Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a blessing for Bangladesh. Long-standing poverty and starvation, wide ranging corruption and the terrorist-prone Bangladesh has already been identified as a development role model to the western world.
With a view to making Bangladesh economically prosperous, socially developed, and technologically advanced, the government of Sheikh Hasina has undertaken various short, medium and long-term plans.
She has also initiated Delta Plan 2100. Only because of Sheikh Hasina’s pragmatic and sagacious diplomacy, all the international community including the superpower and the emerging superpowers like Japan, China, Russia, India and Brazil are in competition to invest in Bangladesh.
Her timely taken decisions have saved Bangladesh for many times. That corona infection rates and death records are lower in Bangladesh compared to a number of developed nations is indeed the result of the premier's prudent governance to this end.
World leaders and various international organisations have rightly praised Sheikh Hasina for her quick and prompt action and long-term plan to quell the spread of deadly coronavirus, which has seized the world in a very short span of time.
In Bangladesh, infection rates and death records are
proportionally still lower than many other countries,
and the credit must be given to the government
for taking pragmatic steps to prevent the spread
of coronavirus. The governance of Sheikh Hasina's
government deserves kudos for its relentless efforts
to save people from the grip of the unseen enemy.
The World Economic Forum, World Health Organisation, Forbes Magazine and many global leaders have been surprised at the performances of the government of Sheikh Hasina.
Whereas developed nations with lesser population, good health facilities and best of the resources and technology have not been able to stop the spread of the disease, Bangladesh, being one of the most densely populated countries in the world, has been remarkably successful in suppressing the infection and death rate compared to many other countries.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has praised the role of Bangladesh government in taking timely steps to fight coronavirus.
The WHO was worried about the demographic situation in Bangladesh. It envisaged that the densely populated Bangladesh might have incurred a serious loss as that of US, Italy and Spain.
But in Bangladesh, the scenario is a bit different. Here infection rates and death records are proportionally still lower than many other countries, and the credit must be given to the government for taking pragmatic steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The governance of Sheikh Hasina's government deserves kudos for its relentless efforts to save people from the grip of the unseen enemy.
Under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, from top to grass-roots level of her administration have been playing an active and integrated role in fighting the worst crisis in living memory. The government has made a comprehensive list of people who will be brought under mass feeding, and it has been ensured that nobody will starve.
Forbes magazine has praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and put her in its list of successful women leadership for her sincere efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh, a country of some 161 million people, led by Sheikh Hasina, is no stranger to crises. She was quick off her feet standing up to this one, with a response the World Economic Forum called ‘admirable’,” writes Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, a contributor of the Forbes, in an article on April 22.
The American business magazine that highlighted eight women leaders also said her efforts ‘deserve to be recognised’. The article said Sheikh Hasina, the country’s longest serving Prime Minister, started evacuating Bangladeshi citizens from China in early February.
“After the first case was diagnosed in early March, she closed educational institutions and nudged all non-essential businesses to go online,” it said.
The article said Sheikh Hasina harnessed tech, installing screening devices across international airports which screened some 650,000 people (of which 37,000 were immediately quarantined), something the UK still isn’t doing.
The other women leaders the article talked about are from Singapore, Hong Kong, Nepal, Ethiopia, Namibia, Bolivia, and Georgia who showed their talents in this crisis.
“Remember their names, they are (re)shaping the future,” read the article.
The coronavirus cases stood at 5416 on Sunday after the first three cases were detected on March 8. So far, 145 patients died of the virus.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has appreciated Bangladesh’s readiness to support COVID-19 response supply chains in a letter to his counterpart Dr AK Abdul Momen.
He also praised Bangladesh’s assistance in repatriation of American citizens. Pompeo also assured to work together to combat COVID-19. Also Mike Pompeo conveyed US’s continued cooperation during this challenge.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl Miller met Dr Momen on Monday and handed over the letter at his office, the foreign ministry said.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister underscored how the economy and livelihood of Bangladeshi people are adversely affected in this COVID-19 situation, especially the country's RMG industry due to the cancellation of orders.
He asked for extending US cooperation in tackling this crisis in a unified manner. The US Ambassador assured the Bangladesh government of working together.
Dr Momen elaborated Bangladesh government’s strategies to tackle the war against COVID-19 crisis and expressed the hope to work closely with the US government in the coming days to face the global challenges.
China, South Korea, and Vietnam have demonstrated that, with furious efforts, the contagion can be brought to heel. Whether they can keep it suppressed remains to be seen.
But for Bangladesh to repeat their successes will take extraordinary levels of trust and cooperation not only from other countries but also from its citizens.
At this stage it can be hoped that with Sheikh Hasina's bold steps and necessary cooperation from citizens and other friendly countries, Bangladesh will be successful to bring the contagion to heel.
Sharif Shahab Uddin is Editor-in-Chief, Bangladesh Post.
