Joy Bangla slogan a message to world not to bow heads down: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday that her government has made the 'Joy Bangla' as the national slogan of Bangladesh to send a message to the world people that the Bangalees wouldn't bow down their heads, describing the slogan as an element of achieving everything that included the country's independence.

"We want to send a message to the world's people through making the Joy Bangla slogan as the national slogan of Bangladesh that we are a victorious nation, we have achieved victory. We don't bow our heads down and we won't do that. Each of the Bangalee where they will move across the globe while keeping their heads high," she said.

She said this while opening the Joy Bangla festival as the chief guest organised by the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) marking the "Joy Bangla (Victory of Bengal)" slogan as a national slogan of Bangladesh at the Hotel Continental and Banani in the capital yesterday evening.

Joining the programme virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence, the prime minister also said that the Joy Bangla slogan is the slogan of the struggle for independence and Liberation War, achieving everything and for self-sacrifice.

"We have achieved victory during the War of Liberation in 1971 through the slogan," she said.

The prime minister also unveiled a book titled "Muktigantha Sheikh Mujib" and launched seven patriotic songs in the programme.

On 20 February, 2022 the cabinet division decided to make Joy Bangla as the national slogan of Bangladesh while the government had issued a notification to this end on 2 March last.

PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman spoke on the occasion as the special guest while Chairman of the BAB and EXIM Bank Ltd Md Nazrul Islam Mazumder gave a welcome address.

PM credits specific plan, continuation of govt for development

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the country's desired advancement has become possible as her government has been working for development of different sectors in a planned way since it assumed power in 2009.

"Today's achievement (becoming a developing nation) has been possible for the continuation of the present government following the democratic process," she said.

The prime minister said this yesterday while exchanging views with editors, Philip Auers wald and lqbal Z Quadir, of a journal "Innovations (Technology, Governance and Globalisation)" published by MIT Press after receiving the Volume 13, Issue 1-2, titled "Bangladesh at 50" at her official Ganabhaban residence.

"The Father of the Nation (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) had a dream to give the people of the country a developed and prosperous life and people will live in peace. But, Bangabandhu along with most of his family members were assassinated before completion of his desired tasks," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said she has been working tirelessly to complete the unfinished works of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and she expects nothing for that, according to a press release of PMO's press wing.

The issue of the Innovations journal was published marking 50 years of Bangladesh's independence in which a write-up titled "Striving to Realize the Ideals of My Father" of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also published.

In the article, the premier penned down the background of the Bangladesh independent struggle, Liberation War, Bangabandhu's initiatives to reorganise a war-ravaged country, his days of forced exile, his return home and development of various sectors including agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and ICT during her government tenure in 1996-2001 and till the date since 2009.

 Besides, the journal also incorporated articles written by seven eminent personalities including Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, Kaushik Basu.

The unimaginable development of Bangladesh carried out by the Awami League government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the last 13 years were described in the issue.

The editors of the journal requested the Prime Minister to write an article on her experience of joining the climate change discussion and facing natural calamities in the homeland due to the adverse impact of the climate change.

Trustee of Awami League's research wing Centre for Research and Information (CRI) and Bangabandhu's grandson Radwan Mujib Siddiq, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, PMO Secretary Tofazzel Hossain Miah and PM's Speech Writer Md Nazrul Islam were present on the occasion.