The Bengal Delta Conference on Friday brought together academics and political figures who reflected on the July Revolution and its implications for Bangladesh's democratic future.
Alex Taek-Gwang Lee of Kyung Hee University, Korea, presented a paper on the July Revolution and Reconstructive Political Order. He argued that the movement was not merely Bangladesh's "second fight for independence" but rather "a spirited uprising against injustice, inequality, and corruption. It marked a turning point in the country's political discourse, signaling a demand for real democratic change," he said.
Professor Asif Shahan of the Department of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka praised the role of young politicians in shaping the new political landscape. "Democracy is not just about voting or elections. If we only focus on these, we miss the bigger picture of how institutions are politicized," Asif said. He stressed that the July Movement was not centered on a single-point demand but was "a broader uprising against an oppressive regime."
Addressing reforms, Asif noted, "While there is some consensus around reforms, including the proportional representation (PR) method, major gaps remain, especially in the internal democracy of political parties. We have missed some major points in reform."
David Jackman, Departmental Lecturer in Development Studies at the University of Oxford, pointed to the entrenched political power dynamics in Bangladesh. "You need muscle, you need money," he said. "Sometimes politicians even sell nominations. Syndicates have become one of the major obstacles in Bangladesh affecting everything from party financing to internal party democracy."
BNP outlined reform vision amid organisational struggles
From the political front, Mahdi Amin, Adviser to the Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, highlighted the organizational struggles of his party. "Many grassroots committees have emerged. We now have an organisational structure, but over 15 million people are facing fabricated legal cases, which significantly impacts our political party's ability to operate," Amin said. "BNP seeks elections because they believe it is the only way to restore democracy."
He also emphasized the challenge of false narratives, "Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are rampant in Bangladesh." Outlining BNP's reform proposals, Amin said: "BNP has proposed a comprehensive reform structure, including limiting the term of the Prime Minister and ensuring a balance of power among the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches. We believe in the rule of law. Six reform commissions have been working on similar proposals, many of which are reflected in BNP's 31-point demand. We've instructed our leaders and activists to engage directly with the people at the grassroots level to understand their views on the 31-point demand."
Amin defended BNP's internal accountability, noting, "It is difficult to build finance structure but it's not that we are in denial. There is no impunity in BNP, every issue is subjected to internal party investigation. Every time there is truth in allegation we took action."
He recalled BNP's reform track record: "BNP proposed all the reformations on the table now before everyone. In 2016 they proposed Vision 2030, in 2022 the 27-point charter, and in 2024 the 31-point charter. BNP proposed bicameral parliament for the first time in the country. Whether it will be PR or not is up for discussion. It's not that one party system is going to come back tomorrow if reforms are not implemented immediately. Let the people decide."
On the future of reforms, he added, "Six reform commissions reflect 31 points BNP proposed earlier. Reform is not static, it's not like whether this party comes or not it's going to standstill. BNP will have a new manifesto that will reflect people's wants. Reform in itself is a never-ending process. We now sign the July Charter with all its diversity of opinion and leave it to different manifestos."
NCP's Tasnim Jara calls for structural reform and gender representation
Tasnim Jara, Joint Convener of the National Consensus Party (NCP), underscored the need for structural change. "We are facing serious structural problems. We need to reform political institutions and ensure neutral elections. The public has rejected muscle and money-based politics," she said.
Jara stressed institutional accountability and gender representation, "Some reforms are not immediately visible such as the health commission and strengthening the Election Commission. We are committed to systemic reform. Our focus is on institutional accountability, structural changes, and increased participation of women in Parliament."
She also called for a change in political incentives, "Parties that reward service not domination — there must be change in incentives. There has been a generational shift."
On challenges ahead, Jara said, "The other five commissions don't have any implementation plan, since it's not in NCC. We need clear implementation pathways. We are committed to reform being a political party coming out of July Uprising. The issue of women's participation did not reach a satisfactory proposal."
She added, "The problem with election is there will not be vote on individual reform proposal. Reforms will not necessarily be addressed if we are going straight for election."
Addressing financing, she noted, "NCP has adopted crowd-funding. If it's just NCP trying to do things differently things wouldn't change, we need cross-party consensus. Hope is not very good implementation plan, we need structural pathways… clear timelines. It's not question of how many reforms, but quality."
Earlier, BNP's Mahdi Amin was asked why his party was still sitting at the reform table despite dissenting on fundamental issues. Jara responded, "It's not about how many reforms BNP agrees on, but whether we can ensure quality reforms."
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