The new year is finally upon us.
With the upcoming general elections mere days away, our political leaders should take this opportunity to set aside their differences and make a renewed commitment to a brand of politics that prioritizes being constructive over being destructive. After all, blockades and strikes achieve nothing but exerting a severe toll on the country and on our economy; which is why it is in the wider interests of the people that disagreements between our major political parties finally see an end in the spirit of hope that each successive year ushers in.
As a country Bangladesh has proven time and again that it possesses the gumption and the resilience to overcome any and all challenges -- from our continued commitment to sheltering the million-plus Rohingya refugees until and unless safe and voluntary repatriation was ensured by Myanmar, to the completion of several, ambitious mega projects which seek to bolster our national infrastructure.
Bangladesh has been on the ascent for the past decade, and, as has been proven in recent years, its momentum can only be tempered by forces outside our control. Which means that, now more than ever, Bangladesh needs to step up and present itself as the global citizen it is -- when it comes to matters of global import, our country needs to make sure it is on the right side of history, as we have proven with our place in the war against the global climate crisis.
However, the past year has also seen its fair share of tragedies, such as our nation’s continued struggle with dengue reaching a crescendo with the highest death toll from the disease in our history, while problems such as fatalities from road accidents and a number of high profile fires still equating to human life being nothing more than a commodity to be sacrificed at the altar of corruption and impunity.
This new year, then, gives us a chance to wipe the slate clean, and a good place to start would be, once again with our political leaders prioritizing the people over party.
Dhaka Tribune wishes all of its readers a very happy new year.
