Based on several empirical economic and political trends as well as social unrest that brewed within, the author of the book (publisher: South Asia Journal),  “Bangladesh’s Seven Governing Periods, 1972-2022: Accomplishments, Constants of Bad Governance and Much-Needed Resets”, published in October 2023, made the following observations/prognosis (see the book image below) in the book:

The Prognosis

“...time is ripe for the Bangladeshis to consolidate their gains and vanquish the mistakes, and the good news is… that Bangladeshis have this unique capacity to take in a lot, but a time comes when they say, 'enough is enough', stand up against and confront the predators and take upon themselves the task of remedying the wrongs and usher in a new beginning. That time has come.”

 

The Query

One of the South Asia Journal’s leading reviewers, the late Arnold Zeitlin, who reviewed the book in November 2023, quoted the above paragraph of the Book and commented: "We will see if that time has come."

The Uprising

In July 2024, within 8 months of the above prognosis, the people of Bangladesh said, "Enough is enough"; they rose against a repressive, corrupt government and "ushered in a new beginning."

Sadly, Arnold Zeitlin, who was 93 when he wrote the Review, died in his sleep a couple of weeks after writing and publishing the review, missing the opportunity to see that "that time" had come, a few months after his passing.

 

The way forward

Let us remember and, indeed, bow our heads to those who sacrificed their lives for a better Bangladesh and to Arnold Zeitlin, a great journalist who left us suddenly and who could not live long enough to witness for himself that Bangladeshis do have this capacity to say, when time comes, “Enough is enough” and “usher in a new beginning!”

Let us also take this opportunity to convey this message to those who have taken upon themselves, the BNP, the task of ushering in the “new beginning” and working towards building a better and sovereign Bangladesh.

The BNP government must shun the mistakes - corruption, patronage distribution, repression, and the politicisation of public administration - the Awami League government committed that fomented mass resentments and contributed to their spectacular fall.

To move forward, the BNP government must shun these missteps and, more importantly, commit itself to the July Charter and work towards building a democratic, inclusive and prosperous Bangladesh.