Initiatives Should Be Taken to Achieve Vision-2021: Bangladesh Perspective

Abstract

Present Awami league lead government ensured the ever highest majority in the parliament during last parliamentary election due to their visionary election manifesto. Vision 2021 is the most effective slogan during the election and people of Bangladesh dreamed with that vision and compare Awami League Chair person Shekh Hasina (Current Prime Minister) with the dynamic Malaysian leader Mahatheer Mohammad and his Vision 2020 in Malaysia. Mahatheer wanted to develop Malaysia within 2020 so that 1st January 2020 comes in a Developed Malaysia. Dr. Mahtheer achieved a remarkable milestone by this time and Malaysia is a rapid growing country now. As a result new generation voters believed Shekh Hasina’s word and voted in her mark without a second thought.

There were two major types of commitments in election manifesto e.g. economic agenda and political agenda. Economic agenda declared to upgrade standard of living, digitization of governance, promoting investment, and employment generation, attracting foreign investment, increasing remittances, achieving higher GDP growth and becoming a developing economy by 2021. Politically completing trial of the Bangabandhu killers, trial of war criminals (a highly controversial issue), and establishing a congenial democratic environment so that another 1/11 happened in future.

Generally economic agenda are for the mass people and political agenda are for the party itself. A very congenial environment Awami league government find in their one and half year rule, there were no hartals, no political clashes (other than some extra internal clashes in Chatra League and Jubo League), no major natural disasters. In such a good environment government is supposed to fulfill their economic agenda first then when living standard increased people being satisfy to them then political agenda fulfillment would be easier and popular. But unfortunately currently people are observing that government is fulfilling their political agenda first and they are not thinking with the economic agenda for general people. In political agenda ruling party may be benefited but what about the mass people? They are upset by the economic performance of this government during last one and half years, foreign direct investment (FDI) decreases drastically in 2009, numbers of manpower export reducing speedily, rate on local investment is decreasing, electricity load shedding reaches its ever adverse situation which resulted on water crisis in Dhaka city. So after all people are not happy on this government as a result their popularity is reducing fast. Government is active to blame previous BNP lead government for electricity condition, but how Caretaker government run the same demand with same generation by not permitting such adverse load shedding?

In such a condition government should be careful to come forward with their economic agenda implementation otherwise opposition will take a chance to increase people dissatisfaction on this government and situation may go out of government’s control. Now is the pick time to implement economic agenda of this government so that Vision – 2021 can be achieved. Otherwise it will be a black chapter for future Awami league leaders.

Now come to the points what can be done for achieving the vision. Following initiative can enhance investment and attract FDI which means increasing employment, income, savings and mass people are happy.

Keywords: Banglavedh, Vision - 2021

JEL Classification: Vision - 2021