Advisers to talk to professional groups before talks with parties

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The government is now looking for ways to hold talks with professional groups and civil society organisations on key national issues in parallel with formal dialogues with political parties.

The quartet of advisers that coordinated the April 7-28 pre-dialogue talks had a meeting yesterday with eminent economist and former adviser Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud at Communications Adviser Ghulam Quader’s office to work out ways for such talks.

“Dialogue with different groups of citizens is essential. We are now discussing with experts to find ways for dialogue with the civil society,” Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters after the meeting at Ghulam Quader’s office.

During the pre-dialogue talks, political parties reached consensus about engaging the civil society with the dialogue, Zillur said adding that they are now completing the “final preparations” for the formal dialogue with political parties.

LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal and Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff also attended the meeting.

The overriding aim of the dialogue must be to move towards an acceptable well-participated election inevitable within the stipulated time, Prof Wahiduddin Mahmud said while talking to The Daily Star last night.

“One of the preconditions for a fruitful dialogue is taking into account the existing political reality. You cannot have a tailor-made good democracy overnight, but a beginning can be had by creating consensus about norms of democratic practices and behaviours,” he said.

Ultimately, it is the political leaders who will have to carry out the reforms and they will have to reach consensus among themselves about how to make democracy sustainable, the former adviser said adding that citizens’ groups can only play a supporting role through mobilising public opinion.

Even though the government is contemplating inviting an independent rapporteur to the formal dialogue, it may step back considering the parties in the dialogue may feel uneasy as many sensitive issues will come up.

CONSULTATION WITH EXPERTS
The government is considering seeking advice time to time from eminent citizens who are experts in their respective fields like strengthening democracy, holding elections, and constitutional and economic issues.

“Since this [caretaker government] is an unelected government, it has no other means to assess public opinion or receive their suggestions,” a well-placed source told The Daily Star yesterday.

Such consultation will take place as and when necessary, the source added.

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