BNP didn't try to meet those while in power
Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday called for a change in the attitude of the political parties, saying that they forget their responsibilities while in power but become vocal about the same responsibilities when they are in the opposition.
"I carefully went through the 10-point demand of BNP. But they did not implement them when they were in power," he said, referring to the demands the BNP placed and asked the government to meet them for its return to parliament.
"After winning the polls, we just don't care [about public issues], but we talk much about those when we are in the opposition," the finance minister told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop where he was present as the chief guest.
Both the parties [Awami League and BNP] have these problems, Muhith said, adding that strengthening of local governments is crucial for true democracy, but the process has slowed.
The workshop titled 'Rethinking Security, Sovereignty and Justice' was organised by the International Political Science Association and hosted by the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRIB) at the latter's auditorium in the city.
Prof Emeritus Zillur Rahman Khan of University of Wisconsin, USA, presented the keynote paper at the workshop.
He said the 'winners-take-all' mindset has been responsible for parliamentary dysfunction in the country.
He suggested introducing proportional representation electoral system in which percentage of votes by different parties in the general elections would reflect the number of parliamentary seats.
For representational justice, there must be a process where elected representatives can be held accountable between general elections, and the ruling party with two-thirds majority can seriously consider the system of recall, Prof Khan said.
PRIB Vice-Chairman Dr Sadiq Ahmed said better regional cooperation could help accelerate growth and reduce poverty by supporting market integration and strengthening infrastructure.
PRIB Chairman Dr Zaidi Sattar and Executive Director Dr Ahsan Mansur also spoke. Political scientists from home and abroad attended the workshop.
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