Don’t be upset seeing problems, rather it has to be faced: PM Hasina

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday told the Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) that Awami League (AL) must be needed in power to turn Bangladesh into a developing nation through attaining the final graduation by 2026.

“We know that we (AL) are needed to turn Bangladesh into a developing nation,” she told the general discussion on the national budget for fiscal year 2023-24 in parliament.

Mentioning that today Bangladesh has achieved the status of a developing nation, Sheikh Hasina, also Leader of the House, said, “Who will be able to implement it if we (AL) don’t come (to power again)?”

“Show me a person who will be able to do it. Show me a person who will work selflessly for the country. If you show me such leadership, I have no objection.”

The prime minister told the country’s people that since you voted Awami League to power time and again, “the AL government has brought Bangladesh on the development track as it has been able to serve the country.”

The AL government has been able to reduce the poverty rate significantly and today the unemployment rate stands only 3 per cent, she added.

“Bangladesh will never lag behind, rather it will continue marching,” she said, adding, “Insha Allah, the Bangalee nation will stand head high in the world as a developing country.”

Mentioning that Bangladesh’s founding father Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has given us this country, Sheikh Hasina said, “Our goal is to make this country prosperous. Today, we’ve come a long way and we will continue it”.

Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal unveiled Tk 761,785-crore (over 7.61 trillion) national budget for the FY 2023-24 in parliament on 1 June.

Sheikh Hasina said that the goal of her government is to make the country self-reliant economically and pull Bangladesh ahead as it is a victorious nation.

“We want to stand on our feet. We don’t want to be dependent on someone. We don’t want to beg. We want to carry our heads high as a self-respecting nation,” she added.

Overcoming so many obstacles, so much opposition, so much criticism and so many things which are happening regularly, she said, “We (AL government) are taking proper measures to keep the wheels of our economy running”.

If there had not been the Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh could have gone so far on its development journey, she added.

Sheikh Hasina, however, said there is nothing to fear as it is normal that problems come from time to time. “Don’t be upset seeing problems rather it has to be faced. We hear many things that the government will be overthrown today and other things will be done tomorrow,” she added.

Slamming the critics of the national budget, she said many people have called this budget as ambitious or un-implementable which they have been saying always.

Besides, some people are there who always show a negative attitude and they see nothing positive, which is the most unfortunate thing for the country, she observed.

The head of government further said they (critics) perhaps never went to the rural areas where the poverty rate declined largely than the urban areas. There is no such suffering among the rural people, she added.

She continued that Bangladesh has been able to witness massive progress as stability has been prevailing in the country for the last 14 and half years.

The government has been able to place a record budget of Tk 761,785 crore amid the tough time around the world, which emerged due to aftermaths of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war, she added.

“When the economies of many developed countries are struggling, we’ve been able to give this huge budget,” she said.

Talking about the budget deficit, the prime minister said her government keeps the budget deficit within 5-5.5 per cent every year. “This time also the budget deficit has been kept within 5 per cent and there is nothing to worry about,” she said.

About the target of 7.5 per cent growth rate in the budget, she said this target can be achieved.

Sheikh Hasina expected the universal pension scheme can be introduced within the upcoming FY24.

The prime minister, in her speech, gave instructions to finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal to take measures to consider paying 5 per cent of the basic salary of government employees as a special incentive.

“I request the finance minister to consider paying 5 per cent of the basic salary as a special salary of the government employees during this emergency. I hope the Honorable Finance Minister will accept this matter. We will give them 5 per cent of the basic salary as a special incentive,” she said.

In her speech, Sheikh Hasina also elaborately highlighted various steps taken by the government to control inflation and raised her government’s development successes in different sectors.