Today is that One Eleven, a day of crisis for democracy in
Bangladesh. On this day in 2007, the government of the army-backed Fakhruddin
Ahmed was sworn in. In 2006, the BNP-Jamaat coalition government formed a
controversial election commission to tarnish the election. At the same time,
the age of Chief Justice KM Hasan was increased so that he could be the head of
the caretaker government. The constitution was also amended at that time to
increase the age of the Chief Justice. With this the political arena became
heated.
On October 27, the day BNP handed over power, violence broke
out across the country. In such a situation, the Awami League declares that
they do not consider KM Hasan as the head of the caretaker government and will
not participate any election under this Election Commission. In this situation,
KM Hasan moved away but the political stalemate did not end. In the face of the
crisis, then-President Iajuddin Ahmed took over as head of the caretaker
government. He holds both the presidency and the head of the caretaker
government. But in the context of doing everything under the direction of BNP,
a crisis situation was created in the politics of the country. In such a
situation, the BNP-Jamaat alliance was adamant about the January 22, 2007
elections.
In such a situation, the Awami League declared that they
would not go to the polls under any circumstances. Bloody violent movements
spread across the country. In fact, on this day in 2007, an army-backed
caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed took over. For two years this
government seized power unconstitutionally. This is the rule of another
unelected government in the politics of Bangladesh.
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Bashundhara Group stands by 10,000 cold-hit people in Faridpur
Bashundhara Group, the country’s largest business conglomerate, distributed blankets among 10,000 cold-hit people of Sadar, Nagarkanda, Saltha and Sadarpur upazilas of Faridpur.
The blankets were distributed with the all out support from Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir.
Bashundhara Group's executive director and Faridpur district Awami League’s industries and commerce affairs secretary Advocate Jamal Hossain Miah distributed the blankets at Talma Union Parishad chairman’s residence on Friday morning.
Speaking on the occasion, Jamal Hossain Miah said, “Bashundhara Group always stands by the people of the country. With the help of Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, blankets are being distributed among the cold-hit people across the country, including Faridpur. Bashundhara Group will continue effort to serve people in the future.”
After getting blankets, the poor people expressed their gratitude to Bashundhara Group for giving them worm cloth during this bone-chilling cold.
Bashundhara Group general manager Md Yunus Khan, Chief Operating Officer (Banking Sector) Md Razib Samad, Faridpur Press Club general secretary and Bangladesh Pratidin correspondent Kamruzzaman Sohel and Talma Union Parishad Chairman Kamal Hossain Mia were present among others in the event.
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Awami
League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader
pays a courtesy visit to Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Chairman of country’s leading
industrial conglomerate Bashundhara Group.
Obaidul Quader was greeted with flowers by the Bashundhara family during the meeting at the Bashundhara Group chairman's residence in the capital on Monday.
Bashundhara Group Managing Director, Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited Chairman and Bangladesh Jeweller’s Association President Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Rongdhanu Group Chairman Alhaz M Rafiqul Islam, Awami League Office Secretary Biplab Barua, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam and Badda thana Awami League General Secretary AM Jahangir Alam were also present during the meeting.
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Leaders of Narayanganj district and Rupganj upazila units of Awami League held a view-exchange meeting with Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan on the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Rupganj.
MP from Narayanganj-4 constituency AKM Shamim Osman, Rongdhanu Group Chairman Alhaz Rafiqul Islam, Rupganj upazila AL General Secretary Alhaz Shahjahan Bhuiyan, Vice-President Barrister Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz, Bashundhara Group Director Liakat Hossain, Kanchan municipality Mayor Alhaz Rafiqul Islam Rafiq, former upazila AL Vice-President Khandaker Abul Bashar Tuku, Daudpur Union Parishad Chairman Alhaz Nurul Islam Jahangir, Rupganj Union Parishad Chairman Alhaz Saladuddin Bhuiyan, upazila AL Information and Research Secretary Kamal Hossain Kamal, Health and Population Secretary Dr Faisal Ahmed and Kanchan municipality AL leader Tariqul Islam Mughal were present at the meeting held at the Bashundhara Group Chairman’s residence in Bashundhara Residential Area in the capital on Monday.
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The Awami League retains a “significant level of support” and there is still a lot for the government in Bangladesh to point to as a success story amid current challenges, says Michael Kugelman, director of the newly created South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.
“We have
to keep in mind that the ruling party Awami League has been in power since 2009
and it retains a significant level of support,” he said, noting that the party
has been able to bring success stories on the economic front and in countering
terrorism.
Kugelman
said that even if someone talks about all the bad things happening in
Bangladesh, the bottom line is that there is still a lot for the government in
Bangladesh which helps it sustain a significant level of success and there are
people who see reasons to support it.
Mark
Goldberg recently sat down with Kugelman to discuss the recent protests in
Bangladesh. The Foreign Policy magazine published the podcast recently.
Responding
to a question, Kugelman said Bangladesh has been a regional success story for
its economic growth. “It's a global success story.”
He
described what had happened over the last few months, including consequences of
the Russia-Ukraine war, high level of inflation, rising fuel cost and responses
from the government like rationing electricity amid power shortages.
Kugelman
said disruption in electricity supply was a major strain on the economy and
sudden fall in economic productivity was an opportunity for the opposition to
take to the street.
Corruption,
one of the realities in Bangladesh, scandals in the financial sector could be
another trigger for the opposition, he said, adding that economic problems and
corruption gave the opposition opportunity to draw more attention.
Kugelman,
however, said the protests launched by the opposition parties “was not a mass
protest” but a partisan protest.
The
foreign affairs expert said the government had the opportunity to explain the
“temporary consequences” of external factors.
Kugelman
said Bangladesh has demonstrated success in the area of counterterrorism and
noted that there was a period when it was a significant problem in the country
which had experienced series of deadly attacks.
He said
the Awami League government took initiatives to crackdown really hard on the
militants, and terrorism has not been a problem in Bangladesh over the last few
years. “That’s another success story.”
Bangladesh
has become a much bigger player on the global stage, including its role in
peacekeeping operations and with its non-aligned and balanced foreign policy,
he observed.
Responding
to a question on “democratic backsliding” he said it is important to look back
at the broader history of Bangladesh.
In the
past, he said, BNP (when it was in power) was resorting to similar types of
tactics and there were crackdowns as well as reports of enforced
disappearances.
Kugelman
said many things that are happening today were also happening when BNP was in
power.
He said
“undemocratic tactics” happen in many countries, including Bangladesh and
elsewhere in South Asia, and described them as “hybrid democracy”.
Responding
to another question, he said he does not think that there will be a Sri
Lanka-like situation in Bangladesh as there are safety measures in the latter.
Kugelman
said Bangladesh's economy is much more resilient than Sri Lanka’s has
been.
He also
responded to questions on Bangladesh’s next national election which he hoped
will be held as per the constitution.
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UNB
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