A Correspondent:
New York: BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has praised Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, saying he saw in his words the reflection of late President Ziaur Rahman’s dream of a democratic, developed and corruption-free Bangladesh.
“Two days ago, at a US-Bangladesh business forum, when our respected and globally respected Profes-sor Yunus was speaking, I repeatedly felt as if I was listening to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of our country’s independence,” he said.
Speaking at the NRB Connect Day in New York on Saturday evening (US time), Fakhrul said late Pres-ident Ziaur Rahman, also the founder of BNP, always dreamt of building a democratic, prosperous and corruption-free Bangladesh. “All of those words seemed to come out through Professor Yunus’ speech on that day.”
“One thing we must always remember is that we have to dream. The dreams that Professor Yunus has envisioned must be carried forward, and I believe we will also be able to move ahead with the dreams that Tarique Rahman has envisioned. What we need most is political commitment — we must have that trust and determination within us,” the BNP leader told his audience.
He hailed the contributions of Bangladeshis living abroad, including those in the Middle East, and wom-en in the garment sector, for supporting the development of Bangladesh.
Fakhrul reminded that it was Ziaur Rahman who explored overseas labour markets by sending Bangla-deshi workers to the Middle East and also opened a new chapter by developing the garment sector, creat-ing jobs for many women.
He said it was also Zia who moved the country from a one-party system to a multi-party democracy and ensured a free society, free flow of information, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. “Even yesterday, our young leader, Tarique Rahman, has come forward with new ideas for building the state through his 31-point programme.”
The BNP leader said those from the older generation had already fought many battles — first in the Lib-eration War and later in the struggle for democracy — and now the young generation needs to play their part in building a new and prosperous Bangladesh.
He said the previous Awami League regime destroyed the trust of people and turned the country into a heap of ruin.
Fakhrul said he believes that struggle and resistance are inherent in the people of Bangladesh, and that they always know how to unite in times of danger or crisis — something they already proved in July last year.
