[Abstract: The Liberal Party Bangladesh is emerging as a new political party following the idealistic path of Liberalism at international standard in order to expedite the political and economic, and social values in Bangladesh. The political parties in Bangladesh have been practicing democracy for quite a long time and yet to further to develop democratic spirits at international standard having tolerance, justice and social values. Like many other underdeveloped and developing countries of the world there are enough space to new comers who will grow the standard democratic values. But is not easy to carry out political activities for a new party by completely deviating from the traditional rules of games of regional political parties. There are hazards, pains and probabilities to die off forever. To survive and grow with full vigour the newborn LPB should be careful right from beginning choosing the real values in various activities particularly the sources of income, heads of expenditure and practicing spirits liberalism meticulously within the Liberal Party Bangladesh itself.]

Ideological Dimensions of Political Parties in Bangladesh:

Before independence of India and Pakistan in 1947 the political parties had limited area to exercise political powers and take any decision in favor of the peoples' interest. When these two countries got independence the political parties in this sub-continent started to exercise political powers through the democratic system and for the first time the people of this region got the taste of political right, the right to vote in their sovereign state under the political party platform.

The political parties having the spirits of capitalism, nationalism, socialism, communism, socialism and Islam in the then Pakistan continued their ideological bases during the post liberation period of Bangladesh. The chance of success of the pure communism during the pre and post liberation period was rather bleak in this region due mainly to the presence of deep nationalistic and religious philosophy and respects to other socio-economic culture nourished by the people for hundred of years.

The people of the then East Pakistan realized deprivation of economic benefits and experience of deep political power concentration in the hand of West Pakistan. In this context, Awami League placed nationalistic ideology before the people as the only prime issue more deeply immediate before liberation war of Bangladesh while the other parties continued to contain some more issues along with nationalistic issue. The continuous treachery and misbehavior by the then West Pakistani rulers, the polarization of waves of nationalism in the then East Pakistan become so violent in late 1960s that it lead to war in 1971 and gave birth to a new nation in the world map, Bangladesh.

After independence in 1971 Awami League came in power with absolute majority vote in the first election and virtually became un-parallel to any other party in the country. Since the liberation war basically lead under the banner of Awami League, it won the first national election by absolute majority.
 
The nationalistic cyclone that passed by over Bangladesh caused to loss remarkable weights of all other parties to Awami League and became almost insignificant. After two years of the independence none but octogenarian Mr. Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani the then political guru of Mr. Sheik Mujibur Rahman and leader of the National Awami Party having liberal socialistic ideology dared to start speaking against performance the ruling party the Awami League in a low voice. Mr. Bhasani the old leader could not go far to rescue his party weight again due to ageing and becoming ill and finally died leaving the democratic condition of Bangladesh unaltered. Within a short period time Awami League observing no other meaningful and active political opposition in Bangladesh included some political parties particularly having socialistic philosophy and emerged renaming as Bangladesh Krishok Sramic Dal to give socialistic touch to dreams of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. Under the socialistic spirits of the ruling party nationalization of banks, insurance companies, some big trades and transports, big industries etc. were concluded within a very short period time without having proper cost analysis and record of asset valuation. The act of finishing of a giant work by the emotional professionals as designed by the then political philosophers of Bangladesh finally appeared as boomerang to economy of Bangladesh particularly when these organizations started showing loss and ultimatum issued against demand by the trade union leaders.

Immediate after liberation war there were huge numbers of arms and ammunitions in the hands of the freedom fighters, criminals and even in the hand of political party cadres. The Jatio Samajtantrik Dal, a new political party possessing socialistic philosophy and with arms cadres mostly from the freedom fighter emerged within 3 years after independence and started confrontation with other political parties including party in power. The result was devastating for the new party as any one can imagine. The other socialistic and underground communist parties had also lot of arms and struggled fiercely with the rest of the political parties. The language of political philosophy at that period was coming out of guns indicating a devastating scene of imaginary political future in Bangladesh. However, the indiscriminate use of guns by the political parties progressively came down with taking of powers by the army and peace and democracy loving people of Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh the political power changed thrice and ruled by the three different parties but there has been no remarkable change emerged in the system in positive direction. Most dangerous development of negative culture in the political parties in Bangladesh that picking up of increasingly notorious cadres possessing illegal arm and ammunition. These groups are being preferred by all the parties to gather more power and resist the others, if necessary. These cadres are also used to earn money for the party. For these reasons, they are protected, supported and facilitated for any kind of their conduct, unethical and ethical. The cadres belonging to party in power, as they usually prefer to cluster smelling the winds of power, protection and money can do more unethical works. The unethical works of the cadres unfortunately patronized by the political parties in general are the deadly ulcers of the nation causing bleeding in the political, social and economic systems of Bangladesh.

