Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie has said that 17 years have been taken away from people’s lives and that overcoming the problems accumulated over the long period will require significant effort and sacrifice.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a reception for new students at Principal Kazi Faruqi College in Raipur, Lakshmipur, on Saturday (September 26).
The minister said that despite years of struggle, hardship and movements, people had not been able to overcome deprivation and economic difficulties. He said what he described as a 17-year “non-political and undemocratic environment” had held people back.
“Seventeen years of trends cannot be brought to an end in 17 days or seven months. It is not right to think or say that,” Annie said, adding that considerable work and sacrifice would be necessary to overcome the accumulated problems.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was working continuously for 12 to 15 hours a day and that they were coordinating their efforts to support his work.
Annie further said that people had lost many opportunities during the 17-year period, including opportunities related to education, employment and contributing to society and the country.
He said the younger generation had also become involved in the struggle surrounding the period, participating in the July movement, campaigns for merit-based opportunities and protests against the quota system.
The programme was chaired by Dr Kazi Md Nur-ul Ferdous, co-chairman of the Professor Kazi Faruqi Welfare Trust. Lakshmipur-2 MP Abul Khayer Bhuiyan was the inaugural speaker.
Raipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mehedi Hasan Kawsar, Raipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Nizam Uddin Bhuiyan, Raipur Upazila BNP President ZM Nazmul Islam Mithu and Principal Kazi Faruqi College Principal Nurul Amin were among the special guests.
