Bangladesh: Economist's 'Country of the Year'

Bangladesh, still reeling from the sanguinary last ditch efforts of the former autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina to cling to power, could not expect a better new year’s gift than the one presented by the prestigious weekly The Economist. Selecting Bangladesh as the ‘Country of the Year’, the revered weekly has conferred a great honour to the country of 170 million, recognising the genius of the people, particularly the young generation. The citation augurs well for the country’s future as it enters the new year. Bangladesh became the cover story in weeklies like Time and Newsweek after it became independent through a war in December, 1971. But this the first time the country has been selected out of a long list and subsequently a short list of countries, all considered by the internationally acclaimed weekly of prominence for the title ‘country of the year’.
Each December the Economist selects a Country of the Year. As observed by the weekly itself, ‘the winner is not the richest, happiest or most virtuous place but one that has improved the most in the previous twelve months’. Previous winners of this accolade include Colombia (for ending a civil war), Ukraine (for resisting an unprovoked invasion) and Malawi (for democratising). The winner last year was Greece which was awarded the prize for dragging itself out of a long financial crisis and re-electing a reasonable centrist government.
Obviously, the honorific bestowed on Bangladesh this year is for the successful students-led movement in July that turned into a populist one before long. Starting with the demand for students for entry into public service on the basis of merit, the movement soon tapped into the cumulative resentment of the public in general against the autocratic and corrupt rule of the last 15 years that saw them politically disenfranchised and economically made victims of an inequitable system of development.
Some may make out a case for autocratic rule, citing examples of Singapore and South Korea. If there is equitably shared development and absence of corruption and human rights violation this view can have some traction. But this can hardly be said about 15 years’ continuous rule of Sheikh Hasina that was accompanied with grossest instances of human rights violations as evidenced by extra-judicial killings and cases of disappearances of opponents to the regime, widespread corruption, including money laundering and growing inequality between the rich and the poor. Even the much touted narrative of economic development has been exposed to be a hoax in many important respects.
The ousted regime thrived on arrogance, use of brute power to suppress dissenting views, electoral frauds and blatant lies about economic growth and eradication of poverty. It took the people to be pliant, gullible and tolerant enough to be silent on all acts of abuse of power. To some extent the regime’s assumption was right. But it forgot tolerance quotient has a threshold which, when crossed, brings forth the wrath of the people. Killing and injuring innocent student demonstrators was such a threshold.
After the revolutionary overthrow of the tyrannical and corrupt regime, Bangladesh is now poised to usher in a new era of progress in all walks of life. It will be an uphill task, not least because there is no precedent to follow in the past history of the country. It bodes well for the prospect of this momentous journey that the Interim Government has appointed several commissions of experts to make recommendations on the basis of which the journey of re-building the state of Bangladesh can begin. Eschewing the ‘ business as usual’ attitude, this methodical approach to governance gives the hope that the foundation for a participatory democracy and inclusive economic development will be laid. For this, a road map should be drawn up with a timeline of a year for implementation of the reforms. Granted, all the reforms to be proposed cannot be implemented by the present government firstly, because of the absence of a parliament and secondly, on account of the mid- to long-term nature of some of the reforms that can be anticipated even now. But the minimum period of a year after the reform proposals have been made public should be given to the government for (a) eliciting public opinion, ( b) implementation of those reforms approved by the majority of public in field-level assemblies of cross-section of society, and (c) earmarking reforms that that are beyond the jurisdiction of an unelected government. It is understandable that some political parties have become restive to have election soon because they were kept out of participation in democratic election process for long 15 years. But they should realise that if the mistakes and wilful abuses of power of the past are not to be repeated, the essential structural and functional changes in the organs of state and branches of government must be carried out by the present government or in cases of reforms of long term nature, earmarked with a plan of action for the next elected government. There will be neither wide popular nor enthusiastic international support for a hasty transfer of power to an elected party. Of course, the political parties should remain vigilant to ensure that a level playing field is being created through these reforms and these are meant to be skewed in favour of a particular political group, new or old.
Time and again, the people of Bangladesh have been praised for their resilience in the face of existential crisis. They are being applauded now for their heroic victory over the dark forces of autocracy that ate into the vitals of the country’s politics and economy. Bangladesh must respect this global goodwill and redeem the pledges it made to the people when it became independent, not with rhetoric but with actions that can be seen by everyone, in the country and beyond. The time to turn over a new leaf in earnest is now. The laurel of ‘ Country of the Year’ should act as a spur.
Happy New Year, Bangladesh.

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