Dedicated to the restoration of pluralist, representative, democracy in Bangladesh. I write because they can't speak anymore.
So the old joke is back in currency: Dhaka City’s two municipal corporations will have ‘elections’ again in January now that the supposed term of the previous city bosses is over. Sounds very normal and democratic and civic, except it’s a cruel parody that most Western journalists–never mind the local ones–simply gulp in stride. Sure …
Continue reading “Selecting Dhaka’s mayors: some call it ‘city elections’”
Given how ‘elections’ happen in Bangladesh, the mayoral one in the northern half of the capital Dhaka is no surprise with the usual make-believe candidates running against the anointed ruling junta selectee and the press showing all the silly coverage of phony canvassing and long queues at polling booths. It is doubly phony since the …
Continue reading “Another day, another ‘election’ in Bangladesh”