Distinguished Chairman, Board of Governors of BIISS,
President, Bangladesh Political Science Association,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen

I thank the organizers of the conference for inviting me to this inaugural session at a very appropriate time of our national politics. The theme of the conference " Security and Democratization in South Asia" is of great significance to more than 1.3 billion people of South Asia today as was never before. Development - both political and economic is the most sought-after goal for all nations of the region.

Yet development remains the most complex process in the region and is dependent on a wide array of political, social and cultural characteristics. In fact, democratization, development and security are the new global imperatives that each state of the region must conform. Since the tragic episode of 9/ 11, no country can afford disorder and violence to a level that can spill over into the core in the form of terrorism, unchecked refugee flows, criminal activities, diseases, and the like. In this context, no nation is fully sovereign today - it has to decide in cooperation with others to achieve the goals of security of its people, resources and the territory. Similarly, democracy has become a global concept and it cannot be confined to national boundaries only.

Distinguished participants,

Today, after 34 years of Bangladesh's independent existence as a nation, the dilemmas of democratic governance remain.
Bangladesh is a democratic nation. It has seen peaceful electoral transfer of power from one party to another. Bangladesh has a unique system of ' caretaker government' to ensure free and fair elections - not influenced by the party in power. The media in Bangladesh enjoys unfettered freedom. Bangladesh's human rights record has improved significantly in the past few years as you can see in the US State Department's recent publications. Of course, we have shortcomings or deficits that we are trying to overcome. But it must be understood that democracy has taken firm root in Bangladesh for only near about two decades.
Our political culture, roles and behavior still have to adjust and adapt to democratic norms and values. This takes time. Unfortunately this task is made even more difficult as vested interests seek to tarnish the liberal democratic endeavour and image of Bangladesh. While one can argue that Bangladesh has witnessed some 'security lapses, and that improvements in its democratic governance including tackling corruption are gradual, it would be wrong to term Bangladesh an 'ineffective state'. The reality is that Bangladesh continues to march forward as a liberal, democratic, moderate and modernizing Muslim state.

It is rather ironic that despite Bangladesh's many positive achievements in the past decades, the country is often misunderstood in the international sphere. Bangladesh's achievements in economic, health and social sectors are appreciable. The most significant achievement is, of course, democracy even if it is not perfect. The progressive rise in Bangladesh's human development index points to the dynamism and enormous creative energies of her people. There has been steady economic growth and recovery during the past decades despite natural disasters and political disruptions. Last, but not the least, the enormous resilience of Bangladesh people against adversities is the driving force for the future.

Security dimension

The past four years of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia's strategic leadership witnessed a series of measures to promote greater efficiency and effective conduct in law enforcement. The government also initiated a number of reforms in police administration and legal-judicial system to ensure " human dignity and security of life and property". However, it has not been easy to create a strong and enduring deterrence against crime and violence. The Speedy Trial Act of 2002 produced some positive results against certain offences. The creation of special security forces including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to ensure safety of the people and deter the criminals produced spectacular results. The government is now acting through a strong commitment to curb effectively the religious extremism of a misguided section of people in the name of peaceful religion of Islam.

The political leadership of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has taken a bold approach and more assertive and concrete actions to root out religious extremism. While Bangladesh can reasonably assert that it does not harbor terrorists of any variety - Islamic or otherwise, the anti-Bangladesh propaganda is continuously trying to create confusion within and outside the country. This unwanted, unpatriotic propaganda has created many difficulties for us. However, Bangladesh is continuing to forge ahead in the international arena with an image of her high potential and growing recognition that it is truly a moderate and tolerant Muslim country.

I think you the political scientists of the country have a moral duty to promote and project this positive image to the outside world, and at the same time try to rectify the negatives with concrete suggestions and advice. I am confident that the Bangladesh Political Science Association will take the lead in projecting the real and positive image of our beloved country Bangladesh.

I express my sincere thanks to the Chairman, BIISS and Chairman of the Committee of International Political Science for selecting Bangladesh as the venue of the regional conference and for its theme.

With these words, I declare the conference open. I hope the deliberations of this conference will contribute to political development in Bangladesh.

I thank you.