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Donors for electoral reforms before next polls

Staff Correspondent
Donors want necessary electoral reforms to take place before the next general election to ensure a free and fair election, World Bank (WB) Country Director Christine I Wallich said yesterday.
"Donors will not be involved in the reform process. The government
can go forward and donors arc ready to provide assistance in this regard," she told the Economic Reporters' Forum (ERF) at a discussion at WB Dhaka office.
WB Chief Economist Francois Bourguignon, Chief Economist in South Asia Shantayanan Debrajan and other senior officials were present at the meet.
Wallich said poor governance is holding back Bangladesh. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is a vehicle that lists the government's priorities, she said, and termed the 7 percent GDP growth targeted by the PRSP ambitious, which she said will not be materialised [due to lack of good governance].
On the other hand, she also felt that the present 5 percent economic growth is not enough for Bangladesh and that ongoing reforms in health, education and other areas should be made deeper.
The governance in the country is not considered as satisfactory, Bourguignon said, adding, "It's a problem for Bangladesh, though it has achieved significant progress in meeting the targets towards millennium development goals."
He said governance is a very difficult area and is an issue that belongs to Bangladesh government
and the society. He was of the opinion that [with proper governance] Bangladesh could do much better, as well as its neighbours.
The WB chief economist said, like many countries, aid and its management is also a big problem for Bangladesh, where there are severe inefficiencies in health, education and other areas.
"We are insisting on further liberalisation that would help improve competitiveness in the garments sector, where Bangladesh is doing very well," Bourguignon said.
He was also of the opinion that import is a cumbersome procedure in Bangladesh and ban on yarn import through land ports is making the knitwear sector less competitive, which again is a governance problem.
Taking part in the discussion, Debrajan said the ultra-poor, who do not have access to education and other basic requirements, are still a problem for Bangladesh.