Urging the youth to always think what they can do for the country, Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina asked them to take the country forward and uphold its image in the global arena through patriotism, willpower and honesty.
Her remarks came while interacting with the youth at the Nov 23 session ‘Let’s Talk with Sheikh Hasina’ organised by the Awami League's research wing, the Centre for Research and Information (CRI) in Dhaka.
The session was premiered on television on Thursday simultaneously broadcast on state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and private channels Maasranga, RTV, Channel 24, Channel i, ATN News, Gazi TV, DBC News and Somoy TV.
The programme was also made available for online streaming at the same time on the Facebook pages of CRI and Young Bangla, along with a number of newspapers and news portals and agencies, including Bangla Tribune.
Describing the youth as the future of Bangladesh, Hasina put the onus on them to take the country forward.
“I am handing over the responsibility to you,” she said to a diverse group of youths as she listened to their dreams, hopes and aspirations about future Bangladesh.
“When will Bangladesh be free from corruption?” one of the youths asked her at the programme.
“It’s one of my targets. I have cracked down on terrorism and drugs. Now a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against corruption will be announced,” said the prime minister before adding, “Why do the government officials need to resort to corruption when they get salaries?”
It will be possible to stop corruption if the “evil competition” of being rich can be stopped, according to Hasina.
Responding to a question on abolishing quotas, including for Freedom Fighter families in public service, she said the system was scrapped in the face of demand.
However, new guidelines will be given over the issues of people with disability, ethnic minorities and freedom fighters’ children, added the Awami League chief.
A total of 150 people selected from across Bangladesh, including professionals, jobholders, entrepreneurs, students, representatives of youth groups, and sports and cultural activists, took part in the programme.
They discussed the government’s policies and measures, including employment opportunities, education, women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and research, fighting the menaces of corruption and violent extremism and ensuring transparency in governance to take the country forward.
“When will the usurping of power by anti-liberation forces in league with others stop?” one of the youths asked.
“If someone doesn’t have any affection for the Liberation War or the country, he or she will never want the country’s development. The allies of the defeated forces always want to keep the country backwards,” Hasina said.
Hasina described how the Awami League took the country forward because of its belief in the spirits of Liberation War after getting elected in 1996 and returning to power in 2008. She emphasised that voting for the pro-liberation forces will prevent the recurrence of usurping of power by anti-liberation forces.
On her administration efforts for development of marginal population, Hasina said, “We have been working. Villages will be turned into cities. While taking development programmes, city or capital-centric programmes are not taken, rather the issues of marginal people are also considered.”
The prime minister also shared about her personal life during the session at her official residence the Ganabhaban.
Hasina said she has dedicated her life for the people of the country and she sleeps only for five hours at night while in the rest of the time, she tries hard to complete her tasks as quickly as possible.
She also spoke about the struggles she had to endure throughout her life, including the tragic event of August 15, 1975, her days as an opposition leader and her time in prison during the military-installed caretaker administration’s emergency regime.
It was the first time in the history of Bangladesh, a prime minister directly interacted with the youth and stened to their dreams, hopes and aspirations for a prosperous Bangladesh free from corruption, gender inequality and other menaces.
The CRI, which organised the interaction, also announced that the docudrama “Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale” will be premiered on TV on Saturday (Dec 15). The docudrama on the life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be aired on Maasranga, Gazi TV and Channel i at 3pm that day.