Bangabandhu birth centenery

Dream of Golden Bengal comes true

For a good part of the country’s history, the deeds and traits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were intentionally kept in obscurity. The people helming power structures kept the stories and studies about Bangabandhu buried, and propagated a misleading narrative of the country’s history. All this has changed now. With the Awami League government now continuing its third straight term, and with the rapid advancement of the country on various fronts, the dreams of Bangabandhu’s Golden Bengal (Sonar Bangla) now has become more evident than ever. The country has attained remarkable progress in many areas. Robust economic reforms, Digital Bangladesh iniative, remittances received from the expatriate community and boost in exports, in conjunction with the vision of the country's leadership, are the major factors behind the turnaround of Bangladesh's economy in the past few decades.

Bangladesh has graduated from a ‘low-income’ to a ‘middle-income’ country in1

2018, according to the UN Committee for Development Policy. The nation is recognised now as a ‘Role Model of Development’ all over the world. The so-called ‘Bottomless Basket’—as it was dubbed by US diplomat Henry Kissinger way back in 1970—has turned into an ‘Overflowing Bowl’, as some national and international development experts insist.

Even in the face of the global recession, Bangladesh has recorded an estimated 8.1 per cent GDP growth last year. The country has climbed up a spot to 135 among 189 countries in the 2019 Human Development Index, according to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has also included Bangladesh’s success in economic growth in its annual list of the six global key moments of last year. The Swiss NGO has termed Bangladesh’s economic growth “extraordinary”.

These multifarious developments in various areas of the country, however, did not occur overnight; rather, these success stories point to the robust policies undertaken in accordance with Bangabandhu’s dream over the years.

Numerous such policies have shaped Bangladesh into what it is today—a basket case-turned-fastest-growing economy.

Bangabandhu’s attempts at rebuilding

the nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman not only led the country into Independence but, true to his words, quickly put the war-ravaged country on the rails of development by reconstructing all physical and social infrastructures as speedily as possible. In addition, he had to rehabilitate millions of refugees and other internally displaced people who were mortally afraid of the genocide unleashed by the occupying armed forces of Pakistan and their collaborators.  

Noted economist and former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiar Rahman said, “Despite many challenges, both natural and man-made, Bangabandhu kept his cool and reorganised the economy and the society.”

“After our Independence, Bangabandhu started pursuing his own pledge of providing freedom, particularly economic freedom, through an inclusive development strategy so that people at large could come out of the overwhelming poverty and hunger that had gripped the nation,” said Dr Rahman.  The size of the economy was only about USD 8 billion at that time, where more than 80 per cent people were below the poverty line and had a life expectancy of around 48 years.  

“The only reason he could immediately ignite the aspirations for a golden Bangladesh, despite insurmountable challenges, was because of his inspirational charismatic leadership,” Dr Rahman said. He said the country’s people are ready to look past the agonies of a post-war Bangladesh and share his dream of a prosperous nation, and have put all their entrepreneurial energies both in the agricultural fields and the industries.  

The hard-working people of Bangladesh actually believed that the promise of ‘Golden Bengal’ was not a mere political rhetoric on a part of Bangabandhu. He was deeply conscious about the past glory of this land which emerged as an independent country for the first time in history under his farsighted leadership, Dr Rahman added.

“We will turn this war-ravaged country into a golden one. In the Bengal of the future, mothers will smile and children will play. It will be a society free of exploitation. Start the movement in the fields and farms and the factories. We can rebuild the country through hard work. Let us work together so that Golden Bengal shines again,” Bangabandhu addressed the people of Bangladesh on his first Independence Day speech.   

Dr Rahman observed that Bangabandhu kept his promise. “He started focusing on agricultural development right from Day One as it provides raw material for the industry and food for all. It was also the biggest source of employment and income for many,” said the former BB governor.   

