Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the people to stay awake so that none can play games with their voting rights and hamper the democratic trend of the country.
“If the people vote for us, we will come again here [to power] otherwise we will go to the other side [the opposition side]. No problem. We are leaving it to the people to decide. It is up to the people,” she said.
The prime minister was delivering her valedictory speech before the prorogation of the 24th session of the House.
Sheikh Hasina, also the leader of the House, said her government has been taking the country forward amid the global economic recession and inflation. “The people of Bangladesh won’t bow down to any conspiracy.”
She said the final session of the current parliament will be held in October before the next general election. “I want the country’s progress to continue. It is my call to the people of the country.”
The prime minister criticised the foreign countries that are now vocal on the election issue of Bangladesh, questioning them where their spirit was during the previous faulty elections in Bangladesh, including the presidential election in 1977, parliamentary elections in 1979, 1981, 1986 and on February 15, 1996.
She said all the elections held during the Awami League’s regimes, -- by-polls and local body elections -- were transparent and peaceful ones. “When was a more peaceful election held in Bangladesh?”
She said, “When we are holding elections in a fair manner, questions are raised about the election. What is its meaning? Why questions are raised about the election when Bangladesh is marching toward in terms of economic progress?”
Former president Md Abdul Hamid heard her speaking, sitting at the Padma Gallery of the Jatiya Sangsad.
No scarcity of commodities in market
The prime minister said though the people suffer from inflation to some extent, there is no scarcity of commodities in the markets.
“The people are definitely suffering from inflation to some extent. But there is no scarcity of goods. There is no deficit in production. We have taken all necessary measures for production. There is no shortage of commodities in the market.”
She, however, said that a section of businessmen increase the prices of commodities artificially by storing goods some times in warehouses. But when the government takes steps then the prices come down again, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said she already asked the commerce minister to monitor every market and directed the intelligence agencies to find out as to why the commodity prices go abnormally high.
She said the government has already taken various steps to control abnormal price hikes of commodities. There is no scarcity of foods as there is enough stock of foods in the country, she added.
Noting that there is a food crisis in the world, she asked the MPs and the people of the country not to leave a single inch of land uncultivated, and promote others to boost food production so that Bangladesh need not rely on others.
Nothing to worry about reserves
The prime minister said there is nothing to worry about the country’s reserves of foreign currencies as the government has maintained enough to meet the three-month import expenditures.
She said the government has already taken different steps to reduce the dollar crisis which emerged following the Ukraine-Russia war.
Talking about the universal pension scheme, Sheikh Hasina asked the MPs to join the pension scheme and encourage the people to take part in it.
