For decades, Indians and Indian media were competing in undermining the capabilities of Bangladesh by showing us as “poor”, “hunger-stricken” etc. But those days are gone and things were possibly just because of magnanimous and dedicated leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Now the Indian media are projecting Bangladesh as “economic lessons for India”.
Truly, Indian policymakers now need to learn from our Prime Minister how she has been successful in turning an under-developed Bangladesh into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Currently, our GDP is above 8 per cent while per capita income in US$ 2,000 and by 2030, we are expected to leave India’s economic growth far behind that of ours. While the size of unemployment is growing fast in India, in Bangladesh, the scenario is just the opposite. Currently, being frustrated with their financial conditions and failing to find a job, over 800,000 Indians are working in various sectors in Bangladesh illegally and the number of such illegal immigrants – most coming in search of the job are growing at an alarming level. According to statistics, Bangladesh has already become a key attraction to most of the Indians in West Bengal and Northeastern states, just because, they don’t find a job in their own country.
While Sheikh Hasina is wholeheartedly working in elevating Bangladesh to the status of a developed nation by 2040, Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unfortunately, are indulged into the old-days habit of cheap and filthy politics or even political stunts. Though the Indian policymakers fully understand that foreign investors are increasingly becoming uninterested in putting their investments in India because of a very chaotic political situation, they sadly are failing in adopting a workable strategy, which would help them in getting the foreign investors interested in investing in India.
One of the most important points here is – Bangladesh has already become a top choice to foreign investors, especially those billionaire investors in China, who are looking for relocating their industrial projects. To them, Bangladesh is at the top chart because of many reasons, which includes political stability and very fast growth of infrastructure and connectivity.
A glowing example of good governance
Since September 18, 2019, law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh began a massive crackdown on illegal casinos, which was later expanded on extortionists, tender manipulators and drug dealers. It is learnt from media reports that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has passed strict instructions to the law enforcing and intelligence agencies to show zero tolerance to such illegal activities. She has also asked them to wholeheartedly combat corruption and bring the perpetrators of such crimes into books, irrespective of their political or social identities.
This is for the first time; a political government has taken such a praiseworthy initiative with the noble goal of freeing the country from the evil clutches of corruption and other forms of criminal acts. Though the political opponents of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are making frantic bids in somehow sabotaging such noble endeavour, the people of Bangladesh at large are confident about the success in her efforts in fighting corruption, drugs, extortions, tender manipulations and other forms of criminal acts.
But of course, in achieving remarkable success in her noble endeavor Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina well-deserves all-out support from people of every walks of life as well as the international community. Bangladesh is moving ahead in establishing good governance, and it is time for mighty nations in the world to extend their wholehearted support towards Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