The mightiest political party by definition refers in Bangladesh like many other so-called democratic countries to the party who has been able to collect highest vote by virtue of money and muscle power. The healthy democratic spirit of tolerance and justice is yet to develop among the parties in Bangladesh. The parties in Bangladesh sustain mostly through undemocratic competition. The party that become unable to attract unscrupulous businessmen, fraud and dirty cadres will go out of the streams of competitions. The unacceptable culture of political parties is deep rooted and to get rid of it is very difficult in foreseeable future. Any newly borne party having no previous identity in typical country and remarkable image of the top of the party leaders has to face lot of struggles to survive in the traditional competition only through idealism.

In this scenario the Liberal Party Bangladesh he new born baby in the soil of Bangladesh should take into account of the difficulties while living with the venomous snakes. In continuing the party works money is the prime factor in a country like Bangladesh. Because, only by virtue of preaching idealism of liberalization LPB cannot over rule the political tradition and expectation of typical political professionals over night in Bangladesh. The second question what would be the sources of funds. The rich people of Bangladesh unfortunately have ever found to patronize any social and political institution without any interest in recent history. The moneyed men new generation has forgotten the culture to make donation without their own interest and they believe to earn cash in all investments. Therefore the LPB, newborn baby will not able to attract the rich to have membership and make donation observing the better life of the human society of Bangladesh in future. Secondly, the dirty cadres will not be allowed to join in the Liberal Party Bangladesh for having dignified and complete opposite ideology of those cadres and will be of no use for the LPB. The third possible source of funding for the new borne party might be by raising the membership. But this would be a difficult task for LPB in such political environment of competitiveness. Therefore, the Liberal Party in Bangladesh will have to face extremely severe crises in generating funds from the domestic source even to survive at a subsistence level.

All economies are taking preparation acquire efficiency keeping in view to join and survive in the globalization. It is recognized that political under development is one of the major threats to accelerating economic growth. Bangladesh is practicing democracy for quite a reasonable period but still it has to go long way for stable democratic environment supporting accelerated economic growth. The development of fair democratic spirits among the political parties might open a chance for Bangladesh to acquire the required efficiency.

There are lots of criticisms of democracy and it is not the panacea to deal with all complicated social and economic evils. Human knowledge has limitation to prescribe Biblical system to do away with entire evils from the earth. The democratic knowledge so far developed by the mankind proved acceptable from many considerations. The functional heart of democracy is the exercise of voting power for all, the only fundamental and ultimate right under free, fair and fearless environment. The fair and free exercise of fundamental voting right if negated is obviously a humiliation for the voters for snatching away the sanctity whatever contained in the democratic system and demolishing all civic rights that were promised and out right gave way a path perhaps, worse than anarchy. Fair voting undoubtedly gives birth to good democracy and good democracy establishes maximum civic rights. It also brings stable political condition and economic efficiency for the country.

Global Competitiveness and the Underdeveloped Economy

International trade has been a great means of economic development for many countries having resource potentiality and better political environment. Without appropriate political environment, resource and technology become helpless for the economy. World trade and commerce are being more and more competitive every moment. Two countries having equal technology and resources, it may so happen that the looser one having undemocratic political structures.

Underdeveloped countries have a common feature of having cheap but mostly inefficient labor supply, capital scarcity and absence of proper practice of democracy. In the face of low capital supply, lack of necessary managerial and technological development production system is highly dependent on skilled and unskilled labors. The labor in lieu of capital intensive technique is competitive so long the labor is cheap and efficient. In an economy only few firms have high return don’t mean that the country is internationally competitive. The competitiveness could be viewed, for example, from the point of the capital and labor ratio and particularly related to quality of labor and cost of finance. If labor is unique and skilled the marginal product of capital is expected to be higher.

Ultimate Issues of Globalization

The ultimate issue of globalization of trade is to reach benefits and welfare to the people out of international trade. Globalization of trade, thus, cannot be separated from other issues for example, capital and labor movements, development and transfer of technology, development of education, skilled labor force, financial and political and other related institutions. As the economic issues are integrated with the political institutional development, to achieve the ultimate issue of globalization of trade must be supported by the political reform to make it a success. The core of political development is the standardization of democracy that helps foster education, health and environment, financial institutions, economic infrastructure, technology and development of economic efficiency. The desired benefits of globalization cannot be reached to the ultimate left out recipients all over the globe till there is hypocrisy in democracy.

A piecemeal reform program sometimes becomes ineffective when it really requires a consistent and coordinated big push. The financial sector reform programs (FSRP) as implemented in many developing countries could not produce desired impact. Non-performing loans of the commercial banks in many underdeveloped countries increased substantially during the post reform period as compared to the pre-reform period. This happened, among others, due mainly to the non-congenial political environment and institutional incapability to reap the full benefits of the financial reform programs. The health of financial is one the best indicators about economic efficiency of the production units. The political awareness can help the institutional development. Typical economic reform programs can transmit positive impacts into the economy only if congenial political environment prevails.

The successful globalization would be an ambitious story until the partner countries have developed the system of market economy. It is observed that even many economically developed countries like Japan, Russia, Malaysia etc. had suffered series of shocks during 1990s, not to speak of the under developed ones, due mainly to inappropriate economic and financial systems wherein the pricing of the financial transactions was not competitive. The markets were somehow regulated and directed by the authority ignoring the economic rules of competitiveness. When these countries undertook financial institutional reform programs, it resulted in the demise of many firms causing a lot of sufferings to the owners, workers and the economies.

Success of many social and economic programs largely depends on ‘good governance’. But good governance again depends on favorable political environment hardly found in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, political reform programs would get preference to all programs to establish good governance. If it is proved that political development is the prime factor for good governance, there is every reason that it should be given top priority in Bangladesh.
 
The so-called democratic environment is suitable to generate gangsters, contract killers, smugglers, illegal drug and arms traffickers and money launders. The powerful and dirty electorates give shelter to these criminals for their own interests. The criminals of the undemocratic regions finally become notorious international gangsters when they are alien.
 
Godfathers, sometimes, establish big corporations and industries and spend lots of money, though very small portion of the total on charity and social welfare activities to camouflage. The white part of investment needs to be competitive unless compensated by the rest of investment, the dark part. Typical industries and trades might be injurious to the genuine players in the globalization.

The implementation of international laws to stop kidnapping children and women are almost impossible until a country become democratic and electorates are accountable for their misdeeds. In the undemocratic regimes if the electorates are directly and indirectly related to those affairs, who else are supposed to come forward to implement the international laws.

Relationship between the Criminals and the Electorates:

There are, in general, direct and indirect relationship between the criminals and electorates in exchanging of dirty money and power in the so-called democratic countries. The spending of huge white money for doing good social works will be very hard for the politicians with limited income in the underdeveloped countries. Therefore, for survival in typical politics the electorate requires to earn and spend dirty money and keep association with the corrupt people of the society. The electorates in so-called democratic countries using administrative and gangsters’ power can perform all kinds of unruly and unethical activities free of mental agony like, grabbing others’ wealth, murders and whatnot. Money and power protect both the electorates and criminals. The officer-in-charge of the police stations will not generally take case against the criminals associated with the electorates belonging to the party in power. Under uncommon circumstance like, public pressure, if the police station has to take the case, the language of the statement will be such that verdicts of the court will not go against the powerful electorate. In this way, electorates use the public powers and abuse the public.

The so-called democratic countries generally breed and spread corruption basing the electorates due to absence of accountability. There are many good laws but have bad implementations. The electorates and their criminal associates can any time victimize any innocent and helpless people. If any such victim intends to sue in the courts against these powerful people, none will generally take risk to give witness. The electorates and their associates, thus, remain out of reach of the laws. The criminals in the name of political party cadres perform major detrimental activities and take shelter under the sleeves of the electorates, the so-called political elite. Some political cadres have close association with activities of gangsters, robbers, bribe takers, snatcher, pick-pockets, commission takers, bidders of the government auctions, loan defaulters, professional killers, touts, labor and trade union leaders particularly of state owned enterprises (SOEs). The political cadres involved in such activities provide share money as per contract to the electorates and sometimes, in the name of donations to the party. Apart from this, the political cadres and the electorate have sometimes direct monetary relationship with the money launders, smugglers, socially corrupt persons, corrupt officials, police and bureaucrats, corrupt businessmen, other criminals as many as could be attributed at the domestic and international levels. As such, the electorates of the under developed democracy not only spread corruption domestically but also internationally.
 
