Dhaka, Oct 9 (V7N) – Badiul Alam Majumdar, head of the Electoral Reforms Commission and editor of Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJON), said that the proposal to establish an Upper House of Parliament was designed as a preventive measure to ensure accountability and prevent any individual from becoming a “monster.”

Speaking at a dialogue titled “Can the Proposed Upper House Ensure the Accountability of the Majority Party in the National Assembly?” organized by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at a city hotel on Thursday (October 9), he said that although he personally did not support the idea of an upper house, he agreed with it “in terms of reality” to maintain checks and balances in governance.

“Sheikh Hasina became a monster because of the lack of accountability,” Badiul Alam Majumdar said, adding that the absence of institutional checks transformed her leadership into authoritarian rule.

Expanding on the issue, he stated, “If we take Sheikh Hasina’s own words, she did not come in a tank, nor in a uniform. She did not abolish the constitution—she came through elections, though there were questions about their credibility. But how did she become a dictator, a monster? Because the dictatorial system itself made her one.”

“The goal of the proposed Upper House is to ensure accountability and bring checks and balances to the system, even if it cannot be fully reformed,” he added.

Citing examples from past elections, he pointed to “inconsistencies” in Bangladesh’s majoritarian system. “In 2001, the BNP secured 40.97 percent of the vote and won 193 seats, while the Awami League received 40.13 percent but won only 62 seats. In 2008, the Awami League won 48.4 percent of the votes and 230 seats, while the BNP got 32.5 percent but only 30 seats,” he said.

He noted that this imbalance allows ruling parties to consolidate unchecked power. “Such inconsistencies in the majority system are a major weakness. The Upper House proposal is intended to prevent such outcomes by ensuring effective checks and balances,” Majumdar concluded.

END/SMA/AJ