The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a roundtable in the city demanded restoration of democracy for helping achieve the benefits of independence cherished by the people.

They felt that the ideal for the valiant freedom fighters who let down their lives for the cause of the motherland would remain unfulfilled in the absence of democracy.

The ideals of the Liberation War were democracy, economic emancipation, freedom of thoughts and expressions and flourishment of national culture.

Mahmudur Rahman, former energy adviser and former executive chairman of the Board of Investment, said this as chief guest at the roundtable organised by Chirantan Bangladesh at the National Press Club yesterday.

Gias Kamal Chowdhury, Editor of daily Khabarpatra, presided over the meeting, while Alamgir Mohiuddin, Editor of Naya Diganta, Ismail Hossain Bengal, freedom fighter, Maj (Retd) Akhteruzzamn, former MP and Convener of Khaleda Zia Mukti Parishad, Shawkat Hossain Nilu, Chief of NPP, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Editor of The New Nation, among others, spoke on the occasion. Dr Rezwan Siddiqui, former director general of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), presented key-note paper.

Mahmudur Rahman said that a robust economy that the present government started with was getting ruined. Democracy and political leadership will be impossible to arrest this trend.

Alamgir Mohiuddin said the performance of the economy always remain good under the political government.

He called for stopping the trends of divisiveness in the society with a view to uphold national unity.

Maj Akhteruzzaman said political leaders always run the country. Cabinets of the elected governments are accountable to the Parliament, he said.

Ismail Hossain Bengal called for upholding the causes that the valiant freedom fighters cherished.