Democracy Development and the Election Commission (EC):

The EC should be autonomous and developed in such a way that it could provide unbiased services to establish fair environment to all the politicians in country. At present, the EC in the major underdeveloped regions have extremely limited power and influenced by the bureaucrats and big political parties. As a result, the EC is unable to play any effective role toward the development of fair democracy.

Success of economic development a country largely depends on the development of political environment. If there is political conflict in any country it cannot fully use its potentiality. The proper democratic system means that all elections including national and party elections are free and fair.
 
The role of election commission should be fair, strict and ultimate in finalizing nomination. Prior to the submitted nomination papers of independent or party candidate should be scrutinized as per the set rules. Rules should include the standard and complete profile of a candidate with respect to income sources, wealth statement for last couple of years, nature of conviction, loan statement, education, social works, professions, etc should certified by the proper authorities and finally scrutinized by the EC.

During the election period all set rules should be meticulously followed otherwise election result of the candidate will be declared null and void and he will be subjected to penalty. The people should believe that they could cast their votes without any influences including bribes and threat of life and properties. Neither candidates and nor voters are being threatened, bribed and influenced directly or indirectly by any one. In any constituency, if the elected candidate had proved violated any rules, the results would be nullified and the constituency would be declared as vacant and the concerned candidate would be subjected to punishment with penalties and restricted to participate in any election in future.

For the post election period powers should be delegated to EC with respect to examination of irregular and unfair activities of the electorates relating to finance, wealth acquisition, bribe, direct or indirect involvement in any other socially criminal and unlawful deeds in or outside his constituency. The EC should be delegated powers to deal with these cases and place before the court for judgment. The EC will be supported apart from its own by other sources of information like individual, police, and civil administration, military, social, domestic and international.

The EC will review that each party has developed democratic system at all tiers. That means each party member wherever he has right to say should decided through voting powers and the top party leader alone does not influence such policies. Each party executive at all tiers should be democratically elected. The party top cannot play exclusive role for nominating the candidate for competing in the general election.
 
All party affairs relating to sources of finance, heads of expenditures, auditing, and results of election at all tiers should be reported to EC on or before the scheduled date. The holding of the top position of any party will be put under the system of election. That means no party top can declare himself all in all, for all time to come.

In a developed democratic environment each political party has its democratic system within itself and nothing goes beyond the system. Party chief is a general member in system and nothing to detect or impose as self-made laws. If there is democracy in each major party of a country the country is called a democratic country or at least the ruling party has its democracy within the party the government is said to be democratic one.
 
There are many underdeveloped countries apparently behaving like a democratic country without remarkable developed system in political party basically dependent of the top image, the party chief. In typical environment there exists no system to replace the party chief without his wishes. The result is emergence of unabated lobbying to please the chief through donations indiscriminately from good and bad sources and displaying the groups having money, muscles and gun almost similar to that of Mafia.

The relationships between democracy and economic efficiency with respect to political developments are:

· Democracy in Political Parties => Democracy in Country => Efficient Administration =>Rule of Law & Justice => Economic Efficiency.

· Non-democratic Political Parties => Underdeveloped Democracy in Country => Corrupt Administration => Injustice and Economic Inefficiency.

The above statements indicate two opposite trends of outcome of political environments leading to efficiency and inefficiency. Development of political system may be measured by outcomes of administrative and economic efficiency. Thus, ignoring the political reforms, other reforms will be wastage of time, money, and causes of sufferings.

Donation to party should not influence the candidature. Because, sometimes it is observed that dirty money and use of dirty power influence the nomination. As a result, socially active and promising candidates don't get preference in the party system.

Social work in the form of charity and welfare activities of a candidate in his constituency should be carefully examined with regarding the source of money, and motive of spending. The EC might examine if these spending were meant for buying votes.

