AL Election Manifesto: Hope for Nation

Back in 2008, I wrote an article titled "Youth to the fore" for a leading English newspaper laying emphasis on the country's young generation. I urged all the political parties to make their plans and policies youth-oriented. Awami League (AL) stressed the point in their election manifesto in 2008 spotlighting on utilizing the youth force of Bangladesh for the country's socio-economic progress and youth empowerment. The Digital Bangladesh slogan by Awami League at that time highly motivated and inspired the young generation of Bangladesh which was one of the major catalysts behind Awami League's victory in the election of 2008.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also President of Awami League, announced her party's election manifesto on 27 December 2023 for the 12th parliamentary polls. It is one of the finest and far-sighted landmarks in Bangladesh's history and a vital document for future.

A brief glance over the focal points of Awami League's election manifesto is as follows.

1. Striving to keep commodity prices within everyone's purchasing power;

2. Ensuring job-oriented education and employment for youth;

3. Building a Smart Bangladesh based on modern technology;

4. Boosting investment in integrated farming, mechanization, and processing to make agriculture more profitable;

5. Expanding industry by maximizing existing infrastructure and enhancing investment;

6. Enhancing efficiency and capacity in financial sector including the banking;

7. Making healthcare accessible for people with lower income;

8. Bringing everyone under the coverage of a universal pension system;

9. Ensuring effectiveness and accountability of law enforcement agencies;

10. Preventing communalism, all forms of terrorism and militancy; and

11. Protecting democratic systems and promoting its practices at all levels.

I appreciate the aspects Sheikh Hasina has put stress on in her party's election manifesto and I believe Bangladesh will move forward remarkably if the above election manifesto is properly implemented. The process of land automation and digital marriage registration were initiated by former Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed but as he did not want to become Law Minister for the second term, these things slowed down.

The point in the election manifesto about financial and banking sectors is the most vital one which is in the center of all other aspects of the manifesto. I highly value this manifesto and offer my best wishes for its precise implementation. Yesterday I called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and spoke very high of her party's electoral manifesto. Sheikh Hasina told me she had to write and rewrite the manifesto editing it several times.

The fruits of development cannot reach the doorstep of common masses across Bangladesh if corruption in financial and banking sectors is not eliminated. Plundering in the banking sector has hit news headlines over and over again. Most of the banks are suffering from acute liquidity crisis for this reason. A broad number of banks are meeting their operational costs by taking loans from Bangladesh Bank.

Sheikh Hasina said that effective action will be taken against money launderers. Eradication of bribery and corruption at all levels of the state and society, prevention of unearned income, and punishment of debt-tax-bill defaulters and corrupt persons will be executed through the judicial system. Their illegal money and property will be confiscated, Sheikh Hasina stated.

My article titled "Hasinacare: Strategy for Effective Healthcare Services" appeared in The Asian Age on 24 November 2016.    

Sheikh Hasina touched upon macroeconomics too in her speech on election manifesto. She said, "In the last decade and a half, Bangladesh has established itself as a dynamic and fast-growing global economic power. Bangladesh is currently the 33rd economy in the world regarding national income. During this time, the production and supply of various products and services increased significantly due to the revolutionary changes in the country's agriculture, industry, and service sectors.

If elected, the Awami League government will adopt the necessary policies and strategies to implement the goals and plans. A correlation between market value and income will be established."

The Prime Minister said about digital land management, "Due to the scarcity of land and its lengthy management & complexity, there is a long-standing need to ensure full governance in land management. The Awami League government is continuously trying to solve land-related problems effectively through administrative reforms and the application of digital technology. Through the Land Development Tax Management System, 100% e-registration has been ensured from 1 July 2019 in 61 districts except three hill districts. E-registration and collection of land development tax have been implemented at various spots in Dhaka city on a limited basis through mobile land service centers, which will be further expanded."

It may be recalled that my article titled "Land management system and Digital Bangladesh" appeared in The Daily Star on 13 December 2011.

If Awami League is elected, the youth will be involved in the transformation and development of Bangladesh. Employment opportunities will be expanded for work-worthy, qualified youth and youth. 31 lakh youth will be trained in the district and upazila, and the program will continue supporting their self-employment, Sheikh Hasina assured.

Sheikh Hasina further said, "If we are elected, support and subsidies for agriculture, i.e., investment support in agricultural materials to increase agricultural production, will continue. Usable agricultural machinery will be made readily available and accessible. Subsidy on agricultural machinery will be continued."

