We are pledge-bound to ensure rights of women, children

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday made a fervent appeal to all to make highest sacrifice and dedication to turn the earth into a peaceful and happy abode for the new and coming generations, reports BSS.

In a message for the children on the eve of the new millennium, the prime minister said, "Let us take pledges to sacrifice our present for a bright future for the children." Quoting poet Sukanta, the prime minister said, let our pledge at the onset of the new century be to work for tuning this earth into a suitable habitation for the coming generations.

The message of the prime minister was simultaneously telecast by Bangladesh Television and broadcast by Bangladesh Betar at the zero hours yesterday.

While conveying her best wishes to the children and all mankind, the prime minister hoped that the world in the new millennium would be a place of unanimity, fellow feeling, innovation, progress and creativity.

The prime minister noted with deep satisfaction that the outgoing millennium had blessed us with a number of glorious achievements in our national life including attaining our independence. Besides, the nation had also come out of imperial and colonial subjugation in the 20th century.

She said that one of our best achievements in the outgoing millennium was the heroic struggle of the great sons of our soil who sacrificed their lives for the dignity of our mother tongue. "Today we are a proud nation as we have been recognised by the international community and UNESCO has declared the 21st of February as International Mother Language Day.

The prime minister said that in the last century the people of Bangladesh had unitedly fought the War of Liberation under the guidance and leadership of our great leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. At the same time she painfully remembered that the Father of the Nation was assassinated along with most of his family members by the heinous killers and later the people's right to food and vote was also denied.

The prime minister said that in this century yet again we re-established people's right of franchise through a long and arduous struggle and now we are engaged in ensuring people's right to food.

While advising the children to devote themselves to acquisition of education, knowledge and wisdom, the prime minister pledged to take the best possible endeavours for making their future descent, beautiful and prosperous.

"We want to establish the truth in the new century that man is supreme," the prime minister said.

Highlighting the mission and vision of her government for the new millennium, the prime minister said that in this new century no children will be deprived of their rights and none would be left without shelter. "We want to establish such a society where there will be no more rattling of weapons," she said adding that rather the wealth spent behind arsenals and guns must be diverted for the eradication of poverty and wellbeing of mankind.

The prime minister said we are pledge-bound to ensure safety and security of the children and women and to protect their rights and dignity. "We want to successfully use modern science and technology to build a prosperous nation free of poverty and hunger.

"We like to see a conflict-free peaceful world and are making allout efforts towards that end," she said.