Bangladesh-the country that rose from the ashes

It was just forty seven years back when Bangladesh rose from ashes of the nine month long bloody war of liberation fought with its former ruler Pakistan no one saw any hope for the newly independent country. Internationally renowned economists like Just Faaland of Norway and J R Parkinson of Britain not only saw no economic future of Bangladesh but also said “if Bangladesh survives any country will survive.”

During the war three million people were killed while ten million fled to the neighbouring states of India. Ten million more were displaced internally. Food warehouses were burnt and the first government under its founding father Bangobandhu Sk. Mujibur Rahman had to feed seventy million people. It was a daunting challenge for Mujib whom his people lovingly called Bangobandhu, `Friend of Bengal’. Friend of Bengal he was as he spent about thirteen years of his life in the prison of twenty three years of united Pakistan, fighting for the socio-economic rights of his people. The country was liberated under the stewardship of Bangladesh Awami League the party he lead while he was taken prisoner on the night of 26 March 1971 when the Pakistani army cracked down on the unarmed Bangalis-the people of Bangladesh. In the initial years the government under Mujib had to struggle for mere existence, prove that they are capable of running the country better than their former rulers, Pakistan. Though it was an extraordinary challenge Mujib managed to fully use his charismatic leadership quality and with the help of some friendly countries, notable amongst them being India, former Soviet Union, Japan, Britain and Australia. When things began to move again Mujib fell victim to international conspiracy and was assassinated along with his entire family except his two daughters then travelling in Europe by a group of military officers. General Zia, the Deputy Chief of Army moved in, took over the rule of the country and rewarded the killers. Earlier those who did not see any hope for the new country now said the county is doomed to fail. Military rulers usually do not bring any hope for any country. To make things worse he even formed a political party of his own, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) while still in power and holding the position of the army chief. Zia was assassinated by another group of military officers in 1981 and the country further plunged into chaos and confusion. After a brief gap of few months another General this time Ershad stepped in and ruled the country with iron hand till 1990 to be removed from power in a popular public uprising. The history of Bangladesh from 1975 to 1990 is marked with corruption, misrule, autocracy and rent seeking.

In 1991 a new election was held under a non-party care taker government and late General Zia’s wife Begum Zia was elected to power. People so hope as she was a democratically elected Prime Minister but soon her inefficiency began to show and she ran the country with a laid back approach giving free hand to corrupt officials and her own party workers. She ended her five year term in 1996 with practically no contribution towards country’s development leaving the condition of the people of the country which she inherited in 1991 as before. The GDP growth rate never exceeded 5 percent and 80 percent of Bangladesh’s national budget and one hundred percent of development budged depended on foreign aid and loans. The most inefficient sector was energy and Begum Zia was voted out of power in 1996 the country produced approximately 2500 MW of electricity with no options for alternative energy. This effected the industrial growth and the caused immense harm to the national economy.

Awami League won the election of 1996 and for the first time after the killing of Mujib in 1975 the party was back in power with little or no experience. But with the determination and firmness of the new Prime Minister Sk. Hasina who happened to be one of the surviving daughter of Bangobandhu things began to get better though she also lacked the experience of running an administration. But she was a good learner and did her best to regain the lost years of the country. One of the major problems she inherited was the state machinery that was left behind by the subsequent governments after the killing of her father. However she had some seasoned politicians and advisors in her team and soon things began to move. She gave priority to few things that defines a nation’s progress and prosperity e.g., generating internal revenue and reducing the country’s dependence on foreign aid and assistance to finance the national development, energy, infrastructure, education, skill development and women empowerment. She also pledged that those who killed the founding father with the entire family will be bought before justice, which she eventually did. By the time she completed her first five year term in 2001 the country’s social indicators began showing signs of change. The GDP growth rate improved to 6 percent, per capita income increased, the power generation capacity increased to 3400 MW, school enrollment improved to 75 percent from fifty and more girls were going to school. The government declared that girls’ education upto high school level will be free. The internal revenue generation improved and the dependence for national development on foreign aid and assistance decreased remarkably.

