Voices Silenced, Truth Denied: The Quest for Social Justice

Bangladesh's political turf was more or less sound and stable from 2009 to 2014. Immediate past ruling party Awami League won the elections held in December 2008 under the jurisdiction of a caretaker government. Awami League took power in January 2009 and the country was running smoothly till 2014. Things became troublesome and complicated when the major political opponents abandoned the 2014 parliamentary elections and the polls turned out to be one-sided. 153 Awami League candidates were elected without contests. Lofty ideals like democracy, social justice, pluralism and inclusion faced perilous hurdles through the controversial elections which were held on 5 January 2014.  

Anarchy, corruption, nepotism, partisanship and politicization of state organs gripped Bangladesh from 2018 and it went on till 2024. The escalation of mega projects leading to vast corruption and mega loans disbursement which were not paid back mostly crippled Bangladesh's financial sector and banking system during these six years. Graft, anomalies, political intervention and total loss of integrity became institutionalized from 2018 to 2024. A syndicated nexus combining unscrupulous business leaders, dishonest bureaucrats and morally perverted politicians packed hands and they paralyzed Bangladesh's economy in every unethical way. These vested flocks misused intelligence divisions and law enforcers to silence denigrators and to become cohorts in crimes of various sorts. 

The Asian Age played the role of a whistleblower flashing light on corruption and rampage in banks and financial institutions during the overthrown government's tenure. Terrorists threatened to shut down The Asian Age press. The Asian Age top officials and senior journalists were assailed with false defamation cases. Even the then intelligence forces compelled The Asian Age a number of times to disable news links online which carried investigative reports on financial vices and gobbling up banks by a handful number of oligarchs. However, The Asian Age continued working without fears and did not bow to anyone's blood eyes.

The Asian Age was the only newspaper that wrote comprehensively on debt trap diplomacy in public interest. Our newspaper warned the then government and conscious readers about the catastrophic effects of Chinese financial schemes which plunged Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Lebanon and Cyprus with cumbersome loans and bankruptcy. Neither I nor The Asian Age received recourse or cooperation from any quarter. Instead, the predatory regime has woven a cryptic web of tactics to keep us suppressed. To this day, the state apparatus continues its relentless harassment, leaving us in a plight of unyielding distress.

Inclusivity, socioeconomic justice, good governance and rule of law are indispensable to speed up advancement in all sectors but people's hope has been thrown away since August 2024 as the frontline participants of the July Uprising have allegedly become immersed in corruption, bribery, vulgar words and the monstrous rise of mob violence. Women's safety has been put at stake too. Several video clips and news coverage have gone viral showing women without hijab being beaten up by fanatical miscreants which can't be imagined in a civilized society. Women rights leaders would not have perhaps supported the Mass Upheaval of 2024 if they knew that such dire hazards would endanger women afterwards. Occurrences like gang rape and molesting girls have been hitting news headlines frequently during last one year and a half. Some prominent citizens have meanwhile remarked that women were not subjected to such humiliation even during the ruling period of Awami League.

Mob outfits have attacked politicians, extorted money from traders, burned newspaper offices, vandalized cultural institutions, set tombs on fire, assaulted women, threatened police officers etcetera. Bangladesh would have become a country like Sub Saharan nations if we did not receive remittances from abroad. Our readymade garments (RMG) have enormously contributed to our country's economic foothold but over last sixteen months more than 300 industries including RMG factories have been laid off leading to millions of job losses. Researchers belonging to Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) illustrated a few days ago through their assessment that investment in Bangladesh is right now lowest in the country's history.

Women emancipation is not being properly promoted by our influential political parties. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) nominated only 10 women candidates for the 13th parliamentary elections including Begum Khaleda Zia. Global dignitaries in the arena of human rights, freedom of press and rule of law who are personally associated with me have laid high emphasis on the sustenance of law and order situation and upholding human rights in Bangladesh. Social justice, peace and stability across Bangladesh have been heavily endangered by ruthless mobsters and the inactivity of the law and order forces.

Social safety net throughout Bangladesh has undergone severe damages in recent times. A deadly class conflict is very likely to break out in Bangladesh at any moment. Failure to regain economic pace will invariably lead to formidable rise in crimes and irresistible chaos resembling civil wars.

The 13th parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on 12 February 2026. A panel of US Senators have already urged Bangladesh interim government's Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus to facilitate all political parties to join the elections to make the polls all-inclusive, fair and pluralistic. Embargoes on certain political parties should be withdrawn so that everyone can join the polls without hindrances. Individuals who are convicted of murders, human rights violations, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, corruption, treason etcetera can be excluded from the elections but such restrictions cannot be imposed on the whole party. Once upon a time Jamaat-E-Islami was banned but now Jamaat is conducting political programs with full exposure. Jamaat leaders who have connivance with war crimes, deny the 1971 values and committed vices against humanity should not be allowed to contest polls. In the same way the ousted political party's leaders who are perpetrators in spoiling banks, destroying economy and anti-state conspiracies can be kept away from polls but the entire party should not be driven out of elections, sociologists and political analysts have expressed this opinion.

International stakeholders like the US State Department, the European Union, the UN Human Rights Office, Human Rights Watch, Commonwealth Secretariat, foreign embassies etcetera were very proactive during Awami League's time but now their activities have slowed down. These international organizations should work in alignment with humanitarian codes and universally recognized ethics to cooperate with Bangladesh in overcoming adversities by putting pressure on the interim government. It may be noted that the European Union (EU) leaders instantly issued their remarks about US President Donald Trump's statement on Greenland. Bangladesh deserves similar cooperation from the EU and other international assemblages to protect citizen rights, sustain freedom of speech, safety of media professionals and to restrain radical outfits from raising their ugly heads once again. People will blame the international community if Bangladesh fails to restore democracy and to safeguard everyone's right to speak out their views and grievances.

Protecting our cultural originality, social justice, heritage and the glorious history of the 1971 Liberation War deserve top priority. We cannot compromise with anyone over these things which are our existential roots. Sculptures, paintings, murals, stage shows are being forced to close down in various parts of Bangladesh including Dhaka city. These are heinous offences which can be in no way justified. The interim government, Election Commission, law enforcement agencies and civil administration should not be allowed to give special privileges to one or two political parties alone. Equal rights are the most vital prerequisite for the prevalence of justice. It must be noted that young generation is often misguided by the speeches and actions of fanatical groups. Bloggers, authors, playwrights, troubadours (bauls) and artists are also being assaulted and humiliated by mob gangsters. Cultural dynamism has drastically declined across Bangladesh since 2001. Recitals, musical soirees, theaters, art competitions and so on are not so promoted or practiced these days. Our multifarious education system needs to be mainstreamed which is now divided into different trajectories like Bengali medium, English medium, madrassas and technical institutes. These disparities need to be bridged up without delay to restrain our academic standard from further deterioration. The expectations of millions of people across Bangladesh who love the country can be in no way underrated.