Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has sought the cooperation of students in creating political stability in the country, emphasising that nothing can be built without a stable environment.
“If we cannot keep the country’s political situation stable, then we cannot create anything. Whatever is created will be destroyed,” he told students at Dhaka University on Tuesday.
The prime minister made the remark while speaking to over 150 students at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium, after inaugurating a UGC-organised workshop on transforming higher education.
Responding to a question from a fine arts student about expanding the art market and creating new departments like museology and conservation, the PM said such developments require a stable political climate.
“We will do politics. We have done politics. Much has happened on the streets, but now stability must come. Politics is for parliament. Nothing can be built just by making noise on the streets,” he said.
“The future is yours. You have to become strong here, and you have to protest here. But to build anything, one must sit, think, and then start working.”
‘Museums lie orphaned’
The prime minister acknowledged the need for trained curators in the country’s museums, saying that many museums appear to be suffering from neglect.
“We have many museums in Bangladesh. I have felt bad at how orphaned they seemed. The content of the museums in various places have been lying orphaned which is why we need curators,” he said.
He noted that the education minister has already started work on an initiative, with another initiative under the Ministry of Culture.
The PM also shared his initiative to take school children to parliament, inspired by his visit to the British Parliament.
“They have a guided tour system there – you can buy a ticket and go. The day I saw it, I thought that if I ever get the opportunity, I will try to arrange this for the children of my country,” he said.
“Currently, only school children from Dhaka are coming. God willing, gradually, we will bring children from other districts. They will see parliament, sessions; the parliament building has a history, a legacy.”
Responding to a question from postgraduate student Mobasheruzzaman Hasan about employment, question paper leaks, and nepotism, the PM cited massive corruption and money laundering in mega projects like the Rooppur nuclear power plant.
“Many talk about zero tolerance for corruption. To me, this seems unrealistic. In the context of Bangladesh, it is an unrealistic matter,” he said, drawing agreement from students.
“If you do not believe it, why would I believe it? But we are trying to rein this in as much as possible. We cannot fix what has been happening for years in two months or two years,” Tarique added.
The prime minister also pointed to political bias affecting Dhaka University’s international ranking.
“What we understand Dhaka University to be, it is not maintaining its international ranking. The main reason is that teacher recruitment here did not happen as it should have. Political bias received higher priority,” he said.
“If we recruit teachers based on results and merit, I think this situation can be changed.”
Regarding a student’s concern about Bengali language losing importance, the PM shared a personal anecdote about his daughter Zaima Rahman, who spent 17 years in England but can still name all 64 districts.
“This is an issue of mindset, of family. This cannot be achieved through laws and by force. The change must come from within,” he said.
The event was also attended by Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam and Professor Morshed Hasan Khan.
