Press Release

Keeping the People crushed under the Mountains of Corruptions and Extreme Economic Disparity, the Celebration for Bangladesh’s recognition as a “Developing Nation” organized by this Shameless Regime is nothing but Deception

On March 21, 2018, the Hasina government has formally announced Bangladesh’s eligibility to be recognized as a “developing nation” by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) of United Nations, and also organized massive showdown on the streets to celebrate the announcement, as well as, to bring the “election mood” before the next general polls. Amid the colorful processions for this “historic accomplishment” (!) of the government, the mass people are struggling hard to identify themselves with this so-called achievement by the government since the reality is that an estimated 63 million (38%) people of Bangladesh still live under the poverty line of which almost a third live in extreme poverty.

To put things into perspective, the continuing socio-economic deterioration in Bangladesh is a telling fact that the campaign by the government in the context of “developing nation” status is nothing but trickery before the coming election. And, the people are extremely apathetic about this fake celebration due to which we have been hearing news about civil servants, professionals and students being forced to participate in the government rallies. Fact of the matter is that, when the cost of living of the general people is making their lives miserable every single day due to the continually sharp rise in gas, electricity, and water, the lackey regime of Bangladesh, instead of strengthening our own BAPEX (Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production Company Limited), are inviting the colonialist companies like US-based Excelerate Energy to explore our gas and to sell us at higher prices that will be cause for further price hikes. When more than 3 million youth are still unemployed and utterly frustrated (Daily Star, May 28, 2017) as they do not have any political backings or influential connections to get jobs, and also when the country is being marked with the proliferation of bribery, corruption, forgery, black-marketing and smuggling, then why on earth our people will be jubilant hearing this deceptive claim of the government?! Rather, people feel enraged and helpless seeing how this government is paving all the ways for some corrupt businessmen and politicians to illegally siphon off people’s money from the banks. Instead of being ashamed of Sonali Bank’s forgery case of more than BDT 3,600 by Hallmark Group in 2012, as well as BASIC Bank’s loan scams of BDT 5,000 crore between 2010 and 2013, this government ahs continued giving unethical subsidies to these banks to save the plunderers. Moreover, to mock the people of the country, the Finance Minister AMA Muhith has set aside BDT 2,000 crore for this fiscal year to help repayment for these “honorable entrepreneurs” who took the trouble to loot the banks (Daily Star, June 4, 2017). There is no doubt that the government is helping to loot the people’s money through political appointments, and the recent debacles of Farmers Bank and NRB Commercial Bank are two more examples of the government-backed corruption to make a certain class richer – a classic case of capitalist corruption. The government is squeezing peoples’ lives through widespread imposition of VAT and taking away their hard-earned money to fatten these “entrepreneurs”. In order to conceal its widespread corruptions and failure, the ruling Hasina government is organizing massive celebrations for recognition of Bangladesh as a “developing nation”.

Furthermore, the UN’s categorization is also misleading as it does not reveal the actual situation the general people are living in. The per capita income has moved up not because the general people are earning more but, as mentioned above, due to a few privileged Awami leaders and businessmen who are becoming billionaires overnight through enormous corruption. The UN’s categorization is nothing but another tool used by the imperialists to have control over our nation. Now, they will fix a new set of priorities for us, and they will direct us to new challenges and new problems, and they will also give policies for our problems. But, we know that their policies will serve only their interests and not ours.

Therefore, only a shameless and deceptive regime like this can portray this type of misleading recognition as a success! Our status in the world has not been changed, and we are still third class citizens as far as the current economic world order is concerned; the status of our nation has improved from lower grade ‘miskin’ (poor) to lower middle grade ‘miskin’. The capitalist economic system which is inherently flawed cannot provide correct solutions to economic problems of our nation. Riba (interest), speculative capital and share market, unfettered currency and monetary policy, unrestricted corruptions - all these evils are causing the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.

O Muslims, when by implementing Islam you are to be a superpower in world politics and economics, these secular rulers are giving you the vision of becoming a lower middle grade income country! Therefore, Hizb ut Tahrir urges you to reject this capitalism and implement under the leadership of the second righteous Khilafah (Caliphate) on the method of Prophethood, the Islamic economic system that is bestowed upon us by Allah (swt). The Khilafah will give guarantee the fulfilment of the people’s basic needs and will ensure circulation of wealth in the society to generate high growth and productivity.

﴿كَيْ لاَ يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنْكُمْ﴾

“Lest the wealth circulates solely among the wealthy from amongst you.” [Surah Al-Hashr 59: 7]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir

in Wilayah Bangladesh