E-Parliament means providing better service delivery of Parliaments to citizens of the respective country. For Bangladesh Parliament, ICT can be tool for greater transparency and accountability and a platform for public consultation and interaction with the citizens. A survey conducted by an international organization about e-Parliaments and use of technology finds that Parliaments are increasingly using new technologies to reach people mostly in a passive way – making more information available in different formats. Of the 90 countries surveyed, 77 stated they use ICT in some way to improve their works. They found disparity between the work done in developing world and developed world, but the hunger and desire for using new technologies is very strong in most of the developing countries.
Similar situations observed in a recent event held in Dhaka, Bangladesh where the significant number of parliament members attended to discuss on ICT based Parliament in Bangladesh. Very impressive and positive discussions went on in the event. Most of the MPs very openly stated their inabilities in using new technologies particularly Internet in their office works. But they realize very much the importance of ICT at the present age of the globalization. They also understand how much they loose due to lack of awareness in ICT. This is absolutely a congenial atmosphere for a country to become self-reliant in technology. The global experiences enable us to learn how the implementation of e-parliament is possible in a developing country like Bangladesh through empowerment of the respected members of parliament (MPs).
The situation was not like this in the mid-nineties when the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC) of Commonwealth Secretariat based in London (UK) tried to empower the policy makers, decision makers, technocrats, bureaucrats, scientists, technologists, researchers and medical professionals with ICT in its member countries. It is worth mentioning that Bangladesh is a member country of Commonwealth as well as the United Nations. Both the organizations have their research divisions for social, cultural, scientific and technological development in their member countries. They identify the needs of a country to reduce the technology gaps with other countries and adopt technology development programmes in the respective countries.
Unfortunately many countries cannot avail those opportunities due to shortage of their relevant experts or lack of cooperation from the respective governments. In the mid-nineties Bangladesh faced similar situation due to lack of awareness among policy makers and decision makers when the Commonwealth identified Bangladesh as a country that required technological development to balance the global imbalance. They came forward with the project ideas of empowerment of the senior policy makers, decision makers and others in senior positions. The director of the CSC identified me (writer of the article) to take responsibility for organizing the Commonwealth formulated ICT programmes in Bangladesh. It was really harder job to attract the participants to learn something that their kids or grand sons do. The organizer claims partial success because not male but female professionals accepted the invitation and got training. At that time, only Bangladesh and Tanzania succeeded in implementing ICT courses under auspices of the CSC.
There are many risks, as any move to e-government or e-commerce entails massive social transformation and raises political risks. Parliaments have to overcome their own internal regulations and rules that inhibit transparency and accountability and if changed would make technology more effective. There is strong support and funding in the donor community for e-government that is seen as “having the ability to transform relations with citizens, business and other arms of government. e-government aims to make the interaction between government and the citizens more friendly convenient, transparent and inexpensive” (Bassat, 2006).
For parliaments, the benefits of ICT can be enormous. ICT can make the democratic process more transparent, accessible and accountable, by facilitating access of members of parliaments, parliamentary administrations, media and citizens to information and services. ICTs can be instrumental in strengthening citizen engagement, providing innovative ways to interact with citizens, as well as enable their access to parliamentary proceedings and documents. The application of ICT to internal practices and services can help to make parliaments more efficient in carrying out their legislative, oversight and representational functions. Also ICT can help connect parliamentarians and parliamentary institutions with their counterparts strengthening their knowledge and information on the issues they confront. Under the e-Parliamentary System, the members will be able to file their queries to the government ‘online’, leading to speedy and paperless flow of information across the treasury and opposition benches. The MPs can send their questions to the Speaker’s office via Internet under new system. The Bangladesh Parliaments, the cradle of democracy, have critical roles to play by presenting right values and policy directions to the nation.
Like the CSC initiated ICT programme, the United Nations University (UNU) at Bonn, German have taken an excellent initiative for reducing the digital gaps among the member countries through their Science Connect Country Ambassador in the respective country. The Ambassadors believe in the vision of science connect and support the expansion of scientific activities throughout the world. They promote the Science Connect initiative as a place for cooperation of academia, universities, organizations that need science based technology supports. The initiative first taken in Europe, then Africa and recently in (Bangladesh) Asia giving responsibility to the writer (Prof. Lutfor Rahman) as the Science Connect Country Ambassador for Bangladesh. If translated in the local language-Bangla, it comes Bangladesh-Biggan-Doot. Keeping the example of CSC formulated ICT programme in front, it is expected that the present government and the concerned authority will utilize full potentials of the Bangladesh-Biggan-Doot in implementing e-Parliament in the Digital Bangladesh under auspices of the United Nations University.
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন