Make victory meaningful

Today is a day that comes with a mixed feeling. The taste of victory and joy of independence was marred, for victory came at the cost of three million lives and the dignity of thousands of our mothers and sisters. As we celebrate our triumph over the occupation force, we pay tribute to the martyrs, freedom fighters and all those who made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom. We pay homage to Bangabandhu and the four national leaders, who, inspired by Bangabandhu, led the nation to victory. We thank the present government's unflinching resolve in bringing to book many notorious war criminals.

As we celebrate our 47th Victory Day, it is also a time to look back and see how much we have done to fulfil the dreams of our martyrs. Yes, we have travelled far from when we were touted a "bottomless basket", and today this nation of more than 160 million people is self-sufficient in food. It has been elevated to second spot in manufacturing after China in the global apparels scene and Bangladesh is well on its way to graduating to a lower middle-income country.

Despite these laudable achievements, we also face challenges. Because we are a populous country, there is an ever-increasing need to create more jobs, upgrade the education system so that the workforce can be transformed from a semi-skilled to a skilled one and provide accessible healthcare for all. In terms of governance and transparency, we look forward to a peaceful and inclusive election at the end of the year resulting in a vibrant parliament that will represent all the people of this land. Only when we have achieved a society that is free of want and where everyone is equal before law and has a democratic system where voters can exercise their voting rights freely and where there is freedom of speech in the full sense of the term, will we get the true taste of victory, for which so many millions of our compatriots laid down their lives.