Staff Reporter:
BNP Acting Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday said late former Finance, Planning and Commerce Minister M. Saifur Rahman was a national asset.
“Saifur Rahman is the pride of BNP and an asset of this nation,” Rizvi said while speaking as chief guest at a discussion in memory of the late BNP leader on his 17th death anniversary. M. Saifur Rahman Memorial Council organized the program at the National Press Club yesterday.
Rizvi said, “When Saifur Rahman introduced Value Added Tax (VAT), there was widespread criti-cism from various quarters, including the Awami League. When it was introduced in 1991, there was extensive debate and criticism in the parliament. However, even after coming to power later, the Awami League couldn’t suspend or abolish the VAT system.” “It infused life into Bangladesh’s economy. This is Saifur Rahman’s contribution,” he added.
Praising Saifur Rahman’s management skills, Rizvi said, even when the BNP was in opposition, the party’s political rivals could not strongly criticize him personally regarding his stature, manage-ment capacity and economic management skills. This was because his competence and ability were well-established among the people of the country.
“Saifur Rahman was such an economic manager who didn’t allow incidents like money laundering, bank looting, or using bank funds to meet the government’s budget deficit,” he said. Rizvi noted that during Saifur’s time, banks remained transparent and budgets were formulated through tax collection.
He further said, “The subsequent 17 years were an economy of plunder, a budget of plunder. The entire country has been rendered economically empty and hollow. Plunder and money laundering have been turned into a culture of our economy.”
The veteran BNP leader said Saifur Rahman’s goal was to make individuals economically self-reliant and help them stand on their own feet. “Saifur Rahman knew how to make a person self-reliant and economically independent,” he added.
Rizvi further said that when Saifur Rahman was the Finance Minister and the BNP was in power, the stock market was not looted. “During his economic management from 1991 to 1996 and from 2001 to 2006, he took appropriate steps to prevent irregularities in the stock market.”
Rizvi continued, “Saifur Rahman used his intellect, skill, and management abilities to transform a backward and poor country into an economically self-reliant one through reforms. For this, he was also respected internationally.” The Acting Secretary General also highlighted various public wel-fare initiatives of the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
“Matters of public welfare have been emphasized in the announcements of family cards, farmer cards, expatriate cards, health cards, canal excavation programs and various social safety net initi-atives,” Rizvi said.
He expressed hope that under Tarique Rahman’s leadership, the BNP will once again lead the country towards achieving food self-sufficiency and progress towards prosperity.
“It is the expectation of the people of this country that poverty in Bangladesh will be completely eradicated and the country will become a prosperous nation.” added Rizvi.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Land M. Naser Rahman pre-sided over the event while National Parliament Whip G K Gouse was present as the special guest.
