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Bangladesh: The Enemy Within I At its birth in 1971, Bangladesh inherited a political culture of deep division and distrust from its past with Pakistan and the British Raj. In the post Liberation period, Bangladeshi politics seems to have followed the same path where party politics becomes more important than the good of the people and where sacrificing individual good for the common good has been relegated to mere rhetoric. It is time now to consider whether we have been able to achieve anything for ourselves within this legacy. Although officially a �People�s Republic�, in reality Bangladesh has alternated between periods when shaky democratic governments have been in place only to be usurped by military regimes. The inability of the nation to evolve into a stable democratic system only points to the fact that two decades into its existence, Bangladesh has yet to recover from a system characterized by mistrust, mutual threats, hostilities and confrontations between the various political parties. The resurgence in religious fundamentalism in politics has only added to the country�s problems. In keeping with the majority of South Asian nations, the Bangladeshi political system may be characterised as being intolerant of dissension � within the party as well as without. Inner party democracy is practically non-existent in most cases, further vitiated by the dynastic political culture that has evolved. Another entrenched characteristic seems to be the role and effects of political assassinations. The heads of the two major political parties have both �inherited� their positions as leaders, one from her father, the other from her husband, both of whom were heads of state. Sheikh Mujib�s legacy in Bangladesh is continued by his daughter the present Prime Minister after his assassination in 1975 and Ziaur Rahman�s (assassinated in 1981) political leadership is carried on by his widow, the opposition leader during the previous government. Historically, the relationship between Bangladesh and its neighbours has been determined by political imperatives rather than economic ones. Bangladesh�s relationship with Pakistan has been fraught with difficulties � the hurt and the anger that both sides felt over the birth of an independent Bangladesh is yet to be resolved. Although throughout its history, Bangladesh has regarded India an ally, differences over water sharing and intermittent border clashes have marred the relationship[2]. The long tradition of mutual political suspicion between the two largest countries of the region � India and Pakistan � (for reasons of ideological hatred as well as the issue of the independence of Kashmir) also has an influence on Bangladesh�s foreign policy. The sheer size of India (spreading over almost 72
percent of South Asia�s geography) gives it a clout in the region unmatched
by any other country in the region, even Pakistan. Consequently, India
is the most important factor in determining the nature of inter-nation
relationships within the region, especially for Bangladesh as most of
Bangladesh�s borders are with India. For instance, Bhutan Bangladesh
trade relations was hindered for a long time because of India�s intransigent
attitude regarding overland transit for Bhutan. However, at present India has
given transit facilities to both Nepal and Bhutan. It may also be said that India�s past
insistence on bi-lateralism in dealing with Bangladesh instead of dealing from
a regional perspective has, to a certain extent, impeded the process of
integration. A case in point is the water sharing issue between the two
countries. Bangladesh wanted to treat the Ganges and the Brahmaputra river
basins as international water sources, especially in view of the fact that the
water sharing issue was also relevant to Nepal; India disagreed. The
water problem is yet to be resolved. Bangladesh and Indian bilateral trade may be seen to mirror the broader context of regional and sub-regional cooperation. Any move towards cooperation on a regional level will, to a certain extent, correspond with the relationship that the most powerful economy in the region has with its neighbours. The Bangladesh � India relationship therefore is important as testing ground for the economic future of the region. India plays a major role in Bangladesh�s trade sector. In 1996, about 25 percent (approximately) of total imports (both legal and illegal) in Bangladesh came from India. Bangladeshi products constituted only 0.5 percent (approximately) of total Indian imports[3]. The economic relationship between Bangladesh and India has the potential of being mutually beneficial and rewarding. However, at present the situation is not one of interdependence but of one-sided dependence on the part of Bangladesh. The large bilateral trade deficit that exists in favour of India needs to be reduced before this scenario can be changed. Similar to India�s denial of transit facilities to Nepal and Bhutan, Bangladesh has long denied India overland transit facilities, which would significantly reduce costs of transporting goods to India�s North Eastern states. However, now that India has acceded transit to Nepal and Bhutan, it is time to rethink � alongside a number of other issues � the issue of comprehensive transit for and through other nations as well. The recent initiation of a direct bus service linking the capital of Bangladesh and the capital of West Bengal as well as the introduction of a train service is also indicative of the change in attitude of both India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh�s relationship with Pakistan has never really recovered from the 1971 war. Despite an officially friendly relationship, Bangladesh�s claims for war damages as well as a national apology is ill received in Pakistan and remain unresolved. However, the real unresolved issue between Bangladesh and Pakistan is regarding the repatriation of Bihari Mohajirs (refugees)[4] stranded in Bangladesh since 1971. A significant number of Bihari refugees continue to live out their lives in refugee camps (which have effectively become urban slums) in the outskirts of Bangladesh�s capital with almost no hope of repatriation. [1] Shabnam Nadiya is a free lance writer, prominent contributor in Mukto-mona/NFB and Organizing Secretary of the Liberal Forum, Bangladesh [2] The recent armed conflict between Bangladeshi and Indian border forces resulted in the deaths of civilians as well as of members of the border forces of both sides. [3] The dominant player in intra-regional trade as well, India accounts for almost four fifths of intra-regional exports in 1996. [4] The Biharis are the muslim population from the Pakistani Province of Bihar who were working/living in Bangladesh prior to the 1971 war. Although the Biharis themselves continue to think of Pakistan as their homeland (despite living almost all their lives in Bangladesh, their first language remains Urdu), Pakistan has not shown much interest in repatriation. Go to part-2... |
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