Quest for true democracy

I completely agree with renowned Bangladeshi economist Akbar Ali Khan that due to the "absence of true democracy", the incidence of forced disappearances and shootouts is rising.
The present government has not been elected by the general voters. More than half of the present parliament members were elected uncontested.   The present government apparently has no accountability to the people as it has not received their mandate. The common people want to see a free, fair and a participatory election in the country, so do the foreign development partners. But the government-in-power appears to be reluctant to hold such a poll as it knows the people may not reelect them as the people have disapproved of the scams like that centring around the Padma Bridge construction, Hallmark and the share market debacle.
Most of the state banks are passing through hard times. No truly democratic country can condone incidents like forced disappearances. And now the ruling party is poised to interfere with the freedom of the judiciary through an amendment and also that of the media.
One hopes good sense will prevail with the present government, and it will shun the path of quasi-autocracy, and bring back true democracy in the country.
Masud Rana
Dhanmondi, Dhaka