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Regional dialogue at Narayanganj
Speakers at the regional dialogue in
Narayanganj (September 09, 2006)
observed that much of the reforms in
the Election Commission (EC) and
electoral system can be carried out
during the tenure of the next
caretaker government.
As the civil society raised voice
for bringing reforms, major
political parties will also accept
the decisions taken by the caretaker
government in this regard, they
pointed out.
The speakers further said
politicians often become hostages to
bureaucrats who actually run the
government and indulge in various
corruptions.
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
organised the event in collaboration
with The Daily Star, the Prothom Alo
and Channel i.
Yesterday's dialogue was the 15th
and the last in a series of such
regional dialogues which started in
Mymensingh on Arpil 29 this year.
Executive Director of CPD Debapriya
Bhattacharya conducted the
seven-hour long dialogue chaired by
Afzal Hossain, a former member of
the parliament also founding general
secretary of Narayanganj Diabetic
Association.
Motiur Rahman, editor of the Prothom
Alo, spoke on behalf of the
organisers while Prof Anisuzzman and
former member of a caretaker
government Major General (retd)
Moinul Hossain Chowdhury
participated in the dialogue on
behalf of Nagorik Committee 2006,
formed to prepare a vision paper for
'Bangladesh in 2021'.
Chairman of Naryanganj Pourashava
Selina Hayat Ivy, Chairman of
Bangladesh Road Transport
Corporation (BRTC) Advocate Toimur
Alam Khondoker, and President of
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (BKMEA)
Fazlul Haque were special guests.
A total of 85 persons took part in
the discussion including teachers,
lawyers, political leaders,
journalists, cultural activists, NGO
workers and students. A large number
of local elites attended the
dialogue in Narayanganj Club
Community Centre.
The speakers pointed out that the EC
is not strong enough for holding a
free and fair election as it failed
to prepare an acceptable voter list.
They also proposed introduction of
'no votes' in cases where a voter
might have objections to a
particular candidate, and of a
provision for 'dual votes' allowing
voters to vote for more than one
person with serial numbers of
preferences for avoiding
by-elections.
They suggested decentralisation of
administrative power and
strengthening of local
administrations as the power is very
much concentrated in the capital
now.
Speaking as a special guest Selina
Hayat Ivy called upon the people not
to vote for black money holders and
thugs. She also urged prospective
candidates not to buy votes.
She pointed out that politicians
often become hostages to
bureaucrats. Although the
bureaucrats run the administration,
they are hardly ever blamed for
corruption, she added.
She called upon the people to create
resistance against black money
holders, thugs and plunderers. Ivy
also urged the people to be united
against anti-liberation forces.
Toimur Alam Khondoker said the
people should raise the slogan that
they will not elect corrupt people.
The media can play a vital role
through providing information about
the backgrounds of candidates and
about cases of corruption by any of
them, he pointed out.
Khondoker said the people hope that
honest and competent candidates will
be elected.
Fazlul Haque criticised the EC for
rejecting the European Commission
offer of providing transparent
ballot boxes, without considering
its importance.
The civil society should come
forward with more courage, and the
concept that there is no final word
in politics should be banished from
the country, Haque said.
He also said the vision paper should
be prepared in phases otherwise it
will not be effective.
Afzal Hossain said we want a terror
free society and a black money free
parliament.
He urged political leaders to speak
out in party meetings about the
deliberations of the regional
dialogues. He said the intruders in
politics are the main culprits as
real politicians work for the
country and want development. He
said the dialogues have been
successful and hoped that such
initiatives will also succeed in the
future.
Prof Anisuzzaman said, "We want to
see an effective parliament and
progress in the country." He pointed
out that a section of the people
became rich suddenly through
politics while many people went
bankrupt in the political struggle.
"We want to see how much of the
political parties' pledges have been
implemented," he said adding that it
requires accountability of the
government.
