Bangladesh is scheduled to vote in about three weeks, the first election since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024. And the churn in Bangladesh, as also elsewhere in the world, is an upsurge of certainty, as noted author and analyst MJ Akbar describes it.
This upsurge is led by those who have a vested interest in the future, particularly the young who were born in this century, Akbar told StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale. He links the churn going on at the macro level to the collapse of institutions created to stabilise the global order after World War II. “The 20th century is dead or is dying; the 21st century has not yet been born.”
American Deal?
Akbar points to a just published report in The Washington Post that mentions American diplomats in conversation with journalists in Dhaka. It is not a secret that America, in order to protect its interests, has had a role to play in the democratic processes of smaller nations, smaller powers. “And not everyone has the capacity of India and the firmness of the Indian Prime Minister to stand up and say India’s strategic autonomy is not going to be compromised by your search for any deal.”
Existential Threat For Bangladesh
This election in Bangladesh is very critical because it is not simply about a change of government in a democracy, says Akbar. “Bangladesh faces an existential threat. And the election is an opportunity or a means for Bangladeshis to actually change the ideology of their nation state, ” he adds.
When Bangladesh was created in 1971, it had a clear ideology. Bengali identity prevailed over every other ism. The doctrine of Bengali identity also created social harmony.
Challenge from Jamaat
The BNP was also part of the Bangladesh liberation movement, says Akbar. “The challenge it faces is from the Jamaat-e-Islami, which never believed in Bangladesh. In 1971, the Jamaat fought on the side of the brutal Pakistani forces that killed people and did huge damage to Bangladesh.”
The forces that were defeated in 1971 have been reactivated, and believe that their moment in history has returned, says Akbar. If extremist forces who believe that a distorted idea of religion can be the basis of Bangladesh win, you are looking at a conflagration that will not stop at the borders of Bangladesh, he warns.
