The by-elections in Laxmipur-3 and Brahmanbaria-2 have once again laid bare the grim political reality of Bangladesh, all while the country is just about two months away from its national election.
The Awami League’s repetition of its mantra of having elections as per the Constitution has reached such an incredulous level that one of the praesidium members of the party, Faruk Khan presented a new interpretation of constitutionalism.
To its credit, Awami League knows the long-term value of bureaucrats. Despite frequent objections raised about bureaucratic overreach and the overdependence on public officials, including by some of its own MPs, the party has done little to address them.