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Shujan – Shushanar Janniya Nagorik – made its debut in 2002 as an
initiative of a group of concerned citizens of Bangladesh with the
purpose of promoting democracy, decentralisation, electoral reforms,
clean politics and accountable governance. As a non-partisan pressure
group, it provides an effective platform for people to discover their
voices and be heard. Shujan has already achieved solid successes in its
priority areas. Its initiatives were featured in the 26 December 2006
issue of Time magazine.
A
Decentralised Network of Committed Citizens
Since its inception Shujan has mobilised thousands of citizens from all
walks of life – citizens who are disenchanted with the present state of
Bangladesh’s politics and governance. In the process, it has become a
large, decentralised network of committed individuals from the capital
city down to the villages. Shujan is not an NGO supported by donors;
rather, it is a volunteer-based movement in which citizens themselves
invest both their time and money to carry forward its work.
A
Relentless Voice for Reforms
Shujan has pioneered and championed a comprehensive package of reforms
addressing the electoral process, the Election Commission and political
parties. We have articulated these reform issues in popular newspaper
articles, workshops, seminars and discussions across the country, and
have staged many public events such as marches, human chains etc. With
media support, Shujan has launched innovative activities throughout the
country, such as “Election Olympiads,” “Debates for Democracy,”
“Candidate Forums,” and “Open Budget Meetings.” As a result of these and
similar initiatives, ideas for reforms and qualitative changes in
Bangladesh’s politics have caught the people’s imagination and become
popular demands. Shujan is now planning to hold “People’s Dialogue” and
“Concerts for Democracy” throughout the country. We are happy to note
that many of the reform proposals proposed by Shujan are now being
enacted into laws.
A
Champion for Local Democracy
Good
governance requires taking government directly to the door steps of the
people and creating opportunities for them to effectively participate in
the decisions that affect their lives. Thus, Shujan is committed to
giving power to the people, especially women through strong elected
local bodies. It played a key role in shaping the recommendations of
“The Committee to Revitalise and Strengthen Local Government” which
recently submitted its four-volume recommendations including draft laws
to the government. These drafts are now being enacted into laws. Shujan
has also been involved in mobilising elected leaders of Union Parishads
with demands for pro-people, pro-women, decentralised governance.
Demystifying the Electoral Roll
Thanks to the work of Shujan and a few other organisations, preparing a
reliable electoral roll, or lack of it, has become one of the most
important issues in Bangladesh in recent years. As directed by the
Bangladesh Supreme Court, the creation of an “Electoral Roll Database”
is the most dependable and cost-effective way to update it on a
continuous basis. Shujan has done the basic task of converting the
existing electoral roll prepared in 2000 into an online database and
thus created the template for an error-free electoral roll for the
coming elections. The database incorporates a search protocol, and can
allow continuous updates and the elimination of duplicate names. Shujan
also relentlessly advocated and created public opinion for digitised
electoral roll with photographs which the Election Commission is now
implementing.
Creating Candidate Profiles
In
addition to reforms, clean governance requires the nomination of honest
and competent candidates by political parties and thereby offering
meaningful choices to voters. It also requires the disclosure of
candidates’ antecedents in order to allow voters to make informed
decisions in the polling booths. One of the most significant
contributions of Shajan is that it was instrumental in recent upholding
of the historic High Court judgment on disclosures of antecedents of
candidates by the Appellate Division by documenting that the appeal
against the judgment was made fraudulently using fabricated information.
Shujan has not only become the strongest voice for reforming the
nomination process and disclosing the background of contesting
candidates, it has also taken effective steps – including constructing a
website and creating a volunteer network to distribute information about
candidates among the voting public – in order to keep politicians honest
and their activities transparent. We are in essence creating a
repository of candidate profiles. We are also posting in our website the
articles on political corruption published in major newspapers since
early 2007.
For
further information, please contact Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary,
SHUJAN at 8801 711 526626; email:
badiulm@gmail.com. |