None can pull Bangladesh backward anymore: PM

GBNEWS24 DESK//

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Bangladesh has attained an ability to advance further by competing any nation of the world and asserted that none can pull the country backward any more.

“We’re implementing 90 percent of our development projects by our own fund … now donors don’t come to give alms to us. Rather they come to provide assistance mentioning us their development partners. Because we don’t want alms to anybody,” she told a reception in Rome last night.

Awami League Italy Chapter accorded the reception to the Prime Minister at Parco dei Principi Grand Hotel & Spa.

Pointing out the construction of the Padma Bridge by the government’s own fund, the Prime Minister said: “We’ve proved that we could do any work by ourselves.”

Sheikh Hasina said the World Bank wanted to put blame on the government regarding the bridge. “I had taken it as a challenge, saying that we’ll build the bridge by our own fund and now we’re implementing the project by our money,” she said.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh earned independence through liberation war under the leadership of Bangabandhu. “So I promised that whenever we’ll come to power, we’ll build the country in such a way so that Bangladesh can move with dignity on the world stage,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina went on saying: “We can now claim that we’ve been able to bring the image of Bangladesh to that position.”

Mentioning that the country is advancing fast economically, the Prime Minister said the Father of the Nation had turned Bangladesh into a least developed country by rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

“Our government has given Bangladesh a status of a developing country from that position and we’ve to keep up the status till 2024 to transform Bangladesh into a middle income country … we’ve already attained three
criteria that are needed to achieve the target,” she said.

She added: “None can take us backward anymore and we’ll move ahead —it’s the biggest word.”

The Prime Minister said those who grabbed power illegally after the assassination of Bangabandhu were busy to change their own lot, not the change the fate of the people.

“At that time Bangladesh was known as a country of cyclone, tidal surge and famine in the world and the people of the world saw Bangladesh in the eyes of neglect during the period which was shameful and painful for us,” she said.