Advisor to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Land. F. Hasan Arif said that people’s expectations of the interim government are high. We are working as a Student-Worker-Public Trust. Fulfilling the aspirations of the people is a major challenge of the interim government.
The adviser said this during a courtesy call on Swiss Ambassador Reto Ringli of the Secretariat’s Local Government Division office this afternoon (Monday).
Key Ringley’s interim government aims to strengthen local government In response to a question, local government adviser Hasan Arif said that all local government institutions have been destroyed in the last 15 years. Institutions should be strengthened. Local government representatives may not play much of a role in national decision-making. But if the public representatives are elected through free and fair elections at all levels of local government, they will actually work for the betterment of the people at the local level. If the local government institutions are financially self-sufficient, they will play a role in decision-making at the national level.
He also said that we have already removed the representatives of all levels of local government elected during the previous government. Administrators have been appointed in City Corporations, Municipalities, Upazilas and Zilla Parishads. The chairman of the union councils whose complaints were subject to investigation has been removed. We want real people’s representatives at all levels of the local level to win through fair elections.
Hasan Arif said that local government representatives need training. If necessary, trainers can be taken from developed countries, including Switzerland, which have achieved success in local government systems. We expect bilateral or multilateral coordination and cooperation in this regard.
Asked about the local government advisor, Swiss Ambassador Reto Ringli said that the interim government has decided to form some commissions. What can be the scope of these commissions or goals?
In response, Hasan Arif said that people from all walks of life wanted a change. We are working with their mandate. We all want an accountable government. Constitutional reform is necessary for this. The electoral system has been completely destroyed in the last 15 years. A strong election commission should be formed. The interim government has constituted six commissions to establish good governance in the country.
The meeting also discussed in detail about health sanitation, small entrepreneurship development and women empowerment. The meeting was also attended by Local Government Department Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Zaman, Rural Development and Cooperative Secretary Mosammat Shahnara Khatun, Public Health Engineering Directorate Chief Engineer Tushar Mohan Sadhu Khan, Switzerland Deputy Head of Mission. and Head of Cooperation Corin Henchez Pignani and others.
