Trend of democratic power transfer will continue: PM

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said this in her introductory speech at a meeting of the party aspirants in the women's reserved seats in parliament at her official Ganobhaban residence here this afternoon.

Deputy Leader of the House and AL Presidium Member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, AL Advisory Council members Amir Hossain Amu and Suranjit Sengupta, Presidium Member Obaidul Quader and General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam also spoke on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said there were many hurdles to foil the January 5 polls. "But crossing the obstructions, we could hold the polls successfully and continue the trend of democracy," she said.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina extended her sincere thanks to the womenfolk for casting vote in the polls by braving the impediments. Many women candidates were too elected in the polls,
she mentioned.

In her brief speech, the Prime Minister asked the women leaders of the Awami League to work for the women empowerment in their respective areas, saying that only shouting won't help achieve empowerment. "You must work to achieve this - it is the reality," she said.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her satisfaction over the massive interest of the women from across the country in only 36 posts for the Awami League and said it will help create a women uprising in the country.

The Prime Minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had kept a provision for preserving seats for the women in the parliament in the 1972 constitution to ensure empowerment of country's womenfolk.

Following the footprint of Bangabandhu, she said, her government has increased the number of reserved seats for the women and implemented various programmes to ensure women empowerment.

In this context, she mentioned that Bangladesh has set an example in the world by electing women as the Prime Minister, Deputy Leader of the House, the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker.

"There is no such example in any other country in the world," she added.

The Prime Minister said a total of 45,000 women participated in local government elections in her 1996- 2001 term and of them, 12,000 were elected. "Later we reserved the quota for the women in different bodies and projects," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government has reserved 30 percent seats for the women in different tiers of the local government in order to ensure the participation of women in decision- making process of the government at grassroots level.

She said her government is also providing financial assistance to the poor and insolvent women under the social safety net programme in the name of different allowances including widow and husband-abandoned women allowances, lactating mother's allowance and allowances for the pregnant mothers.

The Prime Minister said her government in 1996- 2001 term for the first time appointed women in the posts of secretary, deputy commissioner, police super, judge and pro-VC. "There was no place of women anywhere before that," she said. A total of 822 women leaders of Bangladesh Awami League who collected the party nomination papers for the women reserved seats in parliament were present.
Source: BSS