TIB terms Jamaat’s claim of women’s leadership as Subhankar’s trick

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has described Jamaat-e-Islami’s claim of fulfilling the condition of women’s leadership in its organisational structure as ‘deception’. The organisation said claiming that women have participation at all levels of the party by forming separate committees for them is not consistent with reality.

TIB also termed the statement given by Jamaat’s secretary general on the research report on institutional good governance of political parties as an ‘attempt to hide the truth and incorrect’.

TIB said these words in a statement sent to the media on Tuesday (November 3).

The statement said claiming that women have participation at all levels of the party by forming separate committees for them only to comply with the provisions of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) on paper is ‘Subhankar’s trick’. The organisation expressed surprise at Jamaat issuing a statement terming the research information as ‘false’.

TIB’s research said that according to the relevant section of the RPO, political parties have to set a target of keeping at least 33 percent of posts in committees at all levels for women. It has been said that this target has to be fulfilled step by step by 2030. However, a major shortfall is seen in fulfilling this condition when the position of women in the main or central committees of political parties is reviewed.

The statement said here central committee means the main or national executive committee, central executive council or central executive parliament of the party. There is no woman member in the 19-member main central executive council published on Jamaat’s website. According to TIB, this is a clear violation of the RPO provisions.

Jamaat’s statement said there are 21 women in the central working council, 122 in the central majlis-e-shura and about 43 percent women among the rukn or permanent members of the party. However, TIB said the proportion of women among the total members of the party is not the main issue in the RPO; rather importance has been given to the inclusion of women in the main committees. Therefore, these examples are being used to hide the absence of women in the main committee.

TIB’s statement further said there are separate committees for women workers alongside men at every level in Jamaat’s organisational structure. There are also separate majlis-e-shura and working councils for women. However, there is no separate central executive council for women. There is also no woman member in the main central executive council of the party.

The organisation claimed that no rule or practice of including women in top posts like Jamaat’s ameer, naib-e-ameer, secretary general and assistant secretary general is seen. Forming separate committees only for women does not ensure their real participation in the party’s decision-making and leadership. Rather, such a structure keeps women confined within a specific boundary.

The statement further said Jamaat-e-Islami did not nominate any woman candidate in any seat in the 13th national parliamentary election.

TIB also highlighted inconsistencies between various sections of Jamaat’s constitution and some basic principles of the Constitution. According to the organisation, issues like forming society on the basis of the basic beliefs of Islam, rejecting other rules and paths except the provisions of Allah, not maintaining relations with institutions outside Islamic belief and keeping separate conditions for membership of Muslim and non-Muslim citizens conflict with some articles of the Constitution.

These articles include the principle of all power belonging to the people, secularism and religious freedom and the principle of not discriminating on the grounds of religion or gender.

According to TIB, irrelevant information has been presented in the statement of Jamaat’s secretary general by denying the research information. Through this an attempt is being made to hide the real picture of the party’s internal political structure.