Politics should not be about gaining power but about establishing people's rights and ensuring their welfare, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Friday.
He said the democratic system must be strengthened by establishing democracy at the grassroots level and ensuring accountability of elected representatives.
The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion with teachers of The Millennium University at his office at his Gulshan residence in the capital on the occasion of National Teachers' Day 2026.
Representatives of various NGOs also attended the meeting, where the Khan Foundation's website was inaugurated.
Moyeen Khan said being able to represent the people was a great privilege, adding that he had been trying to pursue politics guided by the same ideals for nearly 35 years.
Just as elected representatives are accountable to the people, citizens also have a responsibility to elect the right representatives, he said.
The minister said the tendency to spend huge amounts of money to win elections must be changed, stressing that politics could not be conducted on the right path without the ideal of serving the people.
Describing the local government system as one of the foundations of democracy, he said democracy could not function effectively at the national level without establishing it at the grassroots.
Reforming local government institutions, ensuring public services and holding elections at five tiers of local government were among the major challenges ahead, he said.
He stressed the need to ensure that people could go to polling centres without fear and vote for candidates of their choice.
Expressing support for holding local government elections on a non-party basis, Moyeen Khan said this would create opportunities to reduce political divisions and mutual hostility at the local level.
Although there would be competition in elections, everyone must rise above party divisions and work for the country's development and people's welfare, he said.
Emphasising the role of NGOs in building society, the minister said Bangladeshi NGOs had made important contributions to poverty alleviation, improving people's living standards and various social sectors.
Coordination between local government institutions and NGOs must be strengthened to make development activities more effective, he added.
Among those present at the discussion were Advocate Rokhsana Khondker, chairperson of the Board of Trustees of The Millennium University and the Khan Foundation; Prof Dr Abinoy Chandra Shaha, vice-chancellor of The Millennium University; Mahmuda Khatun, executive director of the Khan Foundation; representatives of various NGOs; university teachers; and officials and employees of the Khan Foundation.