Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on the country’s youth to take responsibility for rebuilding the nation, saying no one can stop them if they unite with that goal.
Referring to the events of August 5, 2024, he said the youth had already demonstrated their ability to bring about change by ousting the “fascist regime”.
“We must build this nation. Therefore, the responsibility of rebuilding the state rests with the youth. Everyone must unite to build a clean and tidy country,” he said.
The prime minister made the remarks on Saturday morning while addressing the inauguration of a nationwide three-month dengue prevention and control campaign at the South Plaza of the National Parliament House.
“I seek your assistance. To the best of my knowledge, there are approximately 2.3 million Scouts and 22,000 BNCC members in Bangladesh,” he said.
“Furthermore, excluding primary schools and madrasas, the number of students in high schools, madrasas, colleges and universities across the country is around 15 million. Including primary schools and madrasas, the total reaches 25 million.”
He said the large youth population could play a significant role in transforming the country.
“If such a vast youth population wants to transform the country, it is entirely possible. The youth demonstrated to the entire world on August 5, 2024, that they are capable of bringing about change,” Tarique said.
“The youth initiated that change. So, let us unite here today with the resolve to tackle the dengue problem over the next three months. We may not achieve 100% success, but we can certainly achieve at least 80%.”
The prime minister said the responsibility of rebuilding the country now rests with the youth.
“With so many of us, if we truly wish to rebuild the nation, can anyone stop us? No one can. Now, the responsibility of building the country rests with you,” he said.
He also called for a nationwide cleanliness drive.
“We have gathered here today—thousands of us in this field, and millions more across every district of the country—united by a single goal: to clean our nation and strive to make it free of waste,” he said.
Local Government Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Dhaka South City Administrator Abdus Salam and Dhaka North City Administrator Shafiqul Alam Khan Milton also spoke at the event.
After inaugurating the campaign, the prime minister visited various stalls dedicated to dengue awareness.
