JP Chairman Manju says Bangladesh’s independence should ‘never be underestimated’

He says they had not “failed”, but “could have performed better”

Jatiya Party Chairman Anwar Hossain Manju has said Bangladesh's independence "should never be underestimated", though Bengalis have yet to overcome “a tendency to be jealous of others’ success”.

Speaking at the launch of the National Democratic Front (NDF) on Monday, he stressed that jealousy does not fully explain everything.

"We have seen many changes and will see more... We did not make a mistake by liberating the country. We may not have achieved everything you expected, but that does not mean we are defeated or that things were better during the Pakistan period,” he said.

Manju, chief advisor of the NDF, said: “We dreamt of a country where people would live without fear, but for 54 years successive governments have ruled through intimidation.

“At the same time, it is not true that nothing has been achieved. The transformation of our infrastructure over the past five decades has surprised many at home and abroad.”

After leaving HM Ershad's Jatiya Party in 1997, Manju and Sheikh Shahidul Islam went their separate ways.

Criticising the culture of blame, Manju said: “Each side claims it fixed everything before another ruined it. So who is really responsible?

“Take a look at today’s Bangladesh – criticise what deserves criticism. No government is above it.

“That is why I say, be positive. We have not completely failed, but we could have done better.”