In 2001 again Begum Zia and her party was voted to power this time along with the fundamentalist political party Jamaat-e-Islam, the very party that opposed the creation of Bangladesh. Things did not stop there; she even inducted two of the proven war criminals of 1971 into her ministry. During this time the country unfortunately witnessed the rapid growth of militancy and fundamentalism, often with state sponsorship. Compared to her rule between 1991 and 1996 the misrule and corruption became remarkably visible. Her eldest son Tarique Rahman who earlier was not very much visible suddenly began to run a parallel civilian government from a separate office with his own henchman and cohorts. Any one signing a government contract had to pay a substantial amount to Tarique Rahman even before the contract was signed. He soon became internationally known for corruption and his flamboyant life style. During the rule of Begum Zia Bangladesh became the most corrupt country in the world in the global Transparency Ranking consecutively for five years. People’s purchasing power declined, quality of life suffered and the energy sector suffered the most production declining to 3000 MW per day. The works event during this rule was an attempt to assassinate the current Prime Minister, the then Opposition Leader in the Parliament Sk. Hasina by lobbing fourteen Arges Grenades at her public rally. Though she miraculously escaped the attempt twenty three of her party workers and leaders were killed. Tarique Rahman who currently lives as a fugitive in London has been found guilty in courts in US and Singapore and found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to life term imprisonment. His mother Begum Zia has also been found guilty of corruption by a trial court in Bangladesh and has been sentenced to ten years of simple imprisonment.

Awami League was voted to power in a landslide victory in the election of 2008. Sk. Hasina formed the government in January of 2009 and for another term in 2014. BNP and their allies boycotted the election of 2014. Nevertheless the elections were held and the current term of the present government will end by the end of the year when the next parliamentary election will be held on 30 December. The consecutive two term rule of Sk. Hasina proved to be the most successful Prime Minister of Bangladesh in its 47 years of history. Her father Mujib gave the people an independent nation and she gave the country an identity. Today Bangladesh has become an international role model for the underdeveloped countries. The socio-economic developments of Bangladesh has even been acknowledged by the international bodies like United Nations, World Bank, IMF, World Economic Forum, Asian Development Forum, G-7 and G-10 countries. The WB President visited Bangladesh in 2017 to showcase to the rest of the developing world as to how should a country go about developing its socio-economic conditions and increase the quality of life of the people. Though Bangladesh is not a member of G-7 or G-10 countries the country’s Prime Minister SK. Hasina has been invited on two different occasions to share her experience of taking an impoverished and earlier corruption riddled country to new heights of development. Amongst the greatest achievements of Bangladesh during 2009-2018 is the revolutionary change in its agriculture sector. Today Bangladesh is food surplus country, producing extra crops, vegetable and fresh water fish. The country’s GDP growth rate has shown a remarkable continuity of 7 percent plus over last ten years, surpassing all neighbourig countries including India and Pakistan. It has emerged as the second largest readymade garments exporters of the world. Its foreign exchange reserve currently is US$ 39 billion up from US$ 3.5 billion when Sk. Hasina formed the government for the second time in 2009. In terms of PPP the IMF and the WB has ranked it as the 34th largest economy in the world destined to become 26th by 2030 at current growth rate. Today Bangladesh is capable of producing 2,000 MW of electricity and is currently is in the process of having its first nuclear power plant in Ruppur. Once completed it will be capable of producing 2,400 MW of electricity. The biggest achievement of the successive two governments of Sk. Hasina is going ahead with the Padma Bridge construction project costing about US$ 3 billion, the entire funding coming from Bangladesh’s own sources. The bridge is 6.15 k.m. long and once completed will benefit approximately 55 million people of the country increasing the GDP by at least 2 percent. Today Bangladesh’s budget, both revenue and capital is financed 90 percent from internal sources, eight percent coming from foreign aid and two percent from grants. The economic capability of Bangladesh has been acknowledged internationally. The economic status of the country has changed remarkably and the country that once was an aid receiving country has emerged as an aid giving country in a small way. Its disaster management expertise has been acknowledged and followed even in developed countries. The current literacy rate stands at 72 percent and the total number of students in the education sector at all levels stands at 58 million of which approximately forty four percent are women. The enrolment in the primary level is one hundred percent. Bangladesh’s women empowerment has become an example for all developing countries. Militancy which grew under the shadow of the 2001-2006 government has now been totally leashed due to zero tolerance policy of the government.

During last ten years the country has not only prospered economically but also has shown its humane qualities. Today 1.1 million refugees from Myanmar have found shelter in Bangladesh; their only sin is they are Muslim. The international community has termed this ethnic cleansing policy of the Myanmar government as genocide and the country has been condemned internationally, including UN. The current Prime Minister Sk. Hasina today is no longer just a Prime Minister of country she has emerged a statesman of repute and a brand ambassador of Bangladesh. However Bangladesh still has a long way to go to achieve its millennium development goals (MDG) and become a developed country by 2041 as it dreams. For this to happen the country needs a leader and a statesman like Sk. Hasina. Tributes to the martyrs of 1971 and to the Father of the Nation. Joy Bangla.

Notes: The writer is the Chairman of University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and a former Vice-Chancellor, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.