First, let us ask: what do we mean by liberal political culture? Put simply, it is a system where individual rights and freedoms are guaranteed; where constitutional rule lies at the center of state power; where people enjoy the right to vote; and where all are equal before the law.
During the liberation war, the principles of “equality, human dignity, and social justice” were proclaimed. These may be considered the guiding values of a liberal order. The four founding principles declared in Bangladesh’s post-independence constitution were somewhat distinct from conventional liberalism, but their basis was clearly a liberal framework based on individual freedom.
This framework is admirable. But in practice, the promises behind it have never been realised in Bangladesh. Instead of equality, we have witnessed deepening economic disparity. Instead of democracy, we have been subjected to unrepresentative one-party, sometimes even one-person or one-family, rule. Instead of social justice, we have faced mountain-like corruption. Like others, students and young people have felt betrayed by this order. Among those under 25, the unemployment rate stands at nearly 15 per cent.