Prime Minister Tarique Rahman addressed a civic gathering at a hotel in Cox's Bazar on Saturday night. Photo: PMO

COX'S BAZAR, June 14, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said his government wants to build a better Bangladesh rather than turning the country into another Singapore or Canada.

"We often heard that Bangladesh would be turned into Singapore, or Canada, or some other country. I do not want to turn Bangladesh into anything else. I want to make Bangladesh a little better," he said.

The premier urged all to work unitedly to build a better Bangladesh, saying, "If we want to achieve that goal, it may not be possible for the government alone. We will have to do it together."

Tarique Rahman, also ruling BNP chairman, made the remarks while addressing a civic gathering at Long Beach Hotel on Saturday night.

Highlighting the need to make Cox's Bazar a clean city, he said, "When entering Cox's Bazar, I saw a large signboard that read 'The World's Longest Sandy Sea Beach'. All of you represent Cox's Bazar. If we want to properly showcase Cox's Bazar, everyone must come forward. You can develop Cox's Bazar into a clean city."

The premier continued, "Not only that, you can make Cox's Bazar a well-disciplined city where all vehicles will operate in an orderly manner, park properly and follow traffic regulations, and where people will feel safe while walking."

Questioning why Cox's Bazar did not see any development over the past 17 years, Tarique Rahman said, "Since returning to Bangladesh, I have visited different parts of the country over the last four and a half months. In many places, I felt that the projects now being discussed should have been completed long ago. But they were not done during those 17 years."

"A lot of work has accumulated. If we want to change the country, move it to a better place, and change the people's fate, we have to do a lot of work," he added.

The prime minister also spoke about plans to upgrade Cox's Bazar Airport into an international airport and establish a marine university here.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad, State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs and Land Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, members of parliament and BNP leaders were present at the event.

Prime Minister's spouse Dr Zubaida Rahman and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed's spouse Hasina Ahmed also attended the gathering.

Later, the prime minister himself drove along the Marine Drive road to inspect the area.

Tarique Rahman subsequently departed for Dhaka on a flight from Cox's Bazar Airport around 12:15 am.