There is little doubt that Bangladesh is a success story as far as development is concerned; over the past 15 years, we have more than quadrupled our per capita GDP and middle income status as an economy is only a few years away.However, for any nation to be considered progressive and truly on the path to development, GDP numbers are never a sufficient indicator.
To that end, the recent High Court order that a person's mother or official guardian's name can be added to any government official documents if that individual does not have a father or wishes to not add their name from now on is heartening, and are the sort of laws that we expect to be enacted in a nation looking to become more than just affluent.
Indeed, it is a shame that many of our laws date back to colonial times, while many recent laws enacted have left a lot to be desired, arguably setting us back instead of enhancing our reputation for being a paragon of forward-thinking nation.
While it is a shame that it took this long for such a law to come into our legal lexicon -- the verdict came following a 2007 incident where the Rajshahi Board of Education refused to give the admit card to a Thakurgaon SSC candidate, as she could not fill in the father's name as required in the student information form -- there is hope that this is the first step to us recognizing the many retrograde laws that continue to persist in the country.
If Bangladesh is to truly become a prosperous and equitable nation in the next two decades, then it is imperative that its laws align with its ambitions instead of taking us further back.
