| |  | 
| Democracy and Development in Bangladesh | | | Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign independent state on 16 December, 1971 through the War of Liberation under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He wanted to establish a Sonar Bangla-free from poverty, exploitation, illiteracy and oppression. But he embraced martyrdom on 15 August, 1975. Following his assassination Banlgadesh plunged into autocracy and oppression. The people’s voting rights were denied. Through a long arduous struggle Sheikh Hasina established democracy through the general elections held on 12 June, 1996 under a non-party caretaker Government. Through the elections Sheikh Hasina, a daughter of the father of the nation became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
After having established the people’s right to vote through elections Sheikh Hasina concentrated on fulfilling the people’s basic rights including right to food. Within a period of four years, her government made commendable achievements in the social, economic and political sectors.
The most important features of the policies of Sheikh Hasina’s Government are poverty alleviation and well-being of all citizens; Empowerment of the people and democratic polity; Institutional arrangement for participation and decentralisation; Peace in the region and world as well; High growth rate; Economic liberalisation in light of the free market economy.
Poverty alleviation:
Sheikh Hasina’s government has been pursuing pragmatic policies for alleviating poverty in top most priority. The main philosophy of this programme is to ensure five basic human needs - food, cloth, shelter, education and medicare. Following massive programmes of the government, the number of people below the poverty level has deminished to 44.7% in 1999 from 47% in 1996.
Economic Progress:
This is for the first time in the economic history of Bangladesh that the growth rate has crossed the bar of 5 percent in the consecutive four years despite prolonged and devastating floods in Bangladesh in 1998. The per capita income of the people of Bangladesh has risen to US $386 last year compared to 280 dollars in 1996.
Asrayon:
Asrayon is a visionary project of Sheikh Hasina. The synonym for “Asrayon” is providing shelter. Under the US $32.8 million project, 50 thousand homeless families will be provided shelter in five thousand barrack houses. The main objectives of the project are to provide homeless and landless families with homesteads and to promote income generation and poverty alleviation activities to make them self-reliant. In addition to providing houses to the homeless, Asrayon also seeks to provide education, health-care, nutrition and family planning, credit facilities and community development. The project commenced in July 1997 and will be completed in June 2002. A number of 2079 barrack houses have been constructed where 20,790 families have been rehabilitated so far. 160 community centres have been constructed in different project areas. 276 co-operative societies have been constituted and 31, 398 persons of the rehabilitated families are given package training for awareness building. US $2.6 million has been disbursed for micro-credit to the rehabilitated families.
Moreover, a housing fund has been established with a capital of US $10 million for the rural shelterless people.
Model Village:
A model village project at a cost of US$72 million to create employment opportunities in the rural areas and to reverse the tendency of people’s migration from rural areas to urban areas has been launched. Sheikh Hasina’s government has already rehabilitated 5380 families under a project 30 thousand acres of government land has been leased to 50 thousand landless families.
Return Home Project:
The government introduced “Return Home” project to motivate the shelterless people to return home from the cities. So far more than 11,050 persons of 1933 shelterless families have been rehabilitated in their respective villages covering 30 districts with US $600 thousand as micro credit.
Old-age Allowance:
For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, poor and distressed elderly people are receiving monthly allowances from the state for their subsistence. At present 5 women and 5 men from each ward are getting allowance under the project. More than 403 thousand elderly people have been getting the allowance. Moreover, 10 divorced or destitute women of each ward are getting a lump grant.
Shanti Nibash(Peace Abode):
The government started setting up six ‘Shanti Nibash’ in six divisions for safe accommodation of shelter elderly people having no dear or near ones. One such Nibash at Faridpur district has already been set up. In each above 60 old women and 40 old men would be accommodate.
VGF Programme
Sheikh Hasina is a good manager and she performed well during natural calamities. She personally organised, supervised and coordinated the disaster management activities. She should be the affected people and consoled them.
About 21 million people had been provided with food free of cost for nine months through 4.2 million Vulnerable Group Feeding VGF cards to face devastating flood situation in 1998. Besides, food has been distributed free of cost for three months 2.8 million VGF cards in 1999.
Rehabilitation Programme for Homeless:
US $1 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers of the city. Work is on to construct 15 thousand flats at Bhansanteak and Mirpur for the rootless people of Dhaka city. Steps have been taken to construct 10 thousand flats at Duttapara for the low-income group people and dormitory for garment workers. Besides, Projects have been undertaken to construct 2100 flats for government employees and 16,250 flats on hire-purchase system for the lower and lower-middle class people.
