Sudhir Baran Mazi

It is our victory day earned in exchange for the honor of three lakh martyrs and two lakh mothers and sisters. On March 7, 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for freedom and liberation struggle. On that day, he raised his index finger and announced in a thunderous voice that this struggle is a struggle for liberation, this struggle is a struggle for freedom. Within that speech lay the seed of liberation, that is, our victory. On the night of March 25th, the Pakintani army committed genocide against the people of East Pakistan (East Bengal). They pounce wildly on unarmed, innocent, sleeping people. Through a long nine-month defensive struggle with India's military cooperation and subsequent Soviet Union (Russia) diplomatic maneuvering, we achieved independence. We are a victory, a victory flag, a new independent map. The victory of that independence is 16th December. On that day, people stood up against the oppression of the regime and thought that they would be guaranteed their fundamental rights by achieving freedom.

In 52 years of victory, we have achieved self-sufficiency in food, but 70% of the people of the country are living below the poverty line. Still, 30% of the total population of the country eats one meal a day, 40% eats two meals a day, 27% eats three meals a day and the remaining 3% eats no food. 95% of the wealth of the country is in the hands of 5% people. As of June 2023, the number of millionaires stands at 1 lakh 13 thousand 554. On the other hand, class discrimination has become extreme which was not supposed to happen. Dictatorship at various times, internal looting, agreements against the interests of the country to stay in power. In 52 years of victory, we have to take a new oath to save the country. At the time of independence, the number of our landless people was 22 percent, in 52 years of independence, the number has increased to 73 percent.

The people who are slum dwellers, sleep on the sidewalks, railway stations, launch terminals, parks, those people once had a house, a home. Through 48 years of rule and exploitation, those people today are proletarians, slum dwellers, refugees. Currently, the number of unemployed in the country is 25 lakh. The first and main tool for the development of a country is its education. In 52 years of rule-exploitation, education has not yet achieved its capacity. There are four types of education system in the country. The overall picture of education in our country is still pyramid shaped. Money is his education. Its evidence is numerous private schools, colleges, universities, medical colleges. In 52 years, the social status of teachers has not been established yet. English medium schools should be integrated with our mainstream education. Otherwise they will disappear from our culture. They are almost ignorant about our national days on which day, who is the national poet etc. But they are children of our country. This is the shame of every people of the country including parents. We are far behind here in the way mother tongue Bengali needs to be valued in education and development. The sense of respect for the soil and people of the homeland, the sense of responsibility towards them is developed through the mother tongue.

The picture in our health sector is somewhat different. In 48 years we have had some amazing achievements. Currently the infant mortality rate stands at about 40 (life births per 1000). Previously, the number of people who could be brought under vaccination was not available, but now it has increased to 95 percent. We are now silt free. Diarrhea-related mortality stands at 1%. Maternal mortality rate from 700 to now 250 (per 1 lakh live births). Average life expectancy has gone up from 50 to 68-70 years. Child birth rate has come from 6.85 to 2.30. Population growth rate stands at 2.67 to 1.40. Holistic health care is beyond the reach of common man. There are not enough doctors and infrastructure.

What is there is also not being used properly. Doctors are not willing to give free treatment. Doctors now charge 1000 rupees to prescribe fully commercial, 50 rupees medicine. And in some cases, doctors write essays in the prescription. Malnutrition is over 50 percent. Profit from adulterated and expired medicines is our market. Healthcare is captive to drug companies and physicians. Manipulation of syndicate traders. An average of 64 thousand crore rupees is being smuggled out of our country by cutting the pockets of common people. This information is highlighted in the latest report of Global Financial Integrity.

There has been no fundamental change in our politics in 52 years. The country's politics is constantly becoming investment or business, 80% of the current parliamentarians are businessmen. Nomination can be bought only in our country in the world. A strange culture of non-payment of bills has developed. In this case, ministers, government bureaucrats of various departments, state institutions, semi-autonomous institutions are not left out. Bank defaulters and black money holders enjoy free rein here. The amount of defaulted loans is one and a half lakh crore and the amount of black money is 132 lakh 53 thousand 500 crore. The administration has been completely messed up while giving jobs to the ruling party people in government jobs. Bribery, corruption has become an open secret today. Bribery is now called speed of work. It is true that 21st February is being celebrated as the International Mother Language Day, but no necessary initiatives have been taken for the promotion of the mother tongue. Which calls into question self-giving, movement or commitment.

