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Regional dialogue at Tangail
The political parties should give
explanation before a general
election in case of failure to
fulfil election pledges while in
power, said speakers at the regional
dialogue in Tangail (September 02,
2006).
They suggested introduction of
modern education system and bringing
necessary changes in the society for
ensuring good, honest and dedicated
leadership.
Identity card and electronic voting
system will help to reduce election
related corruption, they said.
The speakers also demanded the
provision of spending at least 10
days in every month by a member of
parliament in his or her
constituency.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)
organised the discussion at Bhashani
Hall in the town with joint
collaboration of The Daily Star,
Prothom Alo and Channel i. The
meeting lasted for about seven hours
with a total of 700 people attending
the discussion. Almost 125 people
wanted to speak in the discussion
but around 90 people were able to do
so due to time constraints.
Prominent educationist and former
principal of Government M Ali
College Sekander Hyat chaired the
dialogue titled 'Election 2007:
Campaign for honest and competent
candidates'.
CPD Executive Director Debapriya
Bhattacharya conducted the
seven-hour long discussion attended
by a large number of local elites
including political leaders,
lawyers, teachers, development
workers, cultural activists,
journalists and social workers.
Editor of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam
addressed the dialogue on behalf of
the organisers while former member
of caretaker government Hafiz Uddin
Khan and Muhammad Zafar Iqbal took
part in the discussion as members of
Nagorik Committee 2006 formed for
preparing a vision paper for
Bangladesh 2021.
Criticising the prevailing system of
election, the speakers said the
Election Commission must go through
massive reforms for ensuring a free
and fair election in the country.
They also expressed no-confidence in
the present chief of the Election
Commission and his deputies.
Speaking as special guest, Tangail
Press Club President Mirza Mohammad
Abdul Momen said constructing roads,
bridges and high-rise buildings
alone is not development.
True development means upgradation
of people's living standard by
providing better health services,
education and other amenities, he
said.
He underscored the need for
generosity and tolerance among the
politicians for a stable economic
growth in the country.
There are politicians but not enough
of statesmanship in the country for
which the pro-people upazila system
got cancelled, he said, adding that
induction of retired bureaucrats,
army personnel and business tycoons
destroyed the political culture in
the country.
He regretted lack of democratic
practice in the political parties.
Special guest Provaty Mutshuddy
criticised the government for
bringing changes in the women
development policy. She said the
minority community often becomes
subject to repression after a
general election.
“We have to create an atmosphere
where people would not send their
offspring abroad for education,” she
said.
She urged the people to cast vote
for honest and educated persons.
The honest and generous people are
keeping themselves isolated from
politics while bureaucrats and
business tycoons are capturing the
political powers, Mahbub Sadiq said.
Muhammad Zafar Iqbal demanded a
modern education system in the
country and urged the younger
generation to work for building a
country that would fulfil the dreams
of the freedom fighters.
“Most of the people in Bangladesh
are very honest, dedicated and hard
working,” he said, adding that only
a small portion of people in the
society are responsible for making
the country champion in corruption.
If the education systems are
reformed and updated, the country
will come out from all the major
problems, Zafar Iqbal said.
An acute crisis is looming in the
country following the discord
between the two major political
parties on the question of reforms
in the election system, Hafiz Uddin
Khan said.
He demanded right to information for
helping the people to choose honest
and competent candidates in the
general elections. Before the
election, people should know in
details about a candidate's assets
and liabilities and whether he or
she is a loan defaulter or a bill
defaulter, he said.
Khan pointed out that the
candidates' political background and
criminal records should also be
published before the election.
While preparing the election
manifesto, the political parties
should take people's opinion, Mahfuz
Anam said.
Democracy should not be confined
only within the political parties
and members of parliament, rather,
it should reach up to the mass
people, he said.
Anam expressed the hope that the
honest and competent candidates will
get nomination in the next general
election and they will push the
country towards progress and
prosperity.
Demanding preservation of indigenous
people's right, indigenous leader
Ajoy A Mri said when the political
parties remain in the opposition
bench they support the causes of
indigenous people but they forget
the pledges after going to power.
The indigenous people in the
district suffered for development of
the Eco Park and national garden, he
said.
Expressing the hope that such
dialogue will create an upsurge in
the society and help bring
qualitative changes in future,
former state minister Abul Ahsan
Chowdhury said people should not
demand everything from the capital.
Rather, everybody should be involved
with the development.
An elected candidate should consider
himself a representative of all the
people of the area, he said.
Ahsan suggested formation of a
consultation committee by every
political party in each constituency
before election for nominating
competent candidates.
General Secretary of Tangail Chamber
of Commerce and Industry Alamgir
Khan Manu proposed election system
on the basis of symbol without
mentioning the name of candidates.
Khondoker Nazimuddin, senior vice
president of district Jatiya Party,
demanded clear declaration from the
party concerned about the candidates
who get nomination without doing
politics.
He also demanded solution of water
sharing problem with neighbouring
India.
Muniruzzaman Bulbul, general
secretary of Tangail district BNP,
disagreed with the view that the
civil society organised dialogue was
tarnishing the image of the
politicians. He hoped that the civil
society initiative for honest and
competent candidates would succeed.
Religious harmony is prevailing in
the country and the minority
community is observing their largest
festival Durga Puja with much more
enthusiasm than before, he said.
He suggested bringing change in the
minds of politicians as well as in
the political culture.
Prof Mirza Mazharul Islam urged the
people to launch a social movement
for competent candidates. He urged
the people to cast vote for those
who do not know how to earn black
money.
Terming corruption, terrorism and
nepotism social diseases that need
urgent treatment, he said if the top
brass of the government remains
corruption-free others will follow
them.
Shamsunnahar Shanti, president of
Tangail Mohila Parishad, demanded
increase in the number of seats for
women in parliament.
The condition of women deteriorated
after the changes and amendments to
the government's women development
policy, she said. Shanti also
opposed the nomination of moneyed
men and terrorists for election.
Among others, Gholam Mohammad Khan,
Bonshi Binod Goswami, Dr Abul Baset,
Gopinath Mojumder, Dr S Hasan, Hosne
Ara Ahmed Baby, Ataur Rahman Khan,
Ataur Rahman Zinnah, Abul Hossain
Mallik, MA Rouf, Al Shahriar, Hazi
Rahmat Ali Talukder, Mofizur Rahman
Nuru, Yusuf Ali, Hafeza Rahman,
Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Mirza Mohammad
Nurunnabi, Naimuddin, Rajesh
Chandra, Ishrat Nadia, Rezina Akhtar,
Shamsad Akhtar Lina, and Snigdha
Sarker participated in the
discussion.
Copied from
The Daily Star website (Sunday,
September 03, 2006)
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