Reach consensus on nat'l issues
Speakers urge AL, BNP for the sake of democracy and economic development
Speakers at a roundtable titled 'Two years of the government' at Prothom Alo office in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR
A political consensus between the ruling Awami League (AL) and the main opposition BNP on major national issues is a must to strengthen democracy and economic development of the country, observed speakers at a roundtable. Although the government has become successful in some sectors in last two years, a number of existing challenges must be addressed in the upcoming years through coordinated efforts by both the government and the opposition party, they opined. They also urged both the AL and BNP to make the parliament functional to ensure that the democracy is not threatened in the future. Bangla daily Prothom Alo organised the roundtable titled 'Two years of the government' held at its office in the city. Editor and Publisher of the newspaper Matiur Rahman moderated the event. “The two major parties must reach consensus to accomplish major priority works of the country,” said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid. He said it is opposition's responsibilities to join parliament and cooperate and correct the government's mistakes through constructive criticism. “We will have to come out of the culture of blaming each other.” He said there are many achievements of the government even after number of errors. “But we are trying our best.” Praising the government for its good performance in the agriculture and education sectors, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the government would have to come forward to create a way for national consensus. He alleged that the government is trying to oppress opposition political parties instead of creating congenial atmosphere and building political culture in the country to reach consensus. The editor of Prothom Alo feared that the country might face crisis again if coordination, consensus and agreement is not held between the political opponents. “We will have to make the consensus happen with courage.” Debapriya Bhattacharya of Centre for Policy Dialogue said it is not possible to implement the government's development programmes with narrow political approach. Rather a broader national consensus will have to be developed to this end, he opined. Former Adviser to a caretaker government Sultana Kamal said politicians are responsible for polluting politics and they forget about their responsibilities when they assume power. FBCCI President Abul Kalam Azad said the government and the opposition must work jointly to increase investment and generate employment. No parties should go for any programme like hartal that might hamper economic development. Dilara Chowdhury, professor of the Government and Politics dept of Jahangirnagar University, said both the AL and BNP must develop a good will within themselves to reach a consensus and make the parliament functional. Human Rights Commission Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman, Supreme Court Bar Association President Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman and Dhaka University Prof Asif Nazrul also spoke on the occasion.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments