President of the International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh (ICC-B) Mahbubur Rahman yesterday urged the government to hand over power to elected representatives as promised through holding a free, fair and credible election by the yearend. “ the most important agenda for the government should be to take effective and long-term measures to contain inflation and hand over power to elected epresentatives,” he said while presenting the ICC-B executive board report at the ICC-B annual council 2007 at the MCCI conference hall.

“A democratic government is a pre-requisite for the sustainable development of a nation,” he said. He said the bumper boro harvest would help overcome the immediate food crisis, but given the overall food situation the world is now facing and expected to face in the years to come, Bangladesh has no option but to become self-sufficient in food. “Being the 4th largest rice-producing country of the world, Bangladesh has all the capabilities and potentials to meet its own food requirement,” Mahbub said.

The report called for drawing up a master plan with sufficient investment in agricultural research, provisions of appropriate incentives to farmers to go for cereal production as well as ensuring proper management and modernisation of the sector.

It also urged for concrete measures to ease procedural complexities in investment as well as to improve the country’s image through creating a business and investor-friendly environment.

“We feel it is of utmost importance to have public-private partnership and continuous dialogue for taking comprehensive steps instead of piecemeal approach to improve business climate,” said the report.

The ICC-B council expected that the reform measures taken by the caretaker government would definitely contribute towards forming a strong base for the future economy.