In the post-coup period, it is not desirable to reference or repeat old mistakes and limitations from a narrow perspective; rather, the time is coming to think about the future of Bangladesh.
It is important to establish a good society, a good political system, a good political culture, and democracy as an institutional foundation.
A popular rebellion does not justify any wrongdoing committed carelessly by any prior authority, nor do they repeat the same. A remarkably meaningless popular movement results from the legitimization of any such action.
Regardless of party affiliation, prioritizing the country and, more crucially, building a robust state and inclusive social framework are essential.
We have to stay in this country and its culture. Otherwise, despite staying here, we would not be able to retain the next generation of talented and competent young people.
The uprising has given us an opportunity. If we do not seize it, there will be unrest again and again. History returns to the same conditions.
Mob justice, false cases, and arrests without evidence-based allegations are unwarranted, unacceptable, and contrary to the rule of law. The suspension of the bail process in such cases by the executive order is therefore blatantly illegal. For the sake of future order, sensible accountability is required in this regard.
To elevate Bangladesh to new heights, we must resolutely confront a few urgent concerns.
These include providing the missing middle class with strategic support, guaranteeing low-income groups have more rights to shared resource pools and development with increased transparency, and promoting and institutionalizing the integrity and efficacy of the government, judiciary, and politics to a high degree.
Additionally, a fast-expanding youth population has to have their employable skills and entrepreneurial spirit developed, and an atmosphere that is conducive to investment must be established.
The goal is to create a dynamic and steadily stable environment that will draw private investment from both domestic and international sources.
There is also a need to ensure strategic, transformative, and effective use of the growing urban workforce. As a disaster-prone nation, developing more efficient management to handle risks and adjust to climate change is imperative. Consistently fostering the development of young and promising talented leadership and promoting political reform to build a robust political culture is a must.
This overall effort is at present hindered by the lack of institutional democratization and the rule of law, drug trafficking, extreme corruption, excessive mob justice, the propensity for false cases, the fear of arrest without evidence-based accusations, and the extended absence of a government elected through an inclusive election.
This leads to donor agencies' mistrust, continued high inflation, a large trade imbalance, worsening economic fragility, a decline in employment possibilities, growing wealth disparities, a high poverty line, and an increase in violence and injustice against women. These can only be resolved by transitioning towards institutional democratization and accelerating credible and inclusive elections.
To achieve this, the state governance structure and system must undergo the following essential reform processes:
Furthermore, it is essential that all government employees, elected mayors/chairmen, members of parliament, the president, the prime minister, ministers, justices, and constitutional officials be obliged to publicly disclose their assets and liabilities each year.
Strict measures must be taken in response to noncompliance with this condition, and this clause must be included in the rules.
There should also be a provision to permanently exclude anyone who exhibits written allegiance to a foreign state or holds joint citizenship from holding the aforementioned posts or any other position of equivalent standing.
Enacting precise and strict laws is also essential to preventing official conflicts of interest and corruption in public works.
It is imperative to accelerate inclusive and credible elections and make the shift to institutional democratization.
Fundamental reforms must be made to the state government system and structure before a credible and inclusive national election can be held. However, the reform process shouldn't take long. The national election ought to take place as early as feasible.
To conclude, people who truly committed terrible crimes and/or are extremely corrupt should be punished regardless of their political affiliation. However, the recent article in The Economist published at the end of last month rightfully questions whether banning any political party helps to revive Bangladesh’s democracy.
As stated by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at the Senate Building at Dhaka University on Tuesday, October 29, 2024:
“Democracy and the rule of law can be the blueprint for Bangladesh. There must be initiatives to ensure that all parties have equal opportunities and can freely participate in politics. The people must have a genuine opportunity to participate in democratic governance and decision-making processes. For free and fair elections, there must be freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of organization.
Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Talukdar is a Researcher, Columnist and Political Analyst. He is Professor of Leadership and Strategic Management, Faculty of Business Administration, American International University-Bangladesh. Email: [email protected]. Reform suggestions are made based on the policy briefs on combating corruption, political reform, and institutional democratization that appeared in Op-Ed form in the preceding regime in this newspaper.