The basic spirit of democracy would be to degenerate, discourage and screen out the demagogue, corrupt, social criminals and transnational organized gangsters, as soon as possible, from streams of politics and attract wise, enthusiastic, socially active, sincere and rational representatives through free, fair and fearless elections at all levels. Environment should be such that promising candidates can independently participate in general election at all tiers without any fear, hesitation and threat of life or properties.

Code of Conduct of the Politically Related Persons:

The code of conducts of the politically related persons should be developed. All political parties statutorily need to provide required data and profiles of the active members to the EC in order to distinguish them from the criminals and corrupt persons of the society.

The code of conducts for the electorates should be such that they would requires to be highly distinguished, kind hearted, sophisticated, knowledgeable and prestigious persons of the society and not the criminals and cheats. The EC would be responsible to take care.
 
The political parties sometimes become arrogant and create unnecessary chaos in the country. The code of conducts of the political parties should be defined and laws should be made accordingly. What an individual member cannot do the party as a whole can do. Therefore, separate code of conduct for the political parties should be made to control the irregular affairs of the parties.

There are few laws for the politically related person in the disguised democratic countries. These laws do not sometimes include the code of conducts of the political persons. Special laws as regards the code of conducts of the electorate should be made. Separate courts would be needed for quick settlement of the cases of the electorates. The appointed judges would be dignified and experienced and well paid.

Making Laws and implementations in the so-called democratic countries:

Like other democratically developed countries the electorates are the makers of all laws in the so-called democratic countries. They choose, introduce and maintain those laws, which are generally favorable to serve their interests and law maker do never look at the public interest. Any electorate particularly belonging to the party in power unless recognized as a mental patient will propose any such law that will lead the government to uproot the vested interests forever. Who want to tighten the laws to sanction his punishments?

There are black laws like, Indemnity Laws, Public Security Acts etc. in many so-called democratic countries. Under the social security acts the arrested person does not get bail and remain in jail for indefinite period until judgment passed by the court. Sometime innocent people remain in jail for years together without trails. Typical laws are the great tools that could very well be used to suppress the legal voices of the general people or the political party members or simply out of jealousy and harassment. The so-called democratic countries invariably require so many black laws only because of political powers. The introduction of more and more laws does not help anyway the country unless fair implementation is ensured.
 
There are some laws in this sub-continent as inherited from the then British rule, for example, the Law # 54 under which police can arrest anybody on suspicious ground. This type of law is out dated in the civilized world. It is hard to find any electorate or rich man of the society had ever been arrested under this law unless directed by the government. To harass the innocent poor or relatively weaker person of the society or to earn money from the criminals the police largely use this law. This type law has virtually become cheap machine of the police to earn money from the public not far from the police stations. The associates of police sometimes take advantage of this law. The poorly paid police fear the deadly criminals and do never want to bother unless the higher authority orders them to do so.

Democracy and Reform Programs in the Underdeveloped Countries:

Financial, Structural, Administrative and Other Reform Programs:

It is not possible to implement the reform programs properly in the underdeveloped countries for under-developed institutions. The financial sector and other reforms, a dire need for the economy, sometimes, partially executed and do not provide salutary impact. For example, monetary, banking and financial sector reforms in Bangladesh had started virtually from mid 1980s and in full swing from 1989 and ended in 1995 yet to produce remarkable results. After that in some form or other different international institutions have been continuing to finance in various programs without having expected outcome. The SOEs of financial and real sectors in many underdeveloped economies have become a permanent burden supported by the tax-payees’ money and the programs of privatization have become continuously complicated and remained as far-reaching goals.
 
The privatization of SOEs in many underdeveloped democratic countries proved almost impossible for unique alignment of interest of politicians, union leaders, bureaucrats and vested interests. The nationalized commercial banks (NCBs), apart from government subsidies and forgiveness, are the major fund suppliers to keep SOEs survive. The party in power never wants to become unpopular to the bureaucrats who run the SOEs and face agitation of the union leaders who call strikes and loose the financial and political benefits for themselves. It appears that there is a direct linkage and fellow feelings among the NCBs, SOEs, union leaders, and their powerful political associates. In this sense, the privatization of NCBs, SOEs and financial and administrative reforms are integrated with the political reforms.

