Message from the President
Today is December 16, the great Victory Day of Bangladesh. On the eve of the joyous victory day, I extend my sincere felicitations and warm greetings to my fellow countrymen living at home and abroad.
Independence is the greatest achievement of the Bangali nation. But behind the victory there was a long history of deprivation and bloodshed movement and supreme sacrifice of our people. The seeds of independence that was sown in the language movement in 1952 come into being through the declaration of independence by Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on March 26, 1971, after overcoming various ups and downs and staging long movement and agitation against Pakistani rulers.
The ultimate victory was achieved through a nine-month long war of liberation under his uncompromising leadership and guidance on December 16, 1971. Today, I recall with profound respect the greatest Bengali of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. I pay my deep homage to the valiant freedom fighters who made supreme sacrifice in the war of liberation for the cause of country's independence. I also extend my deep gratitude to the organisers and supporters, foreign friends and the people from all strata who directly and indirectly made meaningful contributions to our war of liberation. The nation recalls their contributions with utmost gratitude.
The aims of our independence were to attain political sovereignty as well as economic emancipation. Keeping that in mind, Bangabandhu started his journey for achieving economic self-sufficiency by rebuilding economy and infrastructure of the war-ravaged country. But the progress of country's democracy and development came to a halt after the assassination of Father of the Nation and his near and dear ones on August 15, 1975. The emergence of autocracy and undemocratic government came into being. After passing a long time, the democratic government, bearing the flag of war of liberation, has now been established.
With a view to materialising the unfinished tasks of Bangabandhu, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken Vision 202 1, Vision 2041 and hundred years long 'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100'. The objectives of these plans are to attain the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and to turn Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous country by 2041 respectively.
The people of the country, in the meantime, are getting benefits of the development programmes. With successive economic growth, Bangladesh is marching forward in every socio-economic indicator including education, health, women empowerment, etc. Bangladesh has got recognition status of low-middle-income country and graduated from least developed country (LDC) to a developing country. The Padma Bridge, which is being constructed by our own resources, is now a reality.
Mega projects like Metro Rail, Elevated Expressway are being implemented. Bangladesh is now a proud member of the elite satellite club through launching of Bangabandhu-1 Satellite into the space. With this pace of continuing development, I am confident that Bangladesh will turn into a prosperous country by 2041, In sha Allah. To move forward the advancement, collective efforts from all strata and the change of people's behavior and outlook are must. People have to join the development process with positive mindset along with modern and scientific attitude making the development sustainable and speedy.
Our foreign policy is being exercised in accordance with the principle 'Friendship to all, malice towards none' as adopted by Father of the Nation. Bangladesh has set a unique example of humanity in international arena by providing shelter to millions of forcefully displaced and tortured Rohingyas fled from Myanmar. I urge the UN and international community including Myanmar, to take immediate effective measures for the permanent settlement of this problem.
The birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee celebration of our independence, the two landmark and historic events of our history, will be observed throughout the country and outside Bangladesh in a befitting manner in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Observing the two magnificent celebrations by all strata irrespective of party affiliation will add a new dimension in our history.
There is no alternative to coordinated efforts to reach the benefits of independence, attained through the sacrifice of millions of martyrs at people's doorstep. Let us make more contributions from our respective positions in implementing the spirit of war of liberation and take the nation towards a prosperous future. Let our country turn into dolden Bangia as dreamt of by our Father of the Nation through our sincere efforts, it is my expectation on Victory Day.
May Bangladesh Live Forever.
