Hasina’s US visit: A success story

Akhter Ahmed Khan

Vincit Omnia Veritas in Latin means truth conquers everything.  In the light of this aphorism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to the UN can be interpreted. For her the trip was virtually veni vidi vici - I came, I saw, I conquered. Sheikh Hsina's UN visit turned out to be a remarkable experience for many, who attended the 64th United Nations General Assembly on 26 September, 2009. In Bangladesh, the people were jubilant watching the TV footage of the Prime Minister addressing the august audience in Bangla.

In the beginning of her speech at the UNGA, Sheikh Hasina said: Thirty five years ago, the Father of the Nation and my father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman, in his first address to the UN General Assembly from this rostrum, expressed his gratitude to all who supported our struggle for independence, and declared his commitment to democracy, good governance, human rights and rule of law.  It is also my proud honour to extend the same commitment here today on behalf of our country.
 When the Prime Minister started giving her speech in Bangla, the floor broke into thunderous applause.

It was also a solemn moment reincarnating a historic past.  The founding father of Bangladesh and its legendary leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman  first addressed the UNGA in Bangla bringing forth our mother tongue to the world arena after Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore.  From the rostrum of the UNGA, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his epoch-making speech that had enormous appeal to the heads of state, government and delegates in favour of the newly independent country. 

The Prime Minister's speech was a historical re-enactment of the spirit to uphold the nation's beloved mother tongue - Bangla.  The tone and tenor of her speech seemed a little different from the one by her illustrious father. But the underlying resemblance in terms of thought and spirit was fairly evident.

As a conceptual sculptor of the correlation between the past and the present, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tried to mould the world opinion in favour of her country with the help of a highly articulate and informative speech.  Her commitment to building a new prosperous and Digital Bangladesh was crystal clear.  She put forward a critical link between the global concerns and the readiness of Bangladesh to help aid the world body.

Witnessing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's address to the UN, it was clear to all that behind her ability to steer the nation in a dignified way lies a steady resolve and she is determined to keep her momentum.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh had been ruled by dictators and quasi-dictators since the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 18 members of her family on 15 August 1975.  Barring a period in the 90s, the country continued to suffer from unconstitutional rule, particularly in the immediate past years. 
In her historic speech to the UN, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina dealt with each issue the country was confronting.  She mentioned the universally acclaimed free, fair and credible election which was held under the supervision of UN and international observers, which has heralded democracy in Bangladesh and other issues including  education, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), removal of gender disparity, Food for Education / Cash for Education programmes, health, social safety programmes, Ashrayan or homes on government land for homeless people, initiative to provide employment to at least one member of each family, food security, climate change, support to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's proposal for compensation to climate change-affected countries including Bangladesh, need for restructuring of global financial and economic system after the recession, fiscal stimulus packages, adverse affects of economic meltdown on employment opportunities, Bangladesh's contribution to the UN peacekeeping and International Mother Language Day.

The speech could attract the rapt attention of all the heads of state and government as well as the dignitaries present.

"Over the past seven years things have been looking up for the effort to recover from a vicious circle of misgovernance and corruption. In the present Bangladesh, a prospect of overall wellbeing was lurking in the horizon.  And she tried to get global attention to pursue her goals to transform the country into 'Sonar Bangla' as envisioned by the Father of the Nation," said a former World Bank employee. 

It was a remarkable speech which intertwined the sense of the ground reality in her country with that of the world that was still grappling with the after-effects of recession, said a former diplomat. 

The speech was enlivened by her great sense of humour and wit. It earned her widespread admiration, observed another dignitary.

This was a memorable experience for all, especially the Bangladeshi diaspora in the US.

A UN official sitting beside this writer at the UNGA said, "you must be very excited because your country has been able to attract so much global attention."

The talks about the speech spread all over and the issue overshadowed every topic.  Even some diehard opposition party supporters dropped broad positive hints about the speech.    The speech has upheld her standing with other heads of state and government.  The deep relevance to ground reality made the speech so much celebrated.
In another event it was a rare spectacle which rekindled a deep sense of national dignity in the minds of the people of Bangladesh.  It took place at the first encounter of the Bangladesh Prime Minister with the new US President Barack Obama.  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sat just beside the US President and exchanged views in a very cordial atmosphere.  President Obama was so cordial that he poured water into the Prime Minister's glass.  The Prime Minister invited the US President to visit Bangladesh and he accepted the invitation. She met President Obama twice in the visit.

The significant interactions between the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the President of the US not only heralded a positive atmosphere for future dealings, it also paved the way for bringing positive changes to the lives of millions of people in Bangladesh.  The strengthening of democratic institutions in Bangladesh would largely depend on future follow-ups through building stronger ties with the US.  The US Embassy in Dhaka can play a vital role in this regard.

The Prime Minister asked the foreign investors to invest in Bangladesh taking the advantage of the favourable investment environment prevailing in the country at the 2009 Global Investment Summit at Hotel Grand Hyatt in New York. Bangladesh ranks 3rd among the South Asian countries for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow for 2008. The investment has crossed one billion dollar this year, she added.

Sheikh Hasina underlined the need for introducing fair and equitable 'food governance at to ensure easy access of vulnerable and marginalised groups to requisite quantum of food. She took part in a meeting participated by UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

 The Prime Minister also asked the US investors to consider Bangladesh as their next Asian destination, saying that her country's economy proved shock-resistant amid global recession.  She assured the investors of her government's full welcome and support at the seminar on 'Why Bangladesh is an Attractive Investment Destination' and the 2009  Bangladesh Investment Summit at Hotel Grand Hyatt in New York.  IT Adviser to Sheikh Hasina Sajeeb Wazed took part in both the investment promotion programmes. 
On the sidelines of the UNGA, the Prime Minister held meetings with heads of government of several countries and organisational chiefs. "It was a time for her to spell out her own vision and she did it like an efficient statesman.  In her all speeches she used the full power of her rhetoric to convince the dignitaries that Bangladesh is a nation engaged in global peace making while bracing itself to take full responsibility for its own destiny", said an observer at the end of her visit.

She emerged stronger on a massive mandate earned through the landslide victory in the credible, fair and internationally accepted election, she added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's speeches on each occasion were well rendered, presented with non-stop verve with a wealth of incisiveness and well-chosen words.  She was very successful in her deliberations to project, protect and promote the interest of her country.

At the end of the day one must say that the US visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was very successful in every sense of the term. It enhanced Bangladesh's image and created a sense of greater understanding of the country in the community of nations which would empower the leadership to reach their goals in the future.

She pledged additional peacekeeping missions as President Obama said Bangladesh Blue Helmets not only enhanced the prestige of their country but also the honour of the United Nations. At a summit meeting on UN peacekeeping hosted by the US President , the Prime Minister said, "we are a peace-loving nation and we are committed to global peace."

(The writer is Minister (Press) at the Embassy of Bangladesh, Washington DC.)