STAFF CORRESPONDENT

As Bangladesh moves towards strengthening local government, questions have emerged over the need to maintain separate offices for deputy commissioners if all tiers of local governance adopt a uniform structure.

This issue was a focal point at a press conference, titled “Democratic Decentralisation and Local Government Reforms in Light of Public Aspirations,” held yesterday at the Jatiya Press Club.

Jointly organised by the Governance Advocacy Forum and UNDP, with support from the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, the event aimed to discuss reforms in local governance.

Mohsin Ali, coordinator of the Governance Advocacy Forum and executive director of WAVE Foundation, outlined six significant challenges facing Bangladesh’s local governance -- institutional weaknesses, excessive centralisation of power, financial limitations, lack of transparency and accountability, political interference, and inadequate gender and social inclusion.

To address these issues, he proposed several reforms, including the abolition of MPs’ advisory roles in upazila parishads, the conversion of deputy commissioner offices into district council offices, the introduction of a local government cadre service, and direct elections for regional and district councils.

The event also considered the feasibility of restructuring local government to mirror a parliamentary system. The proposed model includes an executive council, a chairperson similar to a speaker, and a shadow council leader akin to an opposition leader.

However, concerns were raised about the practicality of such a system. “Is this structure realistic in Bangladesh’s context? Will it lead to internal factions and a fragile council prone to vote-buying?” questioned Mohsin Ali.

Abdul Awal, executive director of NRDS, cautioned against electing council leaders following ward-based councillor elections, suggesting it could result in party-like divisions and hinder effective governance.

“If council members are elected in

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