Urging the politicians not to
nominate black money holders in the
election, Anisuzzaman further said,
"We should also see whether the
candidates played any negative role
during the liberation war."
He said the discrepancies between
men and women, poor and rich should
be minimised. He asked citizens to
exercise their rights and to create
pressure on politicians for
implementing their demands.
Major General (retd) Moinul Hossain
Cwdhury urged the people to judge
competent candidates on the basis of
character and not on the basis of
wealth or influence.
He said foreign diplomats often get
involved in the country's domestic
affairs, which is regrettable. He
stressed the need for competent
citizens as well as competent
candidates.
The democratic practice will not be
successful without removing
corruption and terrorism from the
society, he said adding that the
political situation in the country
is deteriorating day by day. "Now
politics is a mix of democracy,
thuggery and corruption."
Editor of the Prothom Alo Motiur
Rahman expressed doubts that the
next election might not be held at
all as the conflict between the two
major political fronts culminated to
the worst level. "There is hardly a
congenial atmosphere in the
political arena for holding
dialogues."
As a result the lack of confidence
of the people on politicians is
increasing. He urged politicians to
fulfil the pledges and commitments
they made to the people. He hoped
for a balanced country. He said the
people want to see the politicians
beside them.
Rahman pointed out that political
parties forget their commitments
mentioned in party manifestos after
going to power.
Debapriya Bhattacharya pointed out
that the civil society initiative
for competent candidates will
continue and the outcome of 15
regional level dialogues will be
placed before political leaders. He
hoped that the political parties
will incorporate the recommendations
that came out of the dialogues in
their election manifestos.
He said civil society leaders will
sit soon with leaders of major
political parties and place the
recommendations before them.
Dedicated and competent trends in
the political parties have been
strengthened by the dialogues, he
observed.
He categorically said civil society
members have no intention to be
candidates in the next election but
they want to strengthen the
democratic process in the country.
Another objective of the dialogues
is to restore respect for
politicians in the public mind, he
pointed out.
Advocate khokon Shaha, general
secretary of Narayanganj city Awami
league, demanded electoral reforms
before the next election. He pointed
out that politics has been under the
control of a few officials of the
army since the 1975 coup.
He also demanded separation of the
judiciary from the executive branch
of the government and an independent
anti corruption commission.
President of Narayanganj City Awami
League Anwar Hossain, Montoo Ghos of
the Communist Party of Bangladesh,
Office Secretary of District BNP
Zannatul Ferdous, Delwar Hossain
Chunnu of Gono Forum, Shafiuddin
Ahmed of Workers Party, Advocate
Mahbubur Rahman Ismail of BSD,
President of Narayanganj City NAP
Nurul Kabir, Convener of Narayanganj
City Bikalpa Dhara ATM Kamal, former
MP Golam Murshid Faruqi, President
of Narayanganj Press Club Ruman
Reza, Tofazzel Hossain, Abdul Hai,
Rafiur Rabbi, Dulal Shaha, Shukur
Mahmud, Ahsanul Karim Chowdhury,
Mahmuda Mala, Golam Mostafa,
Advocate Awlad Hossian, Komol Kanti
Shaha, Khondoker Anwar Hossain,
Chandan Shil, Halim Azad, Sheikh
Haider Ali, MK Mannan, Jahanara
Akhter, Khodeza Khanom Nasreen, Ranu
Khondoker, Advocate Sadia Afroz,
Rashida Akhter, Al Amin, Alauddin
Chowdhury, Anis Ahmed, Mobarak
Hossain Rana, Rekha Chowdhury, Munir
Chowdhury, Kawsar Uddin Ahmed, ASM
Shafiqul Islam, Reazur Rahman,
Solaiman Chowdhury, Monwarul Haque,
Ishaq Talukder, Amzad Hossain
Alauddin Chowdhury, and Advocate
Marina Begum also took part in the
discussion.
Copied from
The Daily Star website (Sunday,
September 10, 2006)
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