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Mon, 25 May 2009 Feature Article

Bangladesh: Empowering grassroots is a need

Bangladesh: Empowering grassroots is a need

Conflict among the Upazilla (sub-district) Council Chairmen (UCC) and the Members of Parliament (MP) is a much talked about issue in Bangladesh now. It was expected that government and the lawmakers will ensure the rights of local governments as per the direction of Constitution. But is has been observed that neither the government nor the lawmakers empowered local government representative in a proper manner. As of the history of local government system of Bangladesh, grassroots were never empowered in terms of financial control, administrative activities and project preparation and implementation process; though these are more informed about local needs. And also these bodies have the potentials to be the best service providers in terms of development that includes health to education, infrastructure management to resource mobilization and technology use to social motivation. But these bodies always run under the supervision of central government representative, controlled by the bureaucracy. Presently those local government bodies are going to be handled by the MPs in many ways. It seems that, in center, government has the absolute majority in parliament and the parliament is in a process to establish the MPs as powerful supervisors over the local government bodies under their respective constituencies. By doing this, in fact, the government and the parliament are going to establish 300 autocrats around the country, though the government was mandated to establish democracy in all stair of governance and also the party and alliance in power were committed to restore democratic norms in all walks of society.

As Upazilla Council (UC) is concerned, it is the youngest in the local government family of Bangladesh; Union Council known as UP is the eldest. Other members of local government family are the City Corporation, the Municipalities and the half hearted district council. Form the very beginning of City Corporation the Mayor enjoying the status ministerial status and dignity, but municipalities and UPs chairmen have no clearly define status and their dignity was not ensured to the bureaucracy. Rather they have to live under the kindness given by the central government or the bureaucrats working in the locality. These people are also the dependable tools for the nation election and election runners as well. It could be said that this is a cultural phenomenon of urban development under colonial rule. In society, it is a truth that a land lord relative of rural area welcome an urban Clark as a VIP when the land lord visited by the urban petty. If, for any emergency, the land lord needs to visit the urban relative's house, he always treated as unexpected burden. There is also an another trend in the neo-urban class that every thing in the city are the best and of course this is a mental stage of the persons whether they stationed in village, rural growth center, rural town, district HQ or in a big city. This mental stage pushes every one subconsciously and this sense of understanding make the policymakers to set aside the vast rural people deprived from their rights of self governance.

As per the available information parliament is in a move to give MPs almost absolute supervisory authority to UP, UC and municipality activities, which could lead the MPs the ultimate administrator of Local Bodies. MPs are also very interested to be so as they feel that they have no financial control over government exchequer by which they will be able to meet the election time development commitments. As of the constitutional provision, Finance Bill the subject matter of executive brunch of the state, which absolutely operated by the administrative personnel. Legislature has the minor rule that termed as trivial of total state financial administering process. This also a major cause of inspiration for MPs to be project implementers, more then to be lawmakers.

Major cause of MP-UC is living with the mentality of neo-urban attitude, undignified status of UCs, less important rule of MPs in state financial administration and budget procedure, intra-party leadership conflict, social power structure especially in rural and semi-urban area and of course in the constitutional provisions.

If the government, which has majority to enact any better practice in governance process, does not resolve the problem, either the MPs will emerge as autocrat in their respective constituencies or the local government practice that just started its journey in a better way will be jeopardized. If grassroots could be empowered in a proper way, democracy and development could walk together; otherwise a parliamentary dictatorship is not an impossible.

Mohoshin Abbas
Mohoshin Abbas, © 2009

This Author has published 26 articles on modernghana.com. More Brief Bio Note of
Kazi Mohoshin Al Abbas

Mailing Address: House # 55, level-03, Road # 05
Mohammodia Housing Society
Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1212
Phone: 01715355220,
Emergency Call: 01199822996
E-mail ID: [email protected]


Objective

Intending to contribute in the progress and growth process of any Electronic/Print Media as a fore line Newsman and also have the intention to work in a team where honour and dignity will be ensured.