The central banks in these undemocratic economies should be autonomous but chance of enjoying full autonomy is almost meager due mainly to political reasons. The central bank then may refuse to finance the NCBs according to government directions. Autonomy of central bank may also stand on the way of vested interests and their political associates. Indiscriminate financing and issuing of various special bonds to SOEs might not be easy if central bank enjoys full autonomy and the NCBs are privatized.

The financial market mechanism will develop speedily if central bank gets autonomy and SOEs and NCBs are privatized. Then the financial institutions will find out the right action at their ends and the interest rate will play its role to clear the market. Therefore, without the political reform the financial, administrative and any other reforms are nominal, partial and ineffective. However, without the central bank autonomy and with directed market mechanism, the internationally standard foreign private banks generally get opportunity to finance the best and promising projects if additional restrictions are not imposed on them.
 
The performances of domestic commercial banks are not generally satisfactory due mainly to absence of proper human resource development. In this regards the central bank may play a crucial role through regulation and institution development for upgrading the skills of commercial banks. The supervision and inspection of the central banks has yet to develop in these regions. The supervision and inspection will be ineffective if there is interference from political powers. Unless banks are competitive and efficient the tradable units cannot be competitive because the borrowers funds are diversified and misdirected. There is no way to correct the attitude of influence of the politicians unless political reforms had taken place.
 
In many countries huge financing have been taking place to the small enterprises by the NGOs. The spirit of NGOs involved in accommodating finance for investment was essentially ideal to mobilize people for greater participation. Thus, the role of NGOs was expected to be beneficial to very small investors and poor people who do not have easy access in the regular banking system. The NGOs are not regulated like banks and in many countries these are non-competitive in fund collection and lending activities. These NGOs enjoy better opportunity to collect free and bulk low cost funds ranging from 0.5 - 2.0 percent and sometimes above LIBOR rate from domestic and international sources and lending these at exorbitantly high interest rate ranging from 25 to 45 percent. In many regions, unfortunately the major NGOs are generally owned, sponsored and controlled by the political leaders, touts and opportunity seekers in the name of helping the poor who are vulnerable to frequent exploitations.

The members of a NGO in some countries are not allowed to have membership in others. For that reason when members sometimes need spend extra money frequently borrow, finding no other alternative, from the opportunity seeker indigenous money lenders even at much higher rate to update the membership contribution. It is believed that there are few activities those generate more than 45% return for the land-less and small enterprises to pay off the debts. With the wide range of interest structure, it very difficult to develop unique money and capital market in these regions and move the economy towards global competitiveness.

The public administration, everywhere in the world, is brought under continuous reform programs to tackle growing circumstances. The highly educated, smart technocrats and elite citizen of the country represent the public administration in most of countries. They work for the government and implement the laws. If the party in power is corrupt and inefficient, the bureaucrats also become corrupt and inefficient in these countries. The reforms in public administration in such countries will be meaningful only if political reform has taken place.
 
Reform in the police administration is very important because this deals with both the public administration and judiciary. The police department is responsible to execute laws. In the underdeveloped countries police are literally educated, less equipped and poorly paid. The police frequently use the criminals for their own interest to bear the necessary expenditure and thus, they try to put them somewhere between the just and unjust. This relationship confuses the civilian but to go for negotiation in term of money. The police in the so-called democratic regime cause corruption, indiscriminate harassment and victimization.
 
Sources of Fund of the Political Parties in Bangladesh:

It is very difficult to identify sources and estimate the quantity of funds any political party of Bangladesh. It is mainly because that no political party has its income and expenditure transparency of accounts for all the funds by sources and uses. All the funds of a political do not go through accounts rather major funds supplies to meet the expenditures are managed in different manners. For example, if a party holds public meeting the entire expenditure might be borne by any party member, non-member victim or opportunity seeker without going through regular accounts. The sources of foreign funds are never transparent because of secrecy. Therefore, the major income and expenditure accounts of the political parties of Bangladesh seem to be highly irregular.

a. Membership Contribution: The peoples of Bangladesh are mostly poor and the average financial capacity to contribute to the political party is extremely limited. Thus, only by raising the membership the sufficient fund cannot be collected to meet the necessary expenditure. The poor class people are not generally interested to enlist themselves as member. They feel that the casting of votes in favor of party and sometimes participating in the public meeting and processions as respect to the philosophy of the party.