If we do not stop or prevent our growing inequality and looting and corruption, a dark shadow will descend upon the country. We have killed two presidents, killed four leaders of the liberation war imprisoned in the dark room of the prison. During the previous government, Rajakars got ministerships, national flags were hoisted on cars and freedom fighters got batons. This is a big shame! All the courts in 63 districts of the country were bombed together. Two judges lost their lives in the court. The murders of a finance minister and several other senior politicians have not yet been tried. Through the liberation war, the people of this country hoped that after the independence of the country, economic and social freedom would come to the country.

The state will be a welfare state where all the citizens will try to fulfill their demands. But today, those who own crores of rupees, none of their families died in the war of liberation, those who died were workers, farmers and ordinary family members. Today they are neglected and unappreciated. The number of pending cases in the courts of the country is about 30 lakhs. A large number of litigants are being deprived of a fair trial due to this delay. For sustainable economic development, we need to focus on setting up new power plants, exploring new gas fields, using renewable energy and building nuclear power plants without any compromise on safety.

As early as 1972, Bangladesh was a very important and prestigious country in terms of nuclear energy. At that time there were skilled and qualified nuclear scientists in Dhaka. Due to lack of political stability and long military rule, our talented scientists could not utilize their talents. So far our governance system has not taken proper shape. Due to the lack of monitoring and timely intervention, government private land, railway land, river banks, government buildings are being taken over by miscreants and influential people, sidewalks and overbridges of almost all cities including Dhaka are being dispossessed. At the time of independence, our waterways were 24,000 kilometers and in 48 years of independence, occupation, carelessness and neglect brought it to 6,000 kilometers. The major reasons behind this are bribery, corruption, factionalism and nepotism. Politicians, businessmen, car or fuel oil dealers and donors are all in favor of building more roads.

While construction of roads is reducing the amount of arable land and causing waterlogging, nobody has any role to play in the expansion of waterways and railways which are most important to us. Even if the left talks about this, the losers don't take it into consideration. We have to get out of this culture. Only then will freedom, victory be successful and beneficial. The women of our country are contributing both at home and abroad. The recipient of the award for International Shipping in 2011 is a woman. Irregularities and corruption are going on in the procurement of government goods. We have six challenges in terms of economy; Inflation, price balance in fuel consumption, maintaining balance in monetary policy and economy, problems arising in foreign investment, dealing with defaulters and development of infrastructure. Food security and rising prices of daily necessities need to be added to these challenges. The rise in the price of rice has reached the highest level in history. Already the price of onion has hit a double century.

From politics to everything, we are bound in the syndicate. The entire country is hostage to the syndicates. We are being fried once in a hot pan and another time in a hot pan. We have to remember that there is no banyan tree for shade but any other tree growing under it our victory day is often neglected today. Only on 26th March and 16th December, various arrangements really start. Even after 52 years of victory, we are still looking for victory. One day the man who went to the liberation war with hope in his chest was not fulfilled in 52 years of victory. Back then, the salary of a laborer could buy 2 maunds of rice and cover other expenses for a family of 5. But today a family of 5 cannot survive on what a worker earns.

The owner of Adamjee built three factories with the profit of Adamjee after smuggling money to his country, but within 30 years of victory, Adamjee became a loss-making company and finally the company was closed. Girls in a free country have chosen to make a living by selling their bodies. What is the name of victory? The constitution has been unconstitutionally amended several times. Many black laws have been made to exploit the people of this country. Our victory is under threat today. The use of religion in politics has today questioned Vijay. Our victory today is largely tied to the chain of defeat. The ruling group of the country went to the foreign Beniya, Prabhudu and ensured that they came to power. It is a betrayal of freedom and the blood of martyrs. With every breath I want to buy a way to live, but I see the hand of death.