According to an article by Prof Rehman Sobhan, Bangabandhu waived the debts of one million farmers and ensured adequate supplies of seeds and agricultural equipment at a concessional price and introduced minimum fair prices and ration facilities for farmers. At that time, the state had to take charge of running the industrial units as these had been abandoned by their Pakistani owners. As per Bangabandhu’s direction and guidance, the state took charge of industrial units.

Bangabandhu also went for the first Five-Year Plan to convert the development into a medium-term strategy. He also lifted the limit on private investment from Tk 25 lakh to Tk 3 crore in the fiscal year 1974–75. In addition, 133 abandoned factories were handed over to the private sector. In other words, he was in favour of deregulation to bolster private sector investment despite his life-long commitment to equality, the researcher pointed out.

 A journey cut short, but continuing

Unfortunately, Bangabandhu’s well-planned journey towards inclusive development was cut short by the forces of evil in August 1975 as Bangabandhu and his family members present at home were brutally assassinated by some unruly army personnel. After many years of struggle for democracy and good governance led by her able daughter, the country is finally back on track.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has  been trying hard to make Bangladesh a role model of inclusive development, as conceived by Bangabandhu. She has already made significant progress by expanding the economy to a robust USD 300-billion one, with a per capita income of about USD 1,909. The poverty rate has declined to nearly 20 per cent and life expectancy has gone up to 73 years.

The women empowerment index in Bangladeshis is the best in the region. And the country is now growing at 8 per cent per year, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Eminent economist Mirza Azizul Islam said, however, Bangladesh has many hurdles to overcome. “We still need to create 1.6 million jobs annually and go for a huge boost to renewable energy in the face of climate change challenges, diversify our export base, and continue to enhance our agricultural and manufacturing productivity.”

Azizul Islam, former advisor to a caretaker government, said: “We also need to further promote the digital economy, address growing urbanisation and ensure financial stability at any cost. The growth must also be adaptive to climate change with a dominant private sector and a focus on technology-enabled small and medium enterprises. Furthermore, we must take advantage of the ongoing socio-political stability facilitated by the continuity of the government and a focus on good governance to create a corruption-free society.”  These would create the momentum to fully realise Bangabandhu’s dream of building a ‘Sonar Bangla’ for the common people he loved the most.

 

