Politics
PM urges not to instigate propaganda hindering constitutional process
Published
2 years agoon
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the pro-democratic and rule of law-believing political parties and organizations not to instigate the propaganda being hatched on the social media to hinder the country’s constitutional process.
“I am urging the political parties and organisations, believing in democracy and the rule of law, not to favour and provoke any weird idea that can impede the country’s constitutional process,” she said.
The premier also sought countrymen’s vigil so none can snatch away the people’s rights as she made a televised address to the nation marking the fourth year completion of Awami League (AL) government’s current tenure.
She asked all to remain alert as the anti-liberation forces, power grabbers, looters of people’s wealth and parasites are out to create instability to capture power from backdoor and impede democratic process while the national election will be held at the yearend or beginning of the next year.
“They have hired intellectuals and statement mongers at home and abroad in an attempt to mislead the people by giving false and fabricated information on social media. So, don’t be misled by their falsehood,” she said.
The prime minister hoped a free, fair and neutral election will be held, saying her government will provide all required cooperation to the Election Commission (EC) to this end.
She said her government has enacted a law for the first time to form an election commission through a search committee and gave the commission complete economic freedom to hold a free, fair election.
Sheikh Hasina, also President of the AL, said her party is pro-people and believes in people’s power, adding, “The AL will continue its noble duty of building the country if voted to power. Otherwise, we will stand in general people’s queue. But, we will continue to serve the people whatever our position is.”
The premier, as well, alerted all as none can create any anarchic situation and damage lives and properties of the masses in the name of movements.
She however termed the five years tenure of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government in Bangladesh’s history as ignominious as they assumed power through farcical election in 2001.
“The countrymen have never witnessed such misrule of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government establishing the culture of murder-disappearance, rape, looting, communalism and militancy that set a milestone,” she said.
After completion of the tenure, they tried to cling to power instead of handing over it peacefully and attempted to hold a farcical election with 1.23 crore fake voters, she said. “But they failed to do so due to the people’s uprising,” she added.
The AL assumed power after winning two-third seats in the national election held on December 29 in 2008, she continued.
Sheikh Hasina said the AL government has been running the country for 14 years in a row since 2009 after being elected through people’s mandate and the country has progressed much during the period.
She also described her government’s measures to ensure country’s development in every sector such as communication, education, health, investment, industrialisation, agriculture, generating employments and giving people the social protection.
“You (the people) will compare what we could give the country and its people for the last 14 years,” she said.
The prime minister said the people are now getting the benefit of her government’s long term plans referring to the “Vision 2021”, “Vision 2041” and “Delta Plan-2100”.
She said they have built “Digital Bangladesh” alongside achieving other targets including transformation of Bangladesh into a developing country in line with the “Vision 2021”.
“Our country has progressed a lot. But, we have to march further ahead. Our target is to achieve a developed and prosperous Bangladesh. Our next target is to build a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ after making a ‘Digital Bangladesh’,” she said.
She said her government has taken measures to prepare the youths with proper training as worthy for the fourth industrial revolution.
As part of the initiative of transforming Bangladesh into a “Smart Bangladesh”, she said her government is working to ensure use of robotics, official intelligence, nano-technology, genetic engineering and digital devices in making smart government, smart people, smart industries and business establishments, health, education, commerce and agriculture.
“Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman wanted to build a “Sonar Bangla” free from exploitation and deprivation. Let’s to fulfil his dream by building a happy-prosperous and non-communal Bangladesh,” she said.
The premier went on saying that the target of the “Vision 2041” is to establish Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country in the world map while the Delta Plan 2100 is aimed at ensuring Bangladesh’s sustainable growth.
“The image of Bangladesh has become brighter from brighter in the world for the last 14 years. No one considers Bangladesh as a country of flood, drought and disaster. Bangladesh is now a country of promising economy and role model for development,” she said.
