Country heading towards democracy rightly, says C'wealth secy gen
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
FE Report
Visiting Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said Monday Bangladesh is heading towards democracy rightly.
"The country has made a lot of reforms. I hope this will help Bangladesh restore democracy," said Mr Sharma replying to a question at a function in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) organised a talk on "Commonwealth: Current priorities, future directions" at its auditorium in the city.
Kamalesh Sharma arrived in Dhaka Sunday for a two-day visit. He met Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A. Chowdhury and Chief Election Commissioner Shamsul Huda.
When asked whether the Commonwealth will help Bangladesh bring back the siphoned money, the secretary general categorically turned down the possibility.
"I have seen here some strong institutions like Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), the police force, the NBR and the central bank. These institutions will help do the job," he said.
On the possibility of assistance by the C'wealth to Bangladesh for its water and energy security and ensuring good governance, Mr Sharma, who is an Indian national, said Commonwealth is not a financial institution like IMF and World Bank. It could help only to ensure capacity building, he added.
About the present global economic recession, he said, multilateral partnerships among the nations could help reverse the financial downturn.
When asked about the Commonwealth's role in skilled manpower development and their migration, Mr Sharma, a Harvard University fellow, said cooperation among the states in the world is increasing, which will help people migrate from one place to another.
About the shocks from higher food and energy prices in the globe, he said his group is trying to integrate the nations and to strengthen their partnership to overcome both external and internal shocks.
He described some steps taken by his organisation to assist the member countries in strengthening their partnership in different fields. Presided over by President of BEI Farooq Sobhan, the meet was attended by economist Rehman Sobhan and former adviser Shafi Sami, among others.
Visiting Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma said Monday Bangladesh is heading towards democracy rightly.
"The country has made a lot of reforms. I hope this will help Bangladesh restore democracy," said Mr Sharma replying to a question at a function in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) organised a talk on "Commonwealth: Current priorities, future directions" at its auditorium in the city.
Kamalesh Sharma arrived in Dhaka Sunday for a two-day visit. He met Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A. Chowdhury and Chief Election Commissioner Shamsul Huda.
When asked whether the Commonwealth will help Bangladesh bring back the siphoned money, the secretary general categorically turned down the possibility.
"I have seen here some strong institutions like Anti-corruption Commission (ACC), the police force, the NBR and the central bank. These institutions will help do the job," he said.
On the possibility of assistance by the C'wealth to Bangladesh for its water and energy security and ensuring good governance, Mr Sharma, who is an Indian national, said Commonwealth is not a financial institution like IMF and World Bank. It could help only to ensure capacity building, he added.
About the present global economic recession, he said, multilateral partnerships among the nations could help reverse the financial downturn.
When asked about the Commonwealth's role in skilled manpower development and their migration, Mr Sharma, a Harvard University fellow, said cooperation among the states in the world is increasing, which will help people migrate from one place to another.
About the shocks from higher food and energy prices in the globe, he said his group is trying to integrate the nations and to strengthen their partnership to overcome both external and internal shocks.
He described some steps taken by his organisation to assist the member countries in strengthening their partnership in different fields. Presided over by President of BEI Farooq Sobhan, the meet was attended by economist Rehman Sobhan and former adviser Shafi Sami, among others.