Sheikh Hasina added, "Livestock productivity will be increased by 1.5 times by 2028. Soft loans, necessary subsidies, technical advice, and policy support will be provided to establish commercial dairy and poultry farms, increase self-employment, and alleviate poverty."

Sheikh Hasina said, "In the last three terms, groundbreaking and revolutionary developments have been made in the country's power sector. Uninterrupted and quality power and energy supply are assured, and long-term plans have been adopted to increase power generation capacity to 40,000 MW by 2030 and 60,000 MW by 2041. Ten thousand megawatts of electricity will be produced from clean energy. The process of modernizing the grid to transmit electricity generated by renewable and nuclear power plants has started."

Sheikh Hasina stated, "Gas supply will be ensured in the northern and western regions of the country, and the supply of gas and LPG will be significantly increased."

Sheikh Hasina touched upon the Delta Plan too saying, "In line with national development, Delta Plan-2100 aims to:1. eradicate extreme poverty by 2030;2. Achieving upper-middle income country status by 2030 and 3. Achieving the status of a prosperous country by 2040.

Delta Plan-2100 has six desired goals.  These are: 1. ensuring security from floods and climate change-related disasters; 2.Ensure significant water efficiency and safe water; 3. Ensuring integrated and sustainable river basin and estuary management; 4. Ensuring the conservation of climate and ecosystems and its appropriate use; 5. Building effective institutions and good governance for the sound management of intra- and inter-regional water resources; and 6. Ensuring optimal integrated use of land and water resources.

Sheikh Hasina said, "I will not claim that we have always been 100% successful in running the government despite sincerity and devotion. However, the Bangladesh Awami League does not believe in the politics of words. We do what we say. The implementation of election manifestos of 2008, 2014, and 2018 is proof of that. But at times, man-made, natural, and global obstacles slow down our progress. During 2013-16, we had to move forward by confronting the attempts of BNP-Jamaat to spread terrorism and militancy. Since 2009, we had to deal with several natural disasters. The biggest blow came in 2020 when the global coronavirus pandemic broke out. The pandemic devastated economies and health systems around the entire world.

Our government has successfully handled this terrible pandemic of the 21st century and kept the wheels of the economy running. However, no sooner did the pressure of the coronavirus pandemic stop; first, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out, and this year, the Israel-Palestine war started. Any war is not limited to using military weapons only by two neighbors.

For example, the Russia-Ukraine war has transformed into an armed conflict as well as a staggering global economic conflict. The sanction and anti-sanction against each other have thrown the world economy into turmoil. The Least developed and developing countries like ours are being forced to import products at higher prices. A massive depreciation of the domestic currency has led to an increase in inflation, which has an impact on commodity prices and people's lives. Several times, despite multifaceted and all-out efforts, we have not been able to curb the rise in prices of daily necessities. This problem is not only for our country, but this problem is also for all rich and poor countries. However, we are trying to reduce the plight of the lower and lower-middle-class people through various initiatives, including expanding social safety net coverage. We hope that we can overcome this obstacle very soon, Insha Allah."

Sheikh Hasina said about Bangladesh's present status in the following words, "Right now, Bangladesh is standing in a transitional period. The country is going to join the ranks of developing countries from the list of least developed countries. This transition is an honor on one side and a huge challenge on the other hand. The government formed by the January 7 election must have the capacity to face this challenge. Only the Awami League can face this challenge and take the country to new heights. This country's outstanding achievements- starting from establishing the right to speak the mother tongue and achieving the motherland's independence, have come from the hands of the Awami League. Bangladesh will be established as a high-middle-income country by 2031 and a developed, prosperous, smart one by 2041 by the Bangladesh Awami League, the bearer of the spirit of the liberation war. Come, once again allow us to serve you by voting for BOAT, the election symbol of Bangladesh Awami League. You vote for us; we will give you development, peace, and prosperity."

However, it has to be admitted that the present government's achievements have been downgraded with some failures to reduce corruption and irregularities in banking and financial sectors. Lack of good governance and absence of accountability and integrity have devastated banks. Both state-owned and private banks are inflicted with defaulted loans of around 2 trillion taka, according to unofficial sources. Trade deficit has crossed 36 billion dollars. Money laundering has been going on incessantly. The assets of some bureaucrats and politicians have ballooned at home and abroad.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman always placed a great deal of importance on good governance in all of his speeches. In the present time hybrid leaders and infiltrators have entered the ruling party who have deflected Awami League and the government from the right track. The same quarter of sycophants are responsible for disasters in banks, financial institutions, share market and insurance companies.

