Fair election must to keep democracy continue: Tarique
Acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Tarique Rahman on Thursday underscored the need for holding fair elections for continuation of democracy...
Tags : Democracy
Junta frees ally of Suu Kyi on health grounds
A close ally of detained Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was granted amnesty by junta authorities as he battles cancer, a party source said on Sunday...
Democracy impossible without addressing inequalities: discussion
Former Jahangirnagar University professor Anu Muhammad said on Friday evening that democratic governance would not be possible unless four types of inequalities namely class, ethnic, religious, and...
Path to restore democracy
I believe that the selection of Professor Ali Riaz as head of the Constitution Reform Commission was an excellent decision. I support Professor Riaz鈥檚 proposal to rewrite the constitution rather than continuing with amendments...
Roadmap for electoral reforms
THE cornerstone of an inclusive democracy lies in a free and fair electoral system. Electoral reform, therefore, is one of the interim government鈥檚 highest priorities. While restructuring the Election Commission is crucial, shifting public perception about the significance of voting is equally important. The interim government can swiftly restructure the...
Balancing inclusivity and stability in democracy
THE democratic aspirations that Bangladeshis have nurtured, despite the former Sheikh Hasina-led government鈥檚 decade-long stringent suppression of dissent, have paved the way for a fresh political discourse through the July uprising. Riding the wave of renewed hope, the demand for a new political landscape has become stronger than ever...
Fragile unity and challenges ahead
REVOLUTIONS or mass uprisings have been both triumphs and tragedies in history鈥檚 archives, marked by the inevitable complexities that follow the overthrow of entrenched regimes. The July uprising, which brought down the Awami League鈥檚 16-year autocratic rule, is no exception. This student-led uprising was hailed as a watershed moment for democracy in Bangladesh,...
Disputed elections becoming a global phenomenon: report
Voter turnout is diminishing around the world and the results of elections are increasingly questioned, a report on the state of democracy said on Tuesday.
Long way to go building strong democracy: Tarique
Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday said that Bangladesh still had a long way to go to build a robust and strong democracy as weaknesses of...
Renaissance for new awakening and progress
IN THE 1960s East Bengal, now Bangladesh, witnessed a huge uprising in political and cultural awareness. This period is generally referred to as a political and cultural renaissance, driven by a deep desire for autonomy, democracy, the freedom of speech, secularism and justice. This collective awakening among the people of East Bengal laid the foundation for a non-sectarian, progressive society, which culminated in the 1969 mass uprising and played an important role in Bangladesh鈥檚 independence in 1971...
Mobocracy: always a threat to democracy
IN THE last month, Bangladesh has experienced a disturbing surge in violent incidents involving large groups acting outside the law. Recently, in less than a week, a teenage Hindu boy in Khulna was brutally assaulted and beaten by a mob in front of local police after being accused of defaming Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) on social media. Concurrently...
Democracy, responsible journalism and the role of newspapers
IN THE annals of human civilisation, democracy stands as a magnificent garden, a living, breathing ecosystem that requires constant care and attention. This garden, with its countless plants representing the diverse voices and ideals of society, is not a barren, untamed wilderness but a carefully cultivated space where the fruits of freedom and justice can flourish...
BNP announces programmes
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday called a two-day programme to pay homage to those who were killed in the movements against authoritarian rule over the past 17 years and to mark International Democracy Day...
Gatekeeper of democracy
LORD Acton famously said, 鈥楶ower tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.鈥� When citizens fail to hold their government accountable, a regime can accumulate unchecked power, weakening even the strongest checks and balances and leading to autocracy. John Stuart Mill鈥檚 reminder that 鈥楾he price of liberty is eternal vigilance鈥� highlights...
Effective parliament and mutually exclusive executive authority
The constitution contains a controversial clause that restricts members of parliament elected through a political party from exercising their voting rights in parliament according to their own will if it contradicts the party鈥檚 decision. Article 70 of the constitution empowers political parties to oblige their members of parliament to comply with party decisions...
Students, teachers for space for dissent, democracy at universities
Students and teachers on Tuesday at a discussion said effective academic practice, space for dissent and democracy with functioning students鈥� union could create a flourishing environment at universities in the country.
BNP ready to face challenges in establishing democracy: Fakhrul
Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday said that the party would face all kinds of challenges in the process of establishing democracy...
Ensuring safety and upholding the rule of law
IN A democracy, the judiciary is more than a mechanism for resolving disputes 鈥� it is a pillar that upholds the rule of law, safeguards human rights and ensures that every citizen is treated with fairness and dignity. The courts, as symbols of justice, are meant to be sanctuaries where the truth is sought and justice is served impartially...
CA speech lacks roadmap for democracy: BNP
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday said that that chief adviser Mohammad Yunus鈥檚 address to the nation lacked a roadmap for transition to democracy.
Switzerland ready to cooperate: BNP
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party said on Thursday that Switzerland was ready to cooperate with any initiative taken by the Bangladesh government to recover laundered money and democracy...
Muhammad Yunus鈥� eyes hold tears of tens of millions
THOSE who are currently students at universities in Bangladesh came of age during the autocratic rule of the now fallen prime minister Sheikh Hasina (2009鈥�2024). They never had a taste of democracy; they never saw any credible election in their country. All they saw was political repression and corruption at every tier of the government and at every level...
BNP to back interim govt as long as it remains committed to democracy: Fakhrul
Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said that their party would continue to support the interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, as long as it remained committed to democracy....
Bangladesh鈥檚 future hangs in the balance
BANGLADESH has been transformed into a mausoleum of democracy under the iron fist of Sheikh Hasina. Her reign, a protracted nightmare for the Bangladeshi people, has been marked by a relentless erosion of institutional integrity, a cancer that has metastasised through body politic. With each passing year, the democratic fabric of this young nation...
ICC must act now
THIS is not the piece I intended to write just 24 hours ago (August 4). As Dinah Washington once famously sang, lyrics taken from the 1934 original 鈥楥uando vuelva a tu lado鈥� by the Mexican songwriter Maria Grever, 鈥榳hat a difference a day makes鈥�...
Sajeeb makes U-turn, says Hasina to return home
Awami League president and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina will return to the country once democracy is restored, said her son Sajeeb Wazed, according to a report of the Press Trust of India...
Int鈥檒 financial institutions鈥� culpability
THE International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Asian Development Bank are complicit in the gross human rights violations and death of democracy in Bangladesh. They continued to supply financial blood line to the regime, well-documented for its corruptions, human rights violations 鈥� such as forced disappearances and tortures...
Democracy now, democracy always
The fall of a dictator is always destined. So it was with Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country for the last 16 years, destroyed all public institutions, and became an absolute authoritarian...
Crisis over Lanka IGP sets dangerous precedent
THE inspector general of police Deshabandu Tennakoon finds himself at the centre of a controversy that goes to the heart of Sri Lanka鈥檚 democracy. The Supreme Court has directed that he should be restrained from acting in the position of head of police until the court has fully considered all the petitions submitted against his appointment...
Cultural activists demand restoration of democratic environment, justice
Cultural activists on Monday demanded restoration democratic environment and justice for students while the government imposed countrywide curfew and seized the rights to organise meetings and practise democracy during quota protests...
I took a bullet for democracy: Trump
Donald Trump, holding his first camp, surviving an assassination attempt, rejected concerns that he is a threat to America鈥檚 democratic system, triumphantly telling the crowd, 鈥業 took a bullet for democracy.鈥�...