Nature of the Political Participation of the Oraon Community of Barind in Bangladesh

Abstract

Political participation is an important aspect in the arena of political science. It ensures productive and durable changes and may also be conceived as an undeniable human right in the context of equality. The world is becoming enriched with different resources but human right is on the brink of danger. So, people's participation of all aspects is an imperative to recover the human rights. Most of the Bangladeshi is ethnos linguistically homogeneous. Nevertheless, there is a distance among the more advanced or the civilized people and the tribal people though all are the citizens of Bangladesh whose different basic rights are ensured by the constitution of the Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh. There are 45 tribal communities in Bangladesh. Among them, the Oraon is one of the remarkable communities. Their number is more than one lakh and they live in the 16 districts of the north Bengal. So, as the citizen of Bangladesh, to know their nature of political participation is an imperative. The purpose of the study is to investigate the 'Nature of the political participation of the Oraon community of Barind in Bangladesh.' Almost all of the Oraon community people live in the villages with other communities including the Bangalies. As compared with others, they are a little bit indifferent on political participation and they do not realize the importance of their individual vote. Therefore, to know their political participation is the demand of the present era. This thesis describes different aspects related with their political participation; nature of their leadership, participation in local politics, participation in national politics, pattern of their political party choosing and finally whether there any political discrimination is prevailing as compared with others of the country. The study is based on data of two Oraon inhabited villages of Brind in Bangladesh based on Ninth national parliamentary election of 2008 and union council election of 2011. Against this background, the research study seeks to provide a wide description of how the political participation of the Oraon community people in the local as well as the national politics is. To investigate these questions, I employ both qualitative and quantitative research within a certain boundary of the Oraon community. The average literacy rate of the Oraon in Rajshahi district is only 5.6%. Their social status, economic condition as well as annual income is also very negligible. They have a little bit communication as well as the competition with the more advanced people. Overall, they are backward in all aspects as compared with other communities of the country. However, no remarkable development steps for their rapid upliftment have been taken on behalf of the state or GOs and NGOs. The study reveals that five tiers-oriented leadership of the Oraon community is present in Barend. They elect their leaders in democratic way and most of them obey their leaders. Their leadership is conducive for the general Oraon people for procuring their different rights. It is proved that there is an indirect influence of these leaders upon them in local or the national election. It is remarkable that their political participation is better than that of other communities. The political participation of the Oraon male in local election is 96.15% and in the national election is 99.36%. On the other hand, the political participation of the Oraon women in local election is 97.44% and in national election is 98. 72%. It is noteworthy that the political participation of the Oraon women is better than that of the Oraon male. All of them obey the election behavior. None of them violates the election law. It is also good sign that in spite of having different types of the influences upon them, approximately 31% Oraon community people change their political party if their chosen political party does not work well for them as well as the nation. At the same time, 47% of them also say that changing political party repeatedly creates the hindrances on the way to the political stability of the country. 40% Oraon people in local and 39% in national politics had no freedom of political activities that is the subject of thinking earlier. Besides; hindrances on the participation in procession and meeting, shortage of ability to vote the chosen candidate, lack of evaluation based on their worthiness in the political party, shortage of the political communication with the local chairman and MP, negation upon the importance of their different opinions, lack of having sitting capacity in a row like other of the political party, victims of different oppression for choosing their own political party, lack of participation in the decision making process of the government development, shortage of position in local political committees, shortage of empowerment, shortage of free movement and so on are some of the remarkable political discriminations upon them. The state should take the immediate initiatives to remove the above-mentioned short comings of the Oraon community. They have also suggested that the political party should culture the democracy, mitigate the absolute power of the party head, make leadership from the root level, elect or select party head for a certain period of time, need at best 4/5 political parties in the country, include Adebisi in the management and leadership of the political party, perform regular worker conference and party's internal election. If the state, political party, GOs and NGOs, different agencies of home and abroad, public-spirited persons of the country come forward to co-operate them on their different backward aspects, their entire betterment may be possible that make them educated and economically well to do. As a result, their nature of political participation both in local and national level will be more effective that may bring the entire and comprehensive political development and the nation may get freedom from the political chaotic situation and instability removing all sorts of the unconventional political participation.