We have seen the uncompromising leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia earlier. Then, it is Tarique Rahman who is now showing the way of light to the youth so that they can build a self-reliant new Bangladesh in a short period of time. As a leader, he should come up with necessary plans to establish a Bangladesh which will be respected in the whole world.  He should strive for institutionalisation of democracy, introduction of a work-oriented education system, economic liberation, establishment of social governance and elimination of poverty. These things seem to have repeatedly faced various tensions. As a result, today the nation has to wait for an Abraham Lincoln or a Mahathir Mohammad to be born in this land. But the heroes will not fall from the sky. Someone from among us must come forward to play such a role. We are waiting for him.

 If we were to pick someone from the younger generation in the political arena,   the  name  that  would  undisputedly  come  up  is  Tarique  Rahman. When he served as the Senior Joint Secretary of the BNP, he used to visit villages as part  of  his  father  Shaheed  President  Ziaur  Rahman’s  ‘village  to  village programme’.  Tarique has become a leader since then (almost two eras ago).  Youth society   and   Senior   Society   are   now   talking   about   when   the   Acting Chairman of BNP Tarique Rahman will come back to the country. Bangladeshis think that the people are the source of power.  Politics is a pursuit  of seeking human   welfare   by   safeguarding   the   interests   of   the   neglected   and backward  people. A leader  has  to  reach  the doorstep  of  the  masses  to  achieve  this  objective. Trust of the ordinary people must be gained and their hearts must be won. They should also be involved in development activities. The lamp of dreams should also be put in their eyes. Tarique Rahman has  already  made  one  thing  clear  that leaders have to   listen   to  the  aspirations,   desires and  dreams of   grassroots  people  all  over Bangladesh.  Their words should be evaluated with sincerity.

Focus should not only be on those people living in Dhaka but also on those who are scattered in the remote areas of   Bangladesh.   President   Zia   visited ordinary   people   and understood their emotions.  He saw Bangladesh from outside Dhaka with his own eyes.

Moreover, a qualified leader must have the ability to recognise qualified people. Without finding the right people at the right time, proper implementation of  the  plan  will  not  be possible.  Qualified people   who   are   scattered   across   the country   should be   found out and   given the responsibility so that the face  of Bangladesh becomes bright with the possibility of success. If you want to open the golden door of dream possibilities, you have to move forward by fixing the vision and mission. For this you have to prepare yourself through hard work.

It seems that the popular   leader   Tarique   Rahman has understood these   issues   well,   who   is   dear   to Bangladeshis. That is why he has distributed self-reliance items among the poor people  through  his  own  initiative.  It has been understood from his recent remarks that the leader thinks that one  should  prove  one’s  worth  with personal  integrity, positive mentality  and tolerance.  The strength of his leadership must be applied in his work. We believe that Tarique Rahman will come  back  soon  with  more  potential,  for  the  welfare  of  people,  for economic liberation of the country and for the enlightenment of Bangladesh. Tarque  Rahman  has  to  learn  from his family tradition, the political ideals from his father. He has to know as well that the people of Bangladesh now want a worthy  leader with determined leadership   to   develop   their   fortunes. We believe that public leader Tarique Rahman will definitely play an important role in building a self-reliant new Bangladesh.

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The writer is a former Assistant

Secretary, JASAS (Central Committee)