 |
Victory Day thoughts Abdullah Shibli On a more analytical level, Victory Day is also a day of reflection for me. While I am inevitably drawn to the past, I also have so many thoughts about Bangladesh's present and hopes for its future. We, in 2010, have a very vibrant democracy with many political parties ranging the spectrum from the far left to the extreme right, and a pluralistic society with many divergent voices. We survived many jolts to our democracy since 1971 and we can truly take pride in our ability to overcome the many hurdles thrown in its way. Every Victory Day, we can rejoice in, and remember our victory at the end of a dark period over the forces of doom, hatred, and ignorance. I am also filled with a great sense of pride and self-accomplishment at the progress we have achieved in the economic front. We have achieved robust economic growth for many years in a row and have been part of a global network of nations with diversified exports and a bustling commercial sector. We have also made steady gains on the path to elimination of poverty and improving health care. As one of our iconic leaders of the post-independence era, Prof. Yunus has said, we shall show the world how to end poverty and make poverty a thing of the past. And we achieved all that by working as a nation, together and built it up from the warn-torn ravages of 1972. But we cannot rest on our laurels, yet. To quote the poet Robert Frost, “We have miles to go and promises to keep before we sleep.” We will achieve true victory only when we can claim to have eradicated poverty once and for all, removed the last vestiges of hunger, and provided an opportunity for all to work and earn a decent living. For my generation, Victory Day is sweet since we lived through the days of subjugation by the Pakistanis and the nightmarish days of the War of Liberation, torture, mass murder, and reign of terror during 1971. However, for the generation born after 1971, for whom the dark days of 1971 are something they read about in history books and in literature, the true significance of Victory Day has to be in terms of a better life, greater opportunities, and the freedom to soar into the realm of boundless possibilities. The taste of Victory Day will be so much sweeter when every citizen of this nation enjoys political freedom that is also reinforced by economic freedom. On this Victory day, I pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, driven by a dream, a passion and a mission, to break the chains of servitude, the burden of ignorance and bigotry, and to overcome the forces of darkness. If we look at the misery of the people of Pakistan today, which has been inflicted by the same forces that tried to break our will, we should feel an ecstatic sense of joy and deliverance for severing our links with that bastion of reaction, religious intolerance, and rule by force. We also should feel a deep sense of gratitude to those who were prescient enough to see the anarchy that would befall Pakistan, a state based on hatred and feudalism. I remember that in the days leading up to the Declaration of Independence, we would argue endlessly at TSC, Modhur Canteen and Sharif Mia's about strategy and tactics for breaking out of the clutches of Pakistan. Someone in this group said, “Make the sacrifice now or regret later”. We all see now how prophetic he was! I also celebrate Victory Day by looking into the future. In twenty or fifty years from today, I can see a Bangladesh which has achieved a Middle Income Country status, has successfully pushed back the scourge of global warming, and is a society where art, literature, and culture is flourishing and is the envy of the world. I dream of a country which is a powerful influence in the league of nations, providing new ideas for microcredit, use of technology, and use of renewable energy. Bangladesh will have a rid itself of corruption and cleaned up its political system, based on fair and free elections in which one's ability to influence voters is driven by one's ideas and not money. We will have a team of leaders who work for the public good and not to cling to power and make money at our expense. I dream that our great nation will be a land of “fraternite, egalite and liberte”, and populated by people who enjoy the fruits of labor without discrimination with regards to race, religion and class. On a more mundane level, I also foresee a Bangladesh where the countryside is still green and has its remaining trees standing and even expanded. Our waterways are unpolluted and our roads not clogged by dirt and traffic. We have a functioning system of transportation that does not kill people during the holiday rush and is not harsh on the poor. And finally, we all share the fruits of science and technology, economic gains, literacy, and the pristine environment equitably. |