If the July revolution proved anything, it is the fact that Bangladeshis the world over recognize that resuscitating our nation’s myriad institutions must be prioritized for re-establishing democracy. A decade and a half of misrule on the part of the previous Awami League government had left these institutions beaten and battered to the point of servility, and their resuscitating is imperative for the future of our political landscape.
Which is why it has been nothing short of frustrating to see the interim government, an administration which the public has had more of a hand in placing on the seat of power than the past few cabinets, consistently fail to implement the many reports submitted by the national reform commissions.
According to a panel of experts, the institutional reforms as prescribed by the Constitution Reform, Electoral Reform, Judicial Reform, Public Administration Reform, and Police Reform commissions, are imperative in shaping the kind of democracy Bangladesh wishes to become, and as such the skepticism surrounding their transparency and level of protection from political interference have been especially egregious to witness.
As we have said before, practically every cabinet in the past decade have failed to listen to the people, prioritizing vested interests over those of the nation. The institutional rot which had set in place was the prime reason why unchecked corruption was allowed to take place -- in order for Bangladesh to not succumb to that same fate once again, it is imperative that the institutional reforms be implemented without haste.
To that end, the onus lies on the interim government to lay out how it plans on carrying out its reformation plans by clearly communicating its strategies to the people.
The toppling of an autocratic regime does not imply the re-establishment of democracy. For that to pan out, Bangladesh must adopt transparency and accountability at an institutional level; otherwise, nothing will change.
