Despite necessity, the issue of campaign on referendum to bring structural reform remains neglected by most of the stakeholders, especially political parties, speakers observed at an event on Thursday.
They also said unless necessary reforms are accomplished the country will continue to face the similar political crisis it has gone through several times.
Keeping this in view, they laid emphasis on holding a credible election and a peaceful democratic transition to be followed by necessary structural reforms.
They made the observations at a roundtable discussion titled "Peaceful Elections and Building a Democratic Future," organized by the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) at a city hotel.
Eminent political scientist Professor Rounaq Jahan attended it as an honoured guest while Ambassador of Denmark to Bangladesh Christian Brix Møller was present as a special guest. President of BEI Ambassador M. Humayun Kabir delivered the welcome address and moderated the discussion.
Rounaq Jahan stated that merely holding an election is not sufficient; the election must be acceptable both within the country and abroad.
To achieve this goal, she emphasised that political parties bear the responsibility of ensuring an environment in which the administration can perform its duties fearlessly and impartially.
Christian Brix Møller said Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture in its democratic journey.
If political parties choose dialogue over confrontation and local-level stakeholders take responsibility for establishing peace, violence can be prevented and a peaceful election ensured, he noted.
M. Humayun Kabir said that the upcoming parliamentary election would play a crucial role in determining the future direction of governance in Bangladesh.
Representatives of various political parties who participated in the discussion also shared their views.
Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, joint secretary general of the BNP, said that if the government and political parties remain firmly committed to ensuring a bloodless election, there would be no risk of violence.
He added that such an election could serve as a positive model for future local government elections.
BNP Standing Committee Member Begum Selima Rahman underscored the need for improving the situations at grassroots levels as many of them consider politics as a mean of economic gain.
Joint Member Secretary of the NCP Faisal Mahmud and Women's Affairs Secretary of the AB Party Ms. Farah Naz were also present.
saif.febd@gmail.com