Housing Programme
Twenty two thousand new houses at low cost are being constructed at a cost of US $8.5 million for the poor people of rural areas in three phases. So far construction of 2 thousand 802 houses have been completed at a cost of US $5.1 million. The Housing fund has been going on with its activities having a capital of US #20 million. Homeless, slum dwellers and destitute people have been provided with credit for housing. This is for the first time such house building loan is being provided in the rural areas.
One Home One Farm
The government has taken a programme in 1999 to establish a self-sufficient farm in each village home. The main objectives of this programme are raising the standard of living, poverty alleviation, rural development, eradication of illiteracy and rendering health care services. About One million people will be benefited after completion of the programme by 2005.
Employment Generation:
The government has created a fund of US $25million for employment generation of the poor people. Under this scheme, government fallow water bodies and lands are being leased out to the unemployed youths on co-operative basis for pisciculture and rearing up of cattle and poultry birds. The government has established an Employment Generation Bank with an estimated paid up capital of US $60 million. US $2.6 million has been distributed among more than 4 thousand unemployed youths as credit of US $1 thousand each.
Micro-credit Summit:
Sheikh Hasina is particularly keen on the welfare of the women and the children and in the promotion of their interest. She was invited, along with the Queen Sophiya of Spain and US First Lady Hillary Clinton, to co-chair the first ever Micro-credit Summit held in Washington in February 1997. This summit aimed at changing the lives of the poorest section of humanity, decided to provide, by the year 2005, one hundred million families with credit and an opportunity for self-employment. Hasina played a crucial role in turning the Summit into an important humanitarian movement.
Women Employment:
The government has taken up coordinated programmes for women empowerment through different ministries and government agencies. “National Women Development Policy” has been formulated. Special incentives including free education upto 12th class, and scholarships have been provided for the girl students. The present government has also created provision for direct election of women in the Union Council, a local government institution at the grassroots level. In the elections of 1997 to the local bodies of 46,000 women contested. Out of them 14,000 women were directly elected as members of the Union Parishads. This local body election have created massive awareness among the women of the remote village.
Youth Development:
Total number of residential Youth Training Centre throughout the country is 45. Out of this 24 have been set up during the present government. The Upazila Youth Development Office rose to 470 from 270 during the period. So far 1.92 million youths have been imparted training during the present government. Besides, about 327 thousand youths have been imparted training on self-employment generation. So far, 785 thousand youths have been engaged in self-employment. US $3.51 billion as credit has been disbursed among 0.469 million youth during 4 years of the present government.
People’s Right to Vote:
According to proposal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, introduction of Non-Party Caretaker Government in the constitution established people’s long-cherished right to vote freely in a democratic environment. Now the people can vote according to their own choice without fear or interference.
Parliament:
For the first time in the nation’s political history Sheikh Hasina made Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament) the centre of all state activities. Members of parliament, and not the ministers as in the past, now head all the Parliamentary Committees for a check and balance and to ensure people’s leadership in every sphere. In the parliament Prime Ministers question hour has been introduced. The Transparency and accountability in governance have been established through Parliamentary System of Government.
Local Government:
To ensure people’s participation in the administration through representative democratic institutions, the government established four-tier local government institutions comprising of Village Council, Union Council, Upazila Council and District Council.
Election of President:
When the time came for election to the office of the President, Sheikh Hasina nominated a distinguished person, who was a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court earlier and had headed the caretaker government after the fall of General Ershad, to contest for the office. He was a candidate who was not a member of any political party and was held in high esteem widely. He was elected uncontested. The choice of a neutral person for the high office of the president is a tribute to Hasina's political outlook and to her ability to rise above partisan politics.
Repeal of indemnity Ordinance:
Following the brutal killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August, 1975 along with the most of the members of his family by the disgruntled army men, the democratic institution and the spirit of War of Liberation were ruined. The military rulers violated the constitution and the nation witnessed coup, conspiracy and killing. Rigging in elections became the usual practice for the next two decades. Sheikh Hasina as President of Bangladesh Awami League continued long arduous struggle for restoration of democracy. She succeeded in establishing a system where national elections would take place under Non-party Caretaker Government. This has ensured people's voting right. After assuming the office Sheikh Hasina's government made all possible arrangements to safeguard and strengthen democratic practices and values and establish rule of law. The black law ‘Indemnity Ordinance’, which was promulgated to protect the self-confessed killers of Father of the Nation from trial, has been repeated by the parliament. The self-confessed killers have been tried and given sentence to death.
Trial of Killers of Bangabandhu:
Another important political achievement of the present government is historic verdict of the case of killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation, after long twenty years. With this, the nation has advanced another step towards establishing the rule of law and to ensure a civil society.
