Bangladesh yearns for new political force amidst uncertainty post-'Monsoon Revolution'

DHAKA: After Bangladesh's recent political upheaval following Sheikh Hasina's ouster, the deeply polarised country is yearning for a new political force to emerge beyond the traditional Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party binary that aims to create a discrimination-free and more inclusive society.

“We have seen the BNP, Awami League, and Jatiya Party come to power and fail us for decades. It is time for someone new to lead our country,” says 60-year-old Ahmed, a rickshaw-puller in Dhaka, echoing a sentiment shared by many in present-day Bangladesh.

After unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina, 76, resigned as prime minister and fled to India.

The interim government led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus aims to reform Bangladesh’s fractured institutions and restore public trust by ensuring a free and fair election, which, if successful, would mark a significant achievement in a nation with a history of electoral malpractice.

Yet, people are divided and yearning for a new political force, having experienced all the traditional parties.

While former prime minister Khalida Zia's BNP, long the main opposition party, is expected to participate, people have already tasted its governance in the early 1990s and 2000s, casting doubt on its ability to gain widespread public support.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamic party in the country, is also a contender after the ban on it was lifted this week, but it too was in power in the early 2000s alongside the BNP.

The Jatiya Party, which held power in the late 1980s, is another player in the political arena and has gone through several splits in the last three decades.

Meanwhile, the Awami League, now a political pariah, with its leadership in hiding or exile, is uncertain whether it will be in a position to join the fray.

The possibility of new student parties emerging from the recent upheaval also looms large, potentially shifting the dynamics of the upcoming elections.

“We, too, had hit the streets by responding to the call by the students. The students and youth of the nation have given us new hope, and now they must not step back. They have already come up as a force to reckon with, and now they should come up with a full-fledged political party. The people of this country are fed up with mainstream political parties,” said Masud Alam, a teacher.

Amid the growing speculation about new political players, the role of the student movement remains a critical factor.

While many have suggested that the student-led Monsoon Revolution could lead to the formation of a new political outfit, student leaders have so far refuted such reports.

“We are not here to replicate the mistakes of the past; we want to hold those in power accountable, whoever they may be,” Ayesha Siddiqui, a student activist, said.

However, with the political landscape in flux, some observers believe it’s only a matter of time before the students channel their momentum into a more organised political form, potentially becoming a new force in Bangladesh’s politics.

The recent student movement has left many veteran politicians wondering if a new era of political transformation in Bangladesh is on the horizon.

Golam Sarwar Milon, the first president of the Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal—the student wing of the BNP—suggested that the successful movement could pave the way for a new generation of political leaders, potentially challenging the dominance of traditional parties like the BNP, Awami League, and Jatiya Party.

"This just may be the beginning of a new era of political transformation in Bangladesh, with students once again leading the way," Milon, who is presently co-chairman of the Jatiya Party (Raushan faction), told PTI.

"The logical conclusion is that the students form a new political party. Although they have said they don’t want to form any political party, you don’t know what’s in the future," he said.

Other political leaders seem to echo this sentiment.

Senior BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury mentioned there is no issue if a new political outfit emerges, saying, "That would only enhance the democratic system in the country. We are not like the Awami League, which doesn’t believe in the democratic process. If the students want to join the political process, they are welcome to do it."

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supremo Shafiqur Rahman also stated that his party has no objections to the formation of new political entities, emphasising that everybody deserves free and fair elections.

“There have been no elections in Bangladesh since 2014. All the elections were fraudulent and did not reflect the people’s mandate. We want people to participate in the elections and choose their own representatives democratically,” he said.

Echoing these sentiments, G M Quader, the chairman of the Jatiya Party, emphasised that student movements, untainted by narrow political agendas, have played a transformative role in shaping Bangladesh's political landscape.

"Students have a unique advantage because they are trusted by the people," he remarked.

"We have witnessed once again how ordinary citizens have rallied behind them, showing unwavering support and solidarity during the recent protests. Now if they want to form a political party and contest elections, they are free to do it," he said.

Kajal Debnath, a leader of the Hindu minority community and a praesidium member of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, believes that there is significant potential for a new political force to emerge, and that “the students who spearheaded the anti-discrimination protests could indeed usher in a more inclusive and discrimination-free society in Bangladesh.”

The student movements in Bangladesh have always played a critical role in shaping the country's history, from the 1952 Language Movement to the Liberation War of 1971 and beyond.

However, the recent Monsoon Revolution is being hailed as something different—an unprecedented scale of mass mobilization that has the potential to change the course of Bangladesh's future.

Political analysts, however, feel that supporting students during mass movements and electing them as their representatives are not the same.

“It remains to be seen whether new coalitions, arising from the unorganised power of students and citizens, will lead to the formation of a new political party or a reformation of existing structures and bring about a change in the mindset of the mainstream political parties,” Zillur Rehman, executive director of the Centre for Governance Studies, a think tank in Bangladesh, said.

He noted that leading a student movement and a political party are not the same, especially against entrenched political giants like the BNP and Awami League, which have deep-rooted organisations across Bangladesh.