Field of Skills
News Room Management
Planning for TV news and CA
Editing, Writing
Both-way Translation in Bangla & English
Contain & Layout planning, implementation
News Organization Management
Public Relations & Media Relations Activities
Business & Social Communications
Information Management
Human Resources Management
General Management
Research Project Management

Major Responsibilities Dispensed
(Since 1988)
Sub Editor
Acting Shift –in-Charge
Shift-in Charge
News in-Charge
Acting News Editor
Assistant Editor
News Editor
Head of Media Relations
Head of HR and Admin
Communication Associate
Research Associate

Major Organizations, Served for

NEWS and IMAGES, NEWSTRACK INDIA, STV-US-DHAKA OFFICE
The Banglabazar Patrika, The Bhorer Kagoj, The Azker Kagoj
The Weekly Bichitra and The Weekly Manav Zameen (presently a daily)
The World Bank, Dhaka Office
ADN and ATC, the local partners of SingTel

Job History

Present Status

Working as Senior News Editor for NEWS and IMAGES, a multimedia news service based in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Working for Newstrack India, a Delhi based online newspaper as Regular Writer

Previous

Journalism

Worked for STV US Dhaka office as News Editor from December 2005 to February 2008.

Worked for The Weekly Bichitra, a leading national vernacular weekly publishes from Dhaka in the capacity of Assistant Editor from April 2000 to May 2003.

Worked for The Banglabazar Patrika as Shift-in-Charge of Central Desk and Acting News Editor from October 1997 to November 1998.

Worked for The Weekly Manav Zameen (presently a daily) as Assistant Editor from January 1997 to September 1997.

Worked for The Bhorer Kagoj as Sub-Editor, Acting Shift –in Charge and replacement of Shift –in Charge from February 1992 to June 1994

Worked for The Azker Kagoj as Sub-Editor and replacement of Shift-in Charge from February 1991 to December 1991


Communications & Public/Media Relations and General Management

Worked for Advanced Data Networks System Limited and Advance Technology Computers Limited; the local partners of SingTel, as HOD of Media Relations and HR & Compliance and Administration.
Been worked for the Group/Company from 1st September 2003 to December 2005 and had been provided service for 130 Managers, Officers and Support staffs.

Worked for The World Bank Bangladesh Dhaka Office with its external affairs team as Contractual Staff [by several phase], last phase of contract concluded on 6th April 2000].

Others
Worked for few other news organizations as contributor and/or editorial staff; and few development and management organizations as Consultant since 1988.

Research Activities

Involved in a Research on Rural Non-farm Activities [survey on Rural Non-farm Activities (RNAs) Support Institutions/Organizations in Bangladesh], as Research Associate, conducted by Professor Dr. Momtaz Uddin Ahamed, department of Economics, Dhaka University and Member planning commission, Government of Bangladesh. (2003)

Worked for Development Communication Network, an organization involve in Development-Communication, as Research Associate, with a research project of the organization titled Lack of Communications between the NGOs & the Larger Society. (1996)

Worked for Intensive Survey Study & Evaluation Systems (ISSES), a research organisation, as Project Co-ordinator, with a project of the organization titled Food habit and budget of rural people of Bangladesh. (1995)


Education

Educated in the Discipline of Philosophy [B. A honours] under Faculty of Arts, Dhaka University, Bangladesh (1984)

Personal Data

Name: Kazi Mohoshin Al Abbas
Other Name: Mohoshin Abbas
Date of Birth: March 01. 1962

Permanent Address: Village- Fekamara, Post- Jalalpur
Police Station- Kathiadi, District- Kishorgonj

Race: Bangalee
Citizenship: Bangladeshi by birth
Gender: Male
Marital status: Married

Father: Shahabuddin Ahmed
Mother: Latifa Begume
Wife: Dalia Hussain




Column: Mohoshin Abbas

Disclaimer: "The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect ModernGhana official position. ModernGhana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements in the contributions or columns here." Follow our WhatsApp channel for meaningful stories picked for your day.

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