Hiren Pandit: Work is going on to build Smart Bangladesh on four foundations, these are Smart Citizens, Smart Economy, Smart Government, and Smart Society. The government is working to make the future Bangladesh a smart Bangladesh, where every manpower will be smart. Everyone will learn to do everything online, the economy will be an e-economy, where the entire money management will be done on digital devices. Our education, health, and employ ability will all be through e-governance. Digital devices will be used in everything including e-education, and e-health. By 2041 these will be possible and work is underway with that in mind.
In the context of the digital revolution, it is also relevant today to highlight the foundation of science, engineering, and modern technology-based Bangladesh in independent Bangladesh. The digital revolution began with the invention of the Internet in 1969. The connection of devices with the Internet began to affect people’s daily life, culture, business, and production. Due to scientific, technical and technological progress, the development of the world is at a great pace. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman deeply understood its importance. Because he wanted to build Sonar Bangla. He was determined to realize his dream. Bangabandhu got time to run the state for only three and a half years. At this time, the wise and prudent statesman Bangabandhu did not implement the planned initiatives and activities, including agriculture, education, health, information, and communication technology, in the construction of his dream Sonar Bangla.
The fourth revolution is underway. Where artificial intelligence is being used to manage human intelligence and willpower, factory production, agriculture, and all daily activities and the world. Bangladesh is not far behind. Preparations are underway to create a smart Bangladesh by 2041. But along with smart devices and technology, citizens also need to be smart in thinking, behavior, and culture.
As we say, if Bangabandhu was not born, Bangladesh would not have been independent. Similarly, if Sheikh Hasina was not born, the nation would not have seen Bangabandhu’s work of building Sonar Bangla. The success and significance of Sheikh Hasina’s birth are through her actions. Even after so many years passed after May 17, 1981, Sheikh Hasina has kept her memory. Literally, she is leaving words and her self-sacrifice to be by our side is no less. Even if we say this, it will not be exaggerated at all, she is keeping her promise by putting her life on the line. Her biggest contribution is to bring the country back to the spirit of the liberation war, which had largely reverted to the Pakistani ideology after the killing of Bangabandhu.
Forget the differences and build national unity in the spirit of liberation war and make the country free from corruption. We need national unity. We should forget all differences. National unity should be built based on the spirit of the liberation war, secularism, democratic values, equality, justice, development and progress.
After the killing of Bangabandhu, the democracy of the country, and the development of the spirit of the liberation war has been hindered again and again – or would there be a transition? There is only one answer to such a myriad of questions – because of Sheikh Hasina’s return to the country, democracy has been liberated today, and Bangladesh has stood up in the world on the path of development and progress. Sheikh Hasina led the Awami League as a symbol of party unity in the most difficult times. She always fought in the struggle for democracy. She has repeatedly returned from death’s door. She brought the Awami League to power as a popular party in 1996 after 21 years and has been working tirelessly to institutionalize democracy in Bangladesh. In 1996, under her leadership, Awami League came to power after winning the parliamentary elections. Sheikh Hasina took over as Prime Minister for the first time. Then she became the Prime Minister for the second time in 2008, third in 2014 and fourth time in 2018 elections.
Sheikh Hasina made possible the impossible by forming the government in 1996 to bring Bangabandhu’s killers to justice and later to bring war criminals to justice in 2010 and that opportunity came to carry forward the ideals of the Bengali nation. After the assassination of Bangabandhu at the hands of anti-independence domestic and foreign gangs, black darkness engulfed her, she first lit the torch of light to chase away that darkness. That torch, after the initial crisis restriction continues to shine, begins Rahu’s turn for liberation. Just as the Bengali is alone in the morning to remove all the garbage, rich in promise, so, a wind of auspicious promise is seen blowing from the day of her return to the country.
Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana could not return home for 6 years after the brutal murder of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on August 15, 1975 due to the conspiracy of assassins and lack of security. Awami League leaders and workers spread across the country in the midst of various adversities became strong at one time; Became strong with the determination to build a new country. Then, in the absence of Sheikh Hasina, the leaders and activists elected her as the president of the Bangladesh Awami League through the council. She returned on 17 May 1981. After returning to the country in 1981, she focused on the journey of bringing the country back to the spirit of the liberation war and realizing her father’s dream. It was a difficult matter to build national unity based on the spirit of the liberation war, secularism, democratic values, equality, justice, development and progress.
In fact, in a deeper sense, the liberation war has a comprehensive and multidimensional form in the measure of consciousness. Starting from the national language movement to the anti-Pakistani misrule movement, that inevitable spirit has brought about a revolutionary change in our socio-cultural and political life. Our masses were energized with immense potential by a touch of the mass awakening and fighting spirit of the freedom movement. That energetic energy carried forward through the bloody experience of the 1970s and continues into the present. That is why it is time to take forward the contribution of the liberation war in the progress of Bangladesh in the formation of Smart Bangladesh.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation or the founder of the state or the leader of the freedom struggle has always held the seat of dignity in the country. The glorious event or chapter of the thousand-year history of the Bengali nation is the liberation war of 1971. Our freedom was attained through 9 months of the war in 1971 in return for the fresh blood of 3 million martyrs, the loss of dignity of millions of mothers and sisters and unlimited sacrifice. After 23 years of agitation and 9 months of armed war, the victory was won by defeating the Pakistani invaders on 16 December. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest son of Bengali for a thousand years, the greatest Bengali of all time, and the great hero of history made the dream of Bengal a reality.
