Trashing the past caretaker government for its failure to run the country smoothly, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that Bangladesh won’t advance and democracy won’t be well-established if the government listens to the ‘prescription’ of the advisers of the past caretaker government. “Why we would listen to the prescription of those who could not hold simple general elections after the 1/11?”, she posed the question.
The prime minister said this while addressing a function arranged on the occasion of celebration of 40 years of receiving Julio-Curie peace medal by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Bangladesh Shanti Praishad (Bangladesh Peace Council) arranged the function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium here this morning.
Executive Secretary of the World Peace Council Iraklis Savdaridis, former minister and Vice President of All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation Pramod Chandra Sinha, and Member of Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council Gyanendra Bahadur Sreshtha spoke at the function. President of Bangladesh Peace Council Mozaffar Hossain Paltu chaired it, while General Secretary Engineer MA Kashem gave the welcome address.
The prime minister said democracy is a right of the people. “But the rights of the people were snatched repeatedly after 1975. And some literate and civil society members extended their support to it,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said such an apparent trend is being noticed to bring back such a situation in the country again. In this connection, the Prime Minister questioned that if politicians could not run the country, then who will run it? The caretaker government ruled the country for two years from 2007 but what they did for the country and its people, she asked.
The PM requested all including journalists to compare the first two-year rule with the first two-year period of the present government. “We had to face various challenges in the first two-year, but the military -backed caretaker government did not face any obstacles as there was no political conflict and no opposition parties as it imposed emergency in the country at that time. So why they failed to run the country and what they gave to the people,” she said.
Stressing the need for continuation of democratic trend in the country, Shekh Hasina said Bangladesh could not achieve its desire goal due to repeated capture of power by the military dictators.
The prime minister said her government wants peace not unrest, and without peace, the country’s development is not possible. Sheikh Hasina said that her government has been able to take the country towards development and prosperity despite various challenges created by opposition political parties and Hefazat-e Islam as well as natural disasters.
Sheikh Hasina said her previous government signed Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord to restore peace in the region.
“Now we are implementing the treaty which helped mitigate the two- decade conflict and ensure peace and development in the hill districts,” she said.
The PM said the previous AL government also inked the long-term Ganges Water Sharing Treaty and ensured right share of the Ganges water.
After assuming office this time, she said, the government has taken initiatives to resolve land boundary dispute with India. “The verdict of the international tribunal on maritime boundary with Myanmar has gone in favour of Bangladesh, and Bangladesh would also win the verdict with India Insha Allah,” she said.
She said Bangladesh won’t go for any conflict with neighbouring countries on any issue. “I believe that any disputes with the neighboring countries can be settled peacefully through discussion,” she said.
Paying rich tributes to Bangabandhu, the prime minister said he was the indomitable leader of world’s freedom-lovers, oppressed people and workers.
She said Bangabandhu struggled throughout the life for establishing peace, tranquility, friendship, freedom, and democracy. He faced imprisonment and oppression and his incomparable organizing skill, statesmanship,
human values and charismatic leadership had successfully made the nation united for the Liberation War.
Sheikh Hasina said the Father of the Nation introduced ‘Friendship towards all, malice towards none’ and ‘peaceful settlement of disputes’ as the basis of our foreign policy. “We observe the reflection of that policy in every step of his life,” she said.
The prime minister said by following the ideals of the Father of the Nation, her government has adopted the policy of ‘justice for peace’ and established the ideals of secularism, democracy and progressivism on strong base.
“We are committed to the rule of law which has helped us to arrive at peaceful settlements of the disputes with neighbors and formed the basis of our participation in UN peacekeeping operations,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina expressed the hope that the ideology of Father of the Nation will guide us in the way of light to protect the diversity of religion, race, and culture and eliminate the aggression and deprivation in this conflicting world.
“I believe, by overcoming all adversities, the world peace will be established, war, conflict and mistrust will be eliminated and the society and civilization will prosper,” she said.
The prime minister said the World Peace Council awarded Julio-Curie Peace Prize to the Father of the Nation four decades back. “It was the international recognition for his great role in establishing peace across the world and it was the first international honor that Bangladesh earned,” she said.
Recalling with deep gratitude the great contribution of the World Peace Council to the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country, Sheikh Hasina said the World Peace Council sided with Bangladesh whole-heartedly during the War of Liberation in 1971.
“The council then acted as our real friend by protesting the brutal assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1975,” she said.
-With The Independent input
