PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION IN BANGLADESH - A STUDY OF ITS ROLE IN THE FIFTH-PARLIAMENT

This paper examines the role of the opposition in the fifth parliament in Bangladesh (1991-5). It identifies two distinct but interrelated a spects of the role of the opposition, referred to here as proactive an d reactive. The evidence presented in the article shows that the oppos ition MPs fared better than their ruling party counterparts in both re spects. The level of activism of the opposition MPs in the fifth parli ament was much higher than it was in the earlier parliaments. The gove rnment, despite its suspicion of the opposition's motive, was neverthe less more tolerant of its role, at least compared with the past. The a rticle argues that the potential of the parliament, however, could not be harnessed in full because of lack of preparedness of the oppositio n and the government to acknowledge each other's legitimacy and to abi de by the 'rules of the game'. Both these factors discouraged the grow th of a stable pattern of parliamentary politics in Bangladesh.