Improving political culture is vital in Bangladesh. The 2024 July-August mass uprisings — that led to the ouster of the Hasina-led government — have reminded the importance of improving political culture and created its scope. The Yunus-led interim government has made various steps including reform steps which have the potential for improvements in political culture in Bangladesh since there are likely to be changes in different laws that will increase checks and balances and secure more transparency and accountability in the government and political parties that can reduce the scope of dictatorship. But it remains unclear whether and how much the chance of becoming dictators will be reduced in the future without addressing the reasons for becoming Hasina’s dictatorship.
The five-times prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has made many authoritarian activities in the last fifteen years of rule including her orders for forced disappearances, involvement in the killings of the uprising masses, unprecedentedly suppressing the opposition for more than a decade, almost completely destroying the electoral system and money laundering. But, notably, she was not dictatorial and dangerous when she came to power in 1996 and left the office a day before her terminal in 2001. There are probably various reasons that made Hasina the topmost dictator ever in Bangladesh, also called by many as ”fascist ”. The killings of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman who was the leader of the independence of Bangladesh and other family members and the denial of justice against their killings are probably two crucial underlying reasons for her dictatorship, though not decisive.
But several other reasons including subsequent and repeated attempts to kill her after her coming back to Bangladesh in 1981, the 2007-08 minus two formula and her intention to stay in power by any means have also played vital roles. She has probably been the most targeted person to be killed. But the decisive role of her becoming a dictator is probably the 2024 grenade attacks on the political assembly of the Bangladesh Awami League that aimed at killing her and the attempt to minus her during the last military-backed government later. Under constant conspiracies against justice against those who killed her family members and the constant threats to her survival, these two events probably unsurprisingly led to the perception of adopting any means to address all the challenges.
Photo credit; https://edition.cnn.com/.
Pertinently saying, this Editor’s Letter does not intend to justify those activities of Hasina that led to intentional killings, forced disappearances and other dangerous activities during the last fifteen years, from 2009 to 2024. But without understanding and addressing the underlying reasons for Sheikh Hasina’s becoming a political dictator, it is difficult to reduce the chance of the political dictatorship in Bangladesh. Future dictatorship and changes in the constitution by the dictator for political purposes are not unlikely at all in Bangladesh, whose political development has been hindered repeatedly since independence — even if reforms improve political culture and reduce the chance of becoming dictators in the future.
Political culture is desired to be improved in Bangladesh at least to the extent that neither supports the activities that made Hasina a dictator nor facilitates many undesired activities that he did durin her long rule. For this, the good intentions of political parties and leaders and others including foreign actors who often play a role in becoming a dictator by supporting and constantly conspiring against any leader is vital. The pro-liberation and anti-liberation war divisions also need to be addressed by political parties.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
