The situation Bangladesh’s business community is facing now can no longer be fully captured by the word “frustration.” Factories are shutting down, workers are losing their jobs, and businesspeople are being turned back from airports under false cases. Some are even unable to travel abroad for medical treatment. And amid all this suffering sits a government whose origins lie in the cantonment, and whose politics have long been rooted in corruption and violence.
Through the so-called February 12 election—held without the participation of major political parties and in the face of public boycott—the BNP came to power by effectively voting among themselves. Government ministers claim they will reopen closed factories, but in reality, not a single meaningful step has been taken in these two months to give businesspeople any sense of relief.
The issue of legal cases is the most alarming. Each case names 250 to 300 accused individuals. Many don’t even know why their names appear on the list. People who were never present at the scene are being charged. Investigating officers have filed FIRs and submitted charge sheets without proper inquiry. This is not just a failure of the justice system—it points to deliberate retaliation.
[What has the BNP government delivered in two months? From disappointment to even deeper despair]
And what is the government focused on right now? Implementing a trade agreement with the United States. In other words, opening the market to American goods while domestic mills and factories shut down without concern. Around 150,000 workers have already lost their jobs, with more expected to follow, yet the government seems to have little time to address this crisis.
A party born in the cantonment has never delivered anything good for the people of this country—and it won’t this time either. There is nothing new to understand here.
