Dreams of Our Father

 

August 15 is the national mourning day for Bangladesh. On this day in 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh, along with his wife, Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal and their wives and even his youngest son, 10-year-old Sheikh Russell, were brutally assassinated. His two daughters Sheikh Hasina, presently Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, survived as they were abroad. It is unfortunate that Bangabandhu, called a poet of politics by Newsweek on April 5, 1971, died at the hands of anti-liberation forces.

The spirit Bangabandhu instilled in the hearts of millions guides the nation. He was the visionary leader of our nationhood and architect of our independence. Since the historic language movement of 1952, he led every struggle and democratic movement, including the election in 1954, mass movement against martial law in 1958, the six-point movement in 1966, the mass upsurge in 1969, and general elections in 1970. These movements were directed towards attaining the right to self-determination and independence through non-violent and constitutional means. But when the Pakistani occupation forces resorted to force and started the genocide, Bangabandhu sent a message to the nation: “This may be my last message — from today, Bangladesh is independent. I call upon you, the people of Bangladesh, wherever you might be and (with) whatever you have, to resist the Army of occupation to the last. Your fight must go on until the last soldier of the Pakistan occupation Army is expelled from the soil of Bangladesh. Final victory is ours.” This call was carried by Reuters and was published in the international press.

The people fought bravely against all odds and paid the heaviest price for freedom. Bangladesh was born and soon thereafter, Bangabandhu returned home after nine months of captivity in Pakistan. Dhaka was delirious and millions were on the streets to receive him.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman envisioned a Bangladesh free of corruption. Bangladesh became independent under the charismatic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working with high diligence and utmost devotion to transform Bangladesh into a top-ranking country by materializing Vision 2021 and Vision 2041. Corruption obstructs development. Therefore, the government should fight corruption with an iron hand. Corruption and prosperity cannot move ahead at a time. So, if the government wants to expedite development, then corruption will have to be wiped out.

Gross loan mishaps and monetary rackets have hammered the banking arena. A number of banks are undergoing liquidity crisis and capital deficit for this reason. Economists have said that the distressed plight of the banking turf will affect the country’s economic growth.

Besides loan scams and excessive financial anarchy, Bangladesh is also suffering from the highest ever trade deficit in the country’s history. Trade deficit has in the meantime reached BDT 178.40 billion. Import costs have by far crossed export earnings. Mammoth import bills are responsible for the burgeoning trade deficit which has put the country’s economy under a lot of stress.

There is no doubt that Bangabandhu was leading the country along the path of inclusive development based on effective agricultural and industrial policies. But evil forces took him away and left us off track. After a long time and after a lot of sacrifice we are again back on that prudent growth path under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She is now implementing strong initiatives to drive Bangladesh forward in all terms.

We must do our very best to ensure that this journey continues. For that to happen we must remain focused on completing the mega projects initiated by the present government in time including Padma Bridge, Special Economic Zones, major power plants, deep seaport, metro rail, up gradation of rail and water ways and, of course, developing digital infrastructures to promote e-commerce. We must also remain mindful of promoting skills and digital entrepreneurship to address the formidable challenge of unemployment among educated youths.

Based on this strong foundation, we will certainly be able to celebrate befittingly the golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh and as well as complete our mission of transforming Bangladesh into an upper-middle economy by 2031 and a developed economy by 2041 as aspired by the Prime Minister within the greater context of Delta Plan 2100. For this, we must also remain focused on socio-political and financial stability at any cost. Only inclusive development can help us turn this grand vision into reality.

The government should take up tough and immediate steps to free all sectors from corruption, nepotism and political influence. Bangabandhu fought all his life for transparency, equal rights and socio-political integrity. We cannot implement Bangabandhu’s dreams without eradicating graft and anomalies.


Syed Muazzem Ali passed away on 30
December 2019 who was Bangladesh High Commissioner to India. Courtesy: Indian Express