President, PM issue messages on Rokeya Day

646

DHAKA, Dec 8, 2020 (BSS) – President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina today issued separate messages on the occasion
of Begum Rokeya Day.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid said Begum Rokeya had made a
significant contribution to illuminating the deprived and neglected
women in the light of education by breaking the shackles of the
superstitious, backward and conservative society of the nineteenth
century.

“She was a social reformer, a woman researcher, a progressive
thinker and a liberal humanist,” he said.

The President said Begum Rokeya was able to realise with foresight
that education and self-reliance were very important in improving the
lack of women.

Overcoming the adverse thoughts of society, Rokeya played her role
as a social reformer for the development of women education, he said.

Abdul Hamid said today the women have made a wonderful progress in
every field of development in the way she had shown.

Noting that it is quite impossible to ensure sustainable development
without equal participation of men and women, he said, the government
under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working
sincerely for women empowerment by involving them in the country’s
overall development activities.

Showing respect to Begum Rokeya, the President urged all to come
forward to establish a non-discriminatory society by implementing her
dream.

In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she is happy to
know that Begum Rokeya Day-2020 is being celebrated to commemorate the
contribution of Begum Rokeya, a pioneer of Bengali women’s education,
a social reformer and a litterateur.

Paying homage to the social reformer, the premier said Begum Rokeya
is not only a name but also an institution of women education.

She said Rokeya hit the root of unjust and discriminatory attitude
of the society shown towards women through her sharp writing.

Sheikh Hasina said Begum Rokeya raised voice about the need for
women education and building an equality-base society between men and
women through her essays, stories and novels.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had said
women have the equal rights like men and that in politics too, she
added.

The premier said the Awami League believes in secularism and it also
believes in equal rights for men and women.

The President and the Prime Minister congratulated the winners of
the ‘Begum Rokeya Padak-2020’ for their unique contribution to the
development of women and society.