Triumph of Bangladesh and few expectations from the government
We have just come out of an extremely hyped national election and that hype is still very much existent in the veins of millions of political leaders and activists throughout the country. Along with that possibility of severe violence still remains and we cannot move our eyes away from such incidents. The enmity between the activists of the competitor candidates became evident during the election. But now the election is over and there is no point to act over that enmity at least for the next five years. Now it is time to work together to strengthen the hands of the government so that the development targets set for the progress of Bangladesh can be achieved without any barriers.
Naturally, the hype among the winning party is over the sky. But the government should retain the control of this hype soon. They must impose control of party high command over the field level workers. It is not only important to reduce violence but also to create an environment which can support the development initiatives. If the government can ensure leash over its activists all around the country, then they will be able to focus on their real works for which the voters had voted for them. Hence it is an important task for the government right now. The opposition also must do the same as at the end of the day the progress of Bangladesh should be the priority of everyone.
Though the current ruling party has issued an election manifesto prior to the election which contains their action plans in different areas, it is actually quite extensive requiring duration of at least five to twenty years to implement.
It is acceptable as it provides long-term guidelines for the government as well as for the citizens. But right now the government must emphasize on creating six months to one-year sector-based action plan which will portray their immediate commitments on the way of achieving the said long-term goals. This action plan should also be published as a manifesto so that the people know the priorities of the government to ensure our progress. This action plan will actually work as a ‘Gantt Chart’ to depict our movement forward in attaining the ultimate goals. Immediately after the ministries are formed and distributed, preparing this action plan should be the greatest priority of the government.
To improve the lives of the citizens as well as to strengthen our position in the globe, there are few issues that the new government must address fast. These issues remain for a long time and no time should be wasted to solve these.
Corruption has been the greatest problem of our country for years but no government till now had taken any significant steps to eliminate this killer pest. Rather it has found its paths and positions in our whole system as we actually accommodated corruption in our lives. It is the greatest barrier to our progress as well as to the improvement of our lives. Without eliminating corruption, the development initiatives and all good works will go in vain. Corruption simultaneously destroys our moral, weakens our economy, pushes away foreign and domestic investments, creates discrimination, supports criminal activities, demeans our image to the world, kills democratic practices and holds back overall prosperity.
Bangladesh has been the greatest victim of corruption as even after 47 years of independence, we could not perform according to our potential mostly due to this issue. Both the government and the opposition kept eliminating corruption in their priority list prior to the election and the government must act on this promise.
Prior to the polls, all parties talked about the importance of the young or new generation and they tried hard to accumulate the votes of them. But to secure a better future of this young generation, the biggest challenge is drugs. It has spread its black claws not only in urban areas but also in rural areas of Bangladesh. Our economy is also being negatively influenced by the outflow of this drug money. In recent years ‘Yaba’ has become the red devil for our society. Fighting drug abuse must be one of the greatest priorities of our new government. Though the Awami League government in 2018 launched a nationwide war on drugs, there is still a lot to do. If we can eliminate the widespread use of drugs in Bangladesh, then we will be able to secure the future of the young generation of our country as well as will be able to restore morale in our society.
During the last few years, several questions were raised over our education system as well as the related corruption of this sector. The inhumane attributes of the teachers for their self-interest and inhumane pressure from the parents also came into the limelight. The government must think hard to make our education system more modern adopting the methods practiced in developed countries. Along with eliminating corruption from this sector, the government must focus on the psychological development of the children by enriching their experience of learning. Coaching business of the school teachers must be eliminated to restore teaching’s reputation as a great service.
Developing modern system of the school where the children will learn everything at their educational institute, engaging parents and teachers in the psychological development of children, including ethics and moral lessons in a curriculum, eliminating undue competition among the students and parents etc. should be the priority of the government. If the government fails to do so, then surely we will have a lame future generation and our progress cannot be sustained.
The environment is coming up as a great threat globally and Bangladesh is no different. The environmental pollution is turning out to be a great problem in Bangladesh and there are numerous environment-related concerns in our country. The government has to declare specific plans in this area. They need to focus on reducing different types of pollutions like; air pollution, sound pollution, food hazards etc. throughout Bangladesh.
Moreover, they should include plans like; rescuing the rivers and canals from the land-grabbers ensuring their natural flow to reduce risks of floods, water logging, and water pollution. Globally the climate is changing and we are also facing few threats like frequent earthquakes, cyclones etc. Though these were not very severe in Bangladesh yet, if we continue to ignore preserving the environment further, the natural calamities, as well as environmental hazards, might turn out to be the greatest threat to our survival. Hence, the environment should be one of the most prioritized agenda of the government.
Though we have made several improvements in most of the development indices during the last decade, yet there is a lot to do in improving the conditions of women and children in our country. Still now, they are the greatest victims of abuse and human threats. Children are still facing malnutrition and also are being wiped off their rights of a safe and healthy environment. Violence towards women is at the peak. Despite strong efforts, the situation is not satisfactory as per reports of different research groups. Hence, the government needs to put extra focus in this area as securing the women and children will directly contribute to our progress.
It is sheer good luck of Bangladesh that Sheikh Hasina is going to be the four-time and consecutive three-time Prime Minister of the country considering her political experience, global acceptance, and commitment to country’s welfare. In light of her natural condition, this term in the government is going to be the most vital for her to realize Bangabandhu’s dream of ‘golden Bangla’. Hence, immediate actions from the government are expected. As the young voters played a great role in this election’s outcome which was anticipated prior to the election, the desires of this young generation should be prioritized in all aspects also.
The valiant leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken our country a lot forward during the last decade. We have established ourselves as the role model for development. Now, the new government should come up with bullet point action plans to solute long enduring issues as well as to continue with the good works in the development area. Hence, we hope the government will not waste any time to restore their focus on the works for which the citizens have bestowed upon their trust on the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and if that happens, it is for sure that Bangladesh will triumph all over the globe.
The writer is Chief Editor at Mohammadi News Agency (MNA), Editor at Kishore Bangla and Vice-Chairman, Democracy Research Center (DRC)