Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina Wajed (born September 28, 1947) was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2001. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party in Bangladesh, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nationalist leader and first president of Bangladesh.
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| |
| Position | (Former) Prime Minister |
|---|---|
| Term | 23 June,1996-15 July, 2001 |
| Date of Birth | 28 September 1947 |
| Place of Birth | Gopalganj, East Bengal
(currently Bangladesh) |
| Political Party | Awami League |
Sheikh Hasina's political career started as a student activist in Dhaka University in 1960's. However, she was mostly under the shadow of her father until her family was killed in a coup d'état on August 15, 1975. She and her sister Sheikh Rehana, who were in West Germany at the time, were the only surviving members of the family. She later moved to the United Kingdom, and then was in self-exile in New Delhi, India before returning to Bangladesh, and Bangladeshi politics, on 17 May 1981.
Early life
Sheikh Hasina was born in Tungipara in the Gopalganj district of erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh) on September 28, 1947. This was her paternal home, the place where her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was himself born. She is the eldest among five siblings. She studied at the Azimpur Girls' High School, Dhaka until 1965 when she went to receive a secondary education from the Governmeent Intermediate College. She graduated in 1967 and then went to the University of Dhaka which she graduated from in 1973.
In 1968, Hasina married Dr. M. A. Wazed Miah, a nuclear scientist.
Political career
Pre 1975 career
Daughter of the greatest politician in Bangladesh, Hasina got involved in politics as a student. While at Government Intermediate College, she was elected vice president of the College Students Union for the term 1966-67. Her opponent was the fire-brand leftist student leader Motiya Chowdhury, who much later joined Awami League and became a member of Hasina's cabinet.
In Dhaka University, Sheikh Hasina was a member of the Chhatra League (the student wing of Awami League) and secretary of the Rokeya Hall unit. During the liberation war in 1971, Hasina, then a young mother, was in house arrest with her mother, brothers, sister and her son. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned in West Pakistan during this period. After liberation, Hasina's involvement in politics was minimal as Sheikh Kamal, her brother, was touted as Mujib's successor.
1975-1981
Her political and personal destiny was irrevocably altered on the fateful night of August 15, 1975, when her father and her entire family including her mother and three brothers were assassinated in a coup d'etat by a section of disgruntled officers of the Bangladesh Army, some of whom were known freedom fighters during 1971. Sheikh Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana were on a goodwill tour of West Germany at that time. Hasina then sought refuge in United Kingdom and later, in India. She was exiled to New Delhi, India until May 17, 1981 when she was allowed to return to Bangladesh.
Movement against autocracy
While living in self-exile in India, Sheikh Hasina was elected the president of Bangladesh Awami League in 1981. After she returned to the country, the erstwhile president Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in yet another coup in May, 1981. The following year, General Hossain Mohammad Ershad captured power through a bloodless coup and declared Martial law. In 1983, Hasina formed the 15-party alliance to launch a movement to oust him from power. Thereafter, she was in and out of prison throughout the 80's. Her party along with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Zia's widow Khaleda Zia, were instrumental in the movement against the military rule. In 1984, Hasina was put under house arrest in February and then again in November. In March 1985, she was put under house arrest for three months at a stretch.
In 1990, Hasina's 8 party alliance was instrumental along with another BNP-led alliance in finally overthrowing the Ershad regime. Ershad was forced to hand over power to a neutral caretaker government.
First term as Leader of Opposition
Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League participated in the 1986 Parliamentary elections held under General Hossain Mohammad Ershad. She served as the leader of opposition between 1986-1987. Hasina's decision to partake in the election has been criticized by her opponenents, since the election was held under dictatorial rule. Her supporters maintain that she effectively used the platform to challenge Ershad's rule. The parliament was dissolved in December, 1987.
Second term as Leader of Opposition
The first democratic elections were held in 1991 after long dictatorial rule. A caretaker government, headed by Shahabuddin Ahmed, the outgoing chief justice, oversaw the elections. Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the election, and Hasina's Awami League emerged as the largest oppposition party. Hasina accused BNP of "nuanced rigging" in elections. Hasina neverthless offerred to resign as the party president but later sayed on at the request of party leaders. Khaleda Zia of BNP took office as the first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Politics in Bangladesh took a decisive turn in 1994, after Magura by-elections. This election was held after the MP of that consituency, a member of Hasina's party, died. Awami League was expected to win it back, but the seat was won by BNP. The opposition parties accussed BNP of widespread rigging and the election commision of incompetence. The Awami League, along with other opposition parties, demanded that the next election be held under a caretaker government, and that the notion of a caretaker government be incorporated in the constitution. The ruling party of Khaleda Zia, Hasina's arch rival, denied to give in to these demands.
Opposition parties launched an unprecedented campaign, calling strikes for weeks on end. The government accussed them of destroying the economy while the opposition retaliated that BNP could solve this problem by acceding to their demands. In late 1995, the MP's of Awami League and other parties lost their seats due to prolonged absense in the parliament. The government declared elections on February 15, 2001, an election that was boycotted by all major parties but the ruling BNP. Hasina claimed that the election was a farce. The elected parliament, almost totally comprised of BNP members, finally amended the constitution to create provisions for a caretaker government. The next parliamentary election was held under a caretaker government headed by Justice Habibur Rahman on June 30, 2001.
