Why is Bangladesh in turmoil?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Bangladesh is set to hold parliamentary elections next January. But only time will tell whether there will be real change at the top or whether the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League will remain in power.
In recent months there has been an increase in political protests calling for a neutral interim government ahead of the polls opening. But these protests have only resulted in increasing numbers of senior leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party being rounded up and put in jail.
Historically, the country has had a fractured relationship with democracy since its birth in 1971, but the government for their part has denied accusations of democratic backsliding.
So this week on the Inquiry we’re asking ‘Why is Bangladesh in turmoil?’
Contributors:
Sabir Mustafa, a former Editor of the BBC Bengali Service, now based in Washington DC, USA
Dr. Avinash Paliwal, Reader in International Relations, Department of Politics and International Relations, SOAS University of London
Ali Riaz, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University, USA and non-resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council
Dr. Geoffrey MacDonald, Visiting Expert in the South Asia Programme, United States Institute of Peace, Washington DC, USA
Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford Broadcast Co-ordinator: Jordan King
Photo: Bangladesh Nationalist Party protest for Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, Dhaka -28th Oct 2023. Credit: Photo by MONIRUL ALAM/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock(14171078p)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Global Story is your new daily deep dive into one big news story and it's coming soon |
| 0:07.1 | Monday to Friday from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:10.6 | Search for the Global Story wherever you get your BBC |
| 0:13.8 | podcasts to find out more. |
| 0:17.7 | Welcome to the inquiry on the BBC World Service with me |
| 0:20.9 | Tony Beckett. |
| 0:22.2 | One question, four expert witnesses and an answer. |
| 0:29.0 | Bangladesh is the fastest expanding economy in the Asia-Pacific region, and its garment industry is a |
| 0:36.9 | powerhouse for many Western fashion labels. |
| 0:41.6 | But the nation is gripped by protests. Soaring inflation has cast a shadow over its economic success, |
| 0:49.4 | and Bangladeshis are pushing back against leader Sheikass Casino's tightening grip on the nation ahead of |
| 0:55.8 | elections in January of next year. |
| 1:00.2 | The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party is calling for her to resign |
| 1:04.9 | and threatening to boycott the upcoming elections if their demands for a neutral |
| 1:09.4 | interim government ahead of the vote are not met. |
| 1:15.6 | But Prime Minister Sheik has seen as government is rejecting accusations of democratic backsliding and has cracked |
| 1:20.2 | down all the thousands of demonstrators who've taken to the streets. |
| 1:25.8 | So as the government and main opposition party both hardened their rhetoric, this week |
| 1:30.9 | on the inquiry we're asking, |
| 1:33.0 | why is Bangladesh in turmoil? |
| 1:36.0 | Part one, the birth of a nation. For 200 years the 3,000 miles stretch of land from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean |
| 1:59.1 | was part of the British Empire. But in 1947 in the aftermath of the Second World War, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.