Badiul Alam Majumdar, the head of the Electoral Reform Commission, has expressed skepticism over the effectiveness of a proposal from the Commission on Gender Reform suggesting dual representation– both a man and a woman being directly elected from the same parliamentary constituency.
“If there’s dual representation, the issue is– like we say in rural Bengal– you can’t have two pirs in one house,” he said speaking on Sunday afternoon at a discussion titled `Direct Election of Women’s Representation in Parliament for Empowerment: Necessity, Challenges, and Solutions` at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka.
He pointed out that under the current electoral system, many male MPs don’t even allow the reserved-seat women MPs into their constituencies. “Whether this dual representation system would work is doubtful,” he said.
Majumdar also warned that if the number of reserved seats is increased to 100, there would be a dangerous rise in nomination trading. However, he emphasised that the Electoral Reform Commission’s proposal would encourage a wave of women leadership across the country, making future seat reservations unnecessary.
Dual representation will increase conflict: Shama Obaid
BNP Organising Secretary Shama Obaid also criticised the dual representation proposal, calling it impractical and unimplementable. Participating in the discussion, she said, “This will only worsen conflict in a given constituency.”
Obaid stressed the need for a structure where women representatives are assigned clear responsibilities, monitored by both the government and political parties. This, she said, would reduce the inferiority complex often felt by women representatives.
She voiced support for direct elections to reserved women’s seats but noted that such a change cannot be implemented overnight.
Highlighting the turf wars at the grassroots level, where one leader refuses to yield space to another, Shama Obaid said political parties must take initiative to resolve these issues. She noted that the BNP is already working to develop women’s leadership from the grassroots.