The ability of local institutions to govern development of their electorates has been questioned by Law minister Shafique Ahmed. However, other speakers at a seminar on Thursday, including members of parliament, politicians, and economists, expressed support for a strong local government and proposed the establishment of a local government commission. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, president of the Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad and co-chair of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, stated that he believed the ruling Awami League would fulfill its election promise by creating such a commission. Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Communist Party, criticized the local government ministry for its methods in maintaining control over local government, calling it unconstitutional. The constitution requires the government to provide five levels of public representation, but currently only two - at the Upazila and union levels - are active. Local representatives believe that these elected bodies cannot operate independently due to the influence of Members of Parliament. Abdul Majid, the president of a group of Upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen, stated that the Upazila councils are not functioning properly and that MPs have control over everything. He mentioned at a meeting that the Upazila chairman simply follows the instructions of the MP in that area. Meher Afroz Chumki, a member of parliament from Gazipur, emphasized the need to change one's mindset. She supported the idea of granting more authority to local governments but criticized bureaucratic obstacles for hindering genuine government efforts. Chumki believed that empowering local governments would enable them to shoulder more responsibilities, but noted that a closed mindset was currently preventing this progress. Hasanul Haq Inu, the President of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and also a member of parliament, advocated for clearly defined roles for both local and central government to outline their respective duties. He observed that it was expected for there to be discrimination against local representatives in a system with clear dualism. He emphasized the importance of public representatives in development plans, stating that development initiatives should be centered around local government. Shafique Ahmed expressed his agreement with the other speakers and supported decentralization. The technocrat minister added that it is important to assess if local agencies are capable of handling responsibilities. The seminar, organized by the Governance Advocacy Forum and led by Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, saw over 400 chairmen and vice-chairmen staging a hunger strike at Muktangan in the capital on Jan 22. They presented a ten-point demand for empowerment, which included the cancellation of a law requiring the corresponding MP to serve as advisor to the Upazila council. The charter also called for 70 percent budget allocation and separate budgets for local government, as well as granting chairmen the authority to evaluate all government employees under the council. Additionally, the local leaders requested control of 13 offices under 10 ministries in accordance with the Upazila Parishad Act, the ability for local government organizations to create their own annual and five-year plans, reforms to district councils, the establishment of a local government commission, and the implementation of an integrated law for local government organizations. The strike was postponed to March 28 after receiving a guarantee from MPs Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haque Inu that the demands would be met.