ISSN : 1997-1052 (Print)
2227-202X (Online)
 
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A Survey of Public Perception on Political Crisis in Bangladesh
Md. Jahidul Islam
Abstract

This article demonstrates public perception’s on crucial political issues of Bangladesh, which dominated the political atmosphere in 2013. To conduct this study several important issues chronologically have been discussed including the people’s views and opinions on the issue of violence against minority, the trend of prolonged Hartal, emergence of Gono Jagoron Mancha or Shahbag Movement for the capital punishment of convicted criminals at International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), the perception on Islamic politics which has been more visible through the rise of Hefajat-e-Islam, foreign influence into the concurrent political crisis, the interference of foreign diplomats into the internal matters and the threat to the national sovereignty and interest, police raid into the central office of key opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and suppressive actions of law enforcing agencies on the opposition political parties during political agitations, thinking of general people about the role of civil society to settle the dispute between major political parties also has been discussed. Finally, how people think about the negotiated settlement between or among major political parties have been discussed. To elaborate all crucial issues which dominated the politics of Bangladesh in 2013 has categorically analyzed based on the primary data collected through survey methodology. Most of the people think that violence against minority is a political game of political parties and major political parties including the incumbent can’t eschew its responsibility to protect religious minoritie. Moreover, Sahbag Movement negatively affected the political scenario of the country and lead to the emergence of Hefajat-e-Islam (a religious platform on 13 point demand including the capital punishment for atheist bloggers and the imposition of Shariah Law) as a new fundamentalist force and created division among political parties and general people. Suppressive actions of law enforcing agencies on opposition political parties’ protests don’t reflect absence of healthy democracy associated with intolerance and hostility. Furthermore, arbitrary police raid into the central office of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was pejorative for democracy and tremendously breaches the democratic norms. Majority percent of respondents said that foreign interference into the internal matters of the country is unacceptable. To overcome the ongoing political crisis, civil society personnel can play vital role, but cooperative negotiated settlement of disputes among major political parties is the most viable option to resolve concurrent political deadlock.

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