DHAKA: Women in Bangladesh will gain little power, if any, under a newly enacted constitutional amendment that triples the original number of parliamentary seats reserved for them , say rights activists and opposition politicians who sharply criticize the measure for failing to provide for direct elections.

The 14th amendment approved by parliament on May 16 provides, among other things, that 45 seats in the unicameral Jatiya Shangsad (House of the Nation) be set aside for women.

It replaces a constitutional provision, which expired in April 2001, that gave women 30 seats. Under the nation's original 1972 constitution, women were allotted 15 seats.

Although the latest amendment increases the number of seats for women in parliament, critics say it fails to enhance their power because they will not be elected by constituents.

The 45 seats earmarked for women will be filled through voting by the 300 other members of parliament, who are elected directly by constituents. That voting is expected to take place in November or December.

There are seven women members of parliament in the current parliament who represent constituencies, including Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and opposition leader Sheikh Hasina.

The only improvement the amendment makes, according to opponents, is to the distribution of seats. Under the new arrangement, the seats will be distributed among political parties proportionate to their strength in parliament.

As a result, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies will get 34 seats, while nine will go the principal opposition Awami League and two to the Ershad faction of the Jatiya Party. Previously, the majority party received all 30 reserved seats as a "bonus".

The BNP-led coalition government has been denounced for backing out of the promises it made on reserved seats for women in parliament. In its 2001 election manifesto, the ruling party made a solemn pledge to increase the number of women seats in parliament and to hold direct polls for the reserved seats.

"By going back on its pledge to introduce the direct election and ignoring the demands of the women population, the BNP-led government has virtually put the clock backward," said Dilara Chowdhury, who teaches of political science at Jahangirnagar University.

In defending the amendment, Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said socio-economic conditions in Bangladesh are not favourable for direct elections. He pointed out that if constituencies were established to fill the seats reserved for women, each constituency would have about 1.5 million voters.

As a result, he argued, election expenditures would be staggering, making it difficult for women to seek election. But Motia Chowdhury, a former agriculture minister in the Awami League government that lost power in 2001, refuted the law minister's claim.

She pointed out that women already participate in the direct election for union councils - the lowest tier of local government - with more than 12,000 of them elected to office.

She questioned why they could not do the same in parliamentary elections, claiming there are thousands of educated and capable women in Bangladesh who would make far better MPs than many of the men who currently hold office.

Women elected to the 45 reserved seats in parliament will supposedly enjoy the same powers and privileges as other MPs, but critics of indirect elections say that is only in theory. -Dawn/The InterPress News Service.