Padma Bridge Corruption

The World Bank has credible evidence which points to a high-level corruption conspiracy among Bangladeshi government officials, in connection with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project. The World Bank provided evidence from two investigations to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh (ACC) in September 2011 and April 2012. In light of the inadequate response by the Government of Bangladesh, the World Bank decided to cancel its $1.2 billion IDA credit in support of the Padma Bridge.

Bangladesh on a Dangerous Path

As the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, tells it, all ills lie at the government’s door. She ticks off a list of wicked acts she blames on her antagonist, the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. A young BNP politician abducted a month ago and very probably murdered. Two others killed earlier. Some 33 opposition figures, including senior MPs, dumped in jail this month over a trumped-up case of arson. In all, she says, 3,000 BNP members have been arrested.

"It is to intimidate, to create a sense of fear.”

Source: The Economist - Politics in Bangladesh: Banged About

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Bangladesh Crisis

Bangladesh could face a protracted political crisis in the lead-up to the 2013 elections unless Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government changes course and takes a more conciliatory approach towards the political opposition and the military.

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In December 2008, following two years of a military-backed caretaker government, the Awami League secured a landslide victory in what were acknowledged to be the fairest elections in the country’s history. The hope, both at home and abroad, was that Sheikh Hasina would use her mandate to revitalise democratic institutions and pursue national reconciliation, ending the cycle of zero-sum politics between her AL and its rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Three and a half years on, hope has been replaced by deep disillusionment, as two familiar threats to Bangladesh’s democracy have returned: the prospect of election-related violence and the risks stemming from a hostile military.

Read more > International Crisis Group Report - Bangladesh: Back to the Future