Hasina calls on expatriates in the US to invest in Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on expatriates living in the US to invest in Bangladesh.

She made the remarks to the media after attending a virtual citizens’ reception in honour of the Awami League party chief at the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott Hotel following the UN General Assembly on Friday.

“I would like to address our expatriate community,” said Sheikh Hasina. “You can now invest in Bangladesh. Investment shouldn’t just come from Americans. Our expatriate community should do what it can as well.”

The Bangladesh government has taken many initiatives to make investment opportunities more attractive, including the establishment of special economic zones across the country, she said.

The prime minister also highlighted various efforts made by her administration to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people amid the COVID pandemic.

Hasina also spoke about the role of the media, saying she began regularly reading through the newspaper as a child.

The media has to hold a mirror up to society and to criticise as well as highlight the positive, she said, but warned that it has to do so responsibly. If the media only spreads slander instead of offering constructive criticism, people will have a negative view of the institution, she added. 

As such, everyone must look to their own responsibilities in all aspects, Hasina said.

Hasina noted that the Awami League had approved various mass media platforms to operate since coming to power.

Do not confuse people with false accusations, the prime minister said, addressing journalists.

Hasina also spoke about the massacre of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family on Aug 15, 1975.

Those who took power following the assassination did so by violating the constitution, she said. They issued an indemnity ordinance to protect the killers, awarding them with jobs at various embassies, allowing them to get into politics, run for parliament and even be considered as presidential candidates, Hasina noted.

Though the deaths of her family and her six-year exile from Bangladesh showed her the cruel consequences of being involved in this line of work, it has never discouraged her from pushing ahead or gotten her to back down, the prime minister said.