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BNP Senior Joint Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Joint Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said development efforts can be disrupted and public confusion can grow if accurate information is not properly presented.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a session on the second day of a national conference on formulating a five-year strategic framework for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference was held on Tuesday afternoon at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
Rizvi said greater attention should now be given to implementing development targets at the local level and ensuring the effective application of relevant policies. He stressed that, alongside the use, reuse and processing of data, ensuring the accuracy of information is equally important.
He said failing to disclose genuine and accurate information ultimately undermines the fundamental objectives of development.
“In my view, at times we have had shortcomings in our values. For political or personal interests, attempts have been made to show growth and inflation as lower than they actually are, or to portray certain figures as higher. This is not appropriate. If these data are presented correctly and the actual picture is shown, I believe the sustainable development we are talking about can truly be achieved,” Rizvi said.
He said properly presenting each piece of data, analysing it and determining necessary measures on that basis would help establish a strong value-based framework. Such a framework, he added, would make development more sustainable.
The Prime Minister’s Political Adviser said many of the commitments made by the present government to the people are aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These include ensuring primary healthcare for all, promoting skills- and knowledge-based education, developing sports as a profession, excavating canals, tree plantation, providing allowances for religious leaders, free internet access and introducing a third language in educational institutions.
Rizvi placed particular emphasis on SDG 16, which focuses on peace, justice and strong institutions. He said no development can be sustainable without peace, stability, accountability and justice.
He said stronger democratic practices in the state and society would increase accountability, while ensuring accountability would help establish peace and justice in society.
“Democracy has a wonderful relationship with justice. If justice is not ensured, sustainable development can never be achieved. Because there are various inconsistencies and different forms of corruption at different stages of development. If we want to see a corruption-free state, there must be a scope for accountability. The concept of justice is deeply rooted in the society and culture of Bangladesh. Those responsible for running the state have a very important role in establishing justice,” he said.
Rizvi said Bangladesh could have progressed further if democratic practices had continued uninterrupted since independence. Despite various obstacles, he said, the country has made progress, including increased food production and development in different sectors.
He stressed the need to establish an integrated and effective administrative system to achieve the SDGs, with coordination among politicians, policymakers and the administration.
He said achieving various SDG targets, including women’s empowerment and addressing climate change, would not be difficult for Bangladesh if all stakeholders worked in a coordinated manner.
Professor Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud chaired the session. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Broadcasting Dr Zahed Ur Rahman attended as the guest of honour.
Policy Exchange Bangladesh Chairman and Founder Dr M Mashrur Riaz, former Dhaka University Professor of Economics Abu Ahmed, Secretary of the Statistics and Information Management Division Md Firoz Sarkar and Secretary of the Finance Division Dr Md Khairuzzaman Majumdar participated in the panel discussion.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/national/1f1959ee-367f-6b50-ae06-ad581f12aab3