There is no safety anywhere. Even in the 52nd year of victory, one can see the real crest of Zainul Abedin's pictures of famine sufferers on walks, fields, and ghats. There is no protest anywhere. I think I'm in the war market. Extreme increase in commodity prices, there is no stability in the market. Fuel and transportation costs are increasing by leaps and bounds. The entire country is divided into several syndicates. Unscrupulous traders are mixing poison in food. Not only that, in some cases formalin, preservatives are mixed with more toxic chemicals and they are freely handed over to the buyers. Which is a threat to health and reproductive health. As if no one is watching. We common people are very helpless. The right to vote in elections has also been taken away. On that day, seven and a half million people, regardless of caste, creed, and party, stood in a queue. In the 52nd year of victory, when I opened the pages of the newspaper, I saw that a freedom fighter of an area was making a living by selling tea, doing kuligiri, and driving a rickshaw. Then I was hurt, I felt guilty. If a freedom fighter does not get the respect he deserves while alive and buried with state honor after death! What is the difference between getting it and not getting it?

The dream that was in people's eyes during the liberation war has turned into a nightmare after 52 years of victory. Tendering, robbery, abduction, murder, murder, rape, disappearances have increased manifold. Due to gas, electricity, water shortage and traffic congestion, people are suffering to the extreme. The Teesta, Farakka agreement has not been resolved even today. National resources such as oil, gas, ports, seas and coal are being sold to profit-seeking socialist-multinational companies. Sometimes it seems that the hands of the occupiers and syndicates are much stronger than the government and law enforcement agencies. Our culture is enmeshed in counterculture. The young society should come out from this bad culture practice. Textbooks should highlight the true and correct history of all democratic movements starting from the anti-British movement to the liberation war and post-independence.

Patriotism should be awakened in the youth and youth society through the production of large-scale dramas and films based on the liberation war. The letters of the liberation war should be widely disseminated and expanded. In the field of sports, nepotism is going on, and in some cases, women are scammers, looting money. "In the last 10 years, 28,000 women workers have returned dead." Not one, not ten, not a hundred, not a thousand, 27 thousand. This number of 27,000 is of great concern as well as anxiety for us. These people changed their fortunes by selling aid to increase the remittances of the state for the improvement of living standards or moneylenders went abroad at high interest but why are they returning as dead bodies. The family then faces an uncertain future, with only gray sand in their eyes. Carrying this dead body is a hardship for the family as well as for the economic development of the state. Migrant workers not only change their fortunes, but also play an essential and active role in keeping the wheels of the country's economy moving. If this number is female workers, then the number of male workers may be much more. We do not want these bodies in any way.

If we can ensure proper utilization of allocated funds and equipment, we can achieve the desired results in sports. Despite all this, we are seeing the light of hope after 52 years of victory. Our country will be golden Bangladesh. I will regain the lost glory. There is no denying that we have made a lot of progress in these 52 years, a lot of progress is visible before our eyes. In terms of sports, we did not get the results we expected, but there has been a lot of progress. We have international quality golfers, chess players, shooters, archers etc. We are progressing in other areas of sports as well. If we can ensure proper utilization of allocated funds and equipment, we can achieve the desired results in sports. In the field of fine arts, receiving international awards in various countries, various films of the country have won international awards and accolades at various times.

We have maintained our success in frozen food export, garment industry, leather industry, tea etc. The good news is that we are now exporting ships and cement abroad. Patriotism and national consciousness has been awakened among our young society. The happiest news is that we have already launched our own satellite in geosatellite. As our victory in the war of liberation was not of any party, it was of all people. The country of 52 years of victory should be built for all people, not for the benefit of any individual, party or group. We have the strength and ability to retain what we have received in exchange for millions of lives. History bears testimony to the fact that our youth and young people are ready to sacrifice a lot. That history cannot be tarnished for anything. We will build our Sonar Bangla based on the spirit of liberation war. There will be no place for defeated forces. It is our duty to uphold the dignity and interests of people of all communities irrespective of their shape, origin, ethnicity, culture and religion.

The writer is a Teacher Haimchar Government College Chandpur