PM urges countrymen to keep up achievement

FT ONLINE

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the countrymen to keep up the achievement dedicating Bangladesh's graduation to a developing nation to them as she was accorded a grand reception for her stewardship for the landmark development.

"This achievement has been possible as we worked together . . . it's the achievement of the people as they are the main strength (for the graduation)," she told a grand reception at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital this morning.

The premier added: "I want this achievement to continue and it is not lost in any way."

The premier congratulated the people of all classes and professions in view of the achievement as she was accorded the reception for her stewardship to Bangladesh's eligibility for graduating from the group of Least Development Countries (LDCs).

Coinciding with the reception she also opened a weeklong countrywide programme to celebrate Bangladesh's graduation.

The prime minister said the graduation proved again that people of the country could achieve everything they wanted and this achievement will have to be retained so that this journey did not stop.

Economic Relations Division organized the reception with Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith in the chair while United Nations Under Secretary General Fajita Manual Katua Utau Common spoke on the occasion.

A written message of UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner was also read out at the function where ERD Secretary Kazi Shafiqul Azam delivered the welcome address.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres , World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao, USAID administrator Mark Green and JICA president Shinichi Kitaoka have sent separate video messages on the occasion.

Ministers, premier's advisers, lawmakers, politicians, chiefs of three armed services, diplomats, representatives of development partners, business community leaders, senior journalists, educationists, writers, artistes and literatures, senior civil and military officials joined the function.

The prime minister said as a proud nation, Bangladesh wants to move keeping its head high as "we liberated the country through struggle and war . . . So why we will lag behind and why we will not stand our own feet and we've proved that we can".

She said whatever achievements the country made belonged to the people as "these achievements were not possible, unless we got their response and cooperation and they elect us to power".

The prime minister said the state power meant to her the opportunity to serve the people and "the power is not for me to enjoy luxury and change my own fate".

Sheikh Hasina, also the daughter of Bangabandhu, said her father taught her that the politics means changing the lot of the people and "we've been working with a goal so that the people stay good and this success has been possible due to it".

At the function, the finance minister handed over the letter of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of the United Nations that declared the eligibility of Bangladesh for graduating from the LDCs to the prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina also released a commemorative postage stamp issued by Bangladesh Post Office on the occasion alongside a commemorative currency note of Tk 70 denomination issued by Bangladesh Bank.

Post and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar and Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazley Kabir were present on the occasion.

Later Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim, Information Secretary Abdul Malek and Principal Information Officer Begum Kamrun Nahar handed over a photo album to the prime minister.