As Bangladesh hurtles toward its February 12 vote, a chorus of condemnation targets administrative incompetence and policy voids. Political heat, faith-based friction, economic tremors, and civic clampdowns herald a multifaceted crisis, per analysts and media.
Dhaka Tribune’s Thursday op-ed flagged media freedom red alerts, invoking recent aggressions on newsrooms. Free press, it argued, underpins informed electorates and vibrant discourse—threats demand fierce pushback.
Press coverage links woes like economic slowdown, intolerance surges, rhetorical excesses, gender regressions, and assaults on rights to expression and equity.
Inflation-riddled stagnation and futile policies unsettle commerce and families, intensifying electoral stakes.
Advisor Yunus decried fraud epidemics damaging repute, with Dhaka Tribune’s ‘world fraud champion’ quip underscoring passport and certificate fakes’ global fallout.
Women’s advocates expose hype-reality divides: unsafe streets, wage inequities, childcare lacks, justice hurdles, political marginalization.
The Daily Star’s 20-woman poll reveals apathy amid violence spikes, space contractions, layoffs, insecurities, health lapses, and dormant 423 reforms, hitting everyday existence.
Elections spotlight divisive religious-identity plays, minority pogroms including Deepu Das’s barbaric end evoking international outrage.