Achieving \'freedom\' in the truest sense of the term

Yesterday, 25 March, was the Genocide Day. It was the Day in 1971 when the final nail was hammered in the coffin of Pakistan. It was by killing innocent Bengalis in the early hours of the day that the Pakistani occupation army resorted wanted to suppress the spirit of the Bengalis. The indomitable spirit and yearning for an independent country was thus reinforced on the March 25 night. Our invincible determination to fight sprang from the darkest hour of that night when our soil was splashed with blood. It was the fresh blood of thousands of Bengalis that on that night glued the initial bricks for founding an Independent Bangladesh.
General Tikka Khan was ordered by President Yahiya Khan to commission a killing spree in a barbaric campaign diabolically named "Operation Searchlight". People in Dhaka heard continuous firing and witnessed their city burning. Fire lighted up the night sky and flames were visible from far away. Bloodletting was initiated at different places. Killing was carried out in and around Dhaka University campus targeting those teachers and students who were known for their Bengali nationalistic sentiment. A genocide set in.
Many Bengalis fled away from their known homes in Dhaka. Police lines in Rajarbagh and the headquarters of East Pakistan Rifles at Peelkhana were awash with blood of the Bengali police and army personnel. But Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman remained resolved in his decision not to flee. The rest is the history of a nine-month War of Liberation.
Today, March 26, is our 47th Independence Day, a day to reminisce about what we have achieved and what we have not, a day to reflect on the past mistakes we have committed, and a day of redemption with a view to releasing ourselves from sins and blames.  Today, we should take stock of our accomplishments and make strategies to face our future challenges.
People irrespective of their religious faith, colour, creed, or gender have made their supreme sacrifices to bring about independence for the Bengalis. Every day, especially today, we must remember their sacrifices and wish for their welfare and pray for the salvation of their souls who have passed away so they receive grace from the Almighty.
During the last 46 years, we have both achieved and failed in many domains. The list of our glorious achievements since independence is long and we have reasons to feel proud of those, especially of some golden attainments. We could, however, be prouder if the nation had not paid a heavy premium in the form of opportunity costs during the last four decades. We lost many opportunities to lead the nation to a brighter destination.
Our economy has grown roughly 6.0 per cent during the last 25 years despite political turmoil and corruption. Had we only ensured a bit of political stability and a corruption-free environment, and loved our people a little bit more instead of lining our own pockets, the growth under good governance could have been more than 8.0 per cent. The difference of this 2.0 per cent is our opportunity cost that has unfortunately robbed us of our dream to further alleviate poverty and reduce unemployment.
Today our per capita income is USD 1,466 which is undoubtedly a giant leap forward from USD 131.77 in 1971 or USD 298.15 in 1990. But, in this respect, we are still far behind other developing countries like Laos, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya, Cambodia and even Myanmar. Had we not incurred huge opportunity costs due mainly to corruption, our per capita today could stand as high as USD 2,000 and in such a growth environment, poverty could be on its way to rest in history and it could be hard to find young graduates begging for underpaid jobs or young men and women flying away for menial jobs abroad.
Seeing the worst aspect of things is not healthy. We should strive to breathe an air of optimism over the future of our country. There were always dark clouds hovering over us. On the rims of those clouds we also saw silver and gold linings.
We are enviably better off than many countries in many respects. Cricket has put us on a gilded throne in the world of sports. Garments exports have fetched us more than USD 25 billion. Overseas Bangladeshis have filled our coffer with remittance amounting USD 14 billion. We could amazingly withstand 2008-2009 global financial crisis and recession.
Successes have been achieved in communications and infrastructures. Poverty has been alleviated. Dependence on foreign aids has been diminished. Autarky in food has been achieved. Infant mortality has been remarkably reduced. Enrolment in primary education has been spiked. Relation with neighbouring countries, especially with India, China, and Myanmar, has been strengthened. Sea and land boundary issues have been resolved. Trust and confidence has been reposed in Bangladesh by international communities. Our contribution to UN peacekeeping force has been lauded. Stories of our achievements in micro-credit are included in the curricula of textbooks all over the world. Bangladesh is among the top 12 developing countries with a population of over 20 million, which achieved 6.0 plus per cent growth in 2016. By any standards, Bangladesh economy has done well.
But there are pitfalls and challenges ahead. Financial, social, and political shocks are clouding our economic outlook. Corruption is felt in every walk of life. Bribery is deemed the best lubricant in both public and private machineries. Disparity between the poor and the rich is widening at an alarming rate. Democracy is not being allowed to bear fruits. Party in power is at daggers drawn with parties in opposition. Many burning issues with neighboring countries are yet to be resolved. Massive water, air and soil pollution in cities is killing people. People are fuming over enhanced electricity and gas prices. Relations between India and Bangladesh are getting strained with no resolution on the dispute over Teesta river in the offing. Monetary targets are underachieved. Budget deficit is rising. Weak private investment rates continue to be a concern. Governance in the state-owned banks is so poor that their lending capacity has been crippled with their non-performing assets mounting.
We have fought for freedom and achieved our independence. Have we achieved our goals? In our long journey for more than four decades we have crossed many perilous valleys and mountains, had our ups and downs, and on occasions have been into states of utter disorder and confusion.
"This time the struggle is for our freedom", Bangabandhu said 46 years back. Has the struggle for our freedom been over? We freed the country from the Pakistan military, achieved our independence, and have since been hoisting our national flag. But have we achieved "freedom" in the truest sense of the term? We have been free by casting off the shackles that were tied to our legs. But are we free enough to walk freely and fearlessly? Pundits taught us that 'freedom is the oxygen of the soul'. Are our souls breathing the oxygen of freedom to live in a way that ensures freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom to stand firm against injustice, freedom to call a spade a spade?
maswood@hotmail.com