With poison of development, country is in the red: BNP MP Rumeen
In the last one decade, a ‘development first, then democracy’ motto has been introduced in the very country that became independent protesting the violation of democracy
For the last few years, Bangladesh has been in the red or at the lowest end of various indices, including human rights, human development, and education, said BNP lawmaker Rumeen Farhana.
"The poison of development has painted the country into the red," she said, addressing a parliament session on Thursday.
She said the declaration of independence of Bangladesh clearly states, "We are declaring Bangladesh a sovereign people's republic for the purpose of establishing equality, human dignity, and social justice for the people of Bangladesh."
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She said, "The only motto of independence should be electoral democracy. During the last one decade, the 'development first, then democracy' motto has been introduced in the very country that became independent protesting the violation of democracy.
"The poison of development has painted the country into the red."
Rumeen said Bangladesh cannot access the Millennium Challenge Corporation fund for several years, as it scored low on 16 indicators, including control of corruption, right to information, freedom of expression, the rule of law, and justice for all.
"The state-sponsored destruction of the electoral system, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, repression of the opposition, subordination of the judiciary to the executive branch, and heinous corruption are all indicators of poor democratic governance mentioned in the report," the BNP lawmaker added.
