Home ›› 14 Jan 2023 ›› Editorial
The relationship between life and livelihood is interrelated. Mankind has been traveling from the bottom of the ocean to the moon in search of sustenance. Livelihoods can be of different types. A state is needed to bring the people into a system by combining the security of life and the clarity of livelihood whose responsibility is to ensure the life and livelihood of every citizen with overall security provisions. The overall security of livelihood means the security of living with the dignity of a citizen including food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, entertainment, religious ceremonies, expression of thoughts, consciousness, organizing, marching on the streets, etc. and the government is claiming they are closely working on it. They have mentioned they have brought Bangladesh to a prestigious position. The country should be taken forward by maintaining dignity.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government completes 14 consecutive years. The whole world is passing through an unstable economic situation today. At the end of 2019, the world fell under the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. In these two years 2020 and 2021, a deep wound was created in the world economy. The economy of Bangladesh also suffers. Just as our economy was recovering from the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war began. The effects of war are not confined to the borders of a single country but spread throughout the world.
According to Awami League, Bangladesh 14 years ago and today's Bangladesh are not the same. Today's Bangladesh is self-confident Bangladesh. Several mega projects have been taken up to build a world-class communication system. Dream Padma Bridge was realized last June. This bridge directly connects 19 districts of the southern region with the capital Dhaka and other parts of the country by road. Metrorail has been launched in the capital Dhaka. The tunnel built under the Karnaphuli river is going to be launched next March. Besides, Bangladesh is proving its capability in implementing mega projects like nuclear power plants, elevated expressways, Materbari power plants, and expressways. Bangladesh has also achieved self-sufficiency in food. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the leader and planner of this wonderful success of the country. Today, Bangladesh is self-sufficient in food grain production. The poverty rate has come down from 40 percent to 20 percent. Per capita income increased from $543 to $2,824. The literacy rate has increased from 45 percent to 75 percent. Maternal and infant mortality rates have decreased. The largest pigeon bridge in the southern region was inaugurated in October.
Last November, 100 bridges in 25 districts of the country were opened for traffic. A nuclear power plant is being built and the satellite Bangabandhu-1 is launched. The Awami League has pledged to build a smart Bangladesh by 2041. For this, the vision plan 2041 has been formulated and the implementation has started.
The Prime Minister mentioned that since her party Awami League has been in power for a long time, there has been a great development in Bangladesh in the last 14 years. In this context, she referred to a discussion with Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad at an international program, where Mahathir said that a long-term government is needed to ensure the country's development. Pointing out that we have been in power for a long time, we have been able to work for the development of Bangladesh. Maybe I will stay if I get the vote. Because the environment in our country is different. They were military dictators for a long time, sometimes directly and indirectly they seized power, and again they took off their uniforms and became politicians and coups, conspiracy, is still in our country. We do not have a consistent democratic system. For which a stable environment never came. That's why the overall development is not right.
Pointing out that the country is progressing a long way in sports, Sheikh Hasina addressed the officials of various financial institutions and said, "I think everyone, especially you, should cooperate a little more in the field of sports." Mentioning that the Awami League government is providing full cooperation in the field of sports and culture, she said, if we do not encourage everyone, then what is the future of these boys and girls? Sheikh Hasina also said that those who have industrial and business establishments will provide jobs for the players. A large number of forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees from Myanmar is a big burden for Bangladesh and this number is increasing every day as new children are born."
Bangladesh has made great progress in many areas since its independence. The average income of people, life expectancy, and literacy rate have increased. There has been a jump in student enrollment rates in schools. Financial inclusion including transport systems, roads, and communication systems has improved. The private sector is advancing rapidly. Technology has improved, and digital systems have been created. Other socio-economic indicators have also improved. With a majority of the population now young, there is no dearth of business enthusiasm across the country. Cell phones are in all people's hands. The construction of the Padma Bridge has improved connectivity between the south and central parts of the country. But Bangladesh has several structural and institutional problems, which prevent the country from developing to its full potential.
The first problem is the lack of quality infrastructure. More than five decades after independence, rail, roads, power, irrigation, ports, airports and even broadband connectivity, all have huge quality deficits. For a long time, a large part of the government's budget has been going to subsidies and government employees' salaries and pensions and interest payments on old debts. Little is left for the infrastructure sector. On top of that, there are managerial weaknesses, governance failures, impervious rules and regulations, corruption and now a large number of bad debts on the books of state-owned banks.
The deficit is in education, secondary education is the minimum qualification required for many jobs in the country. But until then, a large number of children from poor families are dropping out of school due to economic reasons, and in the case of girls, pressure to get married. The average standard of school-college education also remains low. That education is not enough for most jobs today. Vocational training, skill building and communication of recruiting agencies with trained children, especially in rural areas and small towns are weak. Surprisingly, there is a dearth of employable workers in countries with 'surplus labor'.
The interests of Bangladesh's political leaders and bureaucrats are also very strong. Most public sector organizations have failed. The main reason for this is that leaders or bureaucrats do not want to give up their power. Many do not want to exercise that power themselves. Since the financial reforms in Bangladesh, the dominance of state-owned enterprises in the economy has decreased; but the commercialization of state-owned enterprises in China has not happened in Bangladesh. Regulatory bodies are still run by bureaucrats and ministers, not rules. Weak structure and institutional problems are the major obstacles in the way of advancing the economy of Bangladesh. But we have to work concertedly to overcome the situation and continue the development of work.
The writer is a columnist and researcher. He can be contacted at hiren.bnnrc@gmail.com
