People from different walks of life at a citizens’ dialogue on Tuesday expressed concern whether the coming national elections would be meaningful, saying that they were already frustrated that the expectations the July uprising gave birth to had failed them completely.
The dialogue, organised by the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, was held in the capital, where representatives from political parties and civil society blamed weaknesses in the state system as well as the absence of responsible political practices for the ongoing crisis.
Platform convener and economist Debapriya Bhattacharya said that institutional weaknesses, corruption and excessive concentration of power over the past one and a half decades had significantly narrowed the country’s civic space.
He said that a fair election alone would not be sufficient since it must also be meaningful and capable of accommodating new aspirations.
To achieve the aspirations he stressed change among both political actors and political parties.
He also stated all the three landmark events in the country’s history—1971 War of Independence, 1990 mass uprising that toppled the government of general-turned-politician HM Ershad, and 2024 July uprising—were a continuous expression of aspirations for social justice, human dignity and opposition to inequality.
Several speakers expressed concern that whichever party formed the next government might continue existing practices as the system remained the same.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that the BNP incorporated most public expectations in its Vision 2030 and 31-point reform proposal.
He said that Bangladesh followed the Westminster model of democracy that worked in the United Kingdom but failed in Bangladesh.
‘The democratic model is working in the UK but not in Bangladesh. The problem is not constitutional, rather it is an issue of implementation,’ he said.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami central executive council member Md Saiful Alam Khan Milon said that although his party expected a cultural change among political parties, it had not occurred in many cases.
Replying to a question, he said that if his party came to power, it would ensure women’s participation in politics.
Gono Forum president Subrata Chowdhury said that the country’s crises had intensified because major political parties failed to uphold their commitments over the decades.
‘We speak of democratic governance, while democracy is absent within the political parties themselves,’ he said.
He also alleged that the interim government had failed to meet public expectations for meaningful change.
Centre for Policy Dialogue distinguished fellow Rounaq Jahan stated political parties should be made accountable even after elections by tracking their commitments against actual performance.
Amar Bangladesh Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Monju expressed apologies for the failure of political parties to meet people’s aspirations born of the July uprising.
Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Abdullah Kafee Ratan said that the election process often began with false affidavits and was dominated by wealthy candidates, mostly businessmen.
National Citizen Party joint convener Nusrat Tabassum said that there had been opportunities for improvement, but the chance to bring adequate change was missed.
Speakers also criticised the excessive use of money in elections, saying it undermined genuine public representation in parliament.
