‘Govt renders union councils worthless’
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Successive governments of the country rendered the institution of union councils worthless and obedient to the bureaucracy instead of empowering it for democratisation of the grass root level administration, said the union council leaders at a news briefing on Monday.
Bangladesh Union Parishad Oikya Jote, a coalition comprising the Bangladesh Union Council Forum, Swashashito Union Council Advocacy Group, and the Bangladesh Union Council Members' Organisation, held the briefing at the National Press Club in Dhaka to put forward its nine?point charter of demands and to announce the schedule of its programmes to press home the demands.
Leaders of the Jote said the government formulates commissions, enacts laws for empowering the local government but elections of the district councils and upazila councils are yet to be held.
They said without empowering the local government, democratisation at the grass root level could not be expected.
Despite many obstacles facing the union councils, the institution still plays an important role because of its proximity to the grass root level people, they said.
Their demands include reform of the laws regulating the local government, autonomy for the union councils, declaration of a schedule to hold upazila elections immediately, end of illegal interference by the members of parliament in local development works, increased power of the village courts, specification of jurisdiction for the reserved seats of women members, identity cards, licences to bear fire arms for the union council chairmen, complete control of the council over the work force it deploys, and formation of an independent financial commission to oversee the finances of the institution.
The Jote announced that it will submit a memorandum to the deputy commissioners across the country on October 30 comprising the charter of demands. It will observe a sit?in programme at Muktangan in Dhaka and submit a memorandum to the prime minister and the speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad on November 20.
On December 7, it will hold a token hunger strike on the National Press Club premises and on December 22 it will organise a grand rally at Paltan Maidan in the capital.
Golam Sarwar, chairman of the Jote also of the Tebaria union council in Natore read out the charter of demands. Matiur Rahman Swapan, member secretary of the Jote also chairman of the Sardah union council in Rajshahi, and Abul Hossain, president of Swashashito Union Council Advocacy Group, spoke.
All nine nominations for
JS reserved seats valid
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The Election Commission on Monday declared valid all the nine nomination papers submitted for the October 4 election to nine reserved seats for women in parliament, which were earlier allocated to the Awami League.
The candidates — six from the BNP and one each from the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Jatiya Party (Ershad) and Islami Oikya Jote — submitted the nomination papers on Sunday.
The last date for withdrawal of candidature is September 29.
If no one withdraws candidature, the nine candidates will be declared ‘elect unopposed’ on the date of withdrawal of candidature.
The commission earlier allocated the nine seats out of 45 to main opposition Awami league party as per its proportional representation in parliament.
But the AL did not give any candidate to any of its allocated nine seats for the September 6 election to the 45 reserved seats, requiring the second phase election in the nine seats.
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