Published in various newspapers on 8 March 2014.
Download: Press reports on the event
Published in The Daily Star on 8 March 2014.
Political talks to be blissful for nation
Says CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan urging govt to make the move
Staff Correspondent
Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue Rehman Sobhan yesterday said it would be blissful for the country if leaders of both the main political parties gave up the blame game and sat in dialogue to uphold democratic process for the sake of people.
“The country has a unique problem. No serious dialogue has taken place between the parties for years. No other democratic countries have such history. The sooner the statesmen sit in dialogue, the better it will be for the country,” he said.
He was addressing a mock parliamentary debate titled “Government is Liberal to Opposition on Political Consensus” organised by Debate for Democracy at the capital’s Basundhara City.
Dr Rehman said on behalf of voters, he wanted to see a situation where all voters would participate in an election without fear of violence and pressure. That can happen only through political talks among the parties, he said.
“Political parties must remember that they are the servants of people and the people’s rights will be preserved through a democratic process,” he said, adding that the government should take the initiative first for organising a political dialogue.
Five students each from North South University (NSU) and IBAIS University took part in the mock parliamentary debate.
NSU students Amir Rayhan, Rafayet Shikdar and Nasir Uddin argued on the government’s side, while Riazul Islam, Anita Islam and Masud Sikdar of IBAIS played the opposition.
At the debate, the government side tried to establish that they were liberal enough to the opposition on political consensus, while the opposition countered the claim.
The IBAIS debaters won the grand finale and got Tk 1 lakh as prize money, while NSU became the runner-up.
Teachers and students of the universities were present on the occasion. Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron conducted the debate.