Published: 20 February 2025
The year 2024 is an epoch-making year for Bangladesh. The year began with the holding of a controversial, one-sided and staged twelfth national parliament election, based on which the government was formed. Students started a non-violent movement in June 2024 demanding quota reform in government jobs, which turned into a movement for the fall of the government in July and August due to the government's unprecedented repression and violence. People from all classes and professions participated extensively in this movement along with students, arising from the accumulated anger of the people against long-term authoritarian rule. In this process, the government fell on 5 August in exchange for much sacrifice, and the twelfth national parliament was declared dissolved. In the changed circumstances, the interim government assumed responsibility on 8 August. This is an epoch-making event in the history of Bangladesh, which has created an unprecedented opportunity to build a "New Bangladesh" through state reform and new political and social arrangements.
The main expectation of the anti-discrimination movement's students and people from the interim government is to create a state structure and environment suitable for building a transparent, accountable, corruption-free and discrimination-free "New Bangladesh". The main objective of state reform and national political arrangement in "new Bangladesh" is to eradicate this impunity of corruption, that is, abuse of power. To achieve this objective, along with fundamental reforms of all institutions entrusted with preventing and controlling corruption, an unobstructed environment suitable for active participation of all stakeholders and ordinary people including mass media, especially the younger generation, is essential to strengthen anti-corruption demand. However, effective control of corruption is impossible without rescuing the overall state administration structure from partisanship and professional bankruptcy. Such fundamental changes must be brought in people's representation, government and administrative system and practice so that the state is run through people's verdict and entrusted power, and effective accountability to the people.
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