Researcher & Former Director, Pfizer, Sweden
Students in Bangladesh are no longer confined to the lessons of the classroom alone. They are now voicing, loudly and clearly, in the streets, squares, digital platforms and media – that the structural inequality, corruption and opportunism in this country can no longer continue. This moral awakening of the youth is not just a symbol of a government’s fall, but the beginning of a new way of thinking about the state.
Democracy in Bangladesh stands today at a difficult crossroads. On the one hand, we move forward with a constitutional promise of democracy; on the other hand, in reality, political occupation, dynastic rule, party extortion, and one-party authoritarian governance obstruct our path. Elections are no longer a reflection of public opinion—they have become a cruel strategy for consolidating power. To resolve this crisis, structural reform of the electoral system is now the demand of the time. The Proportional Representation (PR) system, used in many democratic countries around the world, is now a timely and realistic alternative for Bangladesh. In my four decades of experience as a citizen, researcher, and voter in Sweden, I have seen how a PR-based parliamentary democracy can lead a society towards justice, peace, and progress.
Following the mass uprising last August, the interim government of Bangladesh came to power with promises to restore democratic order and alleviate the suffering of ordinary people. It presented itself as a reform-oriented and good-governance-committed transitional caretaker government. But nearly a year later, the country is now plunged into deeper uncertainty—where extreme mismanagement, growing inequality, and a widening gap between state power and citizen welfare are becoming increasingly evident. What was supposed to be a bridge to stability is now turning into a fall into the abyss of uncertainty.
Elections in Bangladesh once were a festival of democracy, an expression of people’s hopes and aspirations; but that festival is now merely a memory of the past. The December 2008 election might have been a pre-fixed game, yet the people felt the atmosphere of festivity. Since then, elections have never felt like a celebration. In 2014, when a one-party government secured 254 out of 300 seats, the 2018 parliament was formed through a night-time vote, and in the 2024 election, the registration itself was one-sided—these processes prove that there is no such thing as an election in this country anymore.
When immorality is gradually becoming normalised in Bangladeshi society, the life of a conscientious person becomes a tale of silent resistance. When people around him dress up deception under the guise of “smartness” and “cleverness”, holding on to truth becomes a form of social self-immolation. In this country today, a father is more anxious about his child's exam results than the child’s honesty. Even as teachers, many prioritise selling notes over moral lessons. Businesspeople present adulteration as a “strategy”. Politics has become not a service to people, but a game of greed and influence. And among these crowds, those few who still dare to speak the truth and try to walk the path of righteousness are seen by society as “kings in the land of fools”.
The advancement of AI technology has revolutionized every aspect of our lives. However, alongside this progress, an invisible crisis is also unfolding—the line between truth and falsehood is becoming increasingly blurred. We now live in a reality where what we see, hear, or even receive from trusted sources can no longer be taken at face value. AI has made it possible to present lies as truth, and even distort the truth so convincingly that it creates dangerous confusion.