Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the ruling Awami League had given people back their power after days of autocracy following the killing of the Father of the Nation.
“Without uninterrupted democracy in a country, no progress can be made. Democracy in Bangladesh has been disrupted on many occasions,” she said at a programme in the capital Dhaka.
She inaugurated the two-day international LGRD conference.
The US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena in his speech praised Bangladesh for empowering the masses.
He quoted former US President Abraham Lincoln’s well-known definition of democracy, “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” and said Lincoln would have been overwhelmed if he had witnessed the progress Bangladesh made in empowering the people.
Referring to Mozena’s statement, Hasina said in post-1975 Bangladesh, the government was “of the army, by the army and for the General”.
“Then came the dictators,” she said referring to the military strongmen BNP-founder Ziaur Rahman and Jatiya Party founder HM Ershad.
Hasina said an army-backed caretaker government took charge in 2007.
“We did not enjoy democracy for long. Even the concept that the people’s representatives are meant to serve them was absent,” she said.
The Awami League chief said previous elections under other governments were not free and fair.
Claiming that elections in the past meant nothing but violence, Hasina asserted that all elections under the present government were free and fair, and peaceful.
“People’s representatives will be elected through peaceful elections. We want to do everything through the local government and want to ensure strong administration at the local level.”
The Prime Minister said the local administration would have to take the responsibility of ensuring people’s development. She claimed the people were getting services properly.
Hasina said Bangladesh had been known as a ‘star performer’ in the world for alleviating poverty, and added the government wanted to create a strong base for the rural economy.
On women’s empowerment, the Prime Minister said health services for mothers and children had been evolved. “Literacy rate has gone up and poverty is being alleviated gradually.”
The Prime Minister also thanked the development partners of Bangladesh for their support.
Source:Bd news24