Trouble In Bangladesh

The propaganda machinery of Bangladesh government has very effectively conveyed the impression of successful progress of the country but clearly opposition of country does not agree with it.

Dhaka police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse stone-throwing crowds blockading major roads in the city in the latest protest demanding the prime minister’s resignation.The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have staged a series of protests since last year demanding PM Sheikh Hasina step down and allow a caretaker government to oversee elections due next January.

Clashes erupted in several locations when police moved in to clear thousands of people who gathered in the morning to block traffic on key arterials around the city. At least four protest sites around the city saw clashes between police and protesterswith 20 officers injured and 90 protesters arrested.

Transport links between the capital and other parts of the country were badly disrupted, with trucks and buses stuck in gridlock. Senior BNP leaders Goyeshwar Roy and Amanullah Aman had been taken into police custody but were not formally arrested. The capital city is reported to be tense and it is expected that the spate of demonstrations to continue as the opposition elements are unwilling to let Sheikh Hasina govern anymore.

The political sphere of Bangladesh has been known for some decades as the battle ground between two formidable female politicians both claiming political legitimacy from their father and husband with Sheikh Hasina being the daughter of the slain first prime minister Shaikh Mujibur Rahman and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia whose husband and president of the country general Ziaur Rahman was also assassinated while in office.

They both had taken turn as prime ministers of the country amidst military takeovers with their perseverance paying off after the country’s army withdrew from politics and Sheikh Hasina took over the government in 2009 after an election disputed by opposition saw Awami League, her party to gain majority of seats in the parliament. Sheikh Hasina’s rather long stay in power has been opposed by the opposition that has accused her of human rights abuses, corruption and creeping authoritarianism.

Demonstrations led by the BNP have become increasingly common since the start of the year with rallies this month drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets. Police arrested at least 500 opposition activists ahead of a rally outside the party’s headquarters this week.

Western governments have expressed concern over the political climate in Bangladesh, where the ruling party dominates the legislature and runs it virtually as a rubber stamp. Sheikh Hasina’s security forces are accused of detaining tens of thousands of opposition activists, killing hundreds in extrajudicial encounters and disappearing hundreds of leaders and supporters.

The elite Rapid Action Battalion security force and seven of its senior officers were sanctioned by Washington in 2021 in response to those alleged rights abuses. The BNP’s leader Khaleda Zia, a two-time premier and old foe of Hasina’s, is effectively under house arrest after a conviction on graft charges.

Her party, the main opposition party, was in disarray since its leader Khaleda Zia was jailed in 2018 on graft charges but has held bigger protest rallies in recent months drawing thousands of supporters amid mounting anger over the cost of living. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been calling for Prime Minister Hasina to step down and for the next election, due in January 2024, to be held under a neutral caretaker government — a demand her government has rejected. The opposition and rights groups have criticised the government for cracking down on anti-government protests.

The situation took a serious turn when the United States said it was adopting a new policy to restrict visas for Bangladeshis who undermine the democratic election process at home. Concern flared after accusations of vote-rigging and the targeting of the political opposition marred national elections in 2014 and 2018.

Hasina’s government has denied those charges. Sheikh Hasina, who has kept tight control of the South Asian nation since coming to power in 2009, has been accused of human rights violations, of destroying the freedom of the press and suppressing dissent as well as jailing critics including many supporters of the main opposition. Shaikh Hasina’s arch rival and former premier Khaleda Zia was allowed to stay at home in Dhaka under a special provision since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic but was barred from joining any political activity.

Despite loud proclamation of economic progress, Bangladesh has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support in riding out a financial shock triggered by volatile energy prices after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bangladesh has experienced lengthy blackouts sometimes for up to 13 hours a day as utility providing outfits struggle to source enough diesel and gas to meet demand.Tens of thousands of mosques around the country were asked to curtail their use of air conditioners to ease pressure on the electricity grid, with power shortfalls compounded by a depreciating currency and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

Encroaching upon religious grounds touches a raw nerve in the country and pushes the powerful religious undercurrents to take sides against government. Moreover, Shaikh Hasina’s government is also seen tilting towards China that is seriously viewed by the country’s neighbour India and America, its ally against China.

It was reported that Bangladesh was seeking $4.5 billion dollars from the Washington-based lender following a recent visit to the country by its representatives. The country’s balance of payments has gone in the negative zone and it needs to stabilise its exchange rate. The country is forced to take austerity measures in addition to electricity rationing, including import curbs and cuts to development spending. Diesel power plants across the country, accounting for 1,500 megawatts of generation capacity, have been taken off the grid, while some gas-fired plants are also idle.

Bangladesh’s precarious financial position has been compounded by unprecedented floods in the northeast, inundating the homes of more than seven million people and causing nearly $10 billion in damage, according to government estimates. The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has blamed the government for the crisis, accusing it of squandering cash on multibillion-dollar vanity projects.

Known for its big garment-exporting industry, Bangladesh has sought the funds for its balance of payment and budgetary needs, as well as for efforts to deal with climate change.

The Bangladesh Bank recently announced a policy to preserve dollars by discouraging imports of luxury goods, fruit, non-cereal foods, and canned and processed foods. The bank’s foreign-exchange reserves fell to $39.67 billion as of 20 July — sufficient for imports for about 5.3 months — from $45.5 billion a year earlier. Remittances from overseas Bangladeshis fell 5 per cent in June to $1.84 billion, the central bank said, as many migrant workers lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic and many of them could not get home because of the travel disruption it caused.

The situation is exacerbated by the dictatorial policies undertaken by Sheikh Hasina’s government that has caused a serious crisis in the country. It looks that Bangladesh may experience further trouble that may cause serious harm to its economy.