Term as Prime Minister
Awami League won 140 seats in the 1996 parliamentary elections. The support of the Jatiya Party and a few independents were enough for the 150 seats needed for the required majority. Hasina took the oath as the prime minister of Bangladesh. She vowed to create a Government of National Unity. Though some smaller parties and a few individuals from BNP did join the government, the distance between the main two political parties (as well as there leaders) remained as large as ever. Hasina did manage to convince Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, who led the first caretaker government, to assume the post of President. This selection of a neutral person as president was praised by her supporters as a proof of Hasina's good will to reach out to the opposition.
A major coup by the new government was to strike a treaty between India and Bangladesh concerning the Farakka Barage, a bone of contention between the two countries ever since it was built in the 1960s. According to the treaty, Bangladesh was to receive 33 thousand cusecs of water a year. Hasina next went on to create a Peace Treaty with the tribal rebels in the mountainous southeast of the country, thus seemingly solving a problem as old as Bangladesh itself. Though rebel activities have reduced greatly after the treaty, the region remains a hotbed for tension.
On the down side, the Awami League was criticized for harbouring gangsters turned politicians, most notably Jainal Hazari of Feni. Her government was also criticized for overusing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the media and naming many major institutions and constructions by his name. The Awami League maintained that previous governments have tried to systematically eradicate Sheikh Mujib's legacy from the country and that the honor he was getting was long overdue. The BNP also accused the Awami League of politicizing the administration and state-owned media. Her party was also accused of being lenient towards India, especially after a shoot-out between border forces of India and Bangladesh left many (mainly Indians) dead.
During the last year of her rule, Transparency International declared Bangladesh to be the most corrupt country in the world. Though Bangladesh had almost always been in the bottom five, the unenviable last position created a uproar and was seen by many as a major failure by Hasina. Though Hasina has been voted out of office since, Bangladesh has remained at the last position. The opposition demanded that Hasina resign and declare early elections, but Hasina refused to do so. She became the first democratcially elected prime minister to complete her term.
Justice Latifur Rahman became the head of the caretaker government. Awami League alleged that he was biased towards BNP after he tranferred a large number of civil servants immediately after taking office. Later, Hasina would also accuse President Shahabuddin Ahmed and election official Abu Sayeed of biased actions.
Third term as Leader of Opposition
The Awami League succumbed to a landslide defeat in the 2001 Parliament elections. It won only 62 seats in the Parliament, while the Four Party Alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won more than 200 seats, giving them a two-third majority in the Parliament. Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League rejected the results, claiming that the election was rigged with the help of the President and the Caretaker governemnt. However, the international community was largely satisfied with the elections and the Four Party Alliance went on to form the government.
The Awami League has been irregular in the Parliament ever since. Hasina maintains that the ruling party doesn't give the opposition enough time on the floor. In late 2003, the Awami League started its first major anti-government movement, culminating in the declaration by party general secretary Abdul Jalil that the government would fall before April 30, 2004. This failed to happen and was seen as a blow to the party and Hasina herself, who had implicitly supported Jalil.
In her second term, Hasina has been faced with assasination attempts against herself and killings of important party personnel. Ahsanullah Master, a MP, was killed in 2004. This was followed by an assasination attempt on Hasina in Dhaka, resulting in the death of multiple party supporters, including party women's secretary Ivy Rahman. Finally, her finance minister Shah A.M.S. Kibria was killed in a grenade attack in Sylhet.
In June 2005, the Awami League got a boost, when AL nominated incumbent mayor A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury won the important mayoral election in Chittagong, the port city and second largest city in Bangladesh. This election was seen as a showdown between the opposition and the ruling party.
Cabinet
Important ministers in her cabinet from 1996 to 2001 included:
- Abdus Samad Azad, Foreign
- Mohammad Nasim, Home and Telecommunication
- Shah A M S Kibria, Finance
- Tofael Ahmed, Business
- Abdul Motin Koshru, Law
- Saber Chowdhury, Sports
- M A Sadeq, Education
- Motiya Chowdhury, Agriculture
Trivia
- Place & Date of Birth: Tungipara, Gopalganj, 28 September 1947
- Marital Status: Married to Wajed Miah; has one son & one daughter
- Education: BA Dhaka University 1973.
- Special Interest: Literature, Reading and social work
Awards
- UNESCO Houphouet-Biogny Peace Prize, 1998 - for the peace accord in Chittagong Hill Tracts
- Mother Teresa Award, All India Peace Council, 1998
- MK Gandhi Award, Mahatma MK Gandhi Foundation of Oslo, Norway, 1998
- Pearl S. Buck Award 2000
Books
- The Plight of The Street Children
- The Origin of Autocracy
- The Elimination of Poverty
- Some Thoughts
- People and democracy
- Development for the Masses