The ability to overthrow autocratic rulers is a unique characteristic of the people of Bangladesh, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam said on Sunday.
“We have almost an enviable capacity to dismantle dictatorship. But unfortunately, we have again almost an inexhaustible capacity not to be able to build a democracy after we dismantle a dictatorship... The fundamental reason is excessive politicisation of every institution,” he observed.
The remarks came on the second day of the three-day Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026, organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka, today, Sunday.
Mahfuz Anam was a panellist at a session titled ‘Do We Know How to Govern?’, held in the afternoon.
At the beginning of his remarks, Mahfuz Anam highlighted the failures of governance at the global level. He said the world was witnessing an unprecedented number of wars, with more conflicts taking place simultaneously than at any time since the Second World War.
Noting the vulnerability of smaller countries in a world where powerful states can bomb other countries at will, he said more resources should be devoted to tackling climate change, the effects of El Niño and rising sea temperatures. Yet, at a time when such resources were desperately needed, the world was spending more and more on armaments.
“The whole notion of sovereignty is now attached to armaments building and I think it is suicidal that we are spending and diverting our very meagre resources globally on armaments, not climate change,” he said.
Bangladesh was born out of a struggle against a brutal military dictatorship, yet the country has failed to establish an effective democracy, Mahfuz Anam stated.
Referring to Bangladesh’s return to democracy in 1991 following a military coup and the eventual fall of the military regime, he said, “We genuinely hoped that this would lead to the rebirth of democracy. We held several elections under caretaker governments. But instead of institutionalising the electoral system, we gradually moved towards conflict and destruction.
“I believe the reason we failed is that we genuinely do not know how to run a country; we do not really understand what governance is. We do not know how to bring together all the strength, ingenuity and resilience of our people and transform those resources into national development.”
Root cause: excessive politicisation
Mahfuz Anam identified excessive politicisation of every institution as the main reason for the failure to establish democracy.
“During the struggle to overthrow an autocrat, the nation becomes united, but once the autocrat is removed, the nation becomes divided. The groups that worked together to overthrow the autocrat then turn into one another’s enemies. This is where, time and again, and again and again, we have failed to institutionalise the structures and institutions of democracy in Bangladesh,” he said.
He said people in different professions, including physicians, were divided according to their political affiliations.
“Physicians in this country are divided according to which political party they support. People in many other professions are similarly divided. Journalism is no exception. We have BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party)-aligned journalists, Awami League-aligned journalists and Jamaat-aligned journalists. But how can a journalist be aligned with a political party at the same time?
“You may have your own personal political preferences. You are, of course, free to vote as you wish. But when credibility is your most important professional asset, how can you openly take the side of a political party and, at the same time, expect to retain your credibility?”
The Daily Star editor also highlighted the reality of politicisation and political use of the bureaucracy, police and intelligence agencies, as well as constitutional and independent institutions.
“When a political party is elected through a democratic process, we celebrate it as an expression of the people’s will. But within a very short time, we see that the election result—the expression of the people’s will—is transformed into a political reality rather than into public interest.
“…Turning the entire machinery of government into an extension of one’s own party—that is where the decline begins. The result is corruption, partisan bias, nepotism and patronage. In this way, day after day, month after month, year after year, our entire system of governance breaks down,” he said.
Mahfuz Anam said technology could help create an efficient bureaucracy and a competent and equitable system of governance.
“Technology can give us a highly effective bureaucracy and police force. This is where Bangladesh now faces a huge challenge. If we want to make progress, this is extremely important.
“Bangladesh is a country that is not easy to govern. It has limited land but a huge population. It also faces various natural challenges. At the same time, Bangladesh has enormous potential if we can transform our human resources into valuable and productive assets. This can be achieved through technology, education and good governance,” he stated.
