Mir Ashfaquzzaman



Old habits die hard, so they say. Look at our government, political leaders and civil society stalwarts, you will know why. On December 20, the Indian television channel CNN-IBN ran a story titled ‘6-member team out to kill ex-Bangladesh PM Hasina’. The interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed was quick... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Shameran Abed



In our country, we seem not to understand the difference between the responsibilities of a member of parliament and those of local government institutions. Parliamentarians, and candidates for parliamentary seats, themselves are often confused. Ask any candidate for the upcoming general elections what they will do if elected and... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Tanim Ahmed



Be it the US-led invasion of Iraq or the military-controlled interim government in Bangladesh, a viable exit or escape route seems to be eluding the actors of both theatres. As the election day draws near, the interim government has visibly stepped up its effort to secure assurance that, whoever... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Sonia Kristy



The political parties have come up with their manifestos all colourful and bright promising us the golden Bengal — shonar bangla. The education sector understandably features prominently in the party pledges. Attaining 100 per cent literacy, encouraging free education, giving lucrative stipends, setting up schools, colleges, university madrassahs —... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Shameran Abed



A couple of days ago, the chief election commissioner was seen telling a scrum of reporters that the election commissioners are ‘super-humans’ and have ‘supernatural powers’. He was trying to look serious while saying it as well. Of course, he was not actually serious and thankfully so. He was... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Rubayat Khan



Most political parties have released their election manifestos already, individually. If each of the parties were contesting elections on their own, it would have been easy to compare and contrast and eventually pick favourites. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these parties are riding in one of two, immense, wagons.... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Mahtab Haider



Suddenly, there’s a good deal of talk among Dhaka’s chattering classes about whether former military strongman Ershad really was that bad. ‘Were we really worse off under Ershad’s dictatorship compared to the democracy that the two women gave us?’ the chatterers are saying. With Ershad further legitimised by borrowed... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Tanim Ahmed



So all the parties have pledged to ensure food security. Emerging from an especially difficult year that saw low food grain production due to natural calamities, worsened by the global financial and food crises, no surprises there. To that end the parties have promised to ensure availability of cheap... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

The best posts in English might be picked for publication in the New Age print edition, with your permission. বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Shameran Abed



So, it turns out that we have a ‘no’ vote option in these elections. Don’t like a candidate, you can go into the polling booth and vote for none of the above. How is that different from simply not turning up to vote at all you ask? It is... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Mir Ashfaquzzaman



The Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, it seems, have stolen a few leafs out of the recent US presidential elections. At least that’s what the way they have named their manifestos for the December 29 elections to the ninth Jatiya Sangsad. The AL president, Sheikh Hasina, unveiled... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Shameran Abed



Talk about using religion for political gain, nothing demonstrates it better than the way our two top political leaders kicked off their election campaigns – by visiting the shrines of Hazrat Shah Jalal and some other Muslim saints in Sylhet. Of course, political leaders can, if they wish, visit... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Tanim Ahmed



Food for the hungry. Schools for the illiterate. Hospitals for the sick. Land for the landless. Guaranteed work for the unemployed. And that is not all. Between them the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party promised universal sanitation, food security, internet connection at every upazila. Agriculture will thrive... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন

Mahtab Haider



Voters aged between 18-25 years comprise nearly a third of the new electorate. Another third (47 million) of the country’s population are below the age of 15. So, any alliance that speaks a language that young adults understand could swing elections in their favour this time and for decades... বাকিটুকু পড়ুন