Volume 2, Issue number 4 focuses on the historical background of the July-August mass movement of 2024 and institutional reforms that are needed in a ‘New Bangladesh’.
The article “Lest we forget,” by Anis Chowdhury highlights the extra judicial killings in the newly liberated Bangladesh perpetrated by the Rakkhi Bahini as well as the 1974 man-made famine that caused millions of deaths during the Mujib regime, betraying the spirit of the liberation war. Thus, tortures, repressions and extra-judicial killings by security forces, notably by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), during the subsequent regimes, including that of fascist Hasina are the results of the very treachery at the dawn of the nation by Sheikh Mujib and his party Awami League. Anis Chowdhury passionately argue that the millions who perished violently and silently must not be forgotten in the euphoria of celebration of our Victory Day.
In the aftermath of the July-August revolution that toppled the fascist regime of Sheikh Hasina, many scholars have begun to re-evaluate the leadership of Sheikh Mujib. Abid Bahar in his article “Searching Bhashani in the July-August student uprising”, presents a negative profile of Sheikh Mujib and compares the leadership of Sheikh Mujib with that of Moulana Bhashani. He asserts that while Sheikh Mujib’s traits include corruption, nepotism, and authoritarian impulses, Moulana Bhashani was a selfless leader who was consistently committed to democratic aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. Abid Bahar believes that the heroes of the July-August revolution seemed to have acknowledged this difference. They not only drew inspirations from Bhashani’s pro-people and nationalist politics, but they also took lessons from the 1969 mass uprising led by Bhashani that toppled the autocratic regime of Ayub Khan who, like Hasina, suppressed people’s democratic rights falsely claiming it as essential for development.
Mawdudur Rahman and Habib Siddiqui in their article “Do political parties understand the depth of the Bangladesh revolution?” differentiate the July-August mass movement from the previous mass movements in the history of Bangladesh. They use the concept of meta-modernism to understand the nature of the July-August movement. This movement, as the authors assert, calls for fundamental changes in our values, mind-sets, political culture and institutions – not simply a change in government.
In recent months, the Interim Government of Bangladesh has been undertaking various institutional reforms. In his article “From Protest to Progress: Three reforms for Bangladesh 2.0”, Ashfaq Zaman reflects on three areas of urgent reforms involving anti-corruption commission, election commission and the judiciary. He argues that these three key institutions are the bed-rocks of a functioning democracy. Ashfaq Zaman also reflects on the appointments of new Election Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission and believes that these key appointments should have waited until the recommendations from the respective reform commissions. However, he acknowledges the formation of the national consensus commission as an important step.
Since its independence in 1971, Bangladesh has been plagued by pervasive misgovernance. Habib Zafrullah in his article “Governance reforms in Bangladesh in the new political order,” concentrates on several dimensions of governance reforms involving institutional reforms, operational reforms, administrative culture, ethical culture, legal culture, and technological change. Based on international best practices, he suggests some guidelines and a framework for establishing a governance system that is more inclusive, accountable, and efficient. Habib Zafarullah argues that reforming governance in Bangladesh necessitates a comprehensive and cohesive strategy that tackles the interconnected issues of institutional deficiencies, behavioural resistance, and pervasive corruption.
Metrics of successful development remain a controversial issue. In “সূচকের মারপেঁচ”, Mostafa Abdullah dwells on some indicators which are often used to illustrate Bangladesh’s successful development such as rising per capita income, decreasing poverty, increasing life expectancy and literacy. However, he highlights some other indicators which expose the fragility of Bangladesh’s development, such as, poor quality of healthcare and education, traffic congestion, and corruption. Mostafa Abdullah argues that development narratives must include both positives and negatives, so that one can judge whether the glass is ‘half full’ or ‘half empty’.
The Bangladeshi diaspora community increasingly is playing a significant role in the socio-economic development of Bangladesh. Imam Uddin in his article “Celebration of differences in Toronto: A night of unity and diversity”, narrates a unique event in Toronto organized by several Bangladeshi associations. This event called for promoting inclusiveness and tolerance among the Bangladeshi community in Toronto.
Australia is a major destination country for many Bangladeshis. Emam Hossain in his article “অস্ট্রেলিয়ায় বাংলাদেশীদের যাপিত জীবন”, highlights several aspects of Australia including geography, the political system, immigration policy, the education system, the healthcare system, and social safety nets. He also narrates the history of settlement of Bangladeshis in Australia, the distribution of Bangladeshis in different cities and occupations as well as their labour market experiences.
In recent years, many professionals from the Bangladeshi diaspora community are involved in various projects in Bangladesh. Mohammad Zaman, an international consultant, was involved in many projects in Bangladesh including the Jamuna Bridge and the Padma Bridge and a project in his own village. In the article “On being a ‘foreign’ consultant in your ‘native’ country: My encounters and stories from Bangladesh”, describes his experiences of working in Bangladesh with a Canadian and Bangladeshi identity.
In this globalized world, the Bangladeshi diaspora community is settled in many countries. A favourite region for Bangladeshis is Western Europe. Mohsin Ali in his article “Kafi’s odyssey: Finding home in Paris”, describes the story of Kafi, a migrant from Bangladesh who settled in Paris after brief stays in Warsaw and Berlin. Mohsin narrates Kafi’s daily life in Paris and the social, economic, and cultural aspects of Bangladeshis in Paris.
The year 2024 has been a turbulent year for Bangladesh as well as globally. Unfortunately, the carnage in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine continued despite the “plausible” genocide and the “illegality of occupation” rulings of the International Court of Justice, and the war in Ukraine became more protected.
Nevertheless, the year 2024 also witnessed some positive events. The heroic people of Syria finally got rid of more than half a century of a despotic regime and the valiant people of Bangladesh toppled 15 years of Sheikh Hasina’s tyrannical regime, confirming the people power and giving rise to the hope for a better future. Bangladesh also won The Economist’s “Country of the Year 2024” Award. And as for Global Bangladesh, it successfully completed 2 years of publication.
The Editorial Team of the Global Bangladesh acknowledges the sacrifices of the millions of people globally, including Bangladesh, for a better world. It wishes peace and prosperity for all in 2025. The Editorial Team also thanks Global Bangladesh’s authors and readers while hoping their continued support in coming years.
The deadline for submitting articles for Vol. 3, Issue 1 is 15 March, 2025.
