President of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, from birth to the end of her term and her presidency of the country Part 2
President of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, from birth to the end of her term and her presidency of the country Part 2
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00:00A brief about the stages of the President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, from birth to
00:06the end of her term and her presidency of the country.
00:10Part 2 The Hasina government adopted the New Industrial
00:14Policy in 1999 which aimed to bolster the private sector and attract foreign direct
00:19investment, thus expediting the globalization process.
00:23The NIP aimed for 25% of the economy to be industry-based with 20% of the country's
00:28workforce employed in industry.
00:31It encouraged the institution of small, cottage and labor-intensive industries with an onus
00:35on skill development for women for employment, development of indigenous technology and industries
00:40based on local raw materials.
00:43The NIP allowed for foreign investors to own 100% equity in Bangladeshi enterprises without
00:48prior approval from the government and all but four sectors of the economy were opened
00:52up to the private sector.
00:55Efforts were made to create a social security system to protect the most vulnerable in society.
01:01The Hasina administration introduced an allowance scheme which resulted in 400,000 elderly people
01:06receiving monthly allowances.
01:09This scheme was later extended to widows, distressed and deserted women.
01:13A national foundation devoted to rehabilitation and training of people with disabilities was
01:18founded with an initial grant of 100 million Bangladeshi Takas funded by the government.
01:24The Ashrayan-1 project provided shelter and employment to the homeless.
01:29Hasina was the first prime minister to engage in a prime minister's question-answer time
01:33in the Jatiya Sangsad.
01:36The Jatiya Sangsad repealed the Indemnity Act, allowing for the killers of Bangabandashique
01:41Mujibur Rahman to be prosecuted.
01:44The government introduced a four-tier system of local government including the Gram Parishad,
01:49Zila Parishad and Ukjila Parishad by passing legislation.
01:53The Hasina government liberalized the telecommunications industry, initially granting four licenses
01:58to private companies to provide cellular mobile telephone services.
02:03This resulted in the previous state monopoly being disbanded meaning prices began to reduce
02:08and access became more widespread.
02:11The government established the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to
02:15regulate the newly liberalized telecommunications industry.
02:19The government established the National Policy for Women's Advancement which sought to
02:23ensure equality between men and women.
02:26The policy aimed to guarantee security and employment, create an educated and skilled
02:30workforce, eliminate discrimination and repression against women, establish human rights and
02:35end poverty and ensure participation in socio-economic development.
02:40The government introduced three reserved seats for women in all-union Parishad election in
02:44December 1997.
02:47Hasina's cabinet approved the National Plan of Action for Children in 1999 to ensure rights
02:52and improved upbringing.
02:55Hasina attended the World Microcredits Summit in Washington, D.C., the World Food Summit
02:59in Rome, the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in India, the OIC Summit in Pakistan, the
03:059th Sark Summit in the Maldives, the 1st D-8 Summit in Turkey, the 5th World Conference
03:10for the Aged in Germany, the Commonwealth Summit in the UK and the OIC Summit in Iran.
03:17Hasina also visited the United States, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
03:23Bangladesh joined two multilateral bodies, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral
03:27Technical and Economic Cooperation, BIMSTEC, and D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation,
03:34D-8.
03:35She became the first Bangladeshi prime minister since independence to complete an entire five-year
03:40term.
03:42In the 2001 general election, despite winning 40 percent of the popular vote, slightly less
03:46than BNP's 41 percent, the AL won just 62 seats.
03:51In parliament as a result of the first pass the post-electoral system, while the four-party
03:56alliance led by BNP won 234 seats, giving them a two-thirds majority in parliament.
04:03Hasina herself ran in three constituencies and was defeated in a constituency in Rangpur,
04:08which included her husband's hometown, but won in two other seats.
04:12Hasina and the AL rejected the results, claiming that the election was rigged with the assistance
04:17of the president and the caretaker government.
04:20The international community was largely satisfied with the elections, and the four-party alliance
04:25went on to form a government.
04:27The Awami League MPs were irregular in attending parliament during the following period.
04:33In late 2003, the Awami League started its first major anti-government movement, culminating
04:38in the declaration by party general secretary Abdul Jalal that the government would fall
04:43before April 30, 2004.
04:46During her second term as leader of the opposition, political unrest and violence increased.
04:52MP Asanullah Master died after he was shot in May 2004.
04:57This was followed by a grenade attack on August 21 on an Awami League gathering in Dhaka,
05:02resulting in the death of 24 party supporters, including Ivy Rahman, party women's secretary.
05:09In October 2018, a special court gave verdicts in two cases filed over the incident.
05:14The court ruled that it was a well-orchestrated plan, executed through abuse of state power,
05:19and all the accused, including BNP senior vice-chairman Tariq Rahman, in absentia, and
05:24former top intelligence officials, were found guilty.
05:28The court prescribed various punishments.
05:31Sam Skibria, Hasina's close adviser and former finance minister was assassinated that year,
05:36in 2004, in a grenade attack in Silhat.
05:40In June 2005, Aebem Mohuddin Chowdhury, the incumbent AL mayor, won an important election
05:46in Chittagong, the second-largest city in Bangladesh.
05:50This election was seen as a showdown between the opposition and the ruling party.
05:55In October 2006, Sheikh Hasina and Awami League launched the Lobhi Boy the movement where
06:00thousands of Awami League workers started occupying different streets of Dhaka with
06:04boathooks and oars for several days.
06:07This resulted in a number of casualties, vandalisms, lootings as well as soaring prices of daily
06:12commodities.
