Local govt heads reject interim chief provision
Staff Correspondent
Leaders of local government associations yesterday rejected as undemocratic the government's proposed provision for nominating one of the members of the elected local government body as interim administrator for the period between expiry of its term and holding of fresh elections.The government move seeking such provision through the 14th amendment to the constitution would go against the spirit of existing constitutional provisions which require an elected local government body to hand over to another elected one, they said at a press conference at a city hotel. Leaders representing the National Union Parishad Forum (NUPF) and the Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) presented their views in a written statement, read out by NUPF President Golam Sarwar. The statement said, "Whether a former council member or a bureaucrat takes over the local government office under this arrangement, it replaces the people's democratic mandate at the local level with the mandate of a non-elected administrator. " Every council member loses his or her mandate as an elected representative as soon as the term of his or her elected local government body expires. So, it is unconstitutional to entrust any one of them with the office for an interim period, the statement said. The government previously proposed in the amendment that upon expiry of local governments' tenure, the national government would appoint an administrator until fresh elections are held and a new body takes office. "The newly proposed changes are as bad as the previous one, as it is against the idea of strengthening local government bodies," said the Mab president and Tongi Paurashava Chairman Azmat Ullah Khan. "The amendment is intended to politicise and bring the local government institutions further under the authority of the central government," he said. Leaders of the forum and association called upon the government to hold dialogue with the local government representatives on any practical problem in regard to holding regular local government elections to thrash out solutions. Azmat Ullah also warned, "In case the government gets the amendment passed in parliament and refuses to pay heed to our protest and demand, we will be forced to resort to legal battle." The Mab Secretary General and Singair Paurashava Chairman Shamim Al Razi and the NUPF General Secretary Mostafiqur Rahman were present.
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