We welcome reports that the government intends to give the go ahead to holding long overdue elections for the two Dhaka City Corporations next year.
It has been over 12 years since any local government elections were held in Dhaka, and even then the last DCC election in 2002 was boycotted by the AL, which was the main opposition at the time.
Elections in the city corporations are absolutely essential to make them answerable to the community. Without accountability to the electorate, there is little hope that the two Dhaka City Corporations created in 2011, can make any of the substantial reforms which are needed to help the capital function properly.
The BNP’s acting secretary general should rise above his concern expressed to reporters that DCC elections are intended to divert people’s attention from the the opposition’s planned anti-government movement. Dhaka’s residents need a fully contested and accountable election to give the city a fresh start in improving life for all its citizens.
Despite the large amounts of public funds spent by the two DCC bodies in the last few years, there is ample evidence that the lack of mayoral and local elections has worsened governance and mismanagement of city resources. The capital’s ability to attract new investment and improve quality of life for residents is blighted by poor planning and co-ordination. Even the most basic maintenance services for public parks and waste collection are victims of woeful neglect.
The government must ensure local government elections to make the corporations properly accountable to citizens.
