Bangladesh appears to be lagging behind competitors in its campaign before the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council election.
Ministers of the contesting countries are canvassing for their ITU council membership at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre since Mar 30, but no Bangladeshi minister is seen there.
The election will be held at the ITU conference at Busan, South Korea, from Oct 20 to Nov 7.
Experts believe, if elected, Bangladesh can play an important role in shaping ITU policy for Asia.
No minister or state minister from Bangladesh’s Post, Telecommunication and ICT ministry is present at the run-up in Dubai.
Three government officials – Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulator Authority (BTRC) Secretary Mahbub Ahmed, Post, Telecommunication and ICT ministry Additional Secretary Md Feroz Saleh and ICT Division Joint Secretary Fakruddin Ahmed Chowdhury – are representing Bangladesh.
Mahbub, however, claimed they were campaigning for the country.
He told bdnews24.com: “We are campaigning, too. Different types of souvenir are being distributed.”
Another member of the Bangladesh delegation said on condition of anonymity: “Campaigning by a minister is always more effective. The movements of officials are limited.”
Around 50 ministers and 1,500 government representatives from about 130 countries have joined the conference, scheduled to last till Apr 10.
ITU has 193 member countries. The theme of this year’s Dubai conference is: ‘Broadband for Sustainable Development’.
Bangladesh was elected to the ITU Council for the first time in 2010. It had become a member of the organisation in 1973.
In the 2010 election, 17 Asian countries had vied for 13 Council berths. Bangladesh got 123 votes, winning the sixth position.
Bangladesh’s then Telecommunication Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju attended the 2010 WTDC at Hyderabad, India.
Source: Bd news24
