Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has warned that the country is “going downhill” as it has failed to return to democracy even a year after the mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina.
“One year is actually a long time. The country should have transitioned to a democratic order through the electoral process long ago. Because of this delay, Bangladesh is going downhill day by day,” BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said at a seminar in Dhaka on Wednesday.
He argued that countries embracing democracy quickly after uprisings fared better, while those delaying elections faced “economic collapse, social unrest, and even civil war.”
Khasru said the absence of an elected government has widened the gap between the interim administration and the people, leading to law enforcement failures, worsening security and a collapse in business confidence. “Factories are not receiving new investments because no one is willing to invest their time, money, or resources in this uncertainty,” he added.
Though Bangladesh has hosted global summits, he noted, “no new investments were made.” Investors, he said, are waiting for elections before committing. Khasru urged parties to respect people’s aspirations after Hasina’s fall. “Their expectations are sky-high, but if we fail to understand these changes, political leaders and parties will have no future.”
He cautioned against fighting for credit over the uprising. “The credit belongs to the people, to those who made sacrifices, not to individuals. Like in 1971, it is time to move beyond using struggles for personal gain and focus on building the future.”