View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by BRAC University Institutional Repository BRAC University Journal, vol. I, no. 1, 2004, pp. 23-32 LOCAL LEVEL POLITICS IN BANGLADESH: ORGANIZATION AND PROCESS Md. Abdul Wohab Department of Economics and Social Science BRAC University, 66 Mohakhali C/A Dhaka –1212, Bangladesh email: [email protected] and Sanzida Akhter Department of Business Administration East West University Dhaka –1212, Bangladesh email: [email protected] ABSTRACT This paper focuses on local level politics and the organization of political parties to examine how the political leaders mobilize their supporters at the local level. The involvement of local people is also analyzed here. Moreover, some aspects of political awareness from within and outside the party are covered in the paper. Here, how local level politics are important in our political arena and what sort of cohesion exists between local level politics and national level politics also focused. To what extent and under what conditions do the political leader in local area, the relation between local and national politics and their contribution to development activities are also focused. Key words: Politics, local level, Bangladesh, organization, process. I. INTRODUCTION research, which comprehensively studies what kinds of politics exist at local level i.e., thana level. The contemporary politics in Bangladesh is characterized by conflicts and corruption both in Local level politics is very important in our country. national and local level i.e., simultaneous It has a great influence on national politics. Our tendencies towards political interest and power experience from the last two regimes that when a exercise, process and activities. Within political party comes into power, it totally ignores peoples arena, these tendencies towards political interest demand in local areas. Apart from this, the entire and power exercise have led to various attempts at major political parties both national and local have different levels in our country. This attempt makes introduced corruption and violence among young both inter-party and intra party conflicts, patron- groups. The promising local politicians who were client relations, and political development once our main strength in the struggle against initiatives among political parties. ‘The general oppression has now become more popular to assumption is that weakened political processes national level. They are not driven by the ideas, exist in local level and the relation between political which they proclaim as their political motivation organizations and social organizations are not good from local level. Because of their evil power there (Ahmed, 1989)[1]’. The political party does not is an ever increasing distrust among the common make favor to social organizations. In this sector, people and local level politicians. most existing studies focus on either the national level politics or on the establishment of democracy Although national level politics might not always in party politics. There is a lack of comparative play a large scale role in local politics, local politics Md. Abdul Wohab and Sanzida Akhter are highly relevant to national politics because local also dominate samaj, para/mahallah, community politics often have significant role on the formation and other social organizations. But, politicians of national politics. ‘As political scientists say local mostly lead the party politics. level policies ultimately impact national policies, which they reflect on local politics (Ahmed, 1989) Sartori, G (1984) [3] mentioned parties are the [2]’. central intermediary structure of local and national level politics. But in Kushtia, political party is not It is noted that the local politics as a platform for working as an intermediary structure between local national politics, also for the careers of individual and national politics. So, limitation may be politicians. But the important matter is the political remained among the political parties in Kushtia clashes between local and central level. district. Considering all of such matters the present paper is In Bangladesh local politics were influential rather the outcome of a study taken up in local level than national. Traditionally the local leaders follow politics in Kushtia district. In any democratic the central leaders. society local level politics is important. The performance of political parties at local level is Almond and G.B Powell (1966) [4] expressed their crucial in preserving democracy. Since the views on political process and faction of restoration of democracy in 1991, political activities interaction. They found that all societies try to gain have spread from the capital to local level. As a power through political activities. However, consequence, the district level has an important link political activities may help them to be great in national politics. Political parties at district level leaders. In Kushtia, this practice is not exercised. are actually significant as agents of democratic culture. But in Bangladesh there has been little Neumann .S (1953) [5] made an attempt to point research in local level politics and possibly no study out the political parties’ strength through on political parties at district level. Obviously it is a organizational activities but this is not proved in vital area of research, which demands attention Kushtia district because though some parties have from sociology and other discipline as well. the organizational activities even they cannot keep up their political strength. The study makes an in depth analysis of the existing causes of organizational relations among the local Khan, Islam and Haque (1996) [6] mentioned the level political leaders and national level political major political parties’ activities of Bangladesh. leaders of different political organizations. Due to lack of fair politics, people involve in However, political disputes among the political corruption and illegal activities and thus serve their parties are existed in our country. But instead of evil interest. They also discussed about setting any problems, even religious problems, establishment of democracy, parties break up, conflict has created many new difficult and organizational weakness, mode of conflict intractable economic and political problems. The resolution in parties etc. This work is mainly in objective of this research is to begin to fill up this national level. So, in the context of local level gap. politics, this work has not met up the crisis among the political parties. II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND BASIC Here we have tried to focus how political parties are ISSUES working at local level and political leaders get benefited with the help of central leaders. In local area two things, i.e., local power structure and party politics are very important in terms of A. Objectives of the Study power exercise. Both are closely linked and also have a reciprocal relationship. Local power The objective of this paper is to find out structure means a process whereby the leaders, who organizational characteristics of political parties, have land, money, and well off conditions, make a their role in local level politics and how they link platform for their privilege in rural area. They, up with national level politics. A research on however, exploit the rural poor and working class national level politics has been worked out by as well. On the other hand, they represent Khan, Islam and Haque (1996). But it does not themselves as leader of social organizations. They provide much more information on local level 24 Local Level Politics politics and their organizational process and so on. The district of Kushtia is our study area and this In the absence of empirical research on local level district consists of six thanas. We decided to choose politics, it has become difficult to test specific two key informers from the thana committee. These hypotheses. However, on the basis of Khan, Islam are as follows: and Haque (1996) we can also sort out the following propositions to be tested in Kushtia. (a) President/Central Member/ Vice- 01 President (Thana Committee) • Local politics is leader – centered. (b) General Secretary/ Joint- 01 • There is high patron – client relationship within Secretary (Thana Committee) political parties. Total 02 • There is no inner democracy within these parties. • There is high degree of factionalism within each Thus, the total number of key informers (parties) party. for six thanas stood at fifty four (There is no • It leads to a high level of conflict within a party existence of thana committee of Jatiya Party is and among various parties. Khoksa. We have excluded both president and • Parties are not totally capable of contributing to secretary of this thana. The area of Bheramara thana the process of democratic consolidation in the is small. So, from there we have selected only the country. president from thana committee of five political parties. The BNP’s organizing secretary of Kushtia B. Methodology Sadar is a prominent figure there. We have selected him as a key informer for study). Our study basically focuses on organizational strength, internal and external conflicts. When We then selected 36 key informers randomly politicians want to take part in election, they among six thanas. So, the total member of key involve in conflicts. But apparently they try to informers (parties and non-parties) for the district prove that they are people