Bangladesh has played a vital role in different international forums as it is an active member of over two dozens of the United Nations organisations and elected member of the UN Humanitarian Council for the fifth time, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh established an emblem ensuring peaceful co-existence with the neighbouring countries referring to enclave exchange with India implementing land boundary agreement and achieving rights on 118813 square kilometres of marine areas from India and Myanmar maintaining friendly relations.
“We have set a starry example of humanity at the globe by sheltering 11 lakh of Rohingyas,” she said.
The prime minister however greeted the countrymen at home and abroad on completion of the fourth year of her government’s current tenure and wished them Happy New Year.
Sheikh Hasina said they have made unimaginable development of Bangladesh including making the country self-reliant in food production, signing CHT Peace Treaty, Ganges Treaty, initiating the trial of the Bangabandhu killing case and jail killing case after rescinding the indemnity ordinance following getting the scope of running the state in 1996 after 21 years through people’s mandate.
The prime minister said her government assumed power for the second time in 2009 and since then they have been running the state for the last 14 years in a row.
In her address, she presented comparative statistics between the developments carried out by her government and the BNP-Jamaat alliance government and said where Bangladesh was 16 years back and what is its position now in the socio-economic indexes.
The per capita income, poverty rate, GDP growth, GDP size and budget was respectively 500 USD, 41.5 percent, 5.4 percent, 60 billion USD and TK 61,057 crore during the FY 2005-6 and now it stands at 2824 USD, 8.1 percent (before Corona virus pandemic) 460.75 billion USD and TK 6,78, 064 crore, she said.
The foreign currency reserve was 3 billion US Dollar in FY 2005-06 while it increased to 48 billion US Dollar in mid of 2021 and now it declined to 34 billion US Dollar due to increase of import expenses because of the global economic recession and increased inflation rate steaming from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, she said.
But, the current reserve is enough to meet import related expenses, she also said.
The power generation capacity in the last year of the BNP-Jamaat alliance was only 3,600 MW which is now increased to 25,826 MW , she said, adding that the AL government has reached electricity to every house.
She said a revolution has been made in the communication system in the last 14 years by building bridges on the major rivers including the Padma, Jamuna, Teesta, Payra, Meghna and Gomoti, constructing flyovers such as Hanif Flyover, Tejgaon-Moghbazar-Malibagh Flyover and Kamlapur-Shahjahanpur Flyover in Dhaka, Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Flyover and Bahadderhat Flyover in Chattogram, inaugurating Dhaka Metro Rail, aimed at building uninterrupted rail and road communications in the riverine Bangladesh.
The South Asia’s first underwater tunnel named “Bangabandhu Tunnel” in Chattogram will be opened soon while the work is progressing to complete the construction of country’s first nuclear power plant at Ishwardi in Pabna, she said, adding that Bangabandhu Satellite-1 was launched to the orbit in 2018.
She also mentioned that 100 bridges and 100 roads were opened in last November and December respectively, saying 718km highways have been made four lanes and above since 2009 to 2022 while 13,303 bridges were built or rebuilt and 21,267 metre culvert was constructed.
She added: “The greatest and largest achievements of the country including establishing an independent and sovereign Bangladesh have been attained at the hand of Bangladesh Awami League and the Awami League government,”.
Politics
Foreign powers like US behind my ouster: Indian media quotes Hasina
Published
4 months agoon
August 11, 2024
In what is being called in Indian media to be her first statement since resigning and fleeing the country on August 5, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has accused foreign powers like the US of playing a hand in her ouster.
Indian news outlet The Print in an article today said it had seen the message conveyed to Hasina’s Awami League supporters. India’s Economic Times also carried an article about the message, which The Daily Frontline has not been able to independently verify.
“I could have remained in power if I had left St Martin and the Bay of Bengal to America,” she said in the message.
According to The Print, the Hasina government saw strained relations with the US for many years. Ahead of January’s elections this year, she said “a white man” had offered her a smooth return to power in exchange for an airbase.
Hasina also warned the new interim government not to be “used” by such foreign powers.
