Dr. Muhammed Idris Bhuiyan :
43 years since Independence, we have built our homes together, raised families, and helped one another as friends, neighbors and compatriots. Despite so many long odds, we have not only survived, but prospered in various fields. Every Bangladeshi can take pride of this.
We are still a young nation, with great promise ahead. Our pioneers those who have sacrificed their lives and those who still alive overcame formidable obstacles with grit and determination to build today’s Bangladesh, we too must create our Bangladesh of tomorrow. Our work continues – to build a fair and just society, regardless of race or religion; to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation. These are the founding ideals in our pledge of independence which we must always uphold.
Now we will have to strengthen safety nets to help the vulnerable and elderly cope with the vicissitudes of life. We will have to enhance retirement adequacy to give greater assurance and peace of mind to all Bangladeshi’s.
We will have to continue support families and communities, so that values such as empathy, filial affection, respect and mutual help continue to be part of our lives. We will have to create the conditions for every Bangladeshi’s to enjoy a better quality of life, with improved transport options, more recreational spaces and rejuvenated neighborhoods for all to enjoy.
It is time to create more opportunities for working adults to have a fulfilling career, to keep learning all their lives, and to realize their dreams and aspirations. We will have to enable young Bangladeshi’s to fulfill their potential, pursue their dreams, and follow their interests in diverse fields.
Any political party or front get the opportunity of serving the country must use to run the government will have to pursue new strategies to achieve these goals. Our environment has changed, and so must our approach to nation building. We will chart this journey together with all Bangladeshi’s. We have heard from the many citizens who participated in the war of independence. We will give substance to these voices, and set out a new way forward for ourselves and our nation.
We will keep ways upwards open to all Bangladeshi’s, regardless of any political or regional background or family circumstances. Bangladesh must continue as a nation of opportunities for all. Those who do not succeed at first should have a second chance, indeed must always have the chance to try again. We want an open and inclusive society, where all have opportunities to learn, and to earn our own success; where we respect fellows, regardless to social status, for the worth we see in everyone; and where we interact informally with one another free of rigid social hierarchy.
Our education system must uphold this ethos to build up a knowledge based soceity. This means inculcating empathy and respect from young, and fully developing everyone’s abilities in a meritocratic society.
Situation demands to investing more in pre-school education, to help those who are born with less get to a good starting point, and give them every chance to achieve their full potential.
We recognize that competition in our schools is keen. We will continue to improve the system, so that no single point in our education will wholly determine our future. We will ensure that every school is a good school, and offer more opportunities for students to honor their interests and talents across many fields. We will go beyond academic success, to imbue our young with practical skills, good character and sound values that are just as important in life. Character of honesty is the governing element in genius competency. A man of splendid career but utterly corrupt may be shinning for sometime but will be stinky sooner than later.
Beyond secondary and higher secondary level, we need diverse and flexible options to cater to students’ different abilities and pace of development.. We are to expand new degree programmes in our private and public universities – with a stronger focus on practical application.
But education must continue beyond our college and universities. Through lifelong learning, the government is to help our workers upgrade skills and develop expertise in every vocation, and stay abreast of changing industry demands. This is critical because jobs are changing faster, and knowledge is becoming obsolete more quickly. We will focus not only on low-income workers, but middle-income and professionals and executives too. We are to strengthen our system of continuing education and training.
Beyond equal opportunities for fulfillment, every citizen should enjoy a fair share of our nation’s success. We will have to strengthen our social safety nets, not only to give all citizen peace of mind, but also to share the fruits of progress more widely, especially with the lower-income and vulnerable groups.
The government run by any political party or forum shall continue to keep housing affordable for all citizen, and help low- and middle-income households to own their homes, and build up a nest-egg for retirement. We will also develop new housing options to encourage extended families to live closer together, and strengthen our family bonds and ties of kinship.
The Nation demands to ensure affordable and quality healthcare for all, enhanced the Community Health Assist Scheme , and increased subsidies for outpatient care, including those with pre-existing illnesses, better lifelong protection against high medical expenses.
