The faults of Bangladesh’s parties aren’t the parties themselves but the entire political culture of Bangladesh. Bootlickers are normalized, corruption is accepted, and violence is allowed to achieve goals and objectives of the parties. Civil rights are curtailed. Parties, not just in Bangladesh but everywhere, are generally founded based on ideology not mindset.

For example BAL focuses on Bengali nationalism, BNP on Bangladeshi Nationalism, and Jamaat on Islamism. In most cases, the parties people follow boils down to their ideology and their experiences with the parties. For example in 1971 Bengalis felt oppressed to the point that they joined BAL’s call for independence. Then after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib, they valued the stabilization and integrity of the country so they supported BNP. Those that are hardline followers of Islamic doctrines supported and still support Jamaat. These specific ideologies are what define these parties.

Many Bangladeshis have this notion that changing the parties themselves will change the country. It doesn’t work that way. Never does. It’s in the culture of the country’s politics to be the way it is. The only way for the parties to improve is with changing the entire political culture itself. But how will that happen? Definitely not overnight. It has to be a gradual process, and only works if there is a sizable and strong opposition against BAL.

Till that happens, you can make a thousand parties if you want but they will all come back to the same issues that plague the current ones. Same with corruption. No matter the person, the situation, the reason, every Bangladeshi has in one form or another accepted corruption as a way of life. Will changing the people involved make a difference when all the stakeholders are of the same mind? Will you get rid of the whole country? You can’t. It’s the same thing with politics. Gradual change is the only solution, and it doesn’t come easily.