As we celebrate Victory Day…

As we begin the 46th year of our independence, we pay tribute to the three million Bangalis who selflessly gave up their lives during our Liberation War in return for us to have freedom, and a country of our own. We also recall with reverence the leadership provided by the founding father of this nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the four national leaders during those turbulent days when the Pakistan army, with all its might, viciously descended upon the innocent Bangalis whose only crime was to seek the most basic of human right for themselves and their progenies—the right to self-determination. And we also remember, on this day, our foreign friends, particularly India, for their support during the crucial nine months of the war.

There is much to celebrate on this day, as Bangladesh has come a long way since those days of injustice that the people of this country suffered at the hands of a foreign occupier and their racist policies. However, as we look back and commemorate, there is still much to be desired that we must continue to strive towards in the days to come.

In spite of our tremendous economic progress, the egalitarian society that our martyrs died for is yet to materialise as economic inequality, along with social and political imbalances continue to draw us back. The existing hostility towards freedom of expression and thought that is unseemly of any democratic society pose grave dangers to the dreams that gave birth to this nation. Large scale corruption, lack of political space for non-conformists and a parliament which cannot yet be said to fully represent the people are only some of the challenges that remain to be overcome. Moreover, transparency and accountability in governance are among some invaluable customs that we have not yet adopted, often leading to the triumph of greed over generosity and partisanship over meritocracy, in our society since independence.

Nevertheless, to fulfil the dreams of the martyrs of 1971 and those of our own, we must remain persistent in our efforts and unwavering in the face of the many challenges that are presently at hand, and of those to come.