July 27 is a red-letter day which marks the 53rd birthday of modern Bangladeshi icon and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ICT advisor Sajib Wazed Joy. His presence is felt in all digital atmosphere of the country and his guiding words during event of national importance inspire millions of people from all walks of life. The language of expressing his feelings for the country is also unique. He proudly claims that his age is the same as of Bangladesh as he was born in Dhaka on this day in 1971. Beyond his identity as a member of legendary political family, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ICT adviser to the government, Sajib Wazed Joy is now famous as the shaper of modern Bangladesh. He is the man behind the digitization in the govt and private offices, legal services, tender processes, telecommunications, extended internet connectivity, financial services. Aerospace technology and so on. During Covid-19 pandemic and lock down, on-line communication was the only platform for connectivity around the world.
Sajib Wajed Joy’s visionary guideline of internet-based connectivity played a pivotal role in such a crisis moment and kept our economy moving. Services like on-line shopping of essential items, salary disbursement and financial assistance through mobile financial service, tracking the Covid Victims, registration and certification for vaccines etc. ensured the social distancing and prevented wild spread of Covid 19. The rural agricultural society has gradually transformed into a modern and technology-dependent society. Thus, technology expanded in all directions of the country under the able guidance of Sajeeb Wazed Joy and modern & digital Bangladesh got a new look. We congratulate and thank such a strong pillar of Sheikh Hasina’s Smart Bangladesh for all his endovers .
BSc in Computer Engineering from India and a Master’s in Public Administration from a Harvard University of the USA in 2007, Joy is honored as one of 250 Young World Leaders. He has long been politically aware which multiplied with his appointed as an advisor on information and communication technology (ICT) to Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2009. His contribution was instrumental in securing Sheikh Hasina’s release from prison under the military caretaker government in June 2008. It is said that the vision of digital Bangladesh is the brain child of Sheikh Hasina and its successful shaper is Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
He is blessed with forcefulness and strong will power like his Grand Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibor Rahman. He is also strengthened with industrious and youthful characteristics. That’s why his arrival from America and joining politics was a blessing and good start of positive & dynamic politics for us. His patriotism shook the morals of those who had once patronized corruption and subversion within the country. Like Bangabandhu, he spoke and worked to inspire the people and instil hope aspiration within them. At his age, Bangabandhu awakened the people of this country. Joy also working to awake the people, solve the problems of the country and build a poverty and hunger free Bangladesh under the umbrella of the Awami League. As he delivers speech in public gathering, a hypnotic spirit like that of Bangabandhu’s emanates from his gesture.
Since 2009, he is advising our ICT sector to reach the apex of it’s development utilizing his educational qualifications, professional excellence and vast experience. He is relentlessly inspiring young people in the field of basic research and sustainable development. The reason for BNP-Jamaat’s furore is mostly his competency in education which placed him at the forefront of the digital Bangladesh that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is leading. Just as Sheikh Hasina, he is also selfless and loves people from his heart. He could withstand the adverse situations and win the hearts of opposing people. Leaders and general members of Chhatra League and Jubo League walked with him keeping hands in hands. He walked extra miles to explain benefits of digitalization program and success of Sheikh Hasina government for digitization among the common mass. Critics might mark him as an American citizen and spread a rumour that that Sheikh Hasina would also move to the United States. But fact remains that Joy’s mother sheikh Hasina herself is from this soil, people welfare centric and she too is oath-bound like her father to sacrifice herself for the benefits of people of this country.
Sajeeb Wazed Joy is a visionary leader who could honestly visualize the future of Bangladesh back in 2009 and designed a digital Bangladesh. As a result, more than 100 million people are using internet in the country today. The application of information technology in the education sector has increased. Especially during the corona epidemic, all organizations were made technology friendly. Now a days, children from remote areas are also studying ICT as part of their curriculum. Almost all universities are equipped with Incubation Centres.
Even the country’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) or Freelancing sector is currently exporting more than $100 million and more than 50 thousand young professionals are actively involved in this field. Six and a half lakh people are currently working in the ICT sector. By 2025, one million people will have the opportunity to work in this sector. And all these have been made possible by Sajeeb Wazed Joy. As Bangladesh has dramatically progressed in this field over last 14 and a half years under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, the country has become a technology-based modern economy due to the visionary advices of her able son.
