Photo by Bornil Amin on Unsplash
Yesterday, Bangladesh had its national elections. But this was no ordinary elections, it was the first that was broadly fair and free in nearly two decades.
In the West, the idea of a free and fair election is taken for granted. So is the idea of general state stability. Post-colonial South Asian politics has no such luxury. Bangladesh has been mirred with in-fighting, coups and counter-coups throughout its young history. A descent into military rule has very much been on the cards over the last few years.
As such, these elections were historic. Nonetheless, the slight irony is that the results themselves feel somewhat anticlimactic to me. Although broadly peaceful and open elections are to be celebrated, reforms and genuine positive change will take a lot more hard, earnest work.
I wrote in a post a few weeks ago that this was not a political blog. But then again, it is my own blog, so I write about what I want, and also, what I think would be useful for people to know. Since most people who read this have little to no knowledge of Bangladeshi politics, I am delving into politics again, since it would most likely be useful.
Indian independence took place in 1947. This led to the creation of modern day India, as well as East and West Pakistan. In 1971, a war of independence took place, and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
Bangladesh struggled with poverty and famine in its early years. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s emblematic independence leader led the country until 1975. The military intervened, and he was brutally murdered in his own home along with his family. The only family members that survived were daughters Hasina and Rehana, who were abroad at the time.
A messy powergrab then ensued, until Major General Ziaur Rahman managed to gain control of the country. He founded the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), and brought some sense of stability. That was until Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in 1981. Within a year, military chief Hussain Muhammed Ershad then seized control and established a military autocratic regime until 1991.
Genuine party politics eventually returned. Khaleda Zia, the wife of late-Ziaur Rahman became leader of the BNP. Awami League was led by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. These two figures would alternate as Prime Ministers for the next three decades.
After Awami League won the elections of 2008, Sheikh Hasina increasingly used state powers to retain control. Opposition parties were banned, and protesters would suddenly disappear. Awami League would win the elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024 practically unopposed.
The expectation was that Awami League would stay in power for many more years. However, the July Revolution of 2024 was a massive moment in the country’s history. What started as discontent around unfair quotas for government jobs turned into a nation-wide protest. Army soldiers were ordered to fire at peaceful protestors. This incensed the wider population. Events moved quickly, and within weeks, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country.
The history of Bangladesh shows how fragile such moments of transition can be. Students were clear that they did not want the military to take over. Instead, they called for the internationally respected figure of Muhammad Yunus to be the country’s chief adviser and lead an interim government.
I personally think Muhammad Yunus has done a very good job. He managed to sort out governance issues in a complex time, as well as agree numerous positive constitutional which have now been voted through. Overall, it seems that elections took place in a safe and legitimate way. Although there were some reports of violence, these were relatively small scale compared to previous instances.
No doubt there are people who were frustrated that he did not do more, yet these often come from voices who do not understand how hard it is to move large-scale machineries of government, particularly in a system where corruption and cronyism is so rife.
From a personal perspective, I also can’t help but reflect that this defining moment of his life has come at the late age of 85. In an age where we want things to change quickly, it may be many years later that we make our defining mark.
Of course, Muhammad Yunus was already a highly respected and established individual. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering microcredit loans through Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. But he had been left out in the wilderness of Bangladeshi politics for nearly two decades due to a disagreement with Sheikh Hasina.
As for the election results themselves, I can’t help but feel somewhat underwhelmed. The student protests ignited a fire of change, however the real voting options did not feel very radical. The election was won by BNP, a broadly centre-right positioned party led by Tarique Rahman. It will take some convincing to see him as a leader of change when he is the son of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, both of whom were Presidents themselves. Although they have run on a ticket of proper governance and human rights, they still have numerous accusations of cronyism dating back to their last time in rule.
The alternative was the Jameet-e-Islami, which despite overtures to the contrary, represent more of an islamic fundamentalist ideology. Although they did make some statements about being more open, I simply cannot ignore how regressive their views on women are.
What was most disappointing for me personally was that there was no real viable left-wing option, or indeed sense of alternative vote. The one new voice, the National Citizen Party, established by students, somewhat bizarrely choose to ally itself with Jameet-e-Islami. Although there may have been some practical benefits to this, it essentially led to the strange situation that the newer, potentially progressive voice was tied into religious conservatism. Their credibility suffered as a result.
Nevertheless, although I am somewhat disappointed, perhaps some boring politics is just what the country needs for a while. All I can do is put the hopes in the new government to do what is right for the nation.