Dear leaders,
We are very much appreciative of the way you are showing your love for your country, which we mistakenly thought was ours. We have been watching this love affair of yours and the efforts you are making for the betterment of your country.
Should we stop the “pilgrimage tourism”, things like Biswa Ijtema? This is a country where some very poor people set up their businesses, and those events are their only sources of income. Many have saved up for a whole year, and for some, it is all they have to support their families. Can we afford to hurt them?
Should we suggest that our people stop going abroad for their treatment when they get sick? Many may no longer be able to afford it.
Should we shut down all of our travel agencies in Bangladesh? Should we shut down our airlines and businesses? Should we stop doing business with those who are still buying our garments and making foreign direct investments?
Or, should we suggest all of our stakeholders stay on the safe side while running their businesses free from interruptions, in a way they can manage?
Dhaka is agitated today. It will probably be agitated tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow in some way or other. Can’t we then invite our guests to come over to Khaliajuri Haor or the Sundarbans for a cruise so that they may enjoy our flora and fauna?
So that they may see our village life and culture in a place where there is no sign of hartals and no processions? Where there are no bombs, as they ride on a luxurious boat?
Politics and businesses are totally different things. You have to be a rationalist to understand that. You have to think of all the alternatives for all kinds of hazards, mitigations and adaptations.
If it becomes impossible to come to Dhaka for the quality control of apparels for a foreigner, then we may have to take our samples to Yangon or Kolkata or somewhere else, like we once sent our jute and tea products to England. Buyers chose it, liked it, bought it.
Yes, as I’m a Bangladeshi, I am anxious too. My anxiety is no less than that of anyone else, because I have two kids. They are going to school, or preparing to sit for exams. But if we mix up all our different issues, our problems will only get worse.
We have developed our agricultural systems before. We have developed our garment sector in Bangladesh despite a similar political atmosphere. We have improved our healthcare system. We are a polio free nation which is something to be proud of.
We brought down our poverty rate by 25% since 1990, and our per capita GDP has doubled from 1975 levels. We are gradually decreasing our dependence on foreign grants and loans from 85% in 1988 to only 2% in 2010 for the national development budget.
Our per capita income as of 2013 is US$1,044 compared to the world average of $8,985. In December 2005, the Central Bank of Bangladesh projected a GDP growth of around 6.5%.
We have shown dramatic increases in foreign direct investment which has helped our economic growth. We have set up several export processing zones to attract foreign investment.
The situation of our country isn’t a dalliance of ruin, rather the pain of the bleeding. I am sorry for my comments but I could not resist writing this.
Love for one’s own country is an excellent thing, and the profession of politics is honourable. But our kind of unilateral wisdom and love for the country may not be in the interest of the big picture.
