Fight against corruption to continue: PM

Desk Report: Reiterating her government’s firm stance against corruption, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the government will continue its fight against graft to keep up the country’s development spree and uphold its achievements.

PM said this while exchanging views with senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on the first working day of her office at the PMO after her reelection as the prime minister for the fourth time on Sunday.

She said, “Though it’s not possible for any country to root out cent percent corruption, it’s a responsibility of our government to check corruption so that it cannot impede the uplift of the country and ruin our all successes.”

The premier continued, “Our war to stamp out terrorism, graft and narcotics will continue”.

Sheikh Hasina said once the incidents of tender hijacking took place frequently in the country. “But, we’ve been able to free the country from this curse…the success came due to the use of technology and it’s a good result of Digital Bangladesh,” she added.

Asking the public servants to give more labour for the country’s development, the prime minister said, “All will have to work hard and this labour will be an achievement of the people who are our near and dear ones”.

“We want to build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous nation…we have already got the recognition of the developing country and this achievement will have to be retained,” she said.

Extending thanks to the government officials for their cooperation, Sheikh Hasina said whenever her government came to power, it received sincere cooperation of the public servants.

“We were able to complete all the development works fast due to cooperation of all government officials and thus advanced the country rapidly,” she said.

Stressing the need for making the country self-reliant in all fields, the premier said Bangladesh will have to move keeping pace with the world.

“We shouldn’t be dependent on others….we’ll have to stand on our own feet,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina urged all to stay alert so that the anti-liberation forces never come to power. “We want that whoever comes to power they will believe in the spirit and thought of independence and the country will move ahead through it.”

She said the world people now see Bangladesh in the eyes of honour due to its tremendous development. “But, once we had to hear that Bangladesh means a country of flood, cyclone and famine, which always hurt our self-dignity…we couldn’t tolerate it,” she said.

“From that time, I took a vow that none can undermine us. We earned independence through the liberation war and we will move keeping our head high,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said, “Even Pakistani people were surprised to see our stunning development and they want their country to be developed like Bangladesh. Nothing can make you happier than such reports?”

The prime minister said those who grabbed power illegally after 1975 did not think of serving the people. “But as a political party, the Awami League think of how much work we could do for the people and whatever we did for them was because of that thinking,” she said. _BSS

risingbd/Dhaka/January 13, 2019/AKA