For years, our country has been changing tremendously and has affected the world. But, now the time has come to talk about one of the weaker and poorer countries in the world, Bangladesh. The official name of Bangladesh is the “People’s Republic of Bangladesh,” which actually means the country of Bengal. As you all know in North America there are Four Seasons, summer, spring, fall or autumn, and winter. However, in Bangladesh, sometimes they actually refer it as the “Playground of Seasons,” because they don’t have four seasons- they have six. They have summer, rainy, autumn, cool, winter, and spring.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy with the president as chief of state and prime minister as head of government. The parliament is called Jatiya Sangsad; with 300 members serving 5-year terms. The president officially appoints the prime minister, but he or she, must be the representative of the majority coalition in the Parliament. The current president is Abdul Hamid and the prime minister is Sheikh Hasina.

Recently, on December 31st 2018,  Bangladesh had an election for prime minister.   The party who won was Mrs. Hasina’s party, The Awami League and its allies officially won 288 of the 298 parliamentary seats (96%) that have been called by the election commission. However, the opposition swiftly rejected the result accusing the governing party of tampering with votes and calling for a new election.  Mrs. Hasina was the first leader in Bangladesh’s history to win three consecutive terms, but she has been accused of autocratic behavior. Reporters have stated that they have witnessed ballot stuffing and voter intimidation across the country. At least 19 people, including from the Awami League, died in political violence on Election Day, according to the police.

In the past elections, the Awami league and the largest populated opposition group, the Bangladesh nationalist party carried out a brutal campaign to suppress each other’s voters. Corruption in Bangladesh has been a continuing problem. After splitting from Pakistan 1971, Bangladesh was ruled by a series of Civilian and Military governments. Corruption is abounds in Bangladeshi government offices for many reasons such as public services, land administration, tax administration, public procurement,  judiciary, impunity politics of trial, law enforcement, military, police banking, and health and hygiene.  Many people are dying, because they are speaking up for themselves, and their country, about the current prime minister which includes high- ranked military officers. Mrs. Hasina is behind all of the killings, and she should be stopped. We should not only stop her, but also get the government fixed. 

This enduring issue is important, because it helps create mutual understanding. We live in a divided world, and it’s important to know about each other.  In addition, learning about new cultures helps expand our horizons and shows you the differences around the world, leading to building stronger relationships, and lasting friendships. However we should also  make sure that the other countries well kept and safe. It is our duty as Americans, and leaders in the world.