Image credit: (Reuter: Bangladesh turnout low (27.15% by 3 pm) in election set to keep Hasina in power) Provided by the author.
by R. Chowdhury 9 January 2024
On January 7, 2024, the world has witnessed another electoral farce, a sequel of 2014 and 2018, by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, usurping in authority since 2009 in Bangladesh. For the people of the county, it has ensured the continuation of betrayal to their rights to democracy, human rights and freedom to choose their governing leaders. While the illegal fascist regime awarded itself with a fresh five-year mandate to repressive autocracy, the suffering people remain chained to a virtual slavery as the New Year gift. The world, particularly the democratic West, seems to watch silently!
The ruling Awami League (AL), with a few of its chosen minor partners, staged the January 7 drama with the aid of more than half a million military, law enforcement members, thousands of party cadres and a loyal or bought over administration in a small country of roughly 56 thousand square miles. The political opposition, including the largest Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and more than sixty others, boycotted this Awami partisan show. They continued to vehemently demand the termination of the government of Hasina and the election to be managed under a non-partisan, neutral caretaker government (CTG). The general public had little interest in this enforced one-sided franchise.
At the end of the day, the regime-loyal Chief Election Commissioner acknowledged the voter turnout to be 28%, quickly fumbling to upgrade to 40% when prodded by a conniving aide. In absence of the opposition challenge, the outcome was not unknown. The competition, if any, was within their own players.
One-Sided Game
A few sponsored observers saw what they were allowed to see and certified it to be “free, fair and peaceful.” What those observers conveniently ignored was the fact that the game was played by only one team. The political opposition had been systematically eliminated over the past 15 years, more effectively since October 28, 2023. More than 25,000 opposition leaders and members were dumped in crowded jails or taken into custody, otherwise known as torture cells, in addition to conducting a witch-hunt to keep them away from the playing field. According to independent observers, only 12% voters could be forced or coerced to the polling booths. A few images depicted kids brought in to stuff the ballot boxes.
How the authoritarian Hasina regime played the game leading to the January 7 farce is known to all and sundry, particularly the US and the democratic West, which had kept insisting on a “free, fair and participatory elections” in Bangladesh for months, if not years. Encouraged by the declared policy of the US for ensuring democracy, human rights, election integrity and combating corruption and authoritarianism, people of Bangladesh harbored a hope to rid Hasina’s 15-year long autocracy. The opposition parties successfully staged a few rallies around the country, strongly voicing their demands of political freedom and electoral fairness in the past more than a year, until brutally crushed, with India’s active support, first in December 2022 and again from October 28, 2023 onward. The international community seems to just watch people’s suffering and miseries. The people see themselves abandoned, even betrayed, as the illegal regime was allowed to stage another farce in the name of “election” to reward itself with the consecutive fourth five years of abject fascism, if not worse.
BNP’s Failure
Understandably, the autocratic authority is strong. At its arsenal are the oppressive tools of the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and a fearsome police force, armed with the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) to penalize anyone voicing the slightest criticism of the regime, and an indemnified army of party thug. In addition, it has a compliant military, bureaucracy, judiciary, and a managed media. Above all, the Hasina regime has unqualified support of India. Overcoming such a Himalayan task was not easy. Nonetheless, a national opposition unity could accomplish that task. Here the opposition, mainly the BNP, miserably failed, despite repeated prodding by patriotic elements. Its leadership was weak and incompetent, its strategy of go-slow, go-alone was wrong, it failed to address intra-party dissensions and prevent splits, it was ill-prepared for the October 28 rally and finally, it failed to forge a national unity against the fascists. (In my article linked here, I had given detailed reasoning of my views Bangladesh: It is Only Post-Election Now).
Lately, the BNP leadership seems to have awakened to the reality. But it’s too little too late, sounding like the wailing of a defiled woman! The table has already been turned against the party, and it is likely to face further troubling music after the fascists re-saddled in authority.
I believe the international community, particularly the US, has a share of responsibility in the latest political fiasco in Bangladesh. And, in the absence of a crushed political opposition in the country, it has a moral responsibility to fix the continuing problems of democracy, human rights and election integrity in the country, more so, in keeping with its continued commitments for those values. Earlier, the US disqualified Bangladesh for its two rounds of Democracy Summits in 2021 and 2023. It imposed sanctions on the dreadful RAB for its gross human right violations, and also declared visa sanctions in 2023 against election criminals. Those were great moves, but they did not seem to achieve the goals. The abject fascism and violations continued, at times with increased intensity, as if in defiance, in the country.
The US and the democratic community must step forward to bail Bangladesh out of the grip of the India-sponsored fascism and destruction of the values of democracy and human rights. They should immediately: 1) reject the January 7 electoral farce, 2) punish the autocratic and fascist regime for its blatant violations of democracy, human rights and election integrity, and finally 3) insist on holding a fresh election under a neutral authority, such as CTG, the soonest.
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Writer is a freedom fighter of Bangladesh in 1971. Authored and co-authored about a dozen books; prolific writer and commentator.