06:13In May 2007, the police filed charge sheet against 19 leaders and activists of the Awami
06:18League and its affiliates for vandalising, setting fire to and looting the office of
06:22the Islamic Social Welfare Council but all of them were acquitted in court in June 2011.
06:28The months preceding the planned January 22, 2007 elections were filled with political
06:33unrest and controversy.
06:36Following the end of Khalid Aziz's government in October 2006, there were protests and strikes,
06:41during which 40 people were killed in the following month, over uncertainty about who
06:45would head the caretaker government.
06:48The caretaker government had difficulty bringing all parties to the table.
06:53The AL and its allies protested and alleged that the caretaker government favoured the
06:57BNP.
06:59The interim period was marred with violence and strikes.
07:03Presidential adviser Makhlisur Rahman Chowdhury negotiated with Hasina and Khalid Aziz and
07:07brought all the parties to the planned January 22, 2007 parliamentary elections.
07:14Later the nomination of Ershad was cancelled by the returning officer of the election commission
07:18as Ershad had been convicted on a corruption case.
07:22As a result, the Grand Alliance withdrew its candidates en masse on the last day possible.
07:27They demanded that a voter's role be published.
07:31Later in the month, President Ayyadjadin Ahmed was compelled to declare a state of emergency.
07:36Consequently, Lt-Gen Muinuddin Ahmed took control of the government.
07:43Political activity was prohibited.
07:46Fakhruddin Ahmed became the chief adviser with the support of the Bangladesh Army.
07:51Hasina went to the United States Embassy on March 14, 2007 along with Qazi Zafarullah
07:56and Tariq Ahmed Sadiq.
07:59She would fly the next day to the United States accompanied by Tariq Ahmed Sadiq and Abdus
08:03Sabhan Ghalib.
08:05She visited her son and daughter who live in the United States.
08:09She then moved to the United Kingdom.
08:12In April 2007, Hasina was charged with graft and extortion by the military-backed caretaker
08:17government during the 2006-2008 political crisis.
08:22She was accused of having forced businessman Tajul Islam Farooq to pay bribes in 1998 before
08:27his company could build a power plant.
08:30Farooq said that he paid Hasina for approving his project.
08:34On April 18, 2007, the government barred Hasina from returning, stating that she had made
08:40provocative statements and that her return could cause disorder.
08:44This was described as a temporary measure.
08:47The caretaker government had also been trying to get Khalida Zia to leave the country.
08:53Hasina vowed to return home and on April 22, 2007, a warrant was issued for her arrest
08:58for murder.
09:00Describing the case against her as totally false and fake, Hasina said that she wanted
09:04to defend herself against the charges in court.
09:08On April 23, 2007, the arrest warrant was suspended, and on April 25, 2007, the ban
09:14on Hasina's entry was dropped.
09:17After spending 51 days in the United States and the United Kingdom, on May 7, 2007 Hasina
09:22returned to Dhaka, where she was greeted by a crowd of several thousand.
09:27She told reporters that the government should not have delayed her return.
09:32On July 16, 2007, Hasina was arrested by police at her home and taken before a local court
09:38in Dhaka.
09:39She was accused of extortion and denied bail, and was held in a building converted into
09:44jail on the premises of the National Parliament.
09:48The AL said the arrest was politically motivated.
09:51On July 17, 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission sent notices to both Hasina and Khalida Zia,
09:58instructing them to provide details of their assets within one week.
10:02Hasina's son Sajid Waist was out of the country and said he would try to organize a worldwide
10:07protest.
10:08These arrests of the political leaders were widely seen as a move by the military-backed
10:12interim government to force Hasina and Zia out of the country and into political exile.
10:18United Kingdom MPs condemned the arrest.
10:22On April 11, 2007, the police filed murder charges against Hasina, alleging that she
10:27masterminded the killing in October 2006 of four supporters of a rival political party.
10:33The four alleged victims were beaten to death during clashes between the AL and rival party
10:38activists.
10:40Hasina was visiting the United States at the time.
10:43On July 30, 2007, a high court suspended Hasina's extortion trial and ordered her release on
10:49bail.
10:51On September 2, 2007, an additional case was filed against Hasina by the Anti-Corruption
10:56Commission regarding the awarding of a contract for the construction of a power plant in 1997,
11:01for which she allegedly took a bribe of 30 million taqas and kept the contract from
11:05going to the lowest bidder.
11:08Six others were also accused of involvement.
11:11A graft case was filed against Zia on the same day.
11:15On January 13, 2008, Hasina was indicted on extortion charges by a special court along
11:20with two of her relatives, her sister Sheikh Rehana and her cousin Sheikh Saleem.
11:25On February 6, the high court stopped the trial, ruling that she could not be prosecuted
11:30under emergency laws for crimes alleged to have been committed prior to the imposition
11:34of the state of emergency.
11:36On June 11, 2008, Hasina was released on parole for medical reasons.
11:42The next day she flew to the United States to be treated for hearing impairment, eye
11:46problems, and high blood pressure.
11:48Syed Mada Sarali, her personal physician, threatened to sue the caretaker government
11:53over negligence regarding Hasina's treatment during her detention.
11:57The caretaker government held mayoral elections in which A.L. won 12 out of 13 elections.
12:03The government extended her two-month medical parole by one more month.
12:09I stop at this point today.
12:12Soon we will publish.
12:13Part.
12:143.
12:15I hope I added something to you.
12:19You enjoyed the last few minutes.
12:22We will meet with you soon.
12:25For watching.
12:27For more information visit www.fema.gov
12:57For more information visit www.fema.gov