Foreign Investment:
The government is pursuing the liberal industrial policy in light of the free market economy. This has enhanced both local and foreign investment in Bangladesh. At present the quantum of foreign investment is over US $13.30 billion during the last four years. A total of 6232 projects have been registered. Attractive package of incentives are being offered to the foreign investors. The government allowed 100% foreign investment excepting four reserved items/areas like production of arms, forest plantation, nuclear energy production and security printing.
Micro-Credit:
The micro-credit which was introduced in Bangladesh in 1972 made a tremendous contribution to the socio-economic life of our people. The government, Grameen Bank and Voluntary organisations including commercial banks have so far disbursed about US $6749 million as credit among nearly 14 million people.
Three National Business Summit:
Sheikh Hasina is keen on the promotion of trade, business and investment in the region. This is what had led her to take a personal initiative to organise what has come to be known as a Business Summit between the three countries of the sub-continent-India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Summit was held in Dhaka on 15 January, 1998 and was attended by Prime Ministers of all the three countries. The Summit boosted trade and business relations between the three countries and gave these a new impetus. It had three objectives: first, to create an environment in which political differences between the countries participating in the Summit would not stand in the way of regional cooperation between them to improve the economic lot of the peoples of these countries; secondly, to secure the participation of the private sector by the side of the public sector in strengthening efforts to improve the life-style of the people and to bring about a qualitative change in it; and thirdly, to remove differences in the investment related laws, rules, procedures and practices in these countries and to bring about harmony between these. One outcome of the Summit was a resumption of talks between India and Pakistan on bilateral issues. These talks had halted some time back and their resumption is of crucial importance in the political context of the sub-continent. The resumption of talks between the two countries is a testimony to Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to promotion of peace in the region.
CHT Peace Treaty:
The growing success of Sheikh Hasina’s political career is the historic Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord which her government signed with parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghat Samity (PCJSS), representative tribal body on 2 December, 1997 bringing to an end nearly two decades of unrest, confrontation, hostility and violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and ushering in an era of peace. Following the Treaty the insurgents surrendered their arms and the refugees returned home. Massive development works are going on and peace descanted on the hills. Sheikh Hasina has been awarded the UNESCO’s Felix Houphouet Boigny Peace Prize for 1998 in recognition of her contribution to ending national conflicts in Bangladesh through signing Peace Accord “No more blood - We want peace” was the driving fore in her. It was her political wisdom as well as quest for peace that made the accord possible within a short span of time.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, located in the South-Eastern corner of the country, is an area where the majority of the tribal people of Bangladesh live. Sheikh Hasina took a political approach and solved the two decade long ethnic conflicts through dialogue without any third party mediation. Her quest for peace have been widely appreciated by the world leaders like Henry Kissinger, Keizo Obuchi, Bill Clinton, Kofi Anan, Nelson Mandela, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schredor.
Ganges Water Sharing Treaty:
Sheikh Hasina discussed the Farakka issue when West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu visited Bangladesh on 28 November, 1996. Following their fruitful discussion the historic Ganges Water Sharing Treaty for 30 years was signed on 12 December 1996 when Sheikh Hasina visited India. The effect is clear now. This enabled Bangladesh take up longterm water development programmes including the proposed Padma Barrage Project.
Sentinel of Peace:
Sheikh Hasina is a champion of peace. Following the nuclear tests by India and Bangladesh in 1997 she visited Delhi and Islamabad to ease tension between the two countries. She urged upon them to give priority to poverty alleviation programmes rather then neuclear arms race.
Bangladesh has decided to be a signatory to the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction. Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia to do so. This is another testimony of Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to peace.
International Recognition:
During the present government, Bangladesh’s image increased. The 21st February has been declared as an International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh has got membership of the UN Security Council. Moreover, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been awarded UNESCO’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Award, Pearl S. Buck Award and CERES Award. Sheikh Hasina has been conferred honorary doctorate degrees by Boston and Bridgeport Universities of the USA, Waseda University of Japan, Abertay Dundec University of the UK, Visva-Bharati of India, Brussels Catholic University of Belgium, Australian National University and Dhaka University of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been nominated as Chairman of the Association of Asian Parliament for Peace.
Bangabandhu Bridge:
The Bangabandhu Bridge having a length of 4.8 km on the Jamuna River was opened to traffic on 23 June, 1998, marking the completion of two years in office by Sheikh Hasina’s government. The bridge comprises of road and rail facilities as well as gas and electricity transmission line facilities to the north-western region of Bangladesh. With the successful completion of the Bangabandhu Bridge, the largest ever project of the country and the eleventh largest bridge of the world, a major barrier in the economic development of Bangladesh has been removed.
