On May 24, 2023, The Economist has published a derogatory article filled with lies and false information on Bangladesh that directly targets ruling Awami League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In the article sub-titled ‘Her tragic past now threatens Bangladesh’s future’, the newspaper which was founded by a Scottish hat manufacturer in 1843 and now publishing from 10, John Street, London, the United Kingdom, it said: “Bangladesh has long been rated South Asia’s most corrupt country after Afghanistan. Thanks to the Taliban’s steps, it may now be the most corrupt. Some of its graft looks symptomatic of the de facto one-party state that Sheikh Hasina, fulfilling one of her father’s ambitions, has made”.
This information is utterly false. According to a 2017 report published by Forbes magazine, Asia’s five most-corrupt nations are: Myanmar with 40 percent bribery rate, Pakistan with 40 percent bribery rate, Thailand with 41 percent bribery rate, Vietnam with 65 percent bribery rate, and India with 69 percent bribery rate. Meaning, Myanmar and Pakistan were jointly the top most corrupt nations in Asia. In this case, where from The Economist invented the theory of branding Bangladesh as “South Asia’s most corrupt country”?
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While The Economist thinks, upholding the spirits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and never forgetting his tragic assassination on August 15, 1975 – would threaten the future of Bangladesh, we are aware that the United Kingdom has been granting refuge to criminals, thugs, terrorists and mafias – including war criminals who had committed genocide during the war of independence of Bangladesh and according to Transparency International, London is the capital of dirty cash.
Commenting on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, The Economist said, “Sheikh Hasina’s long career has been a story of courage and the ruthless use of power, with some policy successes that she can lay claim to, and epic national growth that she cannot, but does. It is hard to see how the story will end well. She is growing increasingly authoritarian and resented and, as she confirms, has no plans to retire”.
They also said, “The coming election will not offer the BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] a way back”, and quoted Sheikh Hasina saying, ‘the BNP, formed under army rule half a century ago, of being “constituted by a military ruler illegally’. She alleges that the country’s biggest Islamist party, a former ally of Pakistan, is “almost all war criminals”. ‘Our point is that there is no such party [apart from the League] who can really contest the election’”.
The Economist article seems to be echoing the voice of war criminals and political rivals of ruling Awami League although such contents which is filled with lies and falsehood neither would hamper the image of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina nor would obstruct progress and prosperity of Bangladesh.