The liberation war is the most glorious event for the Bengali nation and as long as the Bengali nation exists, this liberation war will remain as the chapter of the greatest glory, as an unforgettable story of glory. Because the Bengali nation has been exploited by one ruler or the other for a long time, many things have to be sacrificed. Sometimes Mughal-Pathans, sometimes British, and sometimes Pakistanis had to be crushed. Bengali history is a history of exploitation and deprivation. Bengali history means the history of lack and pain. In order to inspire today’s new generation in the spirit of the liberation war, it is necessary to present the correct history of the liberation war to them. Books written on the history of the Liberation War, and various films and dramas made on the Liberation War need to be promoted more and more. Today’s generation needs to be told that the Bengali nation had to struggle a lot for liberation.
The new generation should know that the freedom fighters despised their lives, sacrificed their lives to liberate the motherland and the motherland, and raised the victory flag of independent Bangladesh. The achievements of our liberation war should be presented to them. During the war of liberation, the Pakistani occupation forces took all the necessary measures to wipe out a nation forever. As a result, they killed the sun children of this country including workers, teachers, intellectuals and journalists. It is everyone’s responsibility and duty to present the proper history of how the Bengali nation defeated them to the new generation, especially the young generation. But to what extent we are doing that, the question has come before us.
The war of liberation is the war to free the Bengali nation from the chains of exploitation. The spirit of the liberation war is the cherished dream of our Bengali nation, the dream of the spirit of a nation. This dream has stirred our hearts and inspired our dream to establish a sovereign state. Helped to realize the dream and accelerated this dream and accelerated a new hope. The spirit united the Bengali nation to establish a democratic and non-exploitative society. We need to do more to spread this consciousness among the new generation. The consciousness of the new generation should be sharpened.
Those who have not seen the liberation war, but have heard it in the form of a story from an elder person in their family, from a teacher, from a leader, from a freedom fighter, or from a book. We do not know how accurate that hearing or reading is or how widespread it is. An initiative can be taken by educational institutions. How successful are we to highlight the history of the liberation war? A distortion of history can give a nation nothing but destruction and confusion.
Bringing the fact that the country became independent under the leadership of Bangabandhu to the new generation, especially the young generation. Which will inspire the new generation in patriotism. The accurate history of the liberation war will be a source of inspiration for the new generation, we should start working now to sharpen this consciousness.
Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina started working as a pioneer for the overall welfare, development, and liberation of the people of Bangladesh. She has proved that she has no alternative to developing democracy in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina’s integrity, devotion, rational mindset, strong morale, wisdom and extraordinary leadership have established Bangladesh at a different height in the world arena and she is known as a world-renowned leader. Awami League has always played and continues to play a politically vocal, defensive role against all forms of exploitation, deprivation, injustice, and oppression. Since its inception, it has worked for the economic, social, political and cultural emancipation of the people. When this party is in power, the fortunes of the people improve. The history of 74 years since the foundation of this party bears witness to that fact. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working towards establishing Bengali nationalism in the spirit of the liberation war, nurturing democratic culture, building a society free from exploitation and building a developed, prosperous, modern, progressive state system.
Sheikh Hasina’s dream is to take the country forward in the spirit of the liberation war and to give the people of the country a taste of development. The main goal was to write the history of the liberation war, to place Bangabandhu’s existence in the history of the liberation war and place him in a proper place of dignity. The promise of the great freedom struggle of Bangladesh was to fulfill the basic rights of the countrymen such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is walking on the path of development, progress and prosperity by facing various domestic and foreign challenges. She is making relentless efforts to build a progressive, democratic and non-communal Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty. The government is working to successfully implement four foundations to build a smart Bangladesh. These are Smart Citizens, Smart Economy, Smart Government and Smart Society. Apart from this, the plan of how the delta will be in the year 2100 has been undertaken. All work in Smart Bangladesh will be done through technology. Where every citizen will be proficient in using technology. Smart Bangladesh of 2041 will be a cost-effective, sustainable, intellectual, knowledge-based and innovative Bangladesh.
The way Sheikh Hasina has been leading the country for more than 14 years as the Prime Minister and one of the reasons why Bangladesh has not fallen into any major economic crisis like other countries in the current global economic crisis is that she has been able to take the economic base of the country in a strong position during this time. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to save the country of 17 crore people from disaster even during this crisis.
Stating that Awami League will never forget the contribution of freedom fighters, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mentioned that the government is building the country in the spirit and ideals of the liberation war. We never forget the contribution of freedom fighters to this country. Therefore, we have taken the initiative to build Bangladesh in the spirit and ideals of the liberation war. The government is looking out for neglected freedom fighters and has taken all measures to ensure their benefits like freedom fighters’ allowance. The freedom fighters were completely neglected and the government was taking all kinds of measures to find them. The government is making arrangements for their allowance, state honors in case of death and even their burial. It is our duty to honor and give dignity to those who took up arms and liberated this country at the call of my father. The government is working to preserve the memory of the liberation war. If the young generation gets to know the history of victory by seeing the memories of the liberation war, then they will be inspired and know how to work for the country. Sheikh Hasina said, for this purpose, the government is establishing a freedom fighter complex in every upazila and taking measures to preserve the historical Suhrawardy Udyan where the Father of the Nation gave his historic speech on 7th March, giving instructions to run the country after the independence and Pakistani occupation, the Pakistani forces surrendered. No one will ever disrespect freedom fighters. In the future, no one will look down on the freedom fighters and their families. She also mentioned that her government has increased the allowance of freedom fighters and it will continue from generation to generation.
Hiren Pandit is a columnist and a research fellow