For the first time after her re-election Sheikh Hasina the prime minister from
Bangladesh gave an interview to an international broadcaster and that was
with Deutsche Welle we talked about her priorities about her
fears and what she wants to leave behind once she will have left the office
Sheikh Hasina we are sitting here underneath the painting of your father
who is the founder of Bangladesh Mujibur Rahman he got assassinated in August
1975 alongside with many of your family members but you and your sister you
stayed in Germany that that very day has this shaped your relationship to Germany
well you see with Germany we have always good relationship and 1975 as much you
know my husband was a nuclear scientist and he was working in cultural diversity
so we just went there for holiday for few days that time I was a student out
of university but I have two kids and I took my sister with me I said let's go
there we'll be in a university area it will get very good environment for study
but it is unfortunate that within 15 days we heard that we have nobody
everybody was killed except this true sister yes I appreciate German
government immediately they inform us if we want to stay back there to accept it
so that way you can say yes because we are right there so German has very
special you know I mean friendly gesture to us so you are now in office for the
third term in a row and I hear rumors that you say this might be your last her
I want well is the you know consecutive third term and before that I was Prime
Minister so it's my fourth term so I don't want to continue for more I think
that everybody should take a break and then we can make accommodation for
younger generation so you would say this is probably your last term do I
understand you right well that become Prime is the first then
I said okay I don't know what to continue I want to lead other to do but
I couldn't stop because well actually we're struggling for establishing
democracy and people's emancipation that's what I would love to talk with
you about Prime Minister so what would you like to accomplish within these next
five years food security accommodation education health job opportunity these
are basic needs then definitely every human being want a better life then we
have to ensure that my father struggled his whole life for these people and the
country he liberated the country he wanted to build up this country as a
prosperous country but he could do it so I feel then this is my job
but when you're talking about establishing a democracy there's more
you want to establish it's like freedom of speech is human rights it's gender
equality what are you going to do in this regard
listen actually what you see now in the country it is not like this is because
our country ruled by military dictator time and again no movement freedom of
movement that was a situation we had only one television no private
television no private radio how people can exercise that freedom of space so
you say you coming actually I bring a lot of change 1996 when I first
become Prime Minister first thing I decided that I will open up everything
to the private sector one thing is to ensure freedom of speech and show
people's freedom of movement and right and our first priority was to ensure
food security mm-hmm so can he become self-sufficient in food then education
that is also very very important because unless you educate people how can you
build up this country as a poverty very kind sir Prime Minister would you
consider education one of your priority priority we took initiative that we
should ensure that each and everyone should get food security and
side-by-side education we started building schools where there is no
school and also encourage children to go to his school we started giving mother
some money or some facilities so that she should send their children to this
school so that way we encourage them for education and for healthcare we started
establishing community health care center what I feel that their basic
needs their food shelter education then job opportunity that is also and also
security so it is their human rights which was freedom of speech play for you
you just said that earlier on there were only state ruled media this is changing
in your country is it like also a basic need that people have the freedom of
expression oh yes of course they can and you support that 100% hundred percent
also critical voices who criticized your your style of leadership or your
decisions would you say this is part of a democracy listen if you work more than
you will hear more criticism but you should ask my people whether they are
satisfied or not what they think whether
they are getting all what they need whether I can supply will provide this
we all remember I think the world does as well the situation of bloggers here
and thank Bangladesh some years ago many of them got murdered and killed on the
streets well some incident happened but immediately we took action
now you know the tourism become a worldwide problem and Bangladesh also
face some extent but immediately we take action will declare zero tolerance to
terrorism and we could have control that yeah how do you do that I mean zero
tolerance it sounds so easy to do it's it's not that easy it is very
complicated it is true but what I did well in one hand I strengthened all
enforcement agencies and we trained them an official resume for them but what is
more effective that is I just directly went I'll go to the people I call upon
the people but besides the awareness you needed to build a coalition with
fundamentalist groups like if asana Islam during the election so do they
want something out of that now I told you that in this country everybody has
freedom of his piece so they have also right to spell out what they want but
what we have to do of course we have to do because we already passed the law
about the marriage age and they are also we are in involving whole society but
you will fight for the right change the Constitution only law or taking action
will not solve the problem but what I have done that our education for girls
is totally free up to 12 class then we provide a stipend for them
three books we distribute for all his student and even our primary section the
girls enrollment is more than boys and now parents now they want that their
children should be educated then we create a job opportunity for girls also
because education is free now parents also want that his girl should you know
irrigate so they also think that their girls should educate so that then she
will get a job Morris is not the only aim opportunity for yes actually you
have to change the mindset in the past parents used to thinking why I should
have to get the girl because one day she will get married she will go to the
another family but now they don't think that now there's things that yes I
should have to get my girl she will be eligible to earn money and well then she
may get married so that way we are bringing in a change in the society
gradually now our child marriage has reduced tremendously you using for that
I hear it doesn't matter if anybody supported you during the election this
is something you're not that's not negotiable for your girls done and it
will continue it well I don't want to fight with them or I don't want to spoil
up the or I will do it now what is my job that is to keep peace in this
country a peaceful atmosphere right so well I've told you the people have every
right to speak what they want to but what is good for the country good for
the people good for the girls boys are a human being that is my concern and of
course we will do that I would like to come one more time back to the elections
which just happen your ruling coalition won 288 out of
300 seats that's 96% that's nearly a hundred percent what happened to the
opposition actually you see who a new contest election what people want to see
who is the leader they couldn't present that actually
their lack of politics is mainly their that they will present any leadership
that who will run the country next secularism is under threat in your
country no you can say so so you're not afraid of like really islamistic forces
animistic forces that there are no doubt about it but if you can see the
condition in this country we have religion harmony each and every religion
people they can perform them but people get killed on the streets because of
criticizing or not living conform religious is not true they got
threatened I mean we were talking about bloggers earlier on I mean this there's
a danger in the streets isn't it yes I told you that you incident took place
but immediately we took you know step then it stopped in our country we will
always create atmosphere that each and every religion they can perform their
religion faith peacefully honorably secularism doesn't mean that no religion
no we believe in religion and everybody should have their right and will have
religion harmony so you don't feel any threats Islam is a religion for peace
now some only few people sometimes they use it but that is the wrong way they
shouldn't do it Prime Minister thank you so very much indeed
you