I had visited Dhaka almost 18 years ago & what amazes me today is the giant leap of Bangladesh on all development parameters -more so since Sheikh Hasina took over in 2009 for her second term -a run that continues till date and is longest phase of stability in #Bangladesh50
While in Dhaka, I came face to face with disparity, that I have not seen anywhere till date. When I visited Dhaka, Khaleda Zia was at the helm of affairs of BD and (must have been) occupying the Gana Bhaban- official residence of BD PM... military checkpoints were all over!
World trade was undergoing massive changes and Bangladesh, as a nascent and upcoming centre of readymade garment trade, was facing a high degree of uncertainty. Every hotel we went to, I saw Chinese (u can identify them by the noise they make at their respective tables)...
But non tariff barriers were also becoming the order of the day; MFA was set to become history and all eyes were on newly evolving GSP regime. Companies that had set shop in BD, were anxious. And all along that BD was thrown again in political turmoil post Zia’s ouster in 2006!
Caretaker Govt took over and BD saw two heads of state in short duration of 2.5 months; then on 12 Jan 2007, Fakhruddin Ahmed took over. Ahmed’s experience as BD central bank governor came in handy and he was able to bring back normalcy in the politically turbulent BD....
Elections were held under Fakhruddin Ahmed’s caretaker Govt on 29 Dec 2008 and Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League led coalition scored massive victory and this began Hasina’s second stint- one that continues till date.
The stability and order that was established by Fakhruddin Ahmed’s caretaker Govt and was further enforced by Hasina, helped her govern the politically turbulent nation with the iron hand- and results are there to see. Today #Bangladesh50 is a success story in itself
Without going into the details of Bangladesh’s story, the point I am trying to stress is that stability is NOT just one criteria. Governing a developing nation requires some degree of autocracy as well and no one has proven this theory better than Sheikh Hasina! #Bangladesh50
As per some estimates, by 2030s Bangladesh is likely to move into middle income countries - a remarkable feat for a country that was languishing somewhere near the bottom. Today they are second to China in RMG trade- a no small feat by any means!
Success of #Bangladesh50 is not just about trade but they have scored on all social and economic indicators. And credit for that goes to one woman—-> daughter of Mujib, Sheikh Hasina!
And as Bangladesh prospers, large part of India’s Bangladeshi migrant problem will resolve on its own.
Just to give u a small ex - Hasina’s office takes personal interest in ensuring that manufacturing and trade licences process is seamless and fast...
Just to give u a small ex - Hasina’s office takes personal interest in ensuring that manufacturing and trade licences process is seamless and fast...
My cousin’s husband, based out of Indonesia, has factory in Bangladesh and he told me how it takes days for doing something that requires months or perhaps more than years in India. The concentrated power in PMs office helps in BD, while our federal structure remains a challenge!
But fact remains that success of Sheikh Hasina and her model has its own pitfalls- who after her is a Qn that remains relevant and perhaps BD will have to answer this Qn in next few years- for now it is an occasion to raise a toast for success of #BangladeshAt50
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