Regarding problems in the political process

Today I feel as if I have woken up in a country other than the Bangladesh I have come to know over the past few months. There is a different feeling. When I opened the newspaper, I was greeted by images of burning cars and violent crowds. Tales of death and destruction. These pages that a few days ago were fountains of optimism, praising the Nobel prize winner for the ways he has led the country forward, are now presenting rivers of uncertainty between the lines of the obituaries.

The situation didn't grow up over night. The two main political parties in Bangladesh have been at each others throats for decades. This year was supposed to be worse, since there is an election coming in January, but no one expected what it's come to. Let me tell you a little bit about the Bangladeshi political process. Here's how it works during an election year: a few months before the vote, all the elected officials resign their posts to begin the campaign season. There is effectively no government. During this time, the affairs of the country are seen to by what's called a “care-taker government”. There is a political process to determine who leads this interim government, but normally it's not that big an issue since it's such a short amount of time that they are in power. Things are different this time around, since the two parties are in a phase of particularly harsh hatred for one another. At the eleventh hour, the man who had been agreed upon to lead the care-taker government “fell ill”, and decided not to take the oath. That was when all hell broke loose.

Each party immediately started yelling about who they thought should be appointed. No one agreed. They told their supporters to take to the streets. One parties mob comes across another parties mob. They start yelling. Someone throws a rock. Another person throws one back. Get some sticks! Light that car on fire! Pretty soon someone else pulls out a gun, and you can guess how things go from there. Now take that scenario and duplicate in almost every major city in a country of 150 million. Here's what it comes out to: on Saturday there were 12 dead, and over 2000 injured. I don't have numbers (or news really) for what's happened today yet.

While there is no violence in my neighborhood, I saw the symptoms of the disease affecting this country as I walked home tonight. At the market place, people who are normally laughing and enjoying each others company are now gathered in tight clusters around radios or televisions, looking suspiciously at those who pass by. Guards, who normally stand in front of their gates offering warm greetings are now behind those gates with the bolt thrown across. They cautiously peer out through the bars.

I have never felt at all uncomfortable walking down that street. Now I can't help but get the chills. It's just so different from how it was two days ago, when complete strangers were giving me hugs and offering me tea along with their hearty “eid mubarak!” greetings. The bright colors of eid clothes have been traded in for the uniform of a swat officer. What can be happening to this world?

p.s. I assure you all, I am perfectly safe. I live in the heart of the diplomatic enclave, and all the demonstrations have taken place miles and miles from here. I am keeping abreast of the notifications sent out by the embassy, so I will be fine. Please pray for the situation, though.