A wishlist for 2019

The country saw a general election on the penultimate day of 2018 that resulted in a landslide result for the AL-led alliance. People left the capital city in droves to cast their votes since the chance to exercise their franchise had arrived after a decade. The capital wore a deserted and somewhat eerie look.

Now that there will be a new government in power, albeit the old alliance at the helm, it is time to look forward to the commitments made during the campaign. The people have been promised unprecedented development of the economy through the many megaprojects already underway, a relentless war on drugs and against corruption. While that is all very good, a leash must be put on the time and cost overruns in megaprojects.

We look forward to a lessening of violence in society and take heart from a recent statement made by Awami League's general secretary that political revenge will not be tolerated. That is the right attitude because Bangladesh belongs to all its 18 crore people and although there will always be divergence of opinion in politics, it can only be hoped that the winning party will show the way through magnanimous behaviour. It is our hope that there would be more tolerance for dissent and space for the opposition would be opened up.

There is much to look forward to in other fields too. The economic gains of the past decade cannot be denied. The GDP growth rate today stands at 7.8 percent and Bangladesh has emerged as the second largest exporter of readymade apparels in the world. Other sectors of the economy like pharmaceuticals are coming of age and only if peace is ensured can we look forward to further economic progress. But progress and development must find equitable distribution, and the rich-poor gap should be brought down further.