Bangladesh in 2021: Won or Lost?

 

Bangladesh in 2021: Won or lost?

It’s a matter of great pride that Bangladesh marks 50 years of liberation war victory. The entire nation celebrates the 50th year of independence with absolute pride and joy. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize 2020. We have lost a lot of frontliners of different levels due to Covid 19. However, a gigantic success on vaccination was observed and Bangladesh was seen in the top in South Asia in Nikkey Covid recovery ranking. Good communication indicates growth and development. Bangladesh experienced massive infrastructural development since a good number of bridges which connect different parts of the country were constructed by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.The infrastructural completion of Padma bridge was seen in 2021, which will play a great role to ensure smooth and uninterrupted communication. Bangladesh’s first overhead metro train makes a trial run in 2021. One of the most important infrastructural developments in this year is the installation of Maitree Bridge which  is a 150-meter bridge on Feni River which links Tripura in India with Chittagong port in Bangladesh. This bridge doesn’t only ensure a better and easier trade system but also assents to a strong diplomatic relation between these two neighboring countries. A better GDP, Rise per capita income by $163 and finally LDC graduation is the outcome of all these prodigious infrastructural development. LDC graduation introduces new opportunities and also stands a great barrier in different sectors. LDC graduation dictates that Bangladesh will no longer be considered as least developed country rather it will be considered as a developing country which will enhance the reputation of Bangladesh globally. This achievement highlights the growth and economic development worldwide. However, graduation will restrict some certain facilities which is a matter of worry and this will be a great threat if Post-LDC friendly policies are not initiated and maintained accurately. Bangladesh also becomes the 2nd economically free nation in South Asia which highlights the country’s strong geopolitical position and economic importance of this region. Bangladesh was seen to sign different trade agreements to ensure protracted and sustainable diplomatic relationships and a business-friendly environment and they are notably with Srilanka, Australia, Bhutan and France, which will ensure different kinds of benefits in trade and commerce.

Bangladesh also joined China-led biggest trade bloc RCEP(Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) which will enable the country to stay eligible for duty-free trade facilities in the markets of nearly one-third of the global economies after it graduates to a developing nation in 2026. 

For the very first time, Bangladesh became a lender. The central bank provided Sri Lanka with a $200m loan The largest solar plant in Bangladesh started its journey. This year, Bangladesh entered the revolutionary 5G era and also the nuclear era by building the Rooppur Nuclear Plant. Bangladesh has signed a contract for setting up the 3rd Submarine Cable. 53,340 homeless people were acquainted with new houses which is a far-reaching step to alleviate poverty and ensure quality living. Notwithstanding that, the country has suffered severe economic losses due to the pandemic, the firm determination and dedication of the authorities led the country to experience this remarkable progress.

However, there are some appalling incidents that override such progress. Lately, the US government hosted a democratic summit, where 100+ countries have been invited but there was no invitation allocated for Bangladesh which questioned the very existence of the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and the US, and also questioned the status quo of democracy. The US Department of Treasury and the Department of State imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and seven of its current and former officials on December 10 on the grounds of violation of human rights. Avalanche of forgery was seen by different e-commerce companies this year. In the last few years, 64 people lost their lives while over 150 people were injured in road accidents every day on average across the country, according to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samiti, which is indeed a matter of grave deplorable concern. A total of 43,856 people have died while 91,358 were injured in 31,793 road accidents in this time. In 2018, 7,221 died in 5,514 accidents while in 2019, 7,855 died in 5,516 accidents. 18 people were killed every day on average in road accidents in 2020. Even during the pandemic, 6,686 people lost their lives and 8,600 were injured in a total of 4,891 road accidents in 2020 in Bangladesh. In the first eight months of 2021, a total of 3,502 people were killed and 3,479 sustained injuries in 3,701 road accidents. Bangladesh ranks 106th among 183 countries for having the most road accidents. Such massive infrastructural developments become meaningless and useless when road safety is at the stake. Rape is the most growing threat and extremely violates the right to bodily integrity. The number of rape victims in the county has doubled in 2019 to that of 2018. A total of 1413 females were subjected to rape in 2019. During the pandemic, the country witnessed 1,093 rapes in the first 10 months of 2020. However in 2021,on an average 3 incidents of rape cases have been reported daily. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, at least 1,247 women were raped in the January-November period. However, it is believed that real cases are more than the reported ones. The deteriorating statistics often question the stability and efficiency of law enforcement agencies.Bangladesh experienced the highest border killing last in 2020 in  decades. However, 11 were killed and 1 was raped in the first 9 months of this 2021. The question of safety in the border areas still is very unclear. According to Amnesty International, at least 222 persons were allegedly slain by Bangladeshi security forces in extrajudicial executions in 2020, with at least 31 cases of enforced disappearance documented. According to the Bangladeshi human rights organization named Odhikar, between January and June of 2021, 16 people were forced to disappear. Good number of people have died in election-related violence during Union Parishad elections, which highly questions the efficiency of law enforcement agencies. Bangladesh has seen an extreme rise in communal attacks during Durga Puja. Bangladesh ranks 124th among 139 countries on Rule of Law. In 2020, Bangladesh was in 115th position out of 128 countries. Bangladesh is positioned at 146 among 180 countries in 2020 and also was no different in 2019 according to Transparency International Bangladesh(TIB). Bangladesh moved 4 notches up on the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2020, improving on the indicator of political culture. Bangladesh secured 76th position, among 167 countries. Bangladesh has also been considered as the 7th most vulnerable to climate change and 2nd in fossil fuel deaths. Vietnam was seen to overtake Bangladesh in the race of clothing exporting.

Amidst great wins, we experienced costly losses which are extremely difficult to afford at this point, when we have started experiencing flavours of development in different sectors. Along with building great infrastructure, the government and the countrymen altogether must work hand in glove to ensure justice,environment, business, human rights, communal harmony and most importantly living-friendly Bangladesh.