Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam said that there are various governance systems in the world. Among various systems including monarchy, socialism, democratic system is considered to be the best system of governance in the world today. It is important for everyone to participate in the democratic process to consolidate this democracy. Participatory democracy itself becomes contested.
He said this while attending a debate competition in the Shadow Parliament on non-partisan local government elections titled Public Parliamentary Debate Competition organized by FDC today as the chief guest. The point of contention was that non-partisan local government elections would consolidate democracy at the grassroots level. Dhaka Medical College participated as the government party in favor and Manarat International University as the opposition party. After the debate between the two parties, Dhaka Medical College was declared the winner as the official party.
In his speech, the Minister of Local Government referred to accountability as an accessory of democracy and said that freedom of speech is an important element of democracy but that freedom of speech also has a limit. Even in America, freedom of speech is not free.
Md.Tajul Islam pointed out that there are both good and bad aspects of non-partisan local government elections and said that in this, different candidates of the same party will have an opportunity to compete but we have to be careful so that the competition does not turn into a conflict.
Pointing out that democracy has been harmonized in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said that today the country is self-sufficient in food, 100% electrification and progress in various economic indicators has been possible because the country has a democratic governance system.
The minister pointed out that all parties have the responsibility to advance democracy and said that democracy can never be strengthened outside the election process. The minister mentioned the participation in the election of Bangladesh Awami League in 1970 and said that at that time Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was advised not to participate in the election but he participated in the election and won. The birth of independent Bangladesh was because the father of the nation was in the election process.