‘Good political leadership vital for sustainable dev’
Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman has called for good and honest people, particularly talented young men and women, to enter politics, saying sustainable national development depends on the quality of political leadership.
“If we cannot produce good politicians, whatever dreams we talk about will not be sustainable,” he said while addressing a seminar titled “Barishal Division of Tomorrow: Prospects and Things to Do” at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad on Friday.
The seminar was organised by the Barishal Divisional Journalists Association (BDJA), with Chief Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad Nurul Islam Moni attending as the chief guest.
Andaleeve Rahman said Bangladesh had reached a stage where quality development required good people to assume leadership.
“We have now reached a point where, if we want to bring about quality development, good people must come to leadership,” he said.
He said a major leadership crisis had emerged in the country over the past 17 years as talented young people had moved away from politics. At the same time, distrust towards politicians had grown among people, while even the children of many politicians were reluctant to enter politics, he said.
The minister stressed that politics remained extremely important for the country’s future. Drawing an analogy with cooking, he said good ingredients alone could not produce good food without a good chef. Likewise, development and progress could not be sustained unless capable people came into leadership.
Andaleeve said infrastructure development, gas supply and industrialisation represented one form of development, but the country now needed quality and sustainable development.
“And for that, good people must come to leadership,” he added.
He said the leadership crisis was not confined to Barishal but existed throughout Bangladesh.
“We must produce good political leadership for the next generations; otherwise, no development will be sustainable. This is not only a problem of Barishal; this crisis exists throughout Bangladesh,” he said.
The minister highlighted Barishal’s long-standing contribution to Bangladesh, saying the region and its people had provided leadership in football, politics and various other fields.
“Since the Pakistan period through the post-independence era of Bangladesh, many important political leaders have emerged from the region and played successful roles in various fields of the country,” he said.
Mentioning great leaders including Sher-e-Bangla A K Fazlul Huq, Andaleeve said Barishal should continue producing qualified and capable political leadership.
He said talented young men and women from all electoral constituencies and districts surrounding Barishal should be encouraged to enter politics and that a conducive environment must be created for them.
Andaleeve said producing good politicians would be essential to turning Barishal into a true dream city.
He also urged highly educated young people to consider politics alongside professional careers.
He said some of the country’s most talented young people currently pursue careers as doctors, engineers, lawyers and software engineers or seek opportunities abroad. If some of them entered politics with a determination to change the country, he said, it could mark the beginning of positive change.
