The people will not be benefited from the local administrations until the government formulates a decentralisation policy to strengthen local government bodies, experts and civil society members said at a discussion yesterday.
This government enacted some laws to empower the local government bodies four years ago but there have been no initiatives to formulate a policy for implementation of those laws, they said.
The speakers alleged that all the political parties strongly spoke for a stronger local government but did the opposite after assuming power.
Dhaka University professor MM Akash said the political parties frequently changed their stands when their interests were challenged. He said such mere discussions would not work. “Time has come to wage a movement to realise the demands.”
Governance Advocacy Forum, a platform of NGOs, organised the discussion in the capital's Cirdap auditorium and handed over a proposal for democratic decentralisation policy to government representatives there.
A local government expert, Dr Tofail Ahmed, said the decentralisation of the government was a political issue, so political will was a key factor in formulating the policy. “The local government bodies cannot be functional only through decentralisation until there is a decentralised finance commission in place.”
He also stressed the need for a separate local government commission.
Local Government Division Secretary Abu Alam Md Shahid Khan emphasised collaboration between the elected representatives and government employees for the country's development.