Minister Mirza Fakhrul Claims Bangladesh Lost Billions, Explains Energy and Political Challenges
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir spoke in Rangpur on Sunday. He said the current opposition party uses language similar to what Sheikh Hasina’s party used when they were in opposition. Minister Fakhrul mentioned that Hasina’s party often said, “We will not allow this,” or “We will not let that happen.” He noted that the current opposition now speaks in the same way.
The Minister made these comments at Rangpur District Shilpakala Academy. The event was organized by Love Share BD, a charity from the United States. This group started a project to help people become self-reliant. As part of this, 25 tea stalls were given to 25 disadvantaged individuals in the Rangpur area.
Minister Mirza Fakhrul reminded everyone that the government is only four to five months old. He said it has already started many new plans in this short time. He also talked about the country’s gas problems. He stated that Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) was not working well before. Now, BAPEX is getting stronger and exploring for oil and gas again.
He added that foreign companies have been invited to explore for gas in Bangladesh. These companies are now arriving. Minister Fakhrul explained that Bangladesh must buy oil and gas from other countries. This costs a lot of money. He claimed the conflict between Iran and the US caused Bangladesh to lose almost $4 billion in payments. Despite these problems, he said no one has completely lost oil or gas supply, even though the amount available has gone down.
Speaking about plans for Rangpur and the northern region, Minister Fakhrul said the Prime Minister wants to build farming-based businesses there. This will create many job opportunities for local people. He suggested that Rangpur’s development has been slow in the past. This was because people in the region did not always make the right political choices, he explained.
Minister Fakhrul also said that democracy is working in Bangladesh. He stated that Parliament is active, people can speak freely, and newspapers can publish what they want. However, he questioned how accurate some information on social media is. Many people attended the event, including Mushfiqul Fazal Ansari, Md Shamsuzzaman Samu, Saiful Islam, and Zahid Khan.
