Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been reelected as the President of ruling Awami League for the 9th time.
Expressing delight and happiness, leaders and workers of Awami League, its associate bodies and student wings said Bangladesh is safe as it is in the hands of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
When the country is not in the hands of Sheikh Hasina, it will become champion in corruption again, they said adding the incidents of killings in the country will surface again, deviating from the right track if it goes to someone else’s hands. “It is safe in our leader Sheikh Hasina’s hands,” they observed.
Apart from her own party leaders and workers, people from all walks of life also congratulated Sheikh Hasina for being reelecting for the 9th time as they also believe that only Bangabandhu’s daughter can take the country forward.
Sheikh Hasina in her instant reaction, said as she has been given the responsibility of the party again, she sought supports and cooperation from party’s leaders and workers, saying she will try her level best to carry out her assigned duty properly.
She came up with this reaction at her introductory speech at the council session on the second day of the ruling Awami League’s 21st National Council held at the auditorium of Institute of Engineers.
“I desired that you (leaders and workers) would relieve me. You will have to think I am aging. I’m now 73 years old. But this time you again gave me the responsibility,” she said.
While describing ups and downs of her political journey over the last 38 years, Sheikh Hasina became emotional time and again.
“I lost all my family members except my sister in 1975 and took Awami League as my family. And Awami League leaders and workers’ love and trust are the real power to me. Besides, the people are also really my family, and they are the closest to me. I think I have only one job, to give my people a better life. A poverty-free hunger-free prosperous life,” she added.
Born on September 28, 1947 at Tungipara in Gopalganj district, Sheikh Hasina was the eldest of five children of Bangabandhu and Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa.
On May 17 in 1981, Sheikh Hasina returned home after six years of exile following the country’s saddest history of killing of Bangabandhu along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975.
In 1968, Hasina was married to eminent nuclear scientist M Wazed Miah. Together they have one son and a daughter. She graduated from Dhaka University in 1973.
According to Awami League website, Sheikh Hasina gave the nation a new vision – Vision 2021, aimed at transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country.
She also gave Bangladeshis the dream of Digital Bangladesh- an IT-based country. Four decades into independence, she has brought solace for 3 million martyrs and their families by initiating the much-awaited war crimes trial.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the country to witness the economy growing at a record pace. \
Her prudent leadership ensured the primary school enrolment rate reaching the highest it has ever been. Her visionary approaches to women empowerment earned her global acclamation.
During her first tenure, she made the peace treaty – ending decades-long conflict between indigenous people and Bengali settlers in CHT. Most importantly, she is the custodian of the spirit of 1971-Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The daughter of assassinated parents - the sister of murdered brothers, she literally turned grief into the courage to lead the country.
Following the assassination of most of her family members by a group of disgruntled army officers, she had to spend six years in exile. Her comeback, in 1981, meant the comeback of democracy, the farewell to unelected power and beginning of the national progress.
She herself survived as many as 19 murder attempts including 2004-grenade attack by militants, backed by the then BNP led government.
Elected the Prime Minister for the fourth time in 2019, she is giving her best to build a poverty and hunger-free country as envisioned by her father –the father of the nation - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.