Bangabandhu birth centenery

Dream of Golden Bengal comes true

For a good part of the countrys history, the deeds and traits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were intentionally kept in obscurity. The people helming power structures kept the stories and studies about Bangabandhu buried, and propagated a misleading narrative of the countrys history. All this has changed now. With the Awami League government now continuing its third straight term, and with the rapid advancement of the country on various fronts, the dreams of Bangabandhus Golden Bengal (Sonar Bangla) now has become more evident than ever. The country has attained remarkable progress in many areas. Robust economic reforms, Digital Bangladesh iniative, remittances received from the expatriate community and boost in exports, in conjunction with the vision of the countrys leadership, are the major factors behind the turnaround of Bangladeshs economy in the past few decades. Bangladesh has graduated from a low-income to a middle-income country in1 2018, according to the UN Committee for Development Policy. The nation is recognised now as a Role Model of Development all over the world. The so-called Bottomless Basketas it was dubbed by US diplomat Henry Kissinger way back in 1970has turned into an Overflowing Bowl, as some national and international development experts insist. Even in the face of the global recession, Bangladesh has recorded an estimated 8.1 per cent GDP growth last year. The country has climbed up a spot to 135 among 189 countries in the 2019 Human Development Index, according to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The World Economic Forum (WEF) has also included Bangladeshs success in economic growth in its annual list of the six global key moments of last year. The Swiss NGO has termed Bangladeshs economic growth extraordinary. These multifarious developments in various areas of the country, however, did not occur overnight; rather, these success stories point to the robust policies undertaken in accordance with Bangabandhus dream over the years. Numerous such policies have shaped Bangladesh into what it is todaya basket case-turned-fastest-growing economy. Bangabandhus attempts at rebuilding the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman not only led the country into Independence but, true to his words, quickly put the war-ravaged country on the rails of development by reconstructing all physical and social infrastructures as speedily as possible. In addition, he had to rehabilitate millions of refugees and other internally displaced people who were mortally afraid of the genocide unleashed by the occupying armed forces of Pakistan and their collaborators. Noted economist and former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiar Rahman said, Despite many challenges, both natural and man-made, Bangabandhu kept his cool and reorganised the economy and the society. After our Independence, Bangabandhu started pursuing his own pledge of providing freedom, particularly economic freedom, through an inclusive development strategy so that people at large could come out of the overwhelming poverty and hunger that had gripped the nation, said Dr Rahman. The size of the economy was only about USD 8 billion at that time, where more than 80 per cent people were below the poverty line and had a life expectancy of around 48 years. The only reason he could immediately ignite the aspirations for a golden Bangladesh, despite insurmountable challenges, was because of his inspirational charismatic leadership, Dr Rahman said. He said the countrys people are ready to look past the agonies of a post-war Bangladesh and share his dream of a prosperous nation, and have put all their entrepreneurial energies both in the agricultural fields and the industries. The hard-working people of Bangladesh actually believed that the promise of Golden Bengal was not a mere political rhetoric on a part of Bangabandhu. He was deeply conscious about the past glory of this land which emerged as an independent country for the first time in history under his farsighted leadership, Dr Rahman added. We will turn this war-ravaged country into a golden one. In the Bengal of the future, mothers will smile and children will play. It will be a society free of exploitation. Start the movement in the fields and farms and the factories. We can rebuild the country through hard work. Let us work together so that Golden Bengal shines again, Bangabandhu addressed the people of Bangladesh on his first Independence Day speech. Dr Rahman observed that Bangabandhu kept his promise. He started focusing on agricultural development right from Day One as it provides raw material for the industry and food for all. It was also the biggest source of employment and income for many, said the former BB governor. According to an article by Prof Rehman Sobhan, Bangabandhu waived the debts of one million farmers and ensured adequate supplies of seeds and agricultural equipment at a concessional price and introduced minimum fair prices and ration facilities for farmers. At that time, the state had to take charge of running the industrial units as these had been abandoned by their Pakistani owners. As per Bangabandhus direction and guidance, the state took charge of industrial units. Bangabandhu also went for the first Five-Year Plan to convert the development into a medium-term strategy. He also lifted the limit on private investment from Tk 25 lakh to Tk 3 crore in the fiscal year 197475. In addition, 133 abandoned factories were handed over to the private sector. In other words, he was in favour of deregulation to bolster private sector investment despite his life-long commitment to equality, the researcher pointed out. A journey cut short, but continuing Unfortunately, Bangabandhus well-planned journey towards inclusive development was cut short by the forces of evil in August 1975 as Bangabandhu and his family members present at home were brutally assassinated by some unruly army personnel. After many years of struggle for democracy and good governance led by her able daughter, the country is finally back on track.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been trying hard to make Bangladesh a role model of inclusive development, as conceived by Bangabandhu. She has already made significant progress by expanding the economy to a robust USD 300-billion one, with a per capita income of about USD 1,909. The poverty rate has declined to nearly 20 per cent and life expectancy has gone up to 73 years. The women empowerment index in Bangladeshis is the best in the region. And the country is now growing at 8 per cent per year, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Eminent economist Mirza Azizul Islam said, however, Bangladesh has many hurdles to overcome. We still need to create 1.6 million jobs annually and go for a huge boost to renewable energy in the face of climate change challenges, diversify our export base, and continue to enhance our agricultural and manufacturing productivity. Azizul Islam, former advisor to a caretaker government, said: We also need to further promote the digital economy, address growing urbanisation and ensure financial stability at any cost. The growth must also be adaptive to climate change with a dominant private sector and a focus on technology-enabled small and medium enterprises. Furthermore, we must take advantage of the ongoing socio-political stability facilitated by the continuity of the government and a focus on good governance to create a corruption-free society. These would create the momentum to fully realise Bangabandhus dream of building a Sonar Bangla for the common people he loved the most.