Roads and Highways:
During the last four years the Road and Highways Department constructed 2532 kilometres of metalled road and laid bricks on 1793 kilometres of road. They constructed 20,946 metres of permanent bridges.
The local government Engineering Department constructed 8450 kilometres of metalled road and 10, 864 kilometres of rural road. Besides they developed 5,655 kilometres of road and constructed 3094 bridges and culverts.
Telecommunication:
The present government installed more than 200 thousand telephones during the last four years compared to 250 thousand during the previous 21 year . The government has a plan to install 1.2 million telephone lines by 2001. A number of 51 V-SAT stations have been installed in private sector and through this a new dimension has been opened up for internet and e-mail services. Four mobile phone companies have been given permission to operate.
Health Services:
In order to achieve "Health for All" 18,000 community clinics would be established. The construction of 6 thousand community clinics has already been completed. Mother and Child Health Training Institute has been inaugurated recently in Dhaka with Japanese assistance.
Education:
The next priority is being given to education. Following pragmatic measures the literacy rate rose to about 65% from 47%. Special measures have been taken with a view to eradicating illiteracy from the country by the year 2005. Massive formal and non-formal education programmes are under implementation. At least one primary school at every village will be set up to help eradicate illiteracy. The Education Policy has already been announced. The rate of child enrolment has gone up to 96 percent and the rate of passing out is 65 percent. Bangladesh has got "UNESCO International Literacy Award" in 1998.
Science and Technology:
Sheikh Hasina’s government has a plan to establish 12 Science and Technology Universities to build up 1 million skilled manpower. Bangabandhu Planetarium is being established. Sheikh Hasina has laid especial emphasis on Computer and International Technology. For the development of IT sector all sorts of tariff have been exempted from Computer and Computer related equipment. The government allocated US$ 25 million in the national budget of 2000-2001 for training up programmers of international standard.
Games and Sports:
Bangladesh has already achieved One Day Status and Test Status in Cricket. The government has been giving special incentives for the development of games and sports.
Food Production and Agriculture Development:
Before we took over Bangladesh had a deficit of 4.4 million metric tons foodgrains. We have been able to produce bumper crop in consecutive four years. And now we are self-sufficient in foodgrains. Steps have been taken to remove fertilizer crisis, ensure availability of agricultural input, modernisation of agricultural research system, change of old agricultural extension service, increase of investment in agricultural sector, ease or disbursement of agricultural loan. Tariff on agricultural input has been exempted.
Power Generation:
The power generation of the country was only 1700 megawatt when Sheikh Hasina government took over. By taking massive measures the present government enhanced generation of power upto 2690 megawatt during its period. More 1879 Megawatt electricity would be produced in the private sector power generation policy. Following the policy local and foreign investors are now establishing various power generation plants in Bangladesh. Specific measures have been taken to raise power generation according to demand of the country. The government is now pursuing a policy of power for all by 2020.
Oil and Gas:
Bangladesh has a vast potential of oil and gas exploration. At present about 1000 million cubic feet of gas is being produced. World reputed oil companies including those of the USA are now investing in Bangladesh.
Law and Order:
The government of Sheikh Hasina took massive steps for the development of law and order situation in the country. She asked the law enforcing agencies to act against the criminals irrespective of their political affiliation and identity. Public Safety Act has been enacted in this regard.
Restoration of Spirit of Liberation War:
The Silver Jubilee of Independence of Bangladesh was celebrated on 26 March, 1997. The Eternal flame went around the country and finally it was placed in Dhaka. At the invitation of Sheikh Hasina the President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, President of Palestine Yasser Arafat and President of Turkey Suleman Demirel attended the function. For restoration of the spirit of the war of liberation the government of Sheikh Hasina took massive programme for projecting the true history of the war of liberation and repealed the infamous Indemnity Ordinance. The Flame Eternal has been installed and the Bangabandhu Bhavan has been converted in a museum. At Tungipara, a commemorative museum is being constructed over the graveyard of the Father of Nation. The freedom fighters have been given allowance and their children are enjoying reserved quota for employment.
A Nation with Vision:
The present government believes that democracy provides the basis of the political system and institutional arrangement for people's empowerment as well as a responsive and accountable government. The present government is working hard to establish democracy on strong foundation in Bangladesh for socio-economic development. During three years and nine months the present government has implemented massive well co-ordinated programmes for the welfare of the people and the development of the country. This has created confidence among the people of Bangladesh. They are now working hard with the government to fulfill the version of a happy and prosperous nation free from poverty, hunger exploitation and deprivation in the new millennium.
Return to top | | |