Joy believes and terms the youths as the future leaders of the country and proudly said so on various occasions in the past. He echoed the same while handing over “Joy Bangla Youth Award” to 30 youth-based organizations, who have played a pivotal role in the development of various regions of the country at a function at the Sheikh Hasina Youth Center in Savar, Dhaka. His public involvement dragged the young people to come forward for the development of the country by their own initiative sitting in remote areas. In his eyes, young generation should be considered as inevitable target in such development works. He was vocal at home and abroad to highlight the progress of Bangladesh and the positive achievements of the young people. According to him, recent drive of the youth of our country is unique and unprecedented. In the past, with the losing of spirit of independence, we lost the belief that we can solve the problems of the country and can move the country forward. But now we are termed as “Shining Star”, “Role Model” etc. We are one of the ‘Next Eleven’ promising countries. Sajib Wazed Joy’s speech always reflects his ideas and beliefs about the young leaders. He himself is the leader of the new generation, so he has emerged as a beacon for the youth.
In another speech as the chief guest at a seminar in Dhaka, Sajib Wazed Joy said, ‘If you have honest courage and self-confidence, you can do any difficult task. We are not less than anyone. We are equal with foreign countries. There is no need for a foreign certificate to verify the truth or falsehood.” Experience of building the Padma Bridge with own money is a glaring example of honesty and ideology before the young leadership. None can expect love and respect if they are not honest. And one cannot come to power without the love and respect of people. He believes that patriotism can lift up the country before the world.
In fact, the democratic trend in Bangladesh revolves around Bangabandhu’s family. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sajeeb Wazed Joy as his worthy successor are embossed at our heart. Our attention is specially focused on the new leadership of third generation leader Joy. After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, there was a great vacuum of leadership in Bangladesh. Family tradition is a pervasive theme in the politics of the subcontinent. Looking at India, the family trend of current politics is most noticeable. Jawaharlal Nehru Gandhi’s daughter Indira Gandhi was a worthy successor to her father. During Indira Gandhi’s time, there were many capable leaders like Morali Desai, but Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister. The political involvement of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, her daughter Benazir Bhutto, Benazir’s husband and son in politics is other examples of political heredity in Pakistan. Bandaranaike family in Srilanka is also another example. In the same way, the Awami League leaders placed Sheikh Hasina to the political stage in 1981. After 1975, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Abdur Razzak and other prominent and veteran Awami League leaders portrayed Sheikh Hasina as a competent leader who can effectively run the country.
The way Khaleda Zia brought Tarek Zia into politics and placed him in the forefront was not the case with Joy. Rather, assuming that Joy can enter politics, the masterminds and culprits of ‘Hawa Bhavan’ invested in Tareq and attached him with BNP in 2004.
Joy is a son of the soil of Bangladesh. His silent but effective entry into politics changed the tide. Political events like organizing the party, solving intra conflicts within the party, keeping the party united in the democratic movement is considered as the main task of a leader before every election. After the defeat in the five city corporation elections during the grand coalition government, Awami League desperately needed a new leadership. So it was considered auspicious for us to bring forward someone as qualified as him. In 2010, he accepted the position of regular member of Awami League.
In accelerating the progress of Digital Bangladesh, Sajib Wazed Joy always say that Awami League should be given a chance to finish the unfinished revolution of development. According to him, continuity of development should be maintained for a new and modern Bangladesh. It is an important time for Bangladesh. During Covid – 19 lockdowns, Technology has enabled our economic activities to continue. Now different strategies have to be adopted to deal with the propaganda of the opposition party and to highlight the success of the government in front of the people. Because propaganda has also been carried out against Joy.
In fact, Sajib Wazed Joy has set up a new trend in the development of Bangladesh. His lively presence invigorated our youth with hope to move forward. He spoke constructive political words on various topics in response to various questions of the audience in the program aired on several private television channels. Sajib Wazed Joy while answering various questions in the program titled ‘Let’s Talk’ with the students of some universities said that the ruling government has progressed a lot in the way of digital Bangladesh. He doesn’t just think about technology only, he values people too and any kind of suffering caused to the people concerns him.
In fact, he inherited the extraordinary ability to attract common people towards him with a sincere heart from his grandfather Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his parent’s scientist Dr. Wazed and Sheikh Hasina. He has attracted the attention of the people of the country in many ways specially through lucid speeches. He spoke high about youths during functions of Jubo League, Chhatra League etc. to mark the special days. Sheikh Hasina has set an example with active initiatives in eliminating corruption, terrorism and militancy in the country. On the advice of Joy, the high import duty has been lifted from over 94 parts used in the production of technology-based items and at cases, the tax has been brought down to 1 percent. Joy holds the believe that the way the economy of Bangladesh is progressing, it will become a developed country by 2041 facing challenges and likely disasters.
