Law Minister Shafique Ahmed has raised doubts about the ability of local institutions to effectively govern the development of their constituents. However, other participants at a seminar on Thursday, including members of parliament, politicians, and economists, expressed support for strong local governance and proposed the creation 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 to establish such a commission. Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Bangladesh Communist Party, criticized the local government ministry for unlawfully maintaining control over local governance, deeming it unconstitutional. The government is required by the constitution to provide five layers of public representation, but only two of these layers are currently functioning at the Upazila and union levels. Local representatives believe that these elected bodies cannot operate independently due to the interference of MPs. Abdul Majid, president of a group of Upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen, stated that the Upazila councils are not functioning properly as everything is controlled by the MPs. He mentioned at a meeting that the Upazila chairman follows the instructions of the local MP. Meher Afroz Chumki, a Member of Parliament from Gazipur, emphasized the importance of changing one's mindset. She advocated for empowering local government but criticized bureaucratic obstacles for hindering genuine government efforts. Chumki believes that by giving more authority to local governments, they will be able to assume more responsibility, but she thinks that closed-mindedness is preventing this from occurring. Hasanul Haq Inu, President of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and also an MP, stressed the need for clearly defined roles for both local and central government to delineate their respective responsibilities. He observed that discrimination against local representatives was to be expected 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, concluding the discussion, expressed his support for decentralization and agreed with the views of the other speakers. He also raised the question of whether local agencies are capable of handling the responsibility. The Governance Advocacy Forum organised a seminar presided over by Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, where over 400 chairmen and vice-chairmen held a hunger strike at Muktangan in the capital on Jan 22. They presented a ten-point demand for empowerment, including the cancellation of a law requiring the corresponding MP to be appointed as advisor to the Upazila council. The demands also included a 70 percent budget allocation, separate budgets for local government, and giving chairmen the authority to evaluate all government employees under the council. Additionally, they requested to be given 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, reforming district councils, the formation of a local government commission, and 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.