Are Devastated Rule of Law and Electoral Ambiguities Interrelated?

 
A broad number of domestic and international news agencies have reported that the nosedive in law and order situation across Bangladesh is an unprecedented phenomenon. The interim government took oath on 8 August 2024 and since then all law and order forces and military services have been deployed in the field but still robbery, snatching, theft, extortion, mob violence and assaults on women and molesting minor girls have shot through the roof.

Speculation, according to reliable sources, has been very rampant that the aggravated law and order plight throughout Bangladesh is in one way or another connected with political games and theatrics, in particular electoral ambiguities. Bangladesh's business sector and foreign trade have been going through extremely perilous circumstances during last 11 months. Lots of business enterprises and factories have been laid off since August 2024. Thousands of workers have become jobless. Currently there are 2.6 million unemployed people in Bangladesh according to surveys by different demographic organizations.

Local investment as well as foreign direct investment or FDI have drastically declined which has paralyzed the industrial sector. Countless numbers of workers belonging to the readymade garments (RMG) sector are demonstrating on roads and streets almost everyday for their unpaid salaries and arrears. The political fronts who brought about the July Revolution are facing heinous extortion allegations. Some of the student coordinators have been meanwhile arrested while they were attempting to extort enormous sums of money from political leaders and businessmen.  

Private firms have reduced job vacancies advertisements by nearly 30 percent because of severe downtrend in their earnings since August 2024. Researchers and economists have underlined the interim government's lack of political sagacity and ineffective negotiating capability as main reasons behind collapse in FDI and failure in convincing the United States about the tariff issue.

Reports have surfaced that most of the western countries including the USA are not showing much eagerness to talk to Dr. Muhammad Yunus's interim government about commercial issues because it's an unelected government. For this reason political analysts have laid emphasis on organizing elections soon without consuming time on vague pretexts. Two particular occurrences have put the Bangladesh interim government in front of insurmountable challenges which are Gopalganj killings and Milestone School jet crash. The killings of five people in Gopalganj no way comes on equal terms with the Nobel Peace Prize Dr. Muhammad Yunus was awarded by the West. Moreover, people's confidence on Dr. Muhammad Yunus's cabinet colleagues have become highly jittery. Netizens are often found poking fun at the inactivity and dysfunctional status of several vital ministries and Advisers.   

The more the interim government takes time to hold elections, the more complicated hurdles will be posing impediments to Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his Advisory Council. Dr. Muhammad Yunus is held in high esteem by most people but he must know where exactly to cease holding the country's ruling chains. People in Bangladesh are too smart to be fooled with peanut ploys.

Corruption allegations about certain student leaders have also emerged shocking everyone. Political parties and student organizers are playing a blame game. State organs like the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are allegedly harassing honest business leaders and media outlets for bribes. The Asian Age wrote earlier and today would like to reaffirm that the ACC hierarchy should carry out a thorough investigation to identify immoral and greedy ACC officials who trap businessmen and journalists with fabricated allegations only for the purpose of extorting quick cash from these victims like the immediate past regime.

Police Force all over Bangladesh has become vividly demoralized and deactivated. People often reveal on social media how police officers express their helpless plight when they receive complaints from civilians. This is a dire and horrendous scenario when police personnel cannot go for tough action against extortionists, robbers, muggers and rapists. Military services have been patrolling streets throughout Bangladesh with full-scale magistracy power but still law and order situation is not making any progress.