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Strengthen local govt bodies for development

Speakers tell roundtable

Staff Correspondent
Speakers at a roundtable yesterday said the country can achieve sustainable development by strengthening local government bodies and holding of the local body elections successfully is likely to effect future elections in the country.
Decentralisation is needed for the country’s development and that can be ensured by strengthening the local government system, they added.
The speakers said the national and upazila elections should be held on the same day and called on the political parties not to oppose the local government elections.
Titled Local government elec-
tions in creating honest and efficient leadership,’ the roundtable was organised by Free Thinkers Forum (FTF) at the National Press Club in the city.
Former chief election commissioner Justice Abdur Rauf was present at the roundtable as the chief guest with former vice chancellor (VC) of Dhaka University Muniruzzaman Mia in the chair.
Justice Abdur Rauf said power should be decentralised by strengthening the local government bodies and the country can achieve development at the grassroots level, adding that the local government system should be strengthened to establish the power and rights of the people.
Chittagong University Prof Abdur Nur said the upazila elections should be held even though there are some suspicions of the political parties are there about it.
The Election Commission should hold elections in all the upazilas instead of holding polls only at 300 upazilas, because the much-awaited voter list has been finished, he said, adding that the parliamentary and the upazila elections should be held on the same day.
Journalist Sadek Khan said the local government elections must be held and the political parties must support the holding of the elections to establish the power of the people and development of the
country.
The political parties are opposing the holding of the local body election as the power of the MPs would be curved if it is held. The parties are only finding an excuse to oppose the election by saying that someone is using it as a tool to come to power, he added.
FTF President Zahangir Chowdhury moderated the roundtable which was also addressed by Editor of the Amar Desh Amanullah Kabir, Editor of the New Nation Mostafa Kamal Majumdar, Chittagong University Prof Dr Tofail Ahmed and ex-VC of Patuakhali University' of Science and Technology Abdul Latif Masum.