Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (Mar 7) said the historic March 7 speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is still an inspiration to take the country forward. "The historic March 7 speech is still inspiring us to take the country forward," she said.
The PM was addressing a ceremony as the chief guest marking the historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka, local media reported.
Sheikh Hasina also expressed her optimism that none can confuse the new generations about the true history of the Liberation War as the world is now open to them for technological advancement. She added: "The world is open now before today's generation. So, they cannot be confused anymore what was made for 21 years. I firmly believe that it won't be possible to push them to darkness at the age of technology."
Mentioning that Bangladesh is advancing ahead and will forward further, the prime minister said the March 7 speech of the Father of the Nation will encourage all to achieve the goals.
The Cultural Affairs Ministry organised the function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka on the historic March 7 speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni spoke on the occasion as the special guests. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid presided over the function while its Secretary Md Abul Monsur gave the welcome address. At the outset of the function, the national anthem and March 7 speech of Bangabandhu were played.
Referring to selecting 200 best speeches in 2500 years in a book titled "Great Speeches in Minutes" by Jacob F Field, Sheikh Hasina said the appeal of the many speeches had ended on the day of delivering the speech.
"We are celebrating 50 years of the country's independence while the March 7 speech of Bangabandhu is still inspiring us," she said.
Stating that in the history of the world, many great speeches were given, but those were written, the premier said Bangabandhu's historic March 7 speech was extempore. She said the historic March 7 Speech of Bangabandhu was not written and he even did not rehearse it before.
She added: "Before his speech, my mother suggested Bangabandhu to say whatever comes in his mind and there was no need to pay heed to the points of others."
The PM said none would be able to count how many times, days, hours and minutes, the March 7 speech has so far been played.
"We have been hearing the March 7 speech decades after decades. Crores of people have heard it," she continued.
Highlighting the significance of the March 7 speech, Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu had prepared the nation step by step for independence and it was reflected in the speech.
She mentioned that Bangabandhu in his speech just not uttered the Independence of the country. "Rather, he (Bangabandhu) told that how he will liberate the country, how he will bring political, economic, social and cultural freedom for the country," she added.
Sheikh Hasina, the elder daughter of Bangabandhu, said in his speech, the Father of the Nation gave the direction for economic emancipation after the independence of the country.
"Bangabandhu did not only unite the nation, he also imbued the people with the spirit of the liberation," she said.
Sheikh Hasina regretted that after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975, the military rulers imposed a ban on playing of the March 7 speech. But leaders and workers of the Awami League and its associate bodies had played it on various national days ignoring the threats and inhuman tortures, she said.
But, now today, she said this historic March 7 speech of Bangabandhu has been included in the World Documentary Heritage by the UNESCO and it is also one of the greatest speeches of all times.
Sheikh Hasina said her mother had always stood beside her father in every struggle while her grandfather and grandmother also supported Bangabandhu in his endeavour to liberate the country.
She said this speech had a full direction for turning a noncooperation movement into an armed revolution along with inspiring the people of the country including the freedom fighters during the nine months of the blood-stained War of Liberation.
The premier said no nation in the world except the Bengalis could unleash such noncooperation movement under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for 24 years. In this regard, she referred to an incident that the cooks of the then Pakistan president house (Sugandhya) had stopped cooking after the announcement of the non-cooperation movement by the Father of the Nation.
The PM said that each of the Bengalis including the government employees obeyed Bangabandhu's directives regarding non-cooperation movement.
Sheikh Hasina mentioned Bangabandhu's farsightedness saying he knew very well that, "though Awami League would secure a majority in the general election in 1970, the Pakistanis would not hand over power". For this, she said, Bangabandhu in advance had thought that how the guerrilla war would be waged, how the freedom fighters would get arms and ammunitions alongside getting training and who would support the Bengalis.
She also said that none would be able to foil the independence of the country and erase the ideology of the Father of the Nation.
The PM said attempts were made time and again to distort the true history of the country's independence and to mislead the nation for 21 years, adding, "Now it is proved that history can never be suppressed."
PM releases postage stamp on historic Mar 7
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday (Mar 7) released a special commemorative postage stamp, an opening day cover and a data card on the occasion of the historic March 7. The premier unveiled the commemorative postage stamp of Tk 10, the opening day cover of Tk 10 and the data card of Tk 5 at a ceremony at her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka in the morning. A special canceller was used on the occasion, local media reported.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar, State Minister for Cultural Affairs K M Khalid, Prime Minister’s Office Senior Secretary Md. Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Major General Naquib Ahmed Chowdhury, Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Md Khalilur Rahman and Director General of Directorate of Posts Md Siraz Uddin were present on the occasion.
The postage stamp, first-day cover and data card will be sold from Philatelic Bureau of Dhaka GPO and will also be available at other GPOs and head post offices across the country later.
