Priorities and Methods for Socialist Development of Bangladesh

Abstract

According to standard theory in the Marxist—Leninist tradition, the political philosophy of Bangladesh, as reflected in its constitution, suffers from internal contradiction by aiming to attain socialism through traditional parliamentary democracy. The constitution provides, on the one hand, for a ‘nationalised public sector embracing the key factors of the economy’, which should logically include the bulk of agriculture and hence by far the greater part of the economy; for payment for one’s work according to the socialist principle ‘from each according to his abilities, to each according to his work’; and for emancipating the peasants and workers from ‘all forms of exploitation’ that does not presumably exclude exploitation of labour by capital in the classical Marxian sense. It provides also, on the other hand, that the state shall only ‘endeavour’, ‘to create conditions in which, as a general principle, persons shall not be able to enjoy unearned incomes’, and also permits of private ownership of the ‘means of production and distribution within such limits as may be prescribed by law’. It provides, finally, for parliamentary democracy of the traditional western variety where socialists and non- socialists, the exploiter and the exploited, have equal rights but unequal opportunities to seek election and grab power.

The paper is presented in the author’s personal capacity and does not necessarily represent the views of any agency he is associated with.