Bangladesh moves to end property discrimination

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Bangladesh moves to end property discrimination

http://khabarsouthasia.com/en_GB/articles/apwi/articles/features/2012/07/17/feature-02

By K R Chowdhury for Khabar South Asia in Dhaka

July 17, 2012




Two women stand outside of makeshift houses built on stilts over a canal in the Rayer Bazar area in Dhaka in this November 2009 file photo. The Bangladeshi Parliament is set to vote on an amendment allowing minorities to register inherited land by paying the same registration fee Muslims pay: Tk 100 ($1.22). Under the current law, non-Muslims pay thousands more. [Andrew Biraj/Reuters]

In the face of growing demand from non-Muslim communities, the government has taken steps to modify a law that allegedly discriminates against Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other religious minorities.

A bill containing the changes was put before Parliament on July 3rd. With the ruling Awami League-led coalition enjoying a two-thirds majority, it is widely expected to pass.

"The bill, if passed, would enable Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other minorities to register inherited land and other immovable property by paying only Tk 100 ($1.22)—a privilege enjoyed by the Muslims only," Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told lawmakers.

Fazle Rabbi Miah, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law Ministry, told Khabar South Asia that the bill would be passed soon because the Awami League ''does not believe in two laws for two communities".

The move is being hailed by minorities, especially Hindus, who account for around 11% of the country's 160 million people.

Taposh Nandi, an English teacher in Dohar, near Dhaka, says the changes are long overdue. Due to the exorbitant fees he had to pay for being a Hindu, the current law made it difficult for him to register a piece of land his father gave him years ago. Unlike Muslims, members of minority communities must pay 7% of the total value as a fee to the state exchequer to legally own gifted property.

"I had to spend over Tk 154,000 ($1,882) for registering the land in Manikganj because I belong to the Hindu community," Taposh told Khabar. "Had I been a Muslim, I could have registered the land by paying only Tk 100 ($1.22). How can a state maintain two laws for two communities?"

Subrata Chowdhury, a lawyer, told Khabar that the disparities stem from a 2004 amendment – pushed through by the then-ruling Bangladesh National Party (BNP) -- to the Registration Act of 1908.

"The 2004 amendment was against the spirit of the constitution, which stipulated that the state must not discriminate against any of its citizens on the ground of religion, sex or ethnicity," Chowdury said.

Panchananda Mondol, a land record writer in Manikganj, some 45km from Dhaka, told Khabar that three-to-four Hindus come to the local land registration office each day to register land and other immoveable properties they have obtained as gift from their blood relations.

"In many cases the older people cannot hand over their land and homestead to their children and grandchildren due to the higher registration costs," Mondol said.

"This often leads to family feuds as the inheritors resort to fighting among themselves after the death of the land owners," he said. "The law should be changed immediately."