Particular attention needed to vulnerable citizen, including low-wage workers and our elderly people. We will strengthen social safety nets beyond home-ownership and workfare.
Time has come to do more for our elderly. People are now living longer. To ensure that they have enough for their financial needs in their golden years, we will improve the existing old allowance and develop more options for Bangladeshi’s to unlock the value of their homes in their retirement.
But as we do more for the vulnerable, the poor and the old, we must also give people the means and the incentives to help themselves. We believe that personal responsibility and effort are essential to their dignity and self-worth. This was the pioneering spirit that built the nation we see today. Let us preserve this spirit, even as we strengthen social safety nets and give us more confidence to face the uncertainties of life together.
Government spending shall have to increase over the next decade and beyond, especially on social programmes. We have to ensure that our social spending can be sustained, and that we have enough revenues to balance our budget.
But at the same time, government spending, by itself, does not create a wealthier, a better or a happier society. It must be matched by individual and community effort and initiatives.
Active community involvement engages the human spirit, provides personal fulfillment and strengthens our collective well-being. This is how we will build a nation for tomorrow, a home where we feel a sense of responsibility for one another, and not just a sense of entitlement to the benefits of citizenship.
Bangladesh cannot be just a marketplace of garments or manpower business supporting the global economy. For every one of us, it is first and foremost our home: where we sink our roots, raise our families and share life’s ups and downs together with one another. Bangladesh must be a home that endears, with an active citizenry dedicated to creating our shared future.
A good home reflects the best of its people. We must keep Bangladesh a place where people of different races, religions and backgrounds live harmoniously together, and where we embrace one another as fellow countrymen, working together for a common purpose and a shared future. We also have foreigners amongst us, who contribute to our economy. Let us treat them with graciousness and fellowship, even as we expect them to respect our values and our way of life. This spirit will enable us to progress and prosper together.
A good home provides an environment for people to thrive. We will create a living environment where all Bangladeshi enjoy a better quality of life connect them to a more extensive and convenient transport network, and integrate them into a web of green corridors and waterways, as well as sports and leisure facilities. We will also enrich our lives through vibrant arts and cultural pursuits. Our future houses will be built to live in, and not to look on.
As our cities becomes increasingly complex and diverse, the demands on amenities, infrastructure and resources will rise. We will make full use of new technologies to develop sustainable and innovative solutions that improve our lives. Despite of all odds we will make Bangladesh a ingenious nation; enabling safer, cleaner and greener urban living, more transport options, better care for the elderly at home; more responsive public services and more opportunities for citizen engagement.
To achieve all these ambitious goals, it is crucial to maintain constructive politics that puts our nation and our people first. Politics lives off robust debate and passionate argument. But in many countries, the hurly-burly of politics has resulted in short-term populist measures, and sometimes gridlock and paralysis. This sort of politics will weaken Bangladesh. The present system does not encourage educated people to come and serve the country. The reason is very simple, present leadership requires blessing from godfathers and support mussels power and black money. Black money drives out good money from market. This traditional entry into politics must be uprooted by new generation of the leadership who truly want a change in the country and ready to work hard for the people and the country.
Political parties should not be madness of many for the gain of few. The political parties may encourage its new entries to practice honesty and dedicating attitude towards the nation and to avoid short cut way of getting popularity.
We should continue to have vigorous debates on the challenges facing our nation and be prepared to take necessary and bold decisions for our future. It is important for us to do so, to have the best ideas and best leadership for Bangladesh. Person who loves their country and who is ready to defend it against an enemy, should join in the debates, understand the issues, share their views and argue their positions. Sometimes these debates will move towards great passions, but we cannot allow our differences to pull us separated. So while we may have differing views, all sides must take a long-term perspective for the common good. And once the debate is settled, we must come together again, to move ahead as one united people. The Nation just wanted statesman and not politician, whose power will be small but influences will be vast and will extend down to the remote generation.
(Contributor is a Lawyer, teaches in the university and consultant of ADB. He could be reached, [email protected].)
(To be continued)
