February 24, 2025
Dhaka – The July 2024 revolution irrevocably changed the political trajectory of Bangladesh. After years of political rule, the strike of Sheikh Hasina symbolized the desire of the masses. The uprising was not only a rejection of the ancient political system, but also a call to be built on a new era of accountability, inclusion and deliberation. The formation of the Provisional Government represents the climax of years of years of authoritarianism, systemic corruption and institutional decay. Bangladesh is now facing a key question: How to institutionalize the aspirations of its people into a framework for sustainable governance? The answer lies in the adoption of deliberative democracy.
Unlike traditional democratic models, this often prioritizes majority rule over consensus, while deliberate democracy emphasizes dialogue, inclusion, and reasonable and active citizen participation in decision-making. The core of deliberations is to promote trust in institutions. For Bangladesh, the belief in distrust of political elites in existing institutions is deep, a model that can serve as an antidote to decades of disillusionment. Through forums, parliament (citizen committees) and referendums, deliberation democracy contrasts with traditional democracy (election democracy) in a sharp contrast, effectively includes people in the decision-making process. By ensuring that policies represent the will of the people, this strategy can help bridge the gap between government.
For example, a parliament of citizens should be introduced – a group of representatives that are considered for specific policy issues, which can be introduced to complement parliamentary decisions. These gatherings have been successfully implemented in countries such as Ireland and Canada. In Canada, they used election reforms in British Columbia and Ontario, demonstrating their ability to engage citizens in complex and technical policy discussions.
In Bangladesh, the Citizens’ Assembly can address pressing issues such as election reform, education policy, climate adaptation and health – where public input is crucial. This concept is not completely alien to our context. Local governance structures such as ward meetings and open budget meetings reflect similar principles of citizen participation.
However, these systems usually have no potential. Ingrained client handheld relationships and citizens’ fear of raising voices hinder their effectiveness. For example, although the concept of participatory budgeting exists at the union parish level of local governments through open budget meetings, in reality, these communities rarely can decide on issues related to the allocation of public funds. Lower citizenship is characterized by limited political awareness and civic courage, undermining these mechanisms of participation. As a result, ward meetings and similar forums are often reduced to token exercises rather than real deliberation platforms.
Deliberating the implementation of democracy will not only empower citizens, but also ensure effective and equitable use of resources. Furthermore, the deliberation process can over-examine executives by requiring public consultation and expert panels to make major policy decisions. As a result, the government will be forced to justify its actions based on evidence and public consensus rather than partisan interests.
While the theoretical interests of deliberating democracy are convincing, its implementation will require consideration of stifling existing power imbalances and social norms of meaningful participation. Without parallel efforts to foster competent and informed citizens, even the most well-designed participatory frameworks can become symbolic gestures rather than tools of real change.
Bangladesh needs extensive constitutional amendments to transition to deliberative democracy. The current constitution is shaped by years of authoritarian change and cannot support a truly deliberative democratic framework. Furthermore, patronage and partisan political culture poses a significant obstacle to the implementation of deliberative democracy. Furthermore, a lack of institutional capacity and resources hinders participatory programs.
The interim government can prioritize capacity-building within national institutions and civil society to ensure that the review process is effective and sustainable. Bangladesh civil society has been at the forefront of the July uprising and can continue to play a key role in the transition to deliberative democracy. By working with government, academia and international donors, they can help build the institutional buildings necessary to deliberate on the thriving of democracy.
In addition, the media can act as a supervisor and promoter of public discourse. By providing a platform for various perspectives and holding policymakers accountable, the media can ensure that the deliberation process remains transparent and inclusive. Furthermore, the public awareness campaign is crucial to educating citizens’ rights and responsibilities in deliberating democracy.
As countries address pressing challenges such as climate change, economic inequality and youth unemployment, the need for effective and equitable governance has never been greater. The commitment to deliberating democracy is the collective to solve problems and trust, and is the key to unlocking the country's full potential. Failure to do so will not only betray the wishes of the July uprising, but will also risk bringing the country back to a cycle of authoritarianism and turbulentness.
Aishwarya Sanjukta Roy Proma is a research assistant at the BRAC Institute of Governance at BRAC University. She can be contacted at [email protected].
The views expressed in this article are the author's own.