b. Willing Contribution and Donation: The middle class people have a closer proximity with the party works and they generally contribute according to the capacity. Among the rich people there are very limited persons who are directly involved in the political party affairs. This group of people has the capacity to pay the membership fees and they always do that. They also donate funds lion heartedly in times dire needs of the party. But it is very difficult to bind them through philosophical and ethical values if there is no future of holding political power by the party at the national level. However, this might not be the major source of funds of the political parties.

c. Unwilling Donation: The scope of unwilling donation is wide and it covers all most all groups of people. This wide definition does not mean that all the money collected under the political banners goes to the party funds. Rather very little amount of this vast collection goes to the party fund and the rest goes to the collectors or the group of collectors. The criminals and the gangsters of the society in the name of political party generally grab the donations. It is rather comfortable for a political party to allow such indirect payment to these strong cadres traditionally very important to strengthen the political parties. Thus, this system of collection are neither formally officially negated nor agreed by the political parties. The criminals for safety reasons and at the same time earning more keep financial relation through contribution and enlist membership. The rich opportunity seekers and become sometimes enlisted member to the promising political party which will be able to give them scope to earn more. They provide huge funds to a number of parties according to the prospects of and threat from the party, the philosophical and ethical values to them are insignificant. The middle class businessmen to upgrade as high class keep chasing after the business contribute sufficient funds to political parties though not permanently believe in the ideology. However, it is guesstimated that the unwilling donation could be the major source of political funds at domestic level.

d. Election Collection: For attaining nomination from the party the candidate has to contribute huge money in a competitive manner, perhaps to proof the financial of strength as his candidature in the constituency.

e. Foreign Source:  Like many other poor countries of the world one of the major sources of funds of the political parties of Bangladesh have been of foreign origin. Since the independence of Pakistan, until the cold war ended, most of the political parties in this region were divided in different blocks widely capitalistic and socialistic. But the divisions were not clear to the public or the political parties with respect to fund supplies by the foreign donors for the strategic reasons of the different international agencies. However, the international agencies previously used to spend money and carefully to guide the political activities through mainly financing the political parties. After the cold war the direct foreign financing to the political parties has drastically fallen, though substantially increased in some other forms particularly to NGOs but the development of the spirits of democracy helplessly remained in the dark corner. As an alternate source the political parties of the typical countries looked to domestic sources of dirty nature. It could be very fine if the foreign source of fund could continue financing for the development of democracy in poor countries like Bangladesh. The rules could be that the party who would perform more democratically would be qualified to get higher fund supplies.

Heads of Expenditures of the Political Parties of Bangladesh:

There are many big political parties and as such have sizeable expenditure budget. But outside the budget huge expenditure incurred for activities good or bad perhaps no accounts are meticulously maintained. Some may question me that what would be the probable hidden bad expenditures of a political party, the answers might be hundred like, payment of bills for making and throwing hand bomb in targeted public places. This can never reflect in the head of accounts. The examples of good works in typical so-called like establishment of medical college, educational institution, research in various fields out of party fund are generally negligible or nil. Because there are lots of dirty and hidden income sources and therefore there exit lots of dirty expenditure heads could be never unearthed.

a. Administrative Expenditure: It is the necessary and usual expenditure like the payments of salary for the party officials, rent for building premises, publications and printing etc. as required by the all political parties all over the world.

b. Expenditure for Executive Committees: Some of the expenditures are reflected in the heads of accounts for meetings for the member of the executive committees, fares for travels, honorarium etc.

c. Expenditure for Annual General Meeting: It is one of the major heads of expenditure of the political parties. Because all political parties including the party in power are to hire the poor people from the nook and corner of the country by making daily allowances and transportation. Otherwise showing peoples’ support will totally be jeopardized. This is the annual opportunity to buy people support.

d. Expenditure for Election: Election related expenditure virtually spreads all over the years. Because all the party works is very much related to buying votes. During the election year political parties tirelessly seek opportunity to buy the votes and try to come in contract with the influential persons of the community to buy them for money. Sometimes the party men show some cheap social works and big future commitments never will be executed.


The political parties of Bangladesh have little tradition of doing research and social beneficiary activities for the people. Whatever they earn they spend for their political interest for gaining muscle power to scare the ordinary people of the society so that they can easily snatch the vote during the election. So, only with this target in mind they consider to do socially beneficial activities as total deviation from the route and wastage of time and energy.

