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Rule of Opposition in a Democracy
Existence of opposition both as alternative government and as critic of the party in power is a significant feature of democratic system. Opposition assumes an important role in parliamentary democracy along with its formal functions inside the legislature to constantly monitor the treasury. After independence, Bangladesh had a short lived Westminster type parliamentary framework by authoritarianism and army rule for years. During the period, though constrained by various restrictions, opposition activities including participating in major elections and legislatures as as organizing movements influenced Bangladesh politics. In the First Parliament, there was a meager opposition representation with no official recognition. The number of opposition parliamentarians increased considerably in the Second and Third Legislatures with their formal status in the House. They, however, had an ineffective parliamentary role in the midst of lopsided executive legislature relationship under quasi-democratic and autocratic rules. Hence they to agitational politics and anti-government movements outside. The 1991 election brought a strong opposition in the parliament culminating to a nascent two- party system under the reintroduced parliamentary set up. But lack of legislative compromise, persistence of mutual intolerance and the like prompted the competing parties to play unconstitutional roles creating political crises and confusion. Opposition's prolonged agitational movement for neutral caretaker government and its constitutional basis ultimately paved the way for restoring democratic process in the country. In a democracy, opposition parties perform several important functions. These include:
1. Interest aggregation: Political parties are important organs for aggregating the interests of the political community. Interest aggregation often culminates in the articulation/ projection of certain preferences, values ideologies into the policy and lawmaking process (eg in Parliament) and in the budgeting process.
2. Promoting responsible and reasoned debate: This promotes "national conversation" and pushes to a higher level of development and maturity
3. Maintaining touch with the voter-citizen and demonstrating the relevance of politics to ordinary people, that is, the oppressed, the marginalized, the disenfranchised.
4. Opposition parties hold the government to account for its commissions or omissions (eg. Tony Blair's Labour Party was re-elected with less support).
5. Parties present a viable alternative to the incumbent government by designing alternative ideas, and policies for governing society. Should the party in power let the voters down, the "moment in waiting" takes over the reign of power- through free and fair elections.
6. Parties act as a training ground for future leaders, Shadow cabinet ministers, for
example typically conduct serious party business in their designated portfolios.
7. Parties strengthen the culture of democracy within the party and the political community general for (by, example, promoting open debate during delegates' conferences, intra-party democratic elections and ensuring accountable use of party finances).
8. Parties work with the Electoral Commission, the mass media and civil society organizations monitor and improve the quality of voter registration, civic education and elect transparency.
9. Finally, opposition parties are the unpaid but dedicated principal researchers for the governme in power. In the rush to the "middle ground" that has characterized political party uynan after the Cold War; incumbent regimes have typically plagiarized the manifestos of oppositio partics and adopted their researched ideas, policies and programs without acknowledgeme Thereafter, incumbent parties (such as the NRM in Uganda) have typically accused opposition of having "no political agenda different from ours.