CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS in democracy
Elected leaderships supremacy a must
“Our civil-civil conflict has
to go. If it continues,
military will come in front”
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
Elected political leadership must have supremacy over the military in a democracy, speakers said at a seminar in the capital yesterday.
Also, the gap between civil and military bureaucracies should be reduced in order to contribute more to the development of the country, and a framework should be formulated in this regard, they said.
At the seminar on Civil-Military Relations in Democracy: An Effective Framework organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Armed Forces Division (AFD) at the BIISS auditorium, the speakers also felt the need for integrated cooperation between civil and military administrations through setting up new mechanisms and activating the existing ones.
They, however, pointed out that in a democracy, civil-military relations (CMR) does not mean only good relations between civil and military bureaucracies, rather it means effective political control of the military as the political leadership is elected by the people-- the source of all power.
Prime Ministers Security Affairs Adviser Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session, emphasised on meaningful CMR in the spirit of mutual understanding and faith.
No military-backed government can continue power without the help of bureaucrats, diplomats and politicians, he said. The PM adviser also called for strengthening the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) to engage with media that will allow people to have adequate information about military.
Addressing the closing session as the chief guest, Prime Ministers International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi said CMR is not related to things like military coup, military rule and military takeover, and people have to have in their minds that the Supreme Court has declared these activities illegal. In a democracy, the government is elected by the will of the people, therefore military must be subordinate to the civil authority, he said.
Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of international relations at Dhaka University, said, Our civil-civil conflict has to go. If it continues, military will come in front.
Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Sakhawat Hossain said the military should be controlled by the elected representatives of parliament.
National Defence College Commandant Lt Gen Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy delivered a presentation on the role of armed forces to improve CMR in a democratic environment. A written script of eminent Indian Professor Swaran Singh of Jawaharlal Nehru University was presented on the experience of CMR from Indian perspective.
Professor Rasheduzzaman of international relations at Dhaka University explored effective framework for CMR in democracy. Dr MM Jayawardena of Sri Lankas Kotewala Defence University explained the experience of CMR from Sri Lankan perspective while Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nasim Manzoor highlighted the significance of CMR in economic development of Bangladesh.
Chiefs of three services, US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat and French Ambassador Sophie Aubert attended the seminar alongside renowned academicians, researchers, government officials, former ambassadors, eminent personalities of different civil and military institutions and media. BIISS Chairman Munshi Faiz Ahmed gave the welcome address at the seminar.