The size of the annual budget of the new borne LPB will depend on the area it covers and what rate of growth is expected. If it targets the high growth within, say, 10 years then the annual budget should be naturally higher. To earn the confidence of the people of Bangladesh what activities it has to perform should be identified so that common people know that the said party can really safeguard the peoples' interest. To attract more elite, sophisticated and thinkers and to exclude the idiots the LPB should include typical areas suitable for these groups. This once again involves cost at least for the short-run of two national elections. The large-scale involvement of the elite groups of Bangladesh in various fields of the LPB will ultimately be helpful to earn confidence for the common people. There should be huge works in different social cultural fields.

The LPB should be democratic at all levels within the party affairs. The democratic spirits within the party will strengthen the party continuously and will never generate jealousy and aggression within the party. Though it involves costs but finally raise the party members and supporters. The preachable affairs of the LPB should make public through media for growing confidence and trust among the outside people. That means democratic of the LPB should be transparent within the party and outside the party. Since the LPB has no typical image base the democratic spirits within the party may be one of the suitable substitutes.

There are two ways to win the people but only one way to win the heart of the people. By using physical force one can win the physical state of affairs and by doing good to others one can win the peoples’ hearts forever. The latter approach is the best way to achieve meaningful economic and political development of steady nature.

The Liberal Party Bangladesh undoubtedly have ambitions to become the pioneer to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of 130 millions people through the development of spirits of liberalization. In that case the party should work with global associates of liberalism. The LPB should not really miss this opportunity to materialize and should go hands in hands with the democracy lovers of the liberal world.

Liberalism and Liberal Party Bangladesh:

One can undoubtedly believe that the post cold war period has appeared as the boon to nurture human civilization in the world promisingly steps ahead. The world has also been graced by the development of knowledge and technology in different fields of science. The political, economic and social philosophers are devoted themselves seriously to relieve the pains from the global society. To materialize the dreams of the philosophers world’s conscious has been responding increasingly continuously with the all the strengths of mind to stop the bleeding.

The liberalism under the Liberal International through its relentless efforts is keeping landmarks in the history of development of democracy throughout the world. The Liberal Party Bangladesh through following the path of international liberalism has taken up one of the greatest challenges of democracy development and practices to do away with the social injustice from the soil of Bangladesh a most densely populated but highly suffered region of the world.

The restoration of economic right is nonetheless important both from the domestic and international point of view. The waves of globalization might be appeared as the green signal to the expert skiers but cyclone to the amateurs. It is the worth challenge for the LPB to devote itself to assist market economic development of Bangladesh to adapt globalization suitably.

The political, economic and social scenario are very much integrated everywhere in the world. The restoration of human right in Bangladesh has been an immense importance for long time. The political parties, NGOs and government have been working together and spending huge money in Bangladesh since post independence without producing notable changes. The challenges of LPB in this direction would meaningful if it could put efforts through right direction of politics. The strength of politics in the center influences the other to take right directions.

The fate Liberal Party Bangladesh in the prevailing political, economic and social scenario will depend on the strength of belief and commitment to uphold the liberalization at the global standard. To overcome the political hazards if LPB follow the rules of typical political parties of Bangladesh it will not be able to produce anything remarkable to address the socio-political injustice. For this reason the LPB of Bangladesh requires acquiring proper knowledge right from the beginning from the philosophers and practitioners of the world wherever available. Borrowing better knowledge is never disgraceful from all considerations.

To materialize the commitments of LPB apart from education and knowledge it will have to acquire honest financial strength. If it has to depend on the dirty money, then the standard philosophy will run away. The prospects of generating liberal values are immense. Though there is no apparent entrance for the new comers without top political image as contained in political traditional in Bangladesh but there are warm welcome for those who has proved to bring about changes in the economic and social orders. The democratic spirit of accountability and transparency must be all through practiced meticulously for all activities otherwise the performances of politics will remained unchanged in Bangladesh. The spirits of international liberalism will undoubtedly be helpful to develop democracy in Bangladesh under the Liberal Party Bangladesh.

Published by the Institute of Liberal Democracy-ILD,
the think tank of Liberal Party Bangladesh.
March,2001