- Global Voices - https://globalvoices.org -

Bangla blogs discuss politics and elections in Bangladesh

Categories: South Asia, Bangladesh, Elections, Governance, Politics, Protest

A growing sense of discontent in palpable in the Bangla blog world with citizens of Bangladesh voicing strong concerns about the current socio-political condition in the country.

Chief Election Commissioner Mr. M. A. Aziz has taken 3 months leave of absence, succumbing to the mounting pressure of many political parties demanding his resignation. He was alleged to be a tool of election engineering devised by the 4 party alliances, which just finished the tenure. This issue has prompted many political parties led by the 14 party alliances to resort to continuous blockades across the country and ensuing violence which has gripped the nation in the past few weeks. Anisuzzaman [1] tells us that both the leading political parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League (AL) have claimed moral victory over the affair. He quotes from a famous Bangladeshi author Humayun Ahmed, who had once written that politics is the only game where both opponents could win at the same time.

Bloggers are demanding an end to this nightmarish political game, which has brought the country to a grinding halt. The reactions continue to pour in fast and furious.

Konfusius [2] is praying that the violence stops and that the people concerned come to their senses before some irrevocable damage is done to the country’s reputation. Tirondaj [3] is frustrated with the state of his country’s democracy. He feels that irrespective of who wins the election, there will be little betterment in the life of the common man. Rejecting all current political parties as not being reflective of true public opinion, he expresses hope that soon a day will arrive when the citizens, shaken out of their ennui, will hold their politicians accountable and bring in a new era of true democracy.

However, Rezwan [4] feels that the time to act is now and that it is the responsibility of every citizen to work towards a free and fair election in the country. As the first step he urges the people to voice their protests against the current events by wearing black bands, black badges and/or putting up black flags in their homes.