Bangladesh has come a long way, but no room for complacency: Radwan Mujib Siddiq

Despite the transformation of Bangladesh from a war-ravaged country half a century ago to one of today's fastest-growing economies globally, the nation still has to strive to make the 'Shonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) a reality for every citizen, remarked Radwan Mujib Siddiq, a grandson of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"50 eventful years have passed since a new country called Bangladesh forced its way onto the world map. The transformation from impoverished, war-torn state to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world has garnered major interest in the country's development journey," wrote the editor-in-chief of WhiteBoard, a policy-based magazine, in its editorial.

"Bangladesh has come a long way. But there can be no room for complacency as we strive to make Shonar Bangla a reality for every citizen, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender, or socioeconomic group. This is the dream that millions of Bangladeshis laid down their lives for. We must not lose sight of what makes us who we are, as we look to the future," added Radwan, also a trustee of the ruling Awami League's research wing Centre for Research & Information (CRI).

The third instalment of the quarterly focusing on the 50th anniversary of independent Bangladesh covered a gamut of policy issues including access to justice, women's participation in politics, and institutional capacity building.

WhiteBoard, the country's first policy-based magazine, was launched on September 20 in the last year with a promise to bring new ideas into the policy sphere of Bangladesh.

The first issue of the magazine, published by CRI, covered the policies adopted by the architect of independence Bangabandhu in post-liberation Bangladesh that had set the tone for the country's development and progress.

Launched last December, the second issue incorporated articles on the recovery path for the government from the pandemic.