Dhaka: Bangladesh’s prime minister left her motorcade last month to unveil an 11 km elevated expressway, one of a flurry of infrastructure projects launched as she steps up her campaign for a record fifth term in power.
Sheikh Hasina praised the motorway, which cost $1 billion and passes over Dhaka's congested streets, as a crucial step in the "journey of progress" that, under her leadership, transformed one of the world's poorest nations into an inspiring success story. Sheikh Hasina stated at a gathering, "I am giving it to you as a gift."
The 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina, the world's longest-serving female leader, is sending a strong statement with this push, which also includes an airport terminal and an undersea tunnel route, ahead of the country's January elections.
It represents an economic turnaround under her leadership to her Awami League supporters. However, critics argue that the over dependence on mega-projects does not demonstrate government dynamism but rather a mis-allocation of resources as inflation rises and the economic miracle loses its lustre.
“Infrastructure and megaprojects, we need those,” said Zillur Rahman, executive director of the Dhaka-based think-tank the Centre for Governance Studies. “But we need to address our education, our health issues, our freedom of expression and human rights.”
Bangladesh has of late boasted one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies, largely thanks to its garment exports industry, with annual gross domestic product growth regularly exceeding 6 per cent. But inflation surged during the pandemic, exposing economic weakness underwritten by rising foreign borrowing and fuelling anger over the inequality and alleged corruption that have flourished under Sheikh Hasina’s rule, triggering protests