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Information and Broadcasting Minister Barrister Andalib Rahman has said good and honest people need to enter politics to make the country’s development and progress sustainable.
“If we cannot produce good politicians, no matter what dreams we talk about, they will not be sustainable,” he said.
The minister made the remarks as the chief discussant at a seminar titled ”Barishal Division of Tomorrow: Prospects and Way Forward”, organised by the Barishal Divisional Journalists Association (BDJA) at the LD Hall of the Parliament complex on Friday (September 11).
Chief Whip of Parliament Nurul Islam Moni attended the event as the chief guest.
The minister said the country has reached a point where quality development requires good people to take leadership positions.
Andalib Rahman said a major leadership crisis had developed in the country over the past 17 years. Good and talented young people had moved away from politics, while public distrust of politicians had grown. Even many politicians’ children, he said, do not want to enter politics.
“Politics is extremely important. Just as you cannot get good food without a good chef even if you have good ingredients, development and progress cannot be sustained unless good people take the lead,” he said.
The minister said Barishal has an unparalleled heritage. From football to politics and various other fields, Barishal and its people have played leading roles in Bangladesh. Many important political leaders emerged from the region from the Pakistan period through the post-independence era and made significant contributions to the country.
He said good politicians must be produced in the coming days if Barishal is to be transformed into a truly dream city. “This is extremely important,” he said.
The minister said talented and capable young people from Barishal’s surrounding constituencies and districts should be encouraged to enter politics. An environment conducive to political participation must be created for them.
“If we cannot create good political leadership for the next generation, no development will be sustainable. This is not only a problem for Barishal; the entire country is facing this crisis,” he said.
Andalib Rahman said infrastructure development, gas supply and industrialisation represent one form of development. But what the country needs now is quality and sustainable development, which requires good people to take leadership.
He said those who currently have the opportunity to engage in politics have a responsibility to create pathways for capable and talented members of the next generation to enter politics. Alongside encouraging young people to participate, the political environment must be made easier and more welcoming so that they can enter politics comfortably.
