Bangladesh Sanglap

Bangladesh Sanglap is a development project that uses the power of media to promote better governance and political participation. Broadcast began in November 2005 with a first series, including 8 issue-based discussions from Dhaka, Sylhet, and Chittagong. The launch was backed up by a national opinion poll - "The Pulse of Bangladesh" - which revealed that trust in government officials was lower than trust in religious leaders, intellectuals, and the army. Despite the ongoing parliamentary boycott, frequent strikes, and blockades, the Law Minister from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government sat on the panel for the first debate on justice alongside his Awami League opposition counterpart. The programme was broadcast live on radio and two days later on television. In total over 3,000 people attended the first series of debates on justice, corruption, education, health, local government, trade, security and the institutions of state.

This first series was followed by a debate in English on the BBC's international news channel, BBC World, entitled "Can Democracy Deliver?" With the national elections planned for January 2007 approaching, organisers secured support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) for a second series of Bangladesh Sanglap. To facilitate public awareness and involvement, BBC WST complemented its series of weekly TV and radio debates with video vans through large outdoor screens. The idea is that watching debates can provide insight into the thinking and decision-making of politicians, and is fostered by the technology used (in areas where there is little print media, and electricity shortages limit access to radio and television).

The programmes are designed to give members of the public an opportunity to question politicians and commentators first-hand. Live audiences rather than a lone studio presenter drive the questioning. The idea is that the broadcast audience at home can understand the audience in the venue as representing them and asking the tough questions. The panellists, and indeed the government, have an opportunity to test the political temperature around certain issues.

Democracy and Governance.

Since October 2006, there has been political upheaval in Bangladesh, when violent protests erupted over the choice of interim government in the run-up to the forthcoming elections. A state of emergency was declared in January 2007, when nationwide elections, due to be held on January 22, were cancelled.

In the first week of the pilot programme, over 40,000 people watched the Bangladesh Sanglap debates. The video van pilot attracted over 184,000 people from rural areas; the first series attracted audiences of over 5 million people. As of this writing, the programme has reached more than 17 million people via radio and television. Research conducted after the first series found that 92% of those surveyed felt that the programme had provided an opportunity for the voice of the people, particularly deprived sections of society, to be heard. 78% felt that the programmes contributed to transparency and accountability.

"We didn't know that people like me could ask politicians questions like this. We are brave enough to ask questions but we didn't have any platform." ~ Housewife from Bheramara, Kustia.

Key personnel involved with creating the Bangladesh Sanglap model identify the following 5 key elements for replication:

1. The platform must be neutral. "The BBC's reputation for impartiality made it perhaps the only media organisation that could have launched an initiative of this type at the outset. Even so, senior politicians raised eyebrows at such a bold, and in some ways threatening, enterprise. We have had to pay scrupulous attention to maintaining balance on the panels and the audience."
2. Lively debate is not enough. "It must be constructive. In a country where some supporters of the two main parties have few qualms about resorting to physical violence, we have taken care to create a forum that tackles the important issues of the day, without inflaming an already tense public order situation. There is a delicate role to be played by the moderator..."
3. Use authentic language. "...[W]e all know that the language employed by the development community can occasionally lapse into jargon, which leaves the beneficiaries of projects dumbfounded. This is why it is so important that Bangla-speaking journalists and producers, skilled at communicating with mass audiences, are in charge of the output on a day to day basis."
4. Invest in audience recruitment. This is a participatory programme. It requires an engaged audience, interested in current affairs, who are prepared to ask questions or raise their hands to make a spontaneous contribution to the debate. The people of Bangladesh are enthusiastic contributors in this respect, but a balanced audience doesn't just turn up....[W]e employ an outreach team who fan out in advance of the Sanglap and talk to NGOs [non-governmental organisations], colleges, businesses and trades unions. As a result,...51% of the audience at the recordings are women..."
5. Invest in audience research. "...[I]t provides insights which inform the choice of debate topics and the future development of the programme..."