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Political parties should draft area-specific manifestos that include the participation of all key stakeholders, i.e the public, in order to maximize efficiency in implementing their pledges, observed participants at a dialogue on Tuesday.
The speakers said that a manifesto was an essential component of democracy and it would be easier to put a manifesto into action if it was written with the help of the public.
Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) and the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) arranged the dialogue in the Khulna region in collaboration with the UN Democracy Fund (UNDF) on “Commitment to national development: education, decent employment, gender equality” in which the panellists focused on ensuring participation of the public while preparing manifestos of political parties.
Highlighting the importance of the election manifesto Shujan’s Secretary and Country Director of the US-based Charity -- The Hunger Project – Badiul Alam Majumdar said political parties need to be held accountable for not being able to keep their election pledges, and the citizens should become more vocal.
Speaking at the event, Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque, stated that transforming the country into a digital Bangladesh was one of the key concerns in the 2018 election manifesto. “Everyone understood its importance during Covid-19.”
“Everything does not happen overnight; it must be done gradually, and Bangladesh is making progress in this regard,” he added.
Sutapa Bedajna, author, researcher and development worker, who was present as the distinguished negotiator, said: “We need to have a culture of listening to each other and respecting one another as well in order to build an accountable atmosphere in the political arena.”
Avra Bhattacharjee, CPD’s joint director of dialogue and outreach, gave the keynote address and used several indicators to emphasize the situation in the Khulna region.
He also talked about the progress of the Bangladesh Awami League’s electoral manifesto on education, stable employment, and gender equality in the 2018 election.
Participants in the open debate in the Khulna region also voiced their thoughts and recommendations on the manifesto during his presentation.
Prof Zafar Imam, president of Shujon’s Khulna unit, presided over the event and stressed the importance of gender equality, saying that a state cannot progress without it.
Among others, local political leaders, academicians, development workers, entrepreneurs, professionals and prominent members of civil society, journalists participated in the dialogue.
