Dreams about the four cities!

This morning, the residents of four key cities of Bangladesh -- Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi and Sylhet -- are likely to know the results of their mayoral elections. By tomorrow if there is no mishap, the picture would be clear as to who would be in the driving seats in the four cities for the next five years. These lucky people will have the opportunity to carve out their names in the history of these cities. But all this will depend on whether they have the good of the electors in their hearts. However, if they revert to 'business, as usual' and resort to political chicanery and pettiness which characterised many of the city leaders in the past, then we may as well forget any bright future for these cities.
Bangladesh is a big country by way of population. Dhaka, the capital has 15 million people. Chittagong our second biggest city has 7.5 million. But after these two cities the rest dwarf in population. Khulna, which is the third largest city, has just over a million people. The other three, where mayoral elections were held yesterday, have less than a million. These four cities, including Khulna, we can therefore call 'second tier cities.' But make no mistake; these cities are becoming important hubs of growth. Spurred by trade, investment, and in many cases by indigenous innovation, they are moving ahead. The government with its limited resources have been building airports, improving railway connectivity, water routes as well as telecommunication infrastructure. The result has been spurts of development not seen in these cities for many years.
But these have not benefited everyone who live in these cities in equal measure. The cities remain in many respects in the backwaters. Modernity in many areas is still a far cry. Road infrastructure as well as conversancy service are poor and need to be attended to swiftly in order to bring them into the 21st century. Standard hotels and guest houses are few and far between. Shopping malls and wet markets are still archaic and there is immediate need to upgrade them. Cultural activity and recreation for the residents are yet to attain a level of vibrancy that would add to the quality of life of the citizens. It is not because there are no talents available. But necessary infrastructures have not been built. There is so much to do and so many opportunities but so little action.
There are systemic difficulties in our local government structure. For one, governance is much centralised. The central government in Dhaka controls most of the subjects that matter most to the citizens of these cities. Financing as well as taxation to raise revenues are similarly controlled. In very few areas do the local authorities enjoy autonomy. Hence they have very little latitude in deciding their own fate. This is not always the case in other countries. In the United Kingdom the cities are considerably empowered. China is one country where the city government can take decisions that affect the daily lives of the citizens in that city. Even attracting foreign investment to a city in certain sectors is left to the city fathers. It is time we also start giving thought to such proposition.
But let it be known that second and third tier cities around the world develop their own dynamic style that carry them forward.
Take the case of Khulna city. Historically it has been host to important state owned industries like jute mills, shipyard, the newsprint mill, etc. Around these industries have grown small and medium enterprises and services. So the city is host to a new form of industrial structure, commonly known as 'flexible specialisation.' More recently, the focus has shifted from industries to firms. There is now little connection between causality and characterisation. The city planners and the new mayor has to understand this changing dynamism in Khulna and set the city compass anew. Khulna is also considered a port city. The port of Chalna is only a few kilometers away. So the dream of building Khulna as a hub-and-spoke type city with the port being the hub and various related industries being the spokes need to be envisioned for it.
In a similar fashion, the cities of Barisal, Rajshahi and Sylhet need to be configured, stylised and designed to meet their own dynamic growth factors. While doing so, the city leaders must take into consideration the element of 'stickiness' of  a particular type of industry or service in that place. Thus in Sylhet, if tourism is the main adhesive, the city fathers should visualise attracting industries related to tourism to that city.
When a city structure is identified, planned and worked at, then it would be easy to run the race towards development. Second tier cities in Bangladesh should be renamed as 'cities with first class opportunities.' Here the government is slowly building new infrastructure. New banks, markets, financial services as well as new talents are gathering there. It is incredulous to see new private academies, private universities, clinics and hospitals setting up shop there. With new roads and faster transportation links, these places are likely to go far in the very near future.
So the elected leaders of these four cities must realise that they cannot enjoy a 'business as usual' frame of mind. They have miles to go. The central government in Dhaka must give these elected city governments a helping hand. Never mind if the mayors have the support of the government of the day or the main opposition parties. The relay race is on and the government needs to pass on the baton as fast as possible. The race for economic emancipation can only then be won.
While congratulating the winners of the mayoral elections, we must not ignore the losers. They also ran and the elected mayors must enjoy their confidence too in order to pave the way for inclusive development. In fact the losers have another opportunity to run for office in the next five years.
We cannot afford to overlook these beautiful and historic second tier cities of Bangladesh anymore. Let the new leaders adorn, modernise and beautify them further.

The writer is a former Ambassador and commentator on current affairs.
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