Friday, February 7

State of governance, economy abnormal


 

The situation of governance and economy of the country is now “abnormal”, said Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain, urging for a constructive national dialogue to overcome the condition.

“To institutionalise democracy, we need better education and the environment of the educational institutions ….. it is very much absent there,” he said.

Dr Kamal, also an eminent jurist, was addressing a programme on releasing a study on The State of Governance Bangladesh 2013: Democracy Party Politics organised by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development of BRAC University today.

He said no elections were held in the student unions of the universities. Regular elections in the universities and good environment for education provide formation for the future leaders to be democratic, he added.

“The democratic institutions are weak. We have been repeatedly failing to strengthen them,” Kamal Hossain said.

To overcome these shortcomings in the political and governance arenas, he suggested a “constructive national dialogue” involving the political parties, civil society, NGOs, human rights organisations and students.

“We need to have a consensus on certain fundamental issues,” he said, noting of merit-based recruitment, banning of religion-based politics and improved environment in the educational institutions.