Editorial
Bangladesh's sustained progress
If only politics were detoxified we could do wonders
The British magazine Economist has spoken highly of Bangladesh's socio-economic progress during the last two decades calling it 'big and excellent' achievement. This has actually brought to the fore of global consciousness the name of Bangladesh being spelled after China and India. The Economist article may have done us a world good -- image wise.
It is an amazing tale of a quiet revolution taking place in spite of 'dysfunctional politics'. Whereas GDP had grown at 2 percent a year since independence until 1989, thereafter it has been growing at a steady and 'respectable 5 percent a year, in real terms'. People below the poverty line dropped from 49 percent in 2000 to 32 percent in 2010. Food output has trebled since independence.
The credit goes primarily to the productive strength of the people spearheaded by improvements in almost all major social indicators. School enrolment of girls has outstripped that of boys, child mortality has rate has fallen and our life expectancy is better than in India and Pakistan.
The Economist noted the successive governments' stress on voluntary family planning as opposed to restrictive measures. These have yielded three dividends. First, the baby boom has dropped closely to net replacement rate auguring well in terms containing the population. Secondly, the number of working age people between 15 plus and 59 is at its peak compared with children and old age people. This holds the prospect of demographic dividends in terms of fast-tracked development processes. Last but not least, smaller family size makes household planning easier.
Another very important feature is the multiple benefit of making women central to development. This has been possible thanks principally to Grameen and Brac micro-credit programmes ensuring women's contribution to the economy, women working in garment industries and their part in remittance earnings -- have all gone into empowering women. Because they are earning they have voice in family decision making including size of family and where money would be spent such as on child health, education and welfare.
With such global recognition of Bangladesh's progress and its latent potential, our leaders must rise to the occasion opting for constructive politics and massive infrastructure building. Let Bangladesh be a favourite destination for FDIs, the critical missing link in our development endeavour.
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