DHAKA, Jan 4, 2018 (BSS) – The Victory Day for Democracy will be observed tomorrow across the country amid different programmes marking the January 5 election in 2014 as it helped continue the democratic and constitutional process.
Awami League (AL), the party which successfully led the nation’s War of Liberation, won the 10th Jatiya Sangsad elections on that day, defeating all conspiracies and overcoming all barriers, and formed the government for the third time.
“Democracy in Bangladesh achieved victory through the January 5 election. If the election was not held on that day, martial law would have been imposed,” AL Presidium Member and Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim told BSS.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had brought democracy on that day in the country overcoming all conspiracies and impediments. “That is why we observe Victory Day for Democracy on January 5,” he added.
Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif said the government has ensured the people’s democratic rights. “Any scope of taking over power unconstitutionally has been stopped through the election and it ensured the process that elected persons would run the country,” he added.
He said BNP controlled by Jamaat-Shibir wanted to grab power in an unconstitutional way. BNP along with anti-liberation forces wanted to push the country towards the darkness but the people will never allow them to do that, he added.
According to Awami League leaders, the January 5 election is milestone to the progress of the country as it eased the way of completing the trial of crimes against humanity, and different mega development projects like Padma Bridge, metro rail, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Power Plant, Karnafully tunnel, Payra Seaport, Sonadia deep seaport, Railway project from Dohajari to Cox’s Bazar via Ramu and from Ramu to Gumdum, and 100 special economic zones.
Awami League and other pro-liberation political parties and social organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes to observe the day in a befitting manner across the country. The programmes include holding rallies and processions at district, city and upazila levels.
As part of the central programmes, AL Dhaka North unit will organize a rally and a victory procession in Gulshan- Banani area at 3 pm while AL Dhaka South unit will hold identical programmes at Bangabandhu Avenue.
In a statement, AL General Secretary and Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader called upon all units of the party and associated organizations to observe all programmes of the day.
He also urged the people of all strata to celebrate the Day of Victory for Democracy in a festive environment.
Earlier, on June 30 in 2011, the 15th Amendment Bill was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad repealing the provision for caretaker of government. The then main opposition BNP and its allies launched a movement demanding that the provision of the caretaker government during the polls be reinstated.
Centring the January 5 national polls of 2014, the BNP-Jamaat combine created unprecedented anarchy throughout the country unleashing vandalism, destruction, killing, subversive acts in the name of non-stop siege and hartal programmes.
In a bid to thwart the national polls, the BNP-Jamaat alliance with anti-liberation forces created panic by killing people, setting ablaze buses-trains, derailing trains by removing fish plates while its armed cadres set ablaze 111 polling centres, chopped off a polling officer and few other poll officials, snatched away election materials, blasted petrol bombs a day before the polls.
But braving intimidation and threat on their lives, some 42 percent people exercised their franchise in the polls to the 10th Jatiya Sangsad for the sake of continuation of the constitutional democratic practice in the country. The BNP-Jamaat combine wanted to jeopardise the national polls unleashing terrorism, intimidation and widespread anarchy ostensibly for installing another 1/11 like undemocratic government.
Facing a stiff challenge and widespread anarchy, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina restored peace with improvement of law and order across the country through holding of the national polls that cleared the way for continuation of democracy.
Awami League bagged 234 seats in the JS polls, Jatiya Party (Ershad) got 34 seats and Awami League’s allies like Workers Party secured six seats while Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) won five seats and constituted the Awami League-led alliance government on January 12 in 2014.
In the last nine years of the incumbent Awami League led government, Bangladesh saw a huge development and progress in every sector including, health, education, power generation, infrastructural development, information and communication technology, business and commerce, poverty alleviation and creating new job opportunities.
On October 30 last year, the UNESCO recognized the landmark 7th March Speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as part of the world’s documentary heritage.
In 2016, the UN organization also recognized the traditional procession “Mangal Sobhajatra” brought out on Pohela Boishakh – the first day of the Bangla New year as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Traditional art of Shital Pati weaving of Sylhet has also been included in the Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity last year.
Of the development steps of the government in education sector, school students get new textbooks on the very first day of New Year.
Jamdani sari and hilsa gets recognition of geographical indication (GI) product of Bangladesh.