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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stated that the fascist government had destroyed the country’s economy, adding that $16 billion was laundered annually.
The Prime Minister made these remarks on Thursday (July 16) at a meeting with representatives of ethnic minority groups in the Public Administration Conference Room at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Secretariat. Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Md. Sujauddoula (Sujon Mahmud), conveyed this information.
He informed that a delegation of ethnic minority groups met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The representatives presented their various problems to the Prime Minister, who listened to their statements with keen interest.
The Deputy Press Secretary quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “The current struggle is immense. To survive and build a prosperous Bangladesh in the future, everyone must remain united. We must work together and move forward collectively.”
Sujon Mahmud further stated that the Prime Minister referred to ethnic minority groups as an integral part of the nation, emphasizing that he and his government are working to build a country free from discrimination against any community or ethnicity. He expressed his desire to move forward with everyone in building the envisioned Bangladesh for all, considering no one as separate.
During the meeting, representatives of the ethnic minority groups presented demands including the formation of a land commission to resolve land ownership issues for ethnic minorities in the plains, organizing a national convention for indigenous backward communities, providing tribe-based identities instead of the term “ethnic minority group,” constitutional recognition as indigenous people, establishing a central cultural center, stopping the eviction of ethnic minority settlements in the name of various projects or from reserved forests, and providing loan facilities for ethnic minority groups.
At this point, the Prime Minister stated, “We are going through a terrible situation. The fascist government has destroyed all state institutions and the country’s economy. $16 billion was laundered annually. If this money laundering hadn’t occurred, many of your (ethnic minority) problems could have been solved.”
He added, “Our government is progressively attempting to solve the soluble issues first.”
Referring to the country’s ongoing problems, the Prime Minister remarked, “I am still surprised to see so many problems persisting in the country. These issues should have been addressed over the past 17 years. Had they been addressed then, many problems would have been resolved.”
He further stated, “Where are all those stories of development that we used to hear? Now, all the pressure has fallen on our government. Public expectations are high for this government. We are trying to overcome this situation and turn things around.”
The Deputy Press Secretary informed that the Prime Minister, in his speech, highlighted the government’s initiatives to overcome the current state of the country’s education and health systems, which he said were destroyed by the fascist government.
The Prime Minister stated, “They have destroyed an entire generation. Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman initiated the Upazila Health Complexes, establishing 31-bed hospitals during his tenure. Subsequently, whenever our government came to power, these facilities were developed. Under Begum Khaleda Zia’s administration, they were upgraded to 50 beds. Now, we have decided to upgrade them to 101 beds. In contrast, the previous government established union-based community health centers, but these centers have no operational activities.”
The Prime Minister also spoke about increasing allocations in the health sector for the fiscal year 2026-27 and reducing taxes on essential medical equipment such as kidney dialysis machines and heart stents.
Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Ethnic Minority Affairs Bijon Kanti Sarkar, Member of Parliament Anna Minj, cultural activist Sanjib Drong, and representatives from 18 ethnic minority groups across 17 districts were present at the meeting.