A return to Bangladesh’s founding principles has helped the development of the country over the past 10 years, Bangabandhu's grandson and Centre for Research and Information (CRI) Trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq said on Sunday.
He made the remark during the online launch of policy magazine WhiteBoard.
Radwan, also the magazine's editor in chief, said the “leave no one behind” policy of the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was a policy championed by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Regarding the magazine, the editor in chief said WhiteBoard will always deliver balanced objective and clear messages to policymakers.
“WhiteBoard will create space for the brightest minds not just in Bangladesh, but also for the Bangladeshis making a difference aboard and those who are capable of guiding the country through the challenges it is dealing with,” he added.
Mentioning that youths are the driving force of the magazine, Radwan said: “We are always open to our primary audience, which is the young generation.”
Syed Mafiz Kamal, co-editor of WhiteBoard, moderated the event while Samia Huq, associate professor of the department of economics and social science of BRAC University, took part. Samia is also a member of editorial advisory board.
Nothing off the table for WhiteBoard
In the editor’s note to the magazine, Radwan wrote: “Why have we launched this new initiative? Because Bangladesh is growing rapidly and confronting new challenges, with young people at the helm. Bangladesh is set to be among the world’s top 30 economies by 2030, but there is a lack of data-driven and coherent analysis of what is happening in our country. This is where WhiteBoard steps in.
“Aimed at students and young professionals, policy-makers, and practitioners, both at home and abroad, WhiteBoard will be the go-to resource for the latest commentary on Bangladesh. We promote evidence-based analysis and incisive debate on topics ranging from the economy to gender-based violence, from tech innovation to youth employment. Nothing is off the table,” he added.
The first issue looks at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's policies that outlined the nation’s progress in the post-liberation war-torn country.
Regarding how the policies of Bangabandhu relate to the current policy landscape of Bangladesh, Radwan said the country in last 10 years went back to some of its founding principles, one of them being “friendship to all and malice to none.” This is evident in the country’s good relationships with many economic partners.
"We are launching WhiteBoard because we believe we will bring in new ideas into the policy-sphere of our country; the quality of our magazine should speak for itself," said Syed Mafiz Kamal, co-editor, WhiteBoard.
According to CRI sources, the first issue debunks the myths about Bangabandhu's administration -- created and disseminated following the assassination of Bangabandhu and 16 of his family members in 1975.
The policies and methodologies of Bangabandhu, often lost under the weight of his other charismatic accomplishments such as fiery speeches and pro-liberation leadership, deserve a chance to be heard by modern policymakers, youths. All the content developers of this magazine are endowed with a track record of possessing ample knowledge of the vision, the sources added.
Bangabandhu’s influence continues
A total of eight contributions were made to the first issue by eminent personalities including renowned economist Rehman Sobhan, humanitarian activist Julian Francis, journalist Syed Badrul Ahsan, Professor Shams Rahman and political scientist Rounaq Jahan.
In a detailed interview published in the magazine, Syed Badrul Ahsan shed light on the common misperceptions about the formation of the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL) by Bangabandhu.
“The term ‘BaKSAL’ is used in an overly critical or pejorative way but it should be described as a second revolution, as Mujib conceived of it. Mujib’s first revolution was the Liberation War and the achievement of independence in 1971. The second revolution was largely geared towards the economic emancipation of the people. That is the way he looked at it,” he said in the interview.
Recounting how Bangabandhu had to build everything from the scratch in a war-ravaged country, Julian Francis wrote: “The cost to public assets stood at USD 350 million. The challenges before Mujib were huge, especially in the early phase of the reconstruction process. The government took up this herculean task along with its development partners. It was estimated that the reintegration of refugees and the internally displaced would require the construction of 43 million houses.”
“There are many developments the youths can see today but what they do not know is that the seed of those developments was sown and nurtured by Bangabandhu and those futuristic policies have come alive through the pages of this magazine. The unveiling of this chapter is a tribute to the Father of the Nation on his birth centenary and the magazine will be a lighthouse for policymakers who will be able to model their policies on his vision,” said CRI today.
Previously scheduled for March, the month of Bangabandhu's birth, the launch of WhiteBoard was deferred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
