Eminent citizens call for electing honest candidates in local polls

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A group of leading citizens, including former advisers of the caretaker government, in a statement Saturday called upon voters to exercise their franchise responsibly to elect good and honest candidates capable of representing them in the forthcoming city corporation and pourosova polls, reports BSS.

They said it was the voters only who could decide about electing good, honest and capable candidates devoted to serve the people. Unless we were responsible we could not expect responsibility from the elected representatives, they observed.

The citizens also expressed concern over the low quality of some candidates contesting the upcoming polls, which was also admitted by the Chief Election Commissioner.

The citizens said: "Today we must ask about the credibility of information given by the candidates in the forthcoming polls and their family wealth. Whether there had been serious complaints against them on terror, corruption and occupation, whether their lifestyles were relevant to their known source of income, if they were accused of war crimes, repression against women and if they have records of serving the people?"

The signatories to the statement includes Khan Sarwar Murshid, Muzaffer Ahmad, Anisuzzaman, Zillur Rahmam Siddiky, M Hafizuddin Ahmed, Rokeya Afzal Rahman, ASM Shahjahan, Sultana Kamal, Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, Syed Anwar Hossain, Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, Khaodoker Ibrahim Khaled, Syed Abul Maksud, Dilara Choudhury and Selina Hossain.