Lessons from Bangladesh

Anirban Choudhury 

(eternalflamenew@gmail.com)

The dramatic developments that unfolded in Bangladesh on August 5 hold ominous portents not just for the neighbouring country but also for the few remaining working democracies across the world—other so-called democracies being only in name with deep states calling the shots. The circumstances under which Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena had to flee her country hold some invaluable lessons, especially for non-western democracies, notably India.

Foremost, seeing the wanton violence and mayhem that swept across Bangladesh since July this year and claimed 300 odd lives, the functional and working democracies should be on guard against the anarchists. For, as the situation in the neighbouring country has proved, one of the biggest threats to any functional democracy today is anarchy. Knowing full well that they would never win the popular mandate by ballot, the anarchists would always resort to acts that would destabilise an entire country, forcing the incumbent to ultimately give way and the armed forces to take over.

The anarchists in Bangladesh conducted themselves in a similar fashion, as they brought the country to a standstill through a wave of violence, looting, plunder, attacks on minorities, killings, etc., since the last month. Being in a minority, their strategy is simple: indulge in a misinformation campaign and act that would provoke the majority to retaliate, leading to counter-violence, chaos, and mayhem. The anarchists did exactly the same as they began an anti-quota movement against the government in July this year, though the fact remains that the Sheikh Haseena-led Awami League government had actually cancelled the quota in certain categories of government jobs before the High Court reinstated the quota system again. Ultimately, the Supreme Court quashed it in July. But the misinformation campaign that was unleashed by the anarchists—opposition parties, radical Islamic organizations and some student leaders — had already done the damage, and entire Bangladesh was up in flames in no time. And the rest is history.

It was conceded that Sheikh Haseena was not truly democratic and was behaving in an autocratic manner by manipulating institutions; however, the fact remains that she was popularly elected as the opposition parties had boycotted the polls. But that mattered little to her opponents, as they smelt blood. The subsequent scenes of rampages in Jatiya Sangsad, Bangladesh’s parliament building, by rioters definitely don’t augur well for democracies worldwide. Similar scripts were played out in India during the anti-CAA agitation in Delhi in 2019–20 and the farmers’ protest in 2020, both of which brought the country almost to the brink. Fortunately, things did not go completely out of hand, though their protagonists did try every trick in the trade. Similar scenes were also witnessed when supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in 2021 following the declaration of the result of the presidential election there.

Meanwhile, the anarchists are still very much alive and kicking in India even now, waiting for another opportunity to strike back. They aren’t losing any opportunity to destabilise the country from within. It is thus incumbent upon authorities to safeguard democracy against all odds. In fact, all functional democracies should be wary of such forces and act tough and in a decisive manner so as to stamp out these elements. Citing Bangladesh as a reference point, these elements could very well work to derail democracies everywhere by taking advantage of free speech. Many European countries, long considered peaceful, are already having to contend with such forces. Further, the digital explosion in recent times is only aiding the anarchists, as evident during the anti-CAA agitation, farmers’ protests, and now in Bangladesh. With virtually unlimited access to information in the digital world, anarchists are increasingly using these as tools to manipulate the masses. No wonder it is observed that governments everywhere today always shut down mobile internet during any turmoil.

Finally, what the working democracies should be wary of is the overarching western countries trying to interfere with their internal affairs. Perhaps, as a hangover of their colonial past, many western powers have been found to be meddling in non-western democracies, especially against regimes not considered amiable or in sync with their geo-strategic interests, for far too long. These so-called western democracies are seen to be more than happy to destabilise a functional non-western democracy if it is not aligned with their interests, especially democratic countries that are on a fast road to becoming economic powers. In fact, if reports are to be believed, a few of them were even involved in fomenting the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh.

The proliferation of social media has only come in handy for the western powers, which use it to spread canards against any democratic dispensation they consider inimical to their interests. Reports are now emanating that many social media handles taking the lead in the Bangladeshi protests were based in a few western countries (besides Pakistan), thus proving credence to the long-held belief of western interference. The deep state in western countries was also found to be involved during the anti-CAA and farmers’ protests, as evident in the now-infamous social media toolkit case that was subsequently exposed. The continued support of anti-India forces, notably the Khalistanis, by authorities in Canada, the UK, and the US in the garb of free speech only goes to show how these western powers won’t budge from their nefarious designs. Thus, western so-called democracies are also a huge threat to the stability of any functional non-western democracy. Hence, while improving ties with the west, New Delhi, as a rising economic powerhouse, should be extremely cautious about its moves.

While being watchful of such hostile forces both within and outside, it’s also obligatory on the part of the leadership in the remaining few functional non-western democracies to remain committed to democracy. They should work on strengthening institutions that help strengthen democracy at the grassroots, reinforcing popular trust and belief in democratic culture and traditions.

To recall, India faced a major crisis akin to Bangladesh following the imposition of an emergency in 1975. However, to the credit of the masses who believed in democratic spirit, they didn’t resort to mayhem but waited for the right moment to throw out the incumbent through the ballot. It’s extremely crucial that the spirit of the countrymen be sustained. The bottom line is that mobocracy can’t be a substitute for democracy.