DHAKA: In the film “Hirak Rajar Deshe” (The Kingdom of the Diamond King), one of Hirak Raja’s most famous lines is: “From today, schools are closed. The more they read, the more they know—and the less they obey.”
Through this statement, the king makes it clear that educated people are more likely to question oppression. That is why he fears education and seeks to shut it down.
This quote remains deeply relevant today, as it vividly reflects the nature of authoritarian rule. Hirak Raja viewed education and knowledge as dangerous. He did not want learning in his kingdom and instead employed paid poets to indoctrinate people with verses designed to brainwash them according to his wishes.For a long time now in Bangladesh, the “school of democratic practice” has effectively been closed, and the practice of multi-party politics is heading toward extinction.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been engaged in prolonged struggle and sacrifice on the streets to establish multi-party democracy. Party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and countless leaders and activists have been imprisoned, tortured, and forced to abandon their homes. Tarique Rahman was exiled because he demanded the restoration of multi-party democracy.
In a national daily newspaper, BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman stated that protecting multi-party democracy has now become a major challenge.
After the fall of the Hasina government, BNP proposed that the Yunus-led interim government hold free, fair, neutral, and acceptable elections. However, through various tactics, the interim government has moved away from elections and is pushing the country toward darkness. This raises the question: do they want elections in Bangladesh at all right now?
The people of the country want a government elected through their votes to govern the state. To reflect that public will, the nation must move toward light, not darkness.
Tarique Rahman does not want elections held in darkness. His goal is to restore democracy and return fundamental rights to the people. His father, Ziaur Rahman, is revered by the people of Bangladesh as the proclaimer of independence, the architect of Bangladeshi nationalism, and the founder of multi-party democracy.
One of Ziaur Rahman’s defining characteristics was his ability to rise repeatedly in times of national crisis as a multi-dimensional leader who stood beside the people. It was through his vision that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was founded. He confidently declared:
“If language is one flower and religion is another, then religion, language, literature-culture, history, geography, economy, and the Liberation War together form the bouquet that is Bangladeshi nationalism.”
If any anti-democratic force attempts to block the path of Ziaur Rahman’s multi-party democracy, destroy the electoral system, and rule the state through undemocratic means, their consequences will be tragic and inevitable. History shows that no such force has ever endured.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has announced that Bangladesh’s next national parliamentary election will be held on any one day in the first half of April 2026. This announcement has raised serious questions: how prepared is the Election Commission to hold elections within this timeframe? Civil society representatives have also expressed doubts. Does this mean elections will be hastily conducted to install a preferred party in state power?
An interim government exists solely to transfer power to an elected government through free, fair, and acceptable elections. Yet the current government has taken on a wide-ranging agenda that is impossible to complete in a short period.
In this context, I recall two lines from a timeless African song, “Muhogo wa Jang’ombe”, which carry deep political and philosophical meaning:
“If we become too busy in life and try to grasp everything at once, we cannot do anything properly.
A person who is always running never finds their path.”
Therefore, political wisdom, foresight, and prudence must be applied to fully restore democracy.
Washington wants democracy in Bangladesh to be institutionally strengthened. As a large democratic organization, BNP remains hopeful that Washington will support Bangladesh’s democratic restoration—because democracy cannot be built through fragmented leadership; it requires a well-organized political force.
In 2021, Bangladesh was not included in the official list of participants at the Summit for Democracy convened by U.S. President Joe Biden. According to the 2020 Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Bangladesh is classified as a “hybrid regime.”
Hybrid regimes are countries where elections are held, but political repression also exists—meaning authoritarian practices continue alongside democratic structures. Is this what we fought the Liberation War for?
There is little hesitation in saying that Bangladesh is currently experiencing authoritarian governance under the Yunus administration, and a path toward deeper authoritarianism is being cleared.
The 2024 uprising shook the political structure of the country, but it does not appear to have brought real political transformation. Instead, the nation seems to be drifting toward one-party or centralized rule. This could have been the beginning of a new political horizon for Bangladesh. Without inclusive elections involving all parties, long-term political stability will remain elusive, and any failure will ultimately boomerang.
Author: Industrial entrepreneur, cultural activist, and political analyst.
