The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar here yesterday urged the government for reaching to a consensus with political parties before holding the elections of the local government bodies before the national polls.

They said, the present government has taken effective measures for strengthening the local government bodies. But, political support is necessary to the ensure benefit of the reforms measures.

Coalition for Good Governance, a private organisation, organised the seminar on "What shall be the first: Parliamentary polls or local bodies elections and delimitation of the constituencies" at Jatiya Press Club here.

Former ministers ASM Abdur Rab and Syed Didar Bakth, Jatiya Party leader G M Quader, Awami League leaders Dr Abdur Razzak, and Advocate Rahmat Ali, CPB leader Morshed Ali, Taleya Rahman of Democracy Watch and Advocate Tanvirul Islam took part in the discussion.

Chairperson of Coalition of Good Governance Firoz M Hasan and member secretary Mahbubul Haque presented two keynote papers on the subjects of the seminar while official of the organization Firoz Ahmed was in the chair.

Speakers said, there is no alternation to elected government for welfare of the people and development of the country. Good governance might be established through a good parliamentary election, they said. They called upon the government to go for a consensus with the political parties on local government election instead of imposing the decision unilaterally.