Sheikh Hasina is now considered by the world community as one of the strongest female political leaders of the world. In fact she ranks among the top five women leaders of the past and present. The world community has watched her grow as a politician in last 20 years and her ability to undertake various pragmatic policies that helped her country uplift the extreme poor from the perennial shackles of poverty.
They took note of the country’s agriculture policy under her watch and how the country now feeds nearly 17 crore people. The transition from an import-dependent country to one that can now export surplus food is considered phenomenal.
Very recently, for allowing over a million Rohingya people to live in the country and taking all measures for clothing, housing and feeding them has earned her the title, ‘Mother of Humanity’. It was given by the world community.
Sheikh Hasina has been serving the country as the president of ruling political party, Awami League since 1981 and strengthened the footing of the party in the country to become the number one.
Steps into nuclear era
According to history books, “Sheikh Hasina was born on September 28, 1947, at Tungipara a remote village under Gopalganj district, which is also the birthplace of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and the first president of Bangladesh. Hasina’s mother Begum Fazilatunnesa was widely appreciated as a tender-hearted lady. Sheikh Hasina took primary education in her home district Gopalganj and moved to Dhaka in 1954 and began to live with her family.
“In 1956, she got admitted at Nari Shiksha Mandir Girls’ School at Tikatuli, Dhaka. Hasina completed SSC from Ajimpur Girls’School in 1965. In 1973, she received graduation degree in Bangla from University of Dhaka.”
History books say: “Sheikh Hasina began her political journey with student politics; she was elected Vice President of the Students Union of Government Intermediate Girl’s College. She was a member of the students League Unit of Dhaka University and Secretary of the students League Unit of Rokeya Hall. Sheikh Hasina was elected as the chief of the Student’s Union of Eden Girls College. She actively participated in all the mass movements since her student life.
“Sheikh Hasina went to the United Kingdom, from where she kept track of the movement against the autocratic rule of HM Ershad. During the brutal killing of her entire family 1975, she and her sister Sheikh Rehana were in Germany. After ending six years in exile she returned home on 17 May 1981 and the day is celebrated as Homecoming Day of Sheikh Hasina. Her party took part in the parliamentary election held in 1986 under the autocratic ruler and she won three seats.
“In 1990, Hasina launched an anti-Ershad movement with her party and forced Ershad to step down from power. Hasina announced the constitutional formula for peaceful transfer of power through Articles 51 and 56 of the Constitution in 1990. Following the election of 1991 Sheikh Hasina became Leader of the Opposition in the country’s Fifth Parliament, she steered all the political parties in parliament towards changing the Presidential system into the Parliamentary one.
“Sheikh Hasina created awareness among the people for the need of Non-party Caretaker Government to ensure free and fair polls. Her mass movement forced Khaleda Zia’s BNP to launch Non-party Caretaker Government in 1996.
“Her party Bangladesh Awami League won the national election in 1996 for the first time and she became the Prime Minister. Again in 2008, 2013 and 2018 she became the Prime Minister of the country for consecutive three terms.”
Today, all the developed countries of the world are showing interest to finance our mega projects because of the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. World leaders are impressed by her political maturity and economic vision. They strongly believe if she can continue for another 20 years she will turn Bangladesh into a developed country.