Not only voters, but also politicians are in danger: Debapriya Bhattacharya

Not only voters, but also the politicians are currently in deep insecurity in the country, said Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

He said that the fear of political violence and attacks surrounding the elections is increasing, which has raised big questions about ensuring a fair and secure electoral environment.

He made the observation while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the ‘Bangladesh Reform Tracker’ platform at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital on Sunday (December 14) morning.

Highlighting the issue of endangered populations, Debapriya Bhattacharya said that usually religious minorities, indigenous communities or dissidents come under discussion. However, now the issue of the safety of politicians has been added to it. There has been serious concern among the public about whether political leaders will be subjected to violence or attacks in the run-up to the elections and whether the Election Commission and the current government will be able to ensure a fair and secure environment for them.

Referring to the recent attack on Sharif Osman Hadi, an independent candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, he said that incidents of violence targeting politicians have further increased concerns about a safe electoral environment.

Debapriya Bhattacharya said that in the last one and a half months, ‘Bangladesh Reform Tracker’ has organized pre-election dialogues in different parts of the country. In these dialogues, an attempt has been made to know the political situation and the expectations of the people regarding the upcoming elections. Based on these discussions, a citizens’ manifesto is being formulated, which will be published soon.

He said that the issue of security has come up most strongly in almost all the dialogues. Many are uncertain whether a safe and secure political environment can be ensured at all.

Speaking on the reform agenda, Debapriya Bhattacharya said that the basis of the current reform-related debate has been formed from the experience of democratic decline in Bangladesh. According to him, an elite class consisting of politicians, bureaucrats and big business groups has weakened competitive politics, resulting in an uncompetitive economy.

He said that in this process, crony capitalism and an oligarchic system have developed in the country, where the freedom of policymaking has been curtailed.

Debapriya Bhattacharya also said that reforms are not new in Bangladesh. However, the current initiative is different because it is being taken forward through commissions and institutional mechanisms at the state level. While he praised the role of the interim government in creating this opportunity, he said that the momentum seen at the beginning of the reform process has gradually decreased.

According to him, the reform process is not progressing as expected due to a lack of transparency, coordination and communication. At the same time, he stressed that reforms cannot be made successful through planning or incentives alone; for this, the conscious and continuous participation of citizens is essential.