Civil society and good governance
M. Shamsul Haque, Prof. IBA, DU
Observers on the socio-political dynamics of Bangladesh should be elated with the recently formed civil society body to elect "competent and honest people" in the next parliamentary election. This has arisen out of the continuing and frustrating failure of the elected governments since 1991 to deliver essential services to the people and at the same time ballooning corruption that simply put unearned wealth in the hands of a small number of people. This is again a great moment of victory for the common people, as the movement is likely to gain momentum and change the course and quality of democracy in Bangladesh. Let us all unite with the movement so that the nation gets out of governance by the party in power and the one in opposition, rather two sides of the same coin. I would however like to mention that the movement should be a long term one and continue beyond the next election. I would suggest that the movement also demand holding of upazila and district level elections at the time of holding the general election as per our constitution. This will go a long way in our efforts to bring power back to the people. Let more and more honest and competent people participate in the governance of the country and bring the fruits of real democracy to the doorsteps of the people. The people of Bangladesh deserve it and that is why the movement has originated from among the people at large.
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