Independence Day
The observance of Independence Day this year as in any other year is an opportunity for the Bengali nation to retrace its steps into that annus mirabilis of 1971, for the particular reason that the year remains symbolic of all our dreams about our future. Thirty nine years after the formal declaration of Bangladesh's independence, it is for us to recapitulate an era that was to push us into unmitigated tragedy caused by Pakistan's initiation of genocide and eventually on to a sun-dappled dawn of freedom nine months later. This morning, we pay tribute to the people of Bangladesh, to the Mukti Bahini and indeed to the leadership of the time for the steadfastness of purpose they demonstrated in the face of the terror typified by the Pakistan occupation army. The three million Bengalis who died in order for us to live and thrive in freedom will always have our undying gratitude. The two hundred thousand Bengali women who went through unspeakable agony at the hands of the occupation forces will be the repository of our enduring respect.
We recall today the spirit that led us to war in the defence of our national self-esteem and political integrity. It was our goal to forge out of the crucible of war a nation-state which would be underpinned by a guarantee of democracy and rule of law. Today, that goal remains as pronounced as ever, given that in nearly four decades since we hit the road to armed struggle the idealism we started off with has not yet been achieved to our satisfaction. In 1971, the objective was to ensure a decent, good life for every Bengali through providing for the basic means of sustenance for the individual and for the collective body of citizens. A very significant premise of the armed struggle, preceded as it was by a long constitutional quest for autonomy, was geared to a bridging of the gap between rich and poor. Today that need remains as glaring as it was back then. That we as a nation are called upon to guarantee the dignity of the individual, for such dignity in turn adds substance to the life force of a nation, is a task to the attainment of which we must renew ourselves today. The old idealism, based as it was on pristine old-fashioned values around which our cultural heritage and political traditions were woven, must today be restored through enlightened politics in the country. And that calls for the emergence of political leadership whose understanding of national priorities and grasp of global realities will be pivotal in a shaping of our responses to the many questions we face today.
Let an old pledge be renewed today: as we step into the fortieth year of our sovereign nationhood, it is of crucial and critical importance that the toiling masses of Bangladesh form the centerpiece of all that we do. It was so back in 1971. It ought to be so in these more difficult times.
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