Father
of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman liberated the country
from Pakistan occupation army and his daughter Sheikh Hasina after 47
years of independence catapulted Bangladesh to get developing nation
status.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's efforts to lead
Bangladesh on the road to progress made a breakthrough as the country
has achieved the coveted status of a developing country getting out of
the LDC block. Now she can more concentrate on making Bangladesh, once
one of world's poorest countries, a middle income country by 2021 and a
developed one by 2041, the vision she announced to achieve.
The
developing country status partly fulfills the dream of her father,
Bangladesh's independence leader and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to make Bangladesh, once ridiculed as "bottomless
basket" by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, into "Golden
Bangla." Bangabandhu's prodigy and ardent follower of his footsteps
Sheikh Hasina is pressing hard to make her late father's dream to
astounding reality. It was a historic coincidence that Bangladesh
received its graduation certificate as a developing country on the 99th
birthday of the Father of the Nation.
The world already
recognizes Sheikh Hasina for her leadership, uncompromising intent to
raise Bangladesh much higher in the comity of nations ,her desire and
determination to crush militancy and terrorism and last not the
least to make Bangladesh completely free from povery. Her father gave
us an independent country and his daughter has brought us the honour of a
developing country. We hope and believe Bangladesh guided by Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina will find itself in the rank of developed
countries and compete with major nations in trade and business - and
have a seat of honor in all international forums.
During Sheikh
Hasina's rule Bangladesh has seen a steady upward run in almost every
sector of governance, economy, politics and social upliftment. GDP has
increased over 7 percent, per capita income increased to $.1,610,
foreign currency reserves jumped above $22 billion, poverty dropped
below half at 12 percent, exports and remittances from expatriate
workers upped significantly while the most visible development happened
in the infrastructures.
Sheikh Hasina demonstrated her guts to go
ahead with the inplementation of the Padma Bridge showing red card to
the World Bank which withdrew funding promises for construction of the
Padma Bridge and also persuaded other prospective financiers to pull
away. She stunned the world by her brave, extraordinary humanitarian
gesture to shelter around a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
They
were running away in fears of life in the face of a widespread army
crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Sheikh Hasina let the borders open
and arranged food and shelter for them ignoring Bangladesh's own
constraints in resources when rest of the world shut doors to millions
of other refugees across the globe. Her courage and efforts to soothe
the humans' pain have been praised by all who admitted that only a
leader like Sheikh Hasina would dare so and she won the world
recognition as "Mother of Humanity".
Sheikh Hasina is both
sensitive and decisive, walks on her own way and hardly cares for
unnecessary criticisms and even threats to her life. The world showered
many accolades on the Bangladesh premier and surely more are on her way.
Bangladesh
is lucky to have a successful Prime Minister. Over the decades Sheikh
Hasina's popularity has been enhanced both inside the country and in
international arena as not only a successful statesman, firm leader and a
great humanitarian but also as a pusher and determined as well as a
committed agent of change. Now we would aspire to see a successful ruler
in her. Sheikh Hasina scored high for her successes in administration,
public welfare and infrastructure, ensuring democratic governance as
well as social and economic development. But her government still has
one dark area.
That is widespread corruption which hinders her efforts to fully exploit the country's potential to prosper.
While
she effectively crushed militancy and terrorism in the country by
pursuing a "zero tolerance" policy, her government has failed to tame
corrupt politicians and influential leaders who indulge in harmful
activities beyond their political and legal boundaries.
They are
said to be master traders and distributors of drugs that threaten to
destroy the country's present and future generations. They patronise
crimes of all sorts and act against the interest of the country and
people. Also, they are enormously powerful.
Had those
criminalized politicians been free from such vices Bangladesh would have
marched faster towards achieving its economic and social goals. They
promote criminality, help its spread among people of all ages.
Corruption and drug menace are now the country's biggest problem and the
major dark spot on the face of the government.
Because of
political corruption law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh have also
become crime-bound and they spare big criminals for hefty kickback or to
save their own jobs.
The spread and use of drugs, Yaba and
others, has become a major menace in both urban and rural areas and
taking a toll especially on the youths who are viewed as future leaders
of Bangladesh. Senior politicians shelter them for personal interests
and use as cadres during elections.
The corrupt often use the
addicts as a shield against their illegal doings. A large number of
corrupt officials are alleged to back up the corrupt leaders and drug
lords.
The corrupt and insolent people carry huge weight in
politics but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who earned world accolade as a
honest head of government, should take urgent note of their illegal
activities and see that law enforcers initiate and pursue legal actions
against them immediately. They need to be punished ruthlessly under the
law of the country to show the clean image of her government. Under
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's rule Bangladesh largely shed its backward
image and surged forward.
The people of this country believe
there is no alternative to Sheikh Hasina's leadership. She has tried and
hanged the killers of the Father of the Nation and the collaborators
who opposed the country's independence and committed crimes against
humanity during the 1971 War of Liberation.
She contained terrorism and militancy as well as communal forces pursuing boldly a "zero tolerance" policy.
People
expect it is time now she declare war against corruption and drug
menace to implement her 'Vision 2021 and 2041' and fulfill the
unfinished task of our Father of the Nation and dreams of three million
martyrs to turn the country into "Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal)."