Bangladesh has meanwhile graduated from  the least developed countries (LDC) which will come into effect in 2026. Some mega projects like Padma Bridge, Metro Rail, Bangabandhu Tunnel, Elevated Expressway have been inaugurated but sadly true that some unwanted scams and frauds have undermined all these accomplishments.

The government should listen to the advice of patriotic and knowledgeable civil society members and should utilize their sagacity, wisdom and intellect. Awami League leaders should work hard to transform Bangladesh into one of the best countries in Southeast Asia. Freedom of expression, empowering civil society, upholding human rights etcetera should be spearheaded. Bangladesh is not in fact facing any political crisis. The challenges Bangladesh is facing have all sprung up from the financial sector. Earnings of some political leaders and oligarchs have boomed abnormally. Some of them have built up assets of billions of dollars overseas.

The Asian Age published a report on the front page on 26 February 2017 titled, "Tk 30, 000 crore vanishing trick: 60% of defaulted loans from public banks written off." Taking this report into cognizance, the High Court ordered Bangladesh Bank to furnish full facts and figures related to the persons and amounts with reference to defaulted loans up to 31 December 2016. After that a vicious group targeted The Asian Age and its journalists.

Some other reports that appeared in The Asian Age on the banking sector are "Scams, anomalies hammer banks" which was published on 14 March 2019; "Banking sector in bad shape" which appeared in The Asian Age on 21 December 2020; "Banks sink into abysmal woes" which appeared in The Asian Age on 10 December 2021; "Banking sector faces disastrous plight" which appeared in The Asian Age on 14 March 2022; "Mega defaulters seek more loans" which appeared in The Asian Age on 8 September 2019; "Corruption, irregularities devastate banks: Experts blame central bank" which appeared in The Asian Age on 16 February 2022; "Corruption and money laundering baffle economic prospects" which appeared in The Asian Age on 16 March 2022; "Money laundering issue comes under international pressure" which appeared in The Asian Age on 22 December 2021 etcetera.

Miscreants threatened to shut down the press of The Asian Age following the publication of a particular report on corruption in a private bank. It should be noted that mishandled funds which are illegally transferred to foreign countries are often spent for terrorist groups and militants. A press manager of The Asian Age mysteriously died. Nevertheless, all these hurdles failed to hold The Asian Age back from its forward march and combat against graft and anomalies. Solving the perils in the financial sector will sort out the problems with other sectors too. The Asian Age was financially, mentally and physically tormented through the above occurrences.

Transparency is required in banks, financial companies, healthcare sector, law and order forces everywhere. Democratic progress and communal harmony should be promoted. A broad number of private banks are meeting their operation costs by borrowing money from Bangladesh Bank which is a reflection of intensified liquidity crisis in these banks. A dedicated, trustworthy, transparent, efficient and hard working Finance Minister is required to run banks and financial institutions in a sound way.

Allegedly some unscrupulous bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen have enforced monopoly on everything which has resulted into inflation, price hike, banking frauds, loan scams and so on. Some unfit people have been appointed in vital posts. The assets of all government officials should be duly evaluated and exposed. Rule of law should be applied equally for all. Outgoing Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen is a plain-dealing person who once said that the allegations of money laundering are pointed at government officials for the most part.

The rise of religious bigots and radical groups has created concern too. Religious extremists do not show respect to our national anthem, national flag, sculptures, cultural heritage etcetera. We need to build up a young generation who are e-savvy and who are familiar with Bangladesh's history, geography and political background. Vicious syndicates and monopolist should be eliminated without delay because they act like poison for the country.

I believe there is no alternative for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is a dexterous stateswoman. If we can streamline our financial sector we will be able to build up Sonar Bangla which Bangabandhu had envisioned and can construct Smart Bangladesh envisaged by Bangabandhu's capable daughter Sheikh Hasina.

It should be noted that radical forces may try to raise their ugly heads once again after the election. Different stratagems may be applied to Bangladesh in the name of debt trap diplomacy. Multi-faceted education system pushes Bangladesh backward as a result of which students of some educational institutions do not recognize manmade laws and women leadership. Only constituting transparency, good governance and choosing real, dynamic troubleshooters can rescue us from black holes.