Antonio Gramsci once wrote, “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” His words ring true today, perhaps more than ever. Our old political order has finally crumbled, but the new one has not quite taken shape. After a bloody uprising in July last year, we have emerged from the grip of a 15-year autocratic regime. Thousands lost their lives. Many others spent years resisting, fighting for the dream of a different future. Now that the regime has fallen, we find ourselves asking: whom do we trust to lead us next?
If we are truly interested in honouring the blood, courage, and voices of the youth who sacrificed their lives on the streets in July, and of all those who spent more than 15 years fighting for freedom and human rights, we must rethink the kind of leadership we accept, promote, and empower in Bangladesh. We must ask not only who is in power and how they use their power, but also how they have come to power.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. For decades, Bangladesh’s political arena has been dominated by leaders who thrive not through vision or service, but through intimidation, wealth, family, and connections. Political parties and corrupt businessmen have backed local strongmen, helping them to violate the law. These leaders are not accountable to the common people, but to the networks that helped them climb the ladder. These networks, built on patronage, violence, and loyalty, have created a system where merit is overlooked and corruption is encouraged. These “leaders” often lack the education, global exposure, or policy understanding necessary to run a modern state. Instead, they survive by creating chaos, spreading lies, and keeping people divided and confused. The result? Mismanagement, corruption, and a deep mistrust of politics among the common people.
Bangladesh is now at a turning point. With our youth more connected and aware than ever, and with a new generation of professionals willing to return and rebuild, we have an opportunity to shift the power dynamics permanently. But first, we need to define what real leadership should look like for us.
We need leaders who think beyond the next election and plan for the young generation. They should understand economic strategy, climate policy, education reform, and technological advancement—not just slogans, showdowns, and populism. They must be capable of representing Bangladesh with dignity at international forums. They must speak for our country proudly on the global stage and understand the world beyond our borders.
We need leaders with a clean image, who don’t enrich themselves through corruption. Corruption must no longer be excused as a political necessity. True leaders serve their people. They listen, adapt, and build systems that uplift everyone, not just their party, their family, or their business associates.
Our political institutions must represent the full diversity of the country, including women, minorities, and the youth. Leadership can no longer be the domain of the rich, the loud, and the aggressive.
But change will not come automatically. We must create the conditions for a new leadership culture to emerge. Just as the private sector invests in grooming future CEOs, we must invest in developing future public leaders. National and local institutions should initiate leadership training academies open to qualified young professionals across sectors. These should focus on public administration, ethics, communication, and grassroots problem-solving.
Right now, political parties reward loyalty over merit. We need internal reforms in party structures that prioritise capable candidates with a clean track record and a service-driven intent. Civil society must pressure parties to publish candidate credentials and open nominations to non-dynastic, qualified individuals.
Additionally, money is a major barrier to entry for new leaders. If elections continue to be won by the highest bidder, we will always return to the same corrupt elite. Elections should not be decided by whoever spends the most. We need fair, capped campaign funding, and the media must also ensure equal coverage for all candidates, not just those with the deepest pockets.
Grassroots committees of political parties should be empowered to evaluate and audit their local representatives. Participatory meetings and citizens’ complaint reports can bring transparency and pressure at the local level.
In the long run, a crucial solution is to reform our education system to produce citizens who understand civic duties, democratic values, and ethical leadership. We must teach our students to question authority, demand accountability, and dream bigger for their communities.
At the heart of our leadership crisis is a deeper cultural issue: how we define strength and success. For too long, power in Bangladesh has been associated with dominance and control. We have made room for the loudest, the most forceful, and the most ruthless. But this version of power is not only outdated but also dangerous. It marginalises empathy, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and humility. We must actively challenge this narrative. We must stop idolising “strongmen” and start uplifting “wise men.” It is not about power and domination. It is about the values we associate with leadership. Do we want someone who can dominate others, or someone who can unite and inspire them?
The July mass movement was not simply a protest against an authoritarian regime or corrupt administrations. It was a fight for dignity, justice, equality, and a different kind of future. However, we cannot build our future by relying on the same old foundation of muscle, money, and family politics that has controlled Bangladesh for so long. If we return to the same structure, parties, families, and tactics, we will destroy whatever progress we have made. We now have a choice: either go back to the familiar darkness or step boldly into a future defined by competence, integrity, and care.
Ultimately, the kind of leaders we empower will reflect the values and culture we have. If we stay silent, vote out of fear, or make excuses for corruption, nothing will change, and the country will fall directly into the hands of monsters. But if we demand better, support clean candidates, and raise our collective voice, we can break the old cycle.
Bangladesh deserves better leaders who build, not break; who serve, not steal; who unite, not divide. Let’s not waste this rare opportunity to reshape our nation.
Md Kawsar Uddin is associate professor in the Department of English and Modern Languages at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT).
Views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
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