50 years' of Bangladesh: Bangabandhu's dreams, hopes and realizations

 

As Bangladesh celebrates its 50th independence, it is high time we reckoned to the Golden Bengal visage dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman.

In 1971, as the country seceded from West Pakistan, Bangabandhu dreamt of the newly born nation as a poverty & hunger free country. But the dream was dashed with his assassination resulting in the country's subsequent prolonged derelict state of social, political and economic crises devastating Bangladesh.

But Bangladesh has come a long way since its independence even though it staggered during its prolonged military rule but fortunately turned around as democracy restored in 1991.

Presently, with leaping pace of development especially in the social, infrastructure and economic fronts being implemented by the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the core value card that depicts the gradual realization of Bangabandhu's Golden Bengal dream.

Even though, we as a nation, proudly boast about being secular, it is out and out incongruent with the constitution of the country which seemingly cannot ensure full secularity being established due tothe constitution being political manipulated by two military rulers.

Lately came the ill-informed religious bigotry which profoundly bars the totality of the secular Bangladesh being realized. It is a hope of the general populace as pioneered by Bangabandhu, that Bangladesh as a secular state is not a far cry due to the gradual and continual social and economic progress of the country. There was an era when fundamentalists destabilized the communal harmony and created political instability and raucous which have been uprooted with timely governmental initiatives and it is directly aligned with Bangabandhu's dream of a peaceful and stable country. The recent Kotalipara case verdict is a substantiation of a gearing progression.

Whereas, the economic emancipation as the father of the nation dreamt of has been well realized by her able daughter honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh is no longer a poor country as announced by the United Nations and World Bank. Bangladesh's economic prosperity as the whole world dubs a 'development miracle' is also a testament as to how the father of the nation dreamt of it to happen. Similarly, Bangabandhu had pointed out that Bangladesh's sovereignty can only be preserved when the country's land boundary and maritime boundary demarcation is preserved. The 1974 Indira-Mujib Land Boundary Treaty being implemented in 2015 with an absolute peaceful manner along with the maritime boundary being precisely demarcated with international lawsuits win both with India and Myanmar largely indicates Bangabandhu's Golden Bengal being gradually achieved.

As for Bangladesh foreign policy that father of the nation formulated 'Friendship to all, Malice to None' is a vivid example of how his unfulfilled dream being materialized by the present government. The country proudly holds an excellent and all time high relationships with all its neighbors. Bangabandhu's ongoing birth centenary celebrations where the neighboring counties' head of the state and head of the government joyously participating is the corroboration of the claim.

Finally looking at the infrastructural massive development carried out by the present government as inspired by the father of the nation's Golden Bengal idea takes a festive turn as one by one mega project is being approved and implemented. Thus, it is true talk that we are not afar from the realistic Golden Bengal. Hail Bangladesh's 50th Independence Day!

The writer is a postgraduate student at Nottingham Trent University, UK.