Padma Bridge with own funds boosts Bangladesh’s image: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the Padma Bridge changed the image of Bangladesh for the better after the government decided to construct it with its own funds.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 Oct 2018, 05:40 PM
Updated : 20 Oct 2018, 05:40 PM

“I thank the people of Bangladesh as they were with us. Except for one or two of my ministers or advisers, everyone was with me. This decision, you see, has changed the image of Bangladesh," she said at a gathering of university teachers in Dhaka on Saturday.

Hasina blamed the cancellation of the World Bank funds for the project on Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Tension grew between the World Bank and the government after Yunus was removed from Grameen Bank as its managing director for crossing the age limit, she said.

“In response to this, the World Bank and some of the 'Western leaders' tried to block the construction of the Padma Bridge.”

Although the World Bank was expected to fund the Padma Bridge, it came up with allegations of corruption surrounding the bridge and suspended the funds already approved the project.

Then, the government started to implement the project with its own resources.

Hasina alleged that Yunus had a hand in cancelling the World Bank's financing.

The prime minister said it was incomprehensible that Yunus could do such harm to the project for the sake of his position at Grameen Bank.

At the time, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, a former World Bank official, had strongly opposed the decision to construct the Padma Bridge with the domestic resources, said the prime minister.

“I then went ahead with my decision to construct the bridge without any financial support from others. The finance minister opposed it vehemently.”

But people responded to the decision positively, according to the prime minister.

Amid the World Bank’s allegations of the corruption conspiracy, the then Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain stepped aside.

Later, the Anticorruption Commission said they did not find any evidence of corruption.

A case was also started at a Canadian court against SNC-Lavalin, accusing the company of bribing Bangladeshi officials to secure contracts in the Padma Bridge project in 2010-11. After a long process, the Canadian court acquitted the three employees of the Canada-based SNC-Lavalin.

The verdict said the evidence produced in the case was “nothing more than assumptions and rumours”.

Hasina also alluded to a newspaper editor for playing a role in the suspension of Padma Bridge funds.

Hasina said the United States pressured the prime minister not to remove Yunus from Grameen Bank.

“The American ambassador at the time made a threat that the removal of Yunus from his post would lead to the cancellation of the bridge funds.”

“I remained firm on my decision.”