Friends of Bangladesh recently completed a 10 day visit to Bangladesh, and we have continued to track developments there since leaving. The situation in the country is tense in some respects, as many expect increased efforts to disrupt the February 12 election.
A recent press conference in New Delhi by Awami League leaders in exile, in which they tried to undermine the findings of an authoritative United Nations report on their murderous response to protests in 2024, was followed by a speech there by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. These efforts provide a preview of anti-Bangladesh propaganda to come. (Interestingly, according to media reports, Hasina reacted negatively to even a half-hearted apology for the killings offered by former party leaders at the press conference.)
Notwithstanding these unhelpful India-based efforts, we found palpable excitement and even growing optimism in Bangladesh. Our visit confirmed that reports from critics (most of whom have not set foot in Bangladesh in years, if ever) that the country is in “chaos” do not stand up to even the most basic examination.
Many remarked that the peaceful and successful holding of two massively attended funerals (one for Sharif Osman Hadi and the other for Begum Khaleda Zia) and the return of Tarique Rahman from exile were evidence that the Interim Government (IG) is rising to the challenge of managing security during the pre-election period.
The IG is also campaigning aggressively for approval of the national referendum. (The IG forcefully responded to critics of their advocacy for a “Yes” vote here.). They are encouraging everyone (especially women) to vote and consulting with the major political parties. The culture and the mechanics of democracy are springing back to life after more than a decade of atrophy at the hands of the autocratic Awami League government.
Many people commented on the importance of the reforms the IG enacted related to giving the Bangladesh judiciary greater independence and approving a Microcredit Banking Ordinance. But as the IG’s term reaches its conclusion, perhaps the achievement that the nation is most grateful for is preventing foreign powers from reinstalling Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister. The general feeling is that unless someone of Professor Yunus’ stature had taken over quickly, Hasina might have been able to regain power and impose her dictatorial governing approach again.
Joy Wazed, Sheikh Hasina’s son who lives in the United States, recently gave an interview with Al Jazeera, which Shayan Khan, the editor of the Dhaka Courier, called a “total train wreck” in this post. (We published a wide-ranging interview with Khan here.) Zafar Sobhan, the editor of Counterpoint, wrote his own scathing review of Wazed’s interview.
Now freed from autocracy and eager to reestablish democracy, Bangladeshis are also rightfully taking pride in national achievements such as their GDP overtaking Pakistan’s despite having a population one-third smaller than its South Asian neighbor. Furthermore, in some health indicators, Bangladesh is ahead of India, and in many others Bangladesh is ahead of a large number of Indian states, including West Bengal. For example, life expectancy in Bangladesh is a full five years greater than India’s.
In response to the continued flood of disinformation about the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh, the IG posted an impressive factual analysis of this issue while we were there.
The Election Commission spent much time during our visit adjudicating appeals by candidates to reverse the rejection of their candidacies, and by most accounts did so fairly and expeditiously. With 1,967 candidates contesting 300 Parliamentary seats, the election appears headed for a successful outcome. In a recent post, Shayan Khan called the approval of so many candidates “the first” of “many wins to come” in the preparation for and holding of the election.
We reviewed an impressive summary of the reforms enacted by the IG that runs more than 200 pages. It will be published soon.
Thanks to all of you who are supporting a free and thriving Bangladesh. There has been much progress and much more work to do.
