Nominate 'clean' candidates in next polls

They also called upon leaders of major parties not to use muscle power and black money in the polls to institutionalise democracy and develop the country.

They said, nominating 'clean' candidates in the forth coming general election has now become a demand of the people and political parties should realise this.

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The round table on Election and Citizen's Role, organised by Shyamnagar Sujan Shushan Nagarik Committee, was held at Shyamnagar upazila auditorium.

Dr Badiul Alam, director, of Hunger Project, an NGO moderated the round table.

It was addressed by Satkhira BNP leader and Public Prosecutor (PP) Syed Iftekhar Ali, Shyamnagar upazila Awami League president Jaglul Haidar, local BNP leader Abdul Wahed, Principal GM Osman Gani, Principal Ashek-e- Elahi, Alamgir Haidar, Abdus Samad, freedom fighter Abdul Mazid, Chandrika Banerjee, GM Liakat Ali, Hafez Abdur Rashid, Mahsin Ul Mulk and Prof. Abdul Wahab.

They said the civil society has a great role to play in making country's politics clean and beneficial for people. They can compel political parties to nominate honest, efficient and patriotic people in the next election.

Honest and patriotic people do not come to politics now as it plagued by corruption and muscle and money power. This trend must be changed if political parties really wan to do good to the country and its people, they said. Otherwise the parties will be discarded by people and new ones will come up to fulfil the vacuum and people's aspirations, they said.

Demanding compulsory registration of political parties, they said this will ensure transparency in political process and holding of fair election.

There is no alternative to fair politics for consolidating democracy and changing the lot of people, they said.

They said a country is run by the party in power. If those in power are corrupt, there is no use crying against corruption, law and order slide and all other ills that affect development.

Law can not curb corruption if the custodians of law are themselves corrupt, they said.