Rich, political elites grabbed electoral system: Rehman Sobhan

Centre for Policy Dialogue chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan on Saturday said that the rich and the political elites had now grabbed the electoral system in a way that the poor would not be able any more to contest any election. 
Many of them have made participation in election as part of their business investment and made returns from it, said the eminent economist at a panel discussion on the first day of the 2nd South Asian Economists’ Conference in Dhaka. 
South Asian Network on Economic Modeling organised the conference attended by economists from home and abroad at BRAC Centre Inn. 
‘Only people having resources can contest election in the South Asian countries, including Bangladesh,’ observed Professor Rehman. 
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Taj Uddin and others who once would run a party and were elected in election could no longer afford the election cost today, he said, adding that even they might not get nomination. 
He also said that if people did not have money and political influence, they would be denied administrative services and legal rights. 
Rehman also pointed at some structural injustice including inequitable access to productive assets, participation in market, quality education and unjust governance as the principal source of inequality in society. 
He said that providing quality education for people was the central element to achieve economic growth and equitable society. 
He also stressed redistribution of assets, including land, for removal of inequality. 
Politically influential people grabbed most of the government land of the country, he added. 
Economist Professor Wahid Uddin Mahmud said that it was important to transform human development capabilities of a country into higher economic growth. 
CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman emphasised farmers’ participation in market for ensuring inclusive growth which would ultimately remove inequality. 
Earlier, in an inaugural ceremony, SR Osmani, professor of developmental economics at the University of Ulster, UK, said that democracy promotes both economic growth and development as it provides room for questioning actions and identifies wrongs and correct.
Development not only ensures material wellbeing, it also expands freedoms including democratic freedom, civil and political freedom, he said.
He argued that there was no reason to believe that autocracy was superior to democracy in promoting economic development.
‘There is clear evidence that democracy can promote human development than autocracy,’ he said citing various recent researches. 
SANEM chairman Bazlul Haque Khondker presided over the inaugural session while SANEM executive director Selim Raihan, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka executive director Saman Kelegama, professor at Institute of Economic Growth, India Sabyasachi Kar, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, Nepal chairman Posh Raj Panday, among others, spoke.

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