Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that development does not only mean building roads and ghats; health, education, child care, canal digging and improving the quality of life of the people are equally important. Almost all sectors of the country had reached a state of ruin due to 17 years of mismanagement. In such a situation, the government, taking responsibility, has started implementing one program after another as promised.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at an organizational meeting organized with local BNP leaders and activists at the Barisal Shilpakala Academy on Monday (July 13) afternoon.
Tarique Rahman said, the people know very well the state in which the current government took office. The banking sector was weakened, the healthcare system was collapsed and the condition of medical services at the upazila level was very fragile. Similarly, the education system was taken to such a level that the international acceptance of the country’s educational certificates was undermined. He said, the highest unemployment is seen among the highly educated, which is the result of long-term mismanagement.
He said the root cause of these crises was the lack of accountability. While accountability to the people was supposed to be ensured through regular and participatory elections, that very system had been destroyed in the last 17 years.
Highlighting the various initiatives of the government, the Prime Minister said that as promised before the election, the distribution of family cards has started, and the farmer card program has also been launched. It was possible to start implementing these programs immediately after assuming office because there was a plan.
He said, the month of Ramadan began soon after the government took office. At that time, the government was able to control the prices of daily necessities, as a result of which people spent Ramadan in relative comfort. However, soon after that, the war in the Middle East caused an increase in the price of fuel oil in the international market and disrupted supply. As a result, Bangladesh had to spend an additional about 2.5 billion US dollars, or about 25 thousand crore taka.
Alleging corruption in various development projects of the previous government, Tarique Rahman said that about 54 thousand crore taka was spent on the construction of the Padma Bridge, while only 14 thousand crore taka was spent on the construction of the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge in India. Similarly, he alleged that there was abnormal expenditure in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.
He further said that during the interim government, the white paper published by economist Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya revealed information about huge amounts of money being laundered abroad every year for the last 17 years. The government has to take responsibility in such an economic reality.
Highlighting the development plan, the Prime Minister said that initiatives have been taken to upgrade the 51-bed hospitals at the upazila level to 101 beds. She said that the foundation of the upazila health system was laid by martyred President Ziaur Rahman. Later, during the tenure of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the hospitals were upgraded to 51 beds. The current government will upgrade them to 101 beds. She also announced plans to establish 1,000 children’s hospitals across the country.
He said, “Waterlogging is now a big problem in the country. Just building flyovers does not lead to development. Waterlogging is occurring in various cities including Dhaka and Chittagong due to the filling of canals and drains. Therefore, the development of water drainage system is essential for sustainable development.”
Addressing party leaders and activists, Tarique Rahman said that for the past 17 years, the leaders and activists have sustained the party despite torture, disappearances, murders and lawsuits. Then everyone was united. Now that unity is even more necessary. He said that there can be no place for hybrids or infiltrators within the party. The grassroots leaders and activists should be the most vigilant in this regard.
Regarding the local government elections, he said, “BNP will definitely hold local government elections. However, organizational preparations must be completed before that. The election date will be determined after discussions after the monsoon season. He called for the appointment of the chairman, members and party leadership through mutual discussions among the leaders and activists at the local level.”
He said that the party will be taken forward by evaluating the sacrifices of those who have given their time, spent money, and endured persecution for more than a decade.
Referring to a major religious festival of the Hindu community coming up, the Prime Minister said that the festival must be celebrated in a peaceful atmosphere at all costs. No untoward incident can be allowed to happen and everyone must be vigilant to ensure that no one takes advantage of the situation.
He alleged that just as there were various conspiracies before the national elections, various local and foreign groups are still involved in conspiracies. He emphasized the need to better organize the party and build a strong organizational structure to counter these.
Tarique Rahman said that a large part of what has happened in the name of development over the past 17 years has been corruption and looting. There has been no real development; rather, in many cases, state institutions have been destroyed. He said that there may be differences of opinion, but they should not destroy the unity of the party. If unity is unbreakable, no fascist force or conspiratorial group will be able to succeed.
The Prime Minister said, “If there is a rift in your unity, they will take advantage of it. People trust you, 100 people greet you just because you are BNP. The respect that people give you is a mercy from Allah. Don’t waste it.”
He also said that unrealistic promises cannot be made for unnecessary popularity. He had said earlier in Parliament that the responsibility of the chair he sits on has taught him to prioritize the right decision over popularity.
The Prime Minister said, “I will not say what I cannot do. The country has various problems, but the people must make promises considering the reality. Whenever BNP came to power, it has worked sincerely for the development of the country.”
At the end of her speech, she called for working together in the upcoming local government elections as well as in the national elections, saying that unity, discipline and organizational strength are the biggest assets of BNP. The Prime Minister expressed hope that just as everyone unitedly brought the party to victory in the previous elections, everyone would unite and bring the party to victory in the upcoming local government elections as well.
