The ruling Bangladesh Awami League party celebrated the 75th anniversary of their founding this year on June 23. This particular date -- June 23 -- also coincides with another significant event in Bangladesh’s history, as well as the subcontinent, including modern India and Pakistan.
On June 23, 1757, the Battle of Plassey took place in the village of Plassey, now located in present-day West Bengal, India. Troops of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, fought against the forces of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last Nawab of Bengal, defeating the nawab and ending Bengal’s independence.
Perhaps it was destined that on the day Bengal lost its independence in 1757, and subsequently India as a whole, the Awami League would be born centuries later in Dhaka in 1949 and that this party would play the leading role in guiding Bangladesh to its independence in 1971.
“The Awami League was founded in Rose Garden of KM Das Lane, Dhaka on June 23, 1949, at a convention of the leaders and workers known to be a faction of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League headed by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Abul Hashim. The new party was named East Pakistan Awami Muslim League. It was established with Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani as president, Ataur Rahman Khan, Sakhawat Hossain, and Ali Ahmed Khan as vice-presidents, Shamsul Hoque as general secretary, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (then interned in jail), Khondakar Mostaq Ahmed and AK Rafiqul Hussain as joint secretaries, and Yar Mohammad Khan as treasurer. From the very inception the Awami League has been a secular and non-communal party. As a mark of its secular posture, the term 'Muslim' was deleted from the name of the party at its third council meeting held on 21-23 October 1955,” reads Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, giving a glimpse of the background of the party.
The party’s own website proudly displays an article titled, “From liberation to development: Awami League brings Bangladesh’s all achievements.” The country’s oldest active political party shoulders a great responsibility in serving Bangladesh and its people.
Only as far back as 2008, Bangladesh's GDP was a mere $90 billion, but by 2022 it had surged to over $460bn, increasing more than five-fold in 14 years. This impressive growth has been driven by export-oriented industrialization, a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and enhanced infrastructure. And forecasts by the US Boston Consulting Group and HSBC Global Research predict that Bangladesh's economy will grow to $1 trillion by 2040.
Not all roses
However the quality of democracy remains one of the areas of concern in the country. The US-based non-profit Freedom House classified Bangladesh as a “partly free country” in its 2024 report. Bangladesh scored 15 out of 40 in the “Political Rights” parameter and 25 out of 60 in the “Civil Liberties” parameter, totaling an overall score of 40 out of 100.
The 2023 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) placed Bangladesh 75th out of 167 countries, labeling it a hybrid regime, a classification Bangladesh has held since 2008. This classification suggests that there are irregularities preventing elections in Bangladesh from being completely free and fair.
The country’s oldest active political party shoulders a great responsibility in serving Bangladesh and its people
On the press freedom front, the news is also grim. Paris-based Reporters sans frontiers, also known as Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ranked Bangladesh 165th out of 180 countries in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Bangladesh scored 27.64, a decline from 35.31 in 2023, placing it just ahead of Afghanistan among South Asian nations. The RSF measures press freedom using five major indicators: Political, economic, legislative, social, and security.
Corruption continues to be a major problem. In the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Bangladesh dropped two places to rank 149th out of 180 countries. Scoring 24 out of 100, Bangladesh is only ahead of Afghanistan among South Asian countries. Scores below 43 indicate that a country is significantly challenged by graft.
Even the business environment in Bangladesh has declined to its weakest point since 2021, according to a detailed survey covering a broad range of businesses nationwide. The Bangladesh Business Climate Index (BBX) decreased to 58.75 in the fiscal year 2023-24, compared to 61.95 in the previous year, and an initial 61.01 in FY22. This survey was collaboratively conducted by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and think tank Policy Exchange Bangladesh.
Now, on its road to 100, AL must address the concerning trend highlighted by a 2018 BIDS survey: 39% of Bangladeshi youth aged 15-29 are willing to migrate abroad for work, despite the country's “booming” economy.
Simultaneously, human rights organization Odhikar reports troubling statistics: Until May 2022, at least 90 people died due to torture in custody since the enactment of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act in October 2013.
In March 2023, the Human Rights Forum Bangladesh disclosed even more alarming figures: 791 people became victims of extrajudicial killings from September 2018 to February 2023, with an additional 56 individuals disappearing under mysterious circumstances during this period. According to the report, out of the extrajudicial killings, 683 were killed in “crossfire” incidents, 43 were gunned down, 44 died due to torture, and 21 perished in police custody.
These stark realities underscore the urgent need for AL to address both the economic aspirations of its youth and the human rights concerns plaguing the nation.
AL must find answers as to why AL activists and leaders frequently hit newspaper headlines due to misdeeds and malpractice, why state banks' default loans have risen by 42% in a year, and why approximately $8bn is illegally sent abroad from Bangladesh annually.
As AL looks to the future, it must balance celebrating past achievements with addressing current challenges. By prioritizing democratic reforms, safeguarding civil liberties, combating corruption, and sustaining economic growth, the party in power can continue to lead Bangladesh towards an inclusive future. After all, since June 23, 1949, wasn't AL destined to ensure justice to the people?
Shamim A Zahedy is a journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]