Led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, the new interim government was sworn in on Thursday night, three days after Hasina’s ouster.
“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over your [students’] bodies, I did not allow it. I came with power,” read Hasina’s statement.
“Maybe if I was in the country today, more lives would have been lost, more wealth would have been destroyed,” she added.
She is also expected to address the media while in India next week, The Print article said.
Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled Bangladesh on August 5, when a student-led protest culminated in a mass uprising against her Awami League government.
More than 400 people were killed in the preceding three weeks, a majority of them in police firing and firing by Awami League activists.
The US is Bangladesh’s largest foreign direct investor.
In her message to supporters and party cadres, she vowed to return to the country, though accepting her defeat.
“I will return soon inshAllah. The defeat is mine but the victory is [that of] the people of Bangladesh,” she stated.
“I removed myself, I came with your victory, you were my strength, you did not want me, I myself then left, resigned. My workers who are there, no one will lose morale. Awami League has stood up again and again,” she added, according to The Print.
The former prime minister also accused people of distorting her words.
“I want to repeat to my young students, I never called you Razakars … My words have been distorted. A group has taken advantage of your danger,” she said in the message.
The term “Razakar” is considered to be derogatory in Bangladesh as it refers to ‘volunteers’ who collaborated with the Pakistan Army during Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence.
Politics
Regulator orders freeze on bank accounts of Hasan Mahmud, family members
Published
4 months agoon
August 11, 2024
The Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit has ordered banks to freeze all accounts of former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud and his family members.
A senior official of the anti-money laundering agency confirmed it.
The BFIU asked the banks to block all types of withdrawals through the individual or business accounts of Hasan Mahmud, his wife Nuran Fatema, and their daughter Nafisa Jumyina Mahmud.
Politics
Police can’t be used as killers, henchmen anymore: Sakhawat
Published
4 months agoon
August 11, 2024
Home Affairs Adviser Brigadier General (Retired) M Sakhawat Hussain today said members of the police force cannot be used as killers or henchmen anymore.
“Police has been given lethal weapons. I was surprised to see 7.62 (firearms) at police’s hand. They were given those weapons 15 to 20 years back … Police should not be given these weapons,” the adviser said.
He was talking to media at the Central Police Hospital in Dhaka after visiting police members who suffered injuries in clashes during the recent mass protests.
The adviser condemned both the killings of general public by shooting and murders of police during the protests.
“I am telling politicians that it will be difficult to do politics now. You can’t use police like killers and henchmen anymore,” he added.
“I will insist that police will run under the police commission. Orders from anyone will be given to the police commission, and they [the commission] will decide what to do,” he said.
“Every day, incidents of robbery are going on as there are no police on the streets. Police are demoralised,” he added.
“Unjust things have happened … I will try to severely punish those who ordered [killing of people by shooting] either at home or abroad,” he said.
“The politics of Bangladesh is the politics of sycophants. Such flattery is created that people are dying and they say nothing happened,” he added
He asked police members not to apply excessive force.
“Our society can’t run without police,” he said.
The adviser said what the army is currently doing was not their job. But they are still doing it. They were even attacked in Gopalganj.
“A state cannot run like this. Politics of a state cannot go on like this. Bangabandhu has of course contributed, but thousands of people fought and 30 lakh people were killed to liberate the country. The state is not anyone’s personal property,” he said.
“I saw what happened in the country through BBC. But our media said nothing had happened. If media had played an objective role, police would not face this situation. Shame on you.
“A country is submerged when the media does not speak the truth,” he said.
He threatened to shut down media outlets if they are biased towards any one entity.
Regarding the 11-point demand of police members, the adviser said, “They did not want the sky and the moon. Their demands will be met, [but] it may take time to meet some of the demands.”
He urged people to cooperate with police to bring the situation to normal.
Over 400 people including some policemen were killed and several thousand others were injured after in the monthlong protests that eventually forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country on August 5.