If one cannot grasp the reality of life under Bangladesh’s ruling dictator, a quick read of “Amar Fasi Chai” by his personal assistant, Matiur Rahman, available online, offers a stark portrayal.
Among her countless traits, two stand out: arrogance and deceit. Her 2018 solution to the merit and quota issue was a facade. If it weren’t, why would her judiciary play hide-and-seek with students? Her latest act of tyranny, marked by the deaths of over three hundred students, broke all previous records of her so-called “developmental democracy.”
An autocrat is often just a puppet controlled by superpowers. Detached from the people, such regimes cannot gauge public sentiment accurately. Their actions and statements usually spark public outrage, leading to unforeseen consequences. Historically, they have applied “conspiracy theories” to such situations, with their anger and hatred manifesting in the bloodshed and tears of the masses.
In Bangladesh, a regime of democratic autocracy has been established by the Awami League, the “sole agents” of the 1971 war of independence. An international superpower and a regional force aspiring to be a superpower back them, implementing regional agendas to serve their interests, leading to the fragmentation of their sectarian and fragile state.
Autocrats, whether monarchical, democratic, or communist, share a common trait: the people under their rule lead difficult lives. Public institutions fall under the control of the autocrats, as seen in the current Awami League regime. From religious to financial, charitable to educational institutions, they consume everything, maintaining tight control due to their disconnection from the people. Their fear of resistance is so intense that they would not hesitate to use extreme measures to eliminate any threat.
The daughter of the Sheikh family, symbolic of the sole agency from Bangladesh’s liberation war, has replicated her father’s dictatorial regime (Bakshal), setting a grim example in today’s world.
(to be continued…)
Tanvir Ahmed Lodi
From UK
