"It is great that Bangladesh's emergency government has emphasized its commitment to hold elections by the end of 2008. But if you think the elections are going to be free and fair, think again. A fully free and fair election will almost certainly result in an outcome that the current regime has reason to distrust. So the engineering of elections has already begun, and it will win the approval of international observers who won't understand the subtleties."

Comments (58)

"Global watchdogs are keenly observing the reforms agenda in Bangladesh toward a transition to democracy. And none of them seems happy. Supporters of the government respond by accusing critics of “tarnishing the image of the country,” as if performance is nothing and image is everything. They also say that they haven't had enough time to clean up all the mess. But their job is to hold elections, not to fix everything, and claiming to fix everything is an ominous excuse to hold on to power."

Comments (29)

"Despite good intentions, Bangladesh's caretaker government's initiatives have hit a dead end. At this time, Bangladesh needs a leader with not arrogance but the humility to admit that the country is on the wrong course. Many reform critics are no different, who are so hyped on their own sanctimony that they will obliterate distinctions. In between their wrangles, damage to the country's institutions, accountability, and transparency continues." (Photos by Michael Heath-Caldwell)

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"Brave fellows, these military intelligence officers: they abduct people under cover of night, they avoid any due process, they outnumber their target, make sure that only they themselves are armed and that their target is blindfolded, and then they collectively teach their target some lessons in patriotism. The quick formula: to be a patriot under a military dictatorship, be a good slave who keeps quiet and follows orders."

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Comments (42)

"The 2008 elections in Bangladesh will need the legitimacy provided by strong voter interest, which currently is lacking. Voters cannot be interested when their basic rights are suspended. Having divisive issues is not an excuse to keep politics banned. As Turkey shows, divisive issues can even be good for voter interest, as long as they are solved through fair elections." (Photos by Md. Akhlas Uddin and Hasan Iqbal Wamy)

Comments (44)

"What about the quarter of a million people that the caretaker government has arrested? What about the students who were beaten indiscriminately, or the veteran university professors humiliated for supporting democracy, or the laid-off mill workers beaten for seeking food, or the journalists clubbed for doing their jobs? All these issues have disappeared from the political agenda to make space for the singular issue of getting the party chairperson out of prison."

Comments (19)

"The government should not think that because the urban ‘civil society’ supported its selective anti-corruption drive and its economic agenda, it has overwhelming support all over the country. Alas, the Dhaka-based high society is insignificant in an electorate of seventy million. The government must treat these millions respectfully, de-politicize and humanize its actions, and consider accelerating elections." (Photos by E-Bangladesh)

Comments (31)