Afsan Chowdhury speaks to DOT :
The country’s political arena is tapering off and politics has now become confined to a single party.
Awami League has won the just-concluded 11th parliamentary elections by a landslide. People have shrunk the political sphere through casting votes for a party. Therefore, the country’s politics has become confined to a single party. This does not bode well for the country.
A major problem has cropped up after the 2018 elections. There is a growing apathy among the people towards politics. Indifference towards politics will put a dampener on entering into any political party. People interested in politics will only join AL. Then AL will cease to be a political party.
None will show interest to join politics if there is a single political party in the country. Everyone will try to join AL. The administration will conduct elections if power is concentrated in a single party. BNP elimination means upgrading administration. That means politics is losing its pluralistic character.
AL will not suffer if politics shrinks into a single party. It will take its toll on the politics, which is incurable. People will not exercise franchise if there is a single party in the electoral race. The polling centres will become desolate.
Afsan Chowdhury, Researcher & Political Analyst
Interviewed by Leon Mir, translated by Hossen Sohel
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