmes will become an essential component in the working portfolio of every member of the Government and the Opposition parties. (See page 3)

In this context it is therefore important for the democratically elected representatives of all the parties to become familiar and confident with television and the television production process. This process also means knowing how to present oneself on television; how to respond (whether prepared or unprepared) quickly, clearly and concisely to the questions of the television interviewer; and how to play a meaningful and effective part in the live television debate.

The next General Elections in Bangladesh in 2001 will be covered by television at home and abroad at a level and frequency never yet experienced in our country and the performance of the politicians will certainly play a significant part for all the Parties concerned in determining the outcome of those elections.

Television techniques can be learned

By the end of the year 2001 more than 50 million people will have access to the news broadcasts of Ekushey Television and BTV. These are the voters of today and tomorrow and they will be influenced to a large extent by what they see and learn from television, with politicians being interviewed in a wide variety of programmes, presentations and special events. There can be little doubt that the on-screen performances of these politicians, their ability to present themselves, and to "sell" their messages in a meaningful way, will influence the outcome of Bangladesh’s first General Election of the new millennium.

The mastering of the "sound bite" will become essential for the politician as will the timing of their public appearances and the release of important policy statements. To get it right or wrong on television will translate into votes at the polls and could sometimes mean the difference between electoral success and failure. In recent years, the print media in Bangladesh has developed into a strong, free and independent voice reflecting many differing opinions and views. With the limited circulation of most newspapers, the advent of Television News will establish a new set of rules. It demands a very different approach. The printed word disguises many things not least the look and the appearance of the interviewee, his or her ability to face the camera and to speak convincingly and with confidence to the electorate.

The techniques for ensuring that a Minister, Opposition Spokesperson, or Member of Parliament can get their messages across clearly and effectively on television are vital skills and need to be learnt. This involves certain basic lessons. As television itself evolves, these techniques need to develop in relation to the production processes at work. For example, the multi-camera television studio debate under hot lights has a different set of rules from the single camera interview. Press conferences, special announcements and other formats also require specific approaches and presentation styles.

The Orientation Course

The fast evolving democratic process in Bangladesh demands many new things from the elected representatives of the people. This is why this orientation course one of the first of its kind anywhere in the world has been developed. The Bangladesh Parliament "Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy" Project supported by UNDP, has commissioned Ekushey Television, Bangladesh’s first private television network, to help with this exciting learning process and to develop, plan and execute an intensive, short-format familiarization and orientation course for members of all the political parties.

The course is being managed and supervised by skilled professionals from international broadcast organisations, as well as by the BBC-trained Ekushey Newsroom staff. This is a course that demands no red tape and represents no political interests. All it needs is your commitment to take part and your enthusiasm to learn how to benefit from the new age of Television News in Bangladesh. In the whole process of Good Governance and the development of a Civil Society, television will play a catalytic role - through discussion, debate and transparency - to work hand in hand with the development of the democratic process.

How much time will the course take?

Each participant will be take part in three days of hands-on workshops which will take place both in the Ekushey Television studios and Bangladesh Institute of Parliamentary Studies building (Old Ministers’ Hostel) in the Parliament compound. Sessions for Government Ministers and Members of Parliament both of the ruling party and the opposition parties will be run on a similar basis. Each participant will be included in an appropriate group of party colleagues or ministers. There will be a maximum of six members in each group, attending two days of workshop at the BIPS building and one day at the Ekushey Television Studios. The sessions began last December and will finalise in July. 31 Hon. Members have already participated, and it is expected that another 24 will take part in this activity.

The BIPS organised a Seminar on the occasion of the visit to Bangladesh of an Australian Parliamentary Delegation, led by Dr. Southcott, Member of the House of Representatives. The four foreign parliamentarians, two from the ruling Liberal Party and two from the opposition Labour Party, debated with their Bangladeshi counterparts, chaired by Professor Ali Ashraf, MP, on the similarities and differences between both Parliaments. The delegation of the Bangladesh MPs was composed by Hon. Members from the ruling party AL, and from both opposition parties, BNP and JP. During their stay at the Sangsad Bhaban, the Hon. MPs from Australia made a courtesy call on the Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was at that time attending the session in the House.

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

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E-mail: kendra@bol-online.com