Bangladesh tackles challenges time to time

Bangladesh, like other hard hit countries is struggling relentlessly to contain pandemic infection that has been taking high tolls daily in the country. The death toll in a single day reached record 112 on Monday (April 19, last). The number of death is likely to rise as hospitals are being studded with rising number of patients' everyday. Started in Wuhan, China in late 2019, the coronavirus pandemic unleashed its destructive second wave recently in Bangladesh threatening the country's productions and exports and also blocking the earnings of the low income group of people.

Bangladesh had to tackle two cyclones and four spells of floods that reduced agricultural harvests, and damaged infrastructures last year amid the spread of pandemic that kept everything at standstill in lockdown for more than two months. This year along with the raging pandemic, climate and weather are also not behaving favourably. Floods, draughts and cyclone may batter the country also this year. Amid the rising pandemic infections, certain political and Islamic religious groups are also launching some sporadic conspiratorial campaign to agitate people against the government, following several days of deadly mayhem in Dhaka, Chittagong, Narayanganj and Brahmanbaria from March 26 to 28 last.

On April 17 last following a wage protest by workers of an under-construction coal-based power plant at Gondamara, of Banskhali in Chittagong, villagers were instigated to attack on plant officials and police who in retaliation shot dead 5 workers. Dozens others including police were also wounded in the mayhem. In connection with the end-March Hefazat-led violence the government has started a strong reprisal recently. The violence erupted as Hefazat-e-Islam protested against the presence of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the celebrations of the golden jubilee of Bangladesh independence in Dhaka on March 26. So far several leaders of Hefazat have been arrested and police have fortified their position as a severe reprisal from the group is expected. 
Bangladesh since its birth following a nine-month long Liberation War in the Feb end of 1971, has been tackling serious challenges one after one. It has overcome every challenge it has faced. Following the victory of the nation in liberation war on December 16, 1971, anti liberation forces backed by some clandestine leftist organisations resorted to secret killings. Law enforcers also had to retaliate often in extrajudicial manner, legacy of which still continues.

The unfavourable weather-induced famine of 1974 was the first and tough challenge the country had faced. When the then government of the war-ravaged country was struggling to feed the mass, the nation saw with horror the assassination of its founder, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. Most of his family members and close relatives were also killed separately at different spots. Only two daughters of Bangabandhu survived as they were in foreign land.

The tragic assassination was followed by a series of coup and counter coup. The ultimate winners and beneficiaries of the coups ruled the country under martial law until 1979 to be followed by a military-backed quasi democracy till end 1990 managed by two notorious generals. Of them the President turned General, Ziaur Rahman was killed in an abortive coup in Chittagong on May 30, 1981, while the other  also a President turned General, Hussein Muhammad Ershad after being toppled in a mass movement, died on July 14, 2019 as an ally of the incumbent government.

During the coup and counter coup in 1975 and also in abortive and attempted coups in 1977, hundreds of soldiers were either killed in encounters,  or were executed on charges of alleged treasons. In the nine-year-long movement against the autocracy of General Ershad hundreds of democratic activists were also killed. On May 17, 1981, Sheikh Hasina, the eldest of the two surviving daughters,  returned to Bangladesh from India. She became, Chief of Awami League (AL). During the assassination of her father she along with her sister Sheikh Rehana was in Germany.  Later the sisters stayed in different countries mainly in England and India on political asylum.

After the fall or Ershad Begum Khaleda Zia led her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to power winning a credible election held under an election-time caretaker government in February 1991. On April 29, 1991, a massive cyclone hit Chittagong-Cox's Bazar cost killing some 440,000 people and property worth billions of dollar.  Due to poor cyclone preparedness Bangladesh lost a number of combat and training aircraft of Air Force, and vessels of Navy along with many merchant ships. However, a division of the US Marine Corps led by General Stack pole joined in rescue and relief operations that continued for several months saving the life of survivors in Bangladesh Remote Island and coastal belts.

In 1990s due to poverty Bangladesh could not generate adequate power and the people at different cities used to go without electricity up to 12 hours a day. In remote area electricity was seldom supplied. Demand for power rose as the new generation entrepreneurs started setting mills and factories.

In the following national election held in June 1996, Sheikh Hasina's AL-led four-party alliance won the election. The new government first focused on power generation. Despite challenges and criticism the AL government preferred to set up costly fuel-fired small power plants. Simultaneously it started trial against self confessed killers of Bangabandu and promptly arrested five killers, who thought by dint of a prevailing indemnity act enacted by General Zia-led government, no government would arrest them for killing Bangabandhu. Twelve of the killers, all former army officers, including seven absconders were ordered by the court to be hanged for killing Bangabandhu.

Five convicts who were in the jail were executed in 2010 after AL led by Sheikh Hasina has come to power for the second term in 2009. Of the seven absconded one reportedly died abroad while on run.  Of the rest one was captured from in India and was hanged in Dhaka in April last year. BNP led by Khaleda Zia again captured power again defeating its arch rival AL in the national election held in October 2001.

As the country was bedecked with alleged misrule and corruption and BNP tried to manipulate the caretaker government appointing President Iajuddin Ahmed as the chief adviser of the caretaker governments then army chief General Moin U Ahmed formed an army-backed interim government headed by former Bangladesh Bank Governor Fakhruddin Ahmed. The army-backed interim government out of its many decisions and actions did a finest job by preparing a correct voter-list deleting more than 11 million fake voters. It also set up voter's data base and issued nation identity to each voter.

The country is affected every year either by floods or cyclones. In some single years the country is often swept both by floods and cyclones.   The biggest floods ravaged the country in 1988, 1998, 2004 and the biggest cyclone hit the country in recent time were Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. As the preparedness improved with constructions of thousands of cyclone shelters in all coastal districts the casualties have come down drastically.

Since mid 2015, Bangladesh saw less political challenges including mayhem. As a result economic growth jumped up enviously for many neighbouring countries and by 2019 it was one of the few fast growing economies of the world. It is now set to be graduated to a developing country by 2026, passing out from the bracket of least developed country. But the country's growth has been pulled back recently by cononavirous pandemic since early last year.  As infection increased again in March Bangladesh imposed a weeklong lockdown from April 5, last.  The lockdown was extended for another 8 days from April 14 and another 7-day lockdown is in the offing from April 22.

Last year the government released different stimulus packages amounting to nearly Tk 1.25 trillion for different trade groups including the small and medium enterprises. There was also special allocation for poor and destitute across the country. This year the government has such plans in case the lockdown will be needed to be prolonged.  Meanwhile it has taken plan to disburse Eid tips of Tk 2,500 to each of the 35 lakh ultra poor families across the country. After the first week of slacked lockdown, police implemented a tougher and disciplined lockdown across the country, save few untoward but brief incidents.

Recent religion-political mayhem, deadly labour protest,  arrest of Islamist leaders and rising deaths from corona, have put the country in a series of challenges. It seems that government with the support of the people will be able address all one by one.
The writer Is Business Editor,
The Daily Observer