History, Government & People
History
Bangladesh is a young country. Formed only after the
bloody Liberation War from Pakistan in 1971, the country has had just
less than four decades of existence. Upon visiting the country it’s
obvious that its growing pains are still painfully visible in the form
of naked poverty and a nearly unintelligible system of governance and
politics. Nevertheless, Bangladeshis are proud that they fought for and
earned their freedom and now possess a country to their own name. The
struggle for freedom had several faces, but the most common is the
spectacled visage of Sheikh Mujib Rahman, whose proud portrait graces
every brick-coloured 500 taka note in the country. Today, his daughter
Sheikh Hasina is serving as Bangladesh’s democratically elected Prime
Minister.
Government
While Bangladesh is nominally a
parliamentary democracy, it’s extremely difficult to say that the
government represents its people in a democratic way. For a country
that was born in blood and ruled by the military for almost half of its
38-year life, it is understandable why government institutions are not
yet strong in Bangladesh and corruption still remains a big issue.
There are however some progressive signs: the fact that two female
prime ministers have ruled the country is widely held as being forward,
even though it was their husbands or fathers who were first in charge
and then assassinated. Also, there was an election held in late 2008
that was widely held to be free and fair, thus stabilising the
political system for the next few years. Currently, the Awami League
will be in power until their term expires at the end of 2013.
People
Put
simply, there are lots of Bangladeshi people. Current population
estimates put the total at over 150 million people, making this country
the most densely populated nation on earth (if you don’t include city
states like Hong Kong or Singapore). The great majority of the people
are Muslim (90%), followed by Hindu (8%), Buddhists and then Christians
(everybody else). The population is also overwhelmingly young, with
fully 1/3 of these people have not yet reached puberty (15 years or
older). If you don’t like crowds of people then you should definitely
stay away. But if you’re someone who enjoys the company of others, you
will find the company of talkative Bangladeshis quite provocative and
enjoyable. The country’s intellectual ranks are just as well-informed
and forward thinking as their counterparts anywhere else in the world;
where as the ‘sons of the soil’ are the most ingenious handymen South
Asia has to offer.
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