PM's political affairs adviser HT Imam speaking at a seminar on 'Governance and Development—the Way forward for Bangladesh' hosted by Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) at a city hotel on Sunday. — FE Photo A visiting British state minister attached on Sunday importance to Bangladesh's adherence to democratic values as the country graduates to the middle income status.
Mr Field said both the nations will be able to achieve their future goals if they stay true to the democratic values.
"As a friend of Bangladesh I profoundly hope that, as Bangladesh graduates to a middle income status, it will remain true to its democratic values," he said.
He said Bangladesh's general election held in December was not up to the standard.
"… It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I fear the Parliamentary elections which took place here in December did not meet this standard," Mark Field, minister of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said.
His comments came at a seminar on "Governance and Democracy- the way forward for Bangladesh."
The Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) organised the seminar in Dhaka.
Calling the government 'for a full, credible and transparent resolution of all complaints,' the minister said the notion of choice is crucial in any healthy democracy.
"Without it, there is a risk that voters might seek other ways of achieving the changes they want. Ultimately, that could pose a much greater threat to stability than allowing them to express their views through democratic channels" he said.
Mr Field laid importance on having a political opposition in place, which is capable and willing to hold the government to account and offer an alternate view.
"… It is so vital to allow space for a vibrant civil society, through which the people -- and especially young people -- can channel their energies, and indeed their frustrations, within the law," he said.
That means upholding Bangladesh's fine tradition of allowing people to voice dissent and express themselves freely.
He also stressed the need for allowing the media to do its job of holding the powerful to account for upholding the transparency and credibility of democratic institutions, and bearing down on corruption.
"This really matters, because the strength and accountability of our institutions, and the confidence that they inspire in investors, are also crucial to our democracies -- and to our economies," he added.
He said there are now some 600,000 British citizens of Bangladeshi heritage, and the UK government greatly values their contribution to all walks of British life.
Lauding Bangladesh's recent development, Mr Field said Bangladesh can be proud of the huge progress it has made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
On the UK-Bangladesh joint cooperation, the minister said both the nations are working together in many areas like-to address the climate change issue, to tackle the evils of human trafficking and to improve the aviation standard.
"Something else we share is our diversity -- in both Bangladesh and the UK, people of different backgrounds -- Muslims and non-Muslims - live side by side. In our increasingly divided world, we must continue to promote this model of co-existence and inclusion," he said.
In this regard, he mentioned the incident of killing of innocent Muslims in New Zealand and said their deaths and the narrow escape of Bangladeshi cricket team, were yet another tragic reminder of the dangers of hatred and extremism.
"But the response to the attacks -- both from the local Muslim community, and wider society -- has also been a reminder that people overwhelmingly reject this hatred, and instead want to bridge divides, heal divisions and promote understanding".
The UK junior minister also urged the Bangladeshis to avail the quality higher education offered by the British Universities and suggested allowing UK educational institutions to open their campuses in Bangladesh.
"That is why one of the things I shall be discussing with my counterparts on this visit is the possibility of opening the local education market to greater competition," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister's political advisor HT Imam identified governance as the biggest challenge for the country.
"Our major challenge is providing good governance and maintaining steady growth and development," Mr Imam said.
"By good governance, we simply do not mean maintaining good law and order -- but we also mean zero tolerance against militancy, drugs and corruption," he added.
He asked the UK government to pressurise Myanmar to take back the Rohingya refugees currently staying in Bangladesh.
"I would request the UK government to put pressure on the government of Myanmar so that eventually they take back their own population," Mr Imam said.
"The Rahingya are the citizens of Myanmar. The Myanmar government has to take them back. We cannot keep them here for an indefinite time," he added.
The PM's political adviser noted the environmental disaster and the economic pressure put on by Rohingya refugees are 'enormous'.
The local industries in Cox's Bazar, including salt, tourism and fisheries, are severely affected by the influx of these refugees."
"The cost to Bangladesh is enormous. You cannot compensate it with external assistance, no matter how much you try," he said.
Prime Minister's economic adviser Dr. Mashiur Rahman, in his speech, highlighted the plight of the local readymade garments manufacturers in meeting the international safety standards.
"Currently, our RMG industry is having problem with issues like safety standards, working environment and wages," he said.
"But when the prices are going down and there is an emphasis that we must comply with these standards, it becomes a little hard on the traders," Mr Rahman added.
PRI chairman Dr. Zaidi Sattar called for forging Commonwealth trade and investment partnership for boosting trade and investment among the Commonwealth countries.
"It is notable that currently a significant volume of intra-Commonwealth trade and investment is going on."
"Can we think in terms of exploiting a Commonwealth advantage to forming something like Commonwealth Trade and Investment Partnership for leveraging these trade ties?" he asked.
Executive director of PRI Ahsan H Mansur moderated the discussion.
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