The political landscape in Bangladesh is set to change with the students’ group which led the charge to oust Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister announcing the formation of a new political outfit.
The announcement was made after Nahid Islam, a key student leader of the group, Students Against Discrimination (SAD) which led the revolt against Hasina quit the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. After quitting, he announced that a new political party would be formed to fulfil the aspirations of a new Bangladesh. The new outfit to be announced on Friday, February 28 will be called the ‘National Citizens Party.
Frustration at its peak
The members of the SAD led the protests against Hasina stating that she was autocratic and in the long run was not good for the country. The revolt did get a lot of traction and over the months it had become so effective that Hasina was left with no option but to leave the country with her sister. She has currently taken refuge in India.
After her ouster, the students themselves insisted that they wanted Yunus to lead the country. Yunus was tasked with bettering the economy. As a Nobel Prize winner, he was considered to be a micro finance pioneer. However the economy is in shambles today. Further he was supposed to restore peace and bring about unity in Bangladesh, but he has failed on those counts as well.
Yunus has been very often criticised for letting the Islamic radicals take over the country. He has also not done much to protect the Hindus and other minorities who have been persecuted.
The people of Bangladesh had plenty of hope in Yunus. They felt that he would better the economy, arrest rising prices and restore peace in the country. Having failed on all fronts, the students who led the uprising became increasingly frustrated and hence took a decision to float the new party.
The new political party led by the students understand the gravity of the situation today. The way in which events have unfolded in the last couple of months has defeated their very purpose of ousting Sheikh Hasina with the hope that the country would improve.
Since the Yunus takeover new investments have been impacted and this has taken a direct hit on the generation of employment. There is a decline in credit growth, private sector expansion and the activity in the IT sector is at an all-time low. Several job losses, especially in the garment and IT sector have been reported.
What about Yunus
There is a big question mark on whether Yunus would be part of the new political outfit or even back it. A lot would depend on the views of Yunus. The students’ political party has made it clear that it wants to have nothing to do with the Jamaat-e-Islami or its students’ wing Islamic Chattra Shibir.
Yunus is however close to both these outfits and has engaged them repeatedly. In doing so he let the Jamaat get the Pakistanis into the country. Further the Jamaat and its students’ wing believe in a very radical ideology. This has led to the release of several terrorists and groups such as the Ansar Bangla Team, a banned entity in India have become stakeholders in Bangladesh’s policy making.
For now, it is unclear if Yunus would be part of the new political party. He may remain in an advisory role for the initial part. He however would not lead the party as he is not capable of winning an election. Further the manner in which the country has descended into chaos, it is clear that the rating for Yunus is nothing to talk about. Yunus has always been vocal about the country’s political elite. His views on the political class of Bangladesh is something that may keep him away from a political party. Yunus is most likely to continue with his social business and advocacy.
A warning from the Army Chief
Army Chief, General Waker-uz-Zaman had a stern warning earlier this week. He is all for democracy and warned that the country would fall further if the political class did not indulge in mudslinging.
He said that peace has to return at any cost and elections must be held. I have no personal ambitions and all I want is to restore normalcy in the country he said. He however ended by saying, ‘do not tell me later that I did not caution you.’
General Zaman’s statement has been read in many different ways. Some say that he does not nurture any personal ambition. He has always stood for democracy and would continue to do so. Others feel that he hinted at military intervention as he is clearly fed up with how things are shaping up in his country. General Zaman’s warning may have also been to Yunus to speed up the process to hold elections. This may have eventually led to the Students Against Discrimination hurriedly announcing the launch of a political party.
What about Awami League and BNP
The polls currently indicate that if an election is held today, the BNP would have a cake walk. However, Sheikh Hasina is known for her comebacks. Recently she promised her supporters in a video message that she would return to her country and ensure that normalcy is restored.
The experts however do not see that happening any time soon. Hasina may after all wait for an election to be conducted and then negotiate with a democratic set up before making her return. In the event of her absence, the Awami League may find it hard to win the elections.
The BNP for now is the clear favourite. However, Yunus has frustrated the party by not announcing elections. The BNP has become suspicious of Yunus and feels that he wants to cling on to power. The party also accuses him of trying to meddle with the Constitution.
This attitude by Yunus has in fact led to an unprecedented development. The Awami League and the BNP which never say eye-to-eye are now on the same page where Yunus is concerned. Both parties have told their workers to stop attacking each other. Instead, they have decided to pressurise Yunus to declare elections.
It would be interesting to see how the people react to a new political outfit. Bangladesh has largely had a two-party system. Barring military interventions on some occasions, it has either been the Awami League of the BNP which has ruled the country. The announcement of a new party changes this landscape, and it would pose a challenge to both the legacy parties in the country.
Foreign policy and Bharat
In recent months, New Delhi has been holding talks with the Yunus administration. The talks have not been very fruitful and External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar had recently expressed his frustration about the same.
On the other hand, Bharat has been in touch with members of the BNP. The BNP has in fact been reciprocative and expressed willingness to work closely with New Delhi if voted to power. In the past the BNP and India have had a difficult relationship. This was because India accused the BNP government of allowing insurgents to use its soil to train cadres to be used in terror activities in the northeastern states. While relations were tense, several other issues were still workable.
The new political outfit launched by the students is clear about its foreign policy if it comes to power. The party has said that it would focus on the economy mainly. It would not align with any major countries such as China, Pakistan, the European Nations or Russia. It has said it would prioritise fairness, respect for the land and a non-dominating approach to doing business.
On India, the party maintains that it wants good relations., It wants to establish good institutes and structures like how India has done. Further it is open to Indian business investing in Bangladesh for trade. However New Delhi should ensure and dignified and respectful approach, the party maintains.
