Home ›› 16 Dec 2021 ›› Front
Bangladesh is still far away from the spirit of the Liberation War as economic disparity widened among the people, though the nation fought against the Pakistani forces in 1971 to get rid of this inequality, said senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in an exclusive interview with The Business Post.
The main spirit of the 1971 war was to establish a fair society against the disparity created by the Pakistani rulers, he said, adding, “The current development is not a real one because it is also discriminatory. It has failed to touch people’s lives.
“This development is only for show, and the government is defrauding the people, particularly the working class. The rich became rich, while the lower-middle class fell below the poverty line in the last one decade.”
Expressing frustration regarding the present status of the country’s banking sector, Mosharraf said, “Some ruling party people have taken out loans using their political influence, and then turned into defaulters. This is actually looting public money under the guise of loan defaults.”
A former minister of health and family welfare, Mosharraf said, “The government in many ways is allowing its party men to grab public money. Instead of social equality and justice, discrimination between the rich and poor has widened, and this issue is still prevalent.”
It should be noted that the preface to the 1972 constitution reads, “Pledging that the high ideals of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism, which inspired our heroic people to dedicate themselves to, and our brave martyrs to sacrifice their lives in, the national liberation struggle, shall be the fundamental principles of the Constitution.
“Further pledging that it shall be a fundamental aim of the State to realise through the democratic process a socialist society, free from exploitation, a society in which the rule of law, fundamental human rights and freedom, equality and justice, political, economic and social, will be secured for all citizens.”
Bangladesh is still far away from the spirit of the Liberation War as economic disparity widened among the people, though the nation fought against the Pakistani forces in 1971 to get rid of this inequality, said senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in an exclusive interview with The Business Post.
The main spirit of the 1971 war was to establish a fair society against the disparity created by the Pakistani rulers, he said, adding, “The current development is not a real one because it is also discriminatory. It has failed to touch people’s lives.
“This development is only for show, and the government is defrauding the people, particularly the working class. The rich became rich, while the lower-middle class fell below the poverty line in the last one decade.”
Expressing frustration regarding the present status of the country’s banking sector, Mosharraf said, “Some ruling party people have taken out loans using their political influence, and then turned into defaulters. This is actually looting public money under the guise of loan defaults.”
A former minister of health and family welfare, Mosharraf said, “The government in many ways is allowing its party men to grab public money. Instead of social equality and justice, discrimination between the rich and poor has widened, and this issue is still prevalent.”
It should be noted that the preface to the 1972 constitution reads, “Pledging that the high ideals of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism, which inspired our heroic people to dedicate themselves to, and our brave martyrs to sacrifice their lives in, the national liberation struggle, shall be the fundamental principles of the Constitution.
“Further pledging that it shall be a fundamental aim of the State to realise through the democratic process a socialist society, free from exploitation, a society in which the rule of law, fundamental human rights and freedom, equality and justice, political, economic and social, will be secured for all citizens.”
The BNP standing committee member said, “Economic development of the country became the development of some influential rich people, and not that of the masses.
“The construction of a few bridges and underpasses does not mean development, because real development changes the lives of the people.”
A former geology professor of the Dhaka University, Mosharraf added, “Only an undemocratic government can defraud the masses in such a way, because it has no mandate, commitment and accountability to the people.
“This type of development is neither sustainable, nor impactful. If any development fails to improve the livelihood of the masses, it cannot be termed a sustainable development. A discriminative economy can never sustain a country.”
He continued, “The government shows growth in statistics, but does not mention the group the growth belongs to. This development is only a show for the masses, and Bangladesh is now backtracking from its targets.”
Recommending a number of steps for upholding the spirit of Liberation War, Mosharraf said, “First of all, the government should act to establish equality in the society, create opportunities for all regardless of political identity, and promote the poor, destitute and marginalised people.
“The government should also introduce special programmes for the extreme poor and ensure their voting rights. Democracy is essential because it can ensure accountability of a government.”
