As the 1998-flood ravaged Bangladesh, nearly two-thirds of its land remained

inundated for over a month, wreaking havoc on Aush and Aman paddy. But,
the farmers got their barn replenished with grain in the next Boro season
(January–May). During the onrush of the flood, then Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, in addition to other facilities provided to the sector, directed endowing
farmers with agricultural loans within 48 hours of application. To compensate
for the loss of Aush, Aman, and other crops, farmers left no stone unturned,
not an inch of land uncultivated. Their unwavering dedication paid off in the
Boro season with a yield of rice amounting to 10.5 million tonnes of rice.
Flanked by foreign diplomats and businessmen at a hotel in Dhaka, then
finance minister Shah Abu Muhammad Shamsul Kibria said, “This year all the
Boro Rice put together will make around one crore tonnes of Boro rice.” A
high-official of a donor organisation dubbed it a “ridiculous claim”.

To the disbelief of “donors”, 10.5 million tonnes of rice were produced that
year. While we know that Henry Kissinger of the US and the economists of the
World Bank taunted Bangladesh as a “Bottomless Basket”, there are still some
people within Bangladesh who resonate with that derogatory remark. They still
conjecture that this country will not survive let alone thrive.

The same quarter again raises their question of disbelief when Finance
Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal forecast that the country’s GDP will be 8.2
percent in the financial year of 2020-21 and they term this prediction
“ridiculous claim”.

But, within a few days of that statement, Asian Development Bank predicted
that the country’s GDP growth will be 7.5 percent in the financial year 2020-
2021. Is there a world of difference between these two predictions? Perhaps
no one missed out on the piece of news that Bangladesh despite all sea of
hurdles such as coronavirus and Cyclone Amphan produced 21 million tonnes
of Boro rice.

We are endowed with what it takes and we can work it out when it is required.
Many lower- and middle-class non-farmer families are also firmly dedicated to
ensuring that every single inch of their land is best used.

Vegetation will thrive even on yards and roofs. Moreover, we have to ensure
the utmost use of the Tk 1 trillion incentive in different sectors of the
economy. Condemnations poured in from all quarters about allowing the
return of hundreds of thousands of workers to Dhaka and then backtracking
on that decision within hours and pushing them back again. But, we should not
be oblivious to the fact that both employers and employees in addition to the
stakeholders were dying to keep the economic shuttle going since it is all about
making a living.

On Jun 14, Larry Elliott wrote in British newspaper The Guardian, “The cost of
lockdown is too high.” Anthony Fauci, the chief of the US National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the coronavirus vaccine will be
invented and the immune system of human beings will be boosted. He also
advocated for a change in the continuous lockdown spanning three months.

However, there is a different demand in the air of Bangladesh – “Make the

lockdown the strictest one. Make it to the level that not even a bird gets out of
its nest.” They make such observations since they are concerned about their
lives and treatment (if they get affected). That makes them feel like the end of
the world and frustrations surge through them.

Let me recount just one fact – can you remember any single act of curfew
involving harassment except for the tenure of military rulers or pre-
independence Pakistani regime? Field Marshal Ayub Khan, General Yahya
Khan, Major General Ziaur Rahman, and Lieutenant General HM Ershad
imposed strict curfews to resist any movement against them.

Khaleda Zia, the chief of BNP, a party that had come into being during the
military regime, called the armed forces into action. Even General Moeen U
Ahmed did so. Have Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Hasina
followed the same course? A party like the Awami League will never resort to
such harsh actions.

Even when the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami killed people indiscriminately with
petrol bombs only to stop the national parliamentary election and many people
at home and abroad were predicting the declaration of emergency, the
government proved them wrong. Then why will Hasina resort to such a strict
action like imposing a curfew at this peaceful time?

Taking such harsh measures is synonymous to announcing war against their

people. Why is the instigation for such a suicidal decision? A truly democratic
government must rely on the power of convincing people – not on military
intervention.

In the post-independence period, the government led by Bangabandhu

imposed a curfew during the daytime in some zones of Dhaka to recover fake
ration cards and illegal arms. The armed forces were assigned as a wall against
smuggling. But, a quarter with vested interests made the worst use of it and
Bangabandhu retreated from this action soon. In any country, the young
generation becomes the worst victim of a lockdown and Bangladesh makes no
exception. Since the train of demographic dividend is at the station in
Bangladesh, the effect of lockdown forcing youths to stay home is even worse.

Through life expectancy exceeding 72 years, the biggest part of the population
belongs to the workforce and youths have a big role to play. So, keeping them
under lockdown is the same as resisting a river from flowing. On top of that,
we must deal with the question – can coronavirus be defeated simply by
imposing a lockdown? Larry Elliott in The Guardian wrote that youths are the
least affected but worst sufferers of the novel virus. Youths catalyse the
growth of all major sectors such as the labour market, education, and sports.
Different European countries resumed football league events as well. Film
shooting has begun as well.

Even love and romanticism have blossomed once more. Even at the very
inception of the coronavirus crisis, the issue of sex life has surfaced in Europe
and the US. In Bangladesh, you just have to keep mum on this topic. But, is it
something that we can just keep aside and lead life?

Even the country is focused on reinvigorating the economy protecting lives

and containing the spread of the disease. Countries like the US, Britain, and
China are living with the haunted phobia that how they will be able to manage
if the second phase of lockdown becomes inevitable. If it is imposed, will
people oblige? Won’t it create more problems than solutions? Many diseases
such as AIDS are more lethal than coronavirus and are untreatable.

Despite the shortcomings of the healthcare system of Bangladesh, the death

rate from the coronavirus in Bangladesh is less than 1.5%. Therefore, it seems
wise to resume the shuttle of the economy with minimum risk – if the total
eradication of the virus is not possible at this moment.

The world health will return to its previous state, so it is observed by experts.
It is neither lockdown nor curfew but a change in lifestyle and realignment
with the present situation that can make the difference. Moreover, not all
actions come to a halt even under strict lockdown.
Television reports are showing people come up with innumerable reasons to
come out of home and many of the reasons they show are ludicrous. Still, they
are part of our society.

At the beginning of the lockdown, a female UNO from Jashore harassed two
farmers and what she did was unacceptable. But, you may have to create many
untoward situations if you want to ensure a curfew. Our society is not
prepared at all for that stringent action.

Though strict action may be required to enforce a lockdown, physical

harassment cannot be acceptable. Rather, we must make sure that life risk is
minimised.

We cannot halt our interactions with the outside world even if we want. Can
we seal down the border with India? We must bear in mind that the way no
European country alone can eradicate this virus, a single country among
Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan cannot do so. Only proper coordination among
all the countries can solve the crisis.

Mankind encountered many such diseases whose eradication could not be

possible even in hundreds of years. The same is about the coronavirus. Still,
scientists are giving their best to invent the vaccine. Some medicines are
suggested as effective as well. We are fortunate that some internationally
recognised medicines are manufactured in Bangladesh as well. As we have
poised ourselves to export masks, PPE, and sanitizer, we can be optimistic
about exporting medicine as well.

If the manufacturing of vaccines rolls on, we have to ensure that our

companies don’t miss out on that mission. It will save lives and compensate for
the loss in revenue.

Also, the healthcare sector has to be uplifted as well. It must be ensured that
people regardless of their economic status and location get access to
healthcare. When someone finds it unavoidable to go outside for job,
production, or cultivation purposes, they must be careful enough not to get
infected and not to spread the virus.

The government has the biggest role to play in this case. At the same, the
efforts of the government have to be complemented by civil society, media,
and social media. Everyone must give his or her best to fight this invisible
enemy.