Finance and Planning Minister
M Saifur Rahman yesterday said
political will was needed for
using resources of the South
Asia region for economic welfare
of the people. He stressed on
the need of investment in human
resources and added that if
it happened people would not
go beyond national boundaries.
The Finance and Planning Minister
was speaking as the chief guest
at the inaugural session of
the two-day policy dialogue
on the SACEPS Task Force Reports
on South Asian Co-operation
at the BRAC Centre Inn at Mohakhali
in the city.
South Asia Centre for Policy
Studies (SACEPS) organised the
dialogue in collaboration with
the Centre for Policy Dialogue
(CPD). Chairman of SACEPS Prof
Arjun K Sengupta chaired the
inaugural session. Executive
Director of SACEPS and chairman
of CPD Prof Rehman Sobhan gave
the introductory speech. President
of the Institute of Integrated
Development Studies (IIDS),
Nepal Dr Mohan Man Sainju, Chairman
of Maga Institute, Sri Lanka
Godfrey Gunatilleke, Pro-Chancellor
of Lahore University of Management
Sciences Dr Syed Babar Ali,
and Minister for Planning and
National Development of Maldives
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki gave statements.
M Saifur Rahman said people
want development. He said without
political will there would be
no development.
The Finance Minister said until
the politicians were willing
to ensure good governance, economic
development and co-operation
would not take place. Saifur
Rahman said South Asia had most
of the poor people in the world
although the region had a very
rich heritage. He said, "We
can pull our resources together
and eradicate poverty." The
Finance Minister said we were
suffering from a historical
mindset. He said India was a
big power and that if it had
been more generous, co-operation
would have been possible.
He said India had to make a
big drive. He said we have a
common destiny of millions but
we did not trust each other.
The minister said despite all
ups and downs efforts should
continue to bring millions of
people out of the curse of poverty.
Saifur said private investment
in the name of globalisation
was a predatory investment.
He said technical know-how was
not coming to the developing
countries from the developed
ones. Arjun Sengupta said common
history would help build a common
policy. He stressed on the need
to change the old mindset. Prof
Rehman Sobhan said Bangladesh
was already an active trade
partner in the South Asian region.
He emphasised on the need of
trade diversification. He said
rather than becoming victim
of rapid globalisation South
Asian nations should try to
benefit from it. Dr Mohan Man
Sainju appreciated Bangladesh
for taking first initiative
for establishment of SAARC.
He said globalisation offers
enormous opportunity but most
of the people were not in the
market process and were lacking
behind in globalisation. "We
are dictated by external ideas,"
he said. Sainju said policy
should be home grown. He said
unless we were able to develop
our own capacity we would not
be able to cope with globalisation
process.
He said South Asia would be
a focal region in the coming
days. Godfrey Gunatilleke said
rationale of economic co-operation
was much stronger despite political
issues and temporary conflicts.
He said the strength of civil
society was very important in
South Asia and that the civil
society should be non-partisan
and free from political polarisation.
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki said South
Asia would have to stand together.
He said economic co-operation
must take the front line.
Two sessions on "Energy co-operation
in South Asia" and "The SAARC
Social Charter" were held in
the working sessions that followed
the inaugural session.