A new generation of leadership like Joy has ushered in positive changes in our politics as well as overall progress and development. The entry of the new generation into politics is an additional achievement on our way forward. According to the information of the Election Commission, about 23 lakh young voters appear in the voter list every year. Out of 9.21 lakh voters, 4 crore voters are under 40 years of age. About 40 percent of total voters are new generation. A new generation of leaders is inevitable for them. Sajeeb Wazed Joy understands the language and expectations of these new voters. He also knows the strategy to ensure wining of the Awami League in the future parliamentary elections. The previous Jamaat-BNP four-party coalition government couldn’t not develop the country as it has been done by Awami League. But BNP’s false propaganda campaign still has to be dealt with.
As a child of a political family, Joy has been active in politics from the background. He does not believe in his own propaganda. He has been involved in various political activities with less of public appearance. His family lineage shows Bangabandhu as his grandfather and Sheikh Hasina and Dr. Wazed as his parents. The people of this country must have the ability to understand that he arrived in the politics to support the people and has the mentality to sacrifice himself for the people.
No other party has the glorious history and tradition as of Awami League. Sajeeb Wazed Joy has been moving forward since 2009 using that glory. As a son from a middle-class family, Bangabandhu fought for the people throughout his life ignoring the fear of execution by Pakistani rulers. He spent months and years in jail. Joy remembers these as grandson of that great leader and feels that he should approach to the people with the identity of Bangabandhu. The father of the nation brought his close family members into politics (Sheikh Moni, Sheikh Kamal) and that was aimed at sustaining democratic governance. What he did at the family level was in the interest of the country, thinking of the welfare of the people. Many oppose his establishment of Bakshal but cannot understand Bangabandhu’s compassion for the country.
Sajib Wazed Joy, the Grandson of Bangabandhu and only son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shaped modern Bangladesh. He has come forward in the country’s development work which attracted people’s attention. The proximity of his mother educated him in politics. All Awami supporters will be happy if his leadership is more established and extended further as he can make people dream. If Awami League is to achieve its goals, leadership and development must be embraced simultaneously. Joy is not a sudden leader. He is the son of a political family. He has a strong guardian who is able to give good advice on all matters. If he ever falls on the way, Sheikh Hasina can guide him on the right path by giving advice. Joy is devoted to his mother.
Everyone knows that Joy is an ordinary member of Awami League. Apart from this, he is the Prime Minister’s IT Advisor. In this sense, he is not the policy-maker of the party, but he is giving many supports to the party and party leadership in various ways. The life of Sajib Wazed Joy is inspired by the spirit of freedom. He wholeheartedly believes that even after fighting for freedom, Bangladesh’s progress was hampered by walking in the opposite direction to the spirit of the liberation war after the assassination of the father of the nation. His statement is – ‘We have gained freedom by fighting. I was standing on my own feet in 4 years. At that time came 15 August 75. After that, the anti-independence forces came to power”. His sincere advice to the youth is, “Never forget the spirit of independence. Don’t forget. And don’t let anyone question the number of martyrs. Don’t give an opportunity to spread such lies, so that the nation forgets the martyrs.” According to him, ‘those who do not believe in independence, how will they believe in Bangladesh?’ Sajib Wazed Joy is active in the management of the Sheikh Hasina government in a digital way. As such, it is natural that he will appear in public with his new ideas and thoughts in the future in building ‘Smart Bangladesh’. Birthday greetings to Sajib Wazed Joy, the promising Captain of Awami League. Basically, to make Bangladesh a developed country, Awami League should be kept in power, which Sajib Wazed Joy has repeatedly said. This requires the efforts of the youth. We have to trust the young leadership. Bangladesh is elevated on the highway of development as the Sheikh Hasina government is in power. During Awami League regime, the economy of the country experienced unprecedented progress. Our economy in the world ranking is in a remarkable position now. And credit goes to the youth too for moving forward. On the other hand, the Awami League government is dealing with one conspiracy after another. The leadership of Sajeeb Wazed Joy is mostly needed to eliminate all conspiracies and propaganda of cyber world against the current government. He is an eternal source of inspiration to the younger generation. Happy Birthday to you Dear Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
