This demographic dividend becomes a curse when policy fails to match demography. The interim government’s focus on political stabilization overshadows economic planning, leaving youth unemployed and restless.
The timing could not be more appropriate. With election dates announced, the country has slipped into a familiar trance. What is striking is not what is being said, but what is being omitted. There is almost no sustained conversation about how Bangladesh will pay its bills, grow its industries, or persuade its own citizens to invest in their own country again.
Keeping India and Pakistan as the main mirrors will always make Bangladesh look respectable. but adding Vietnam to the frame as a benchmark is more meaningful.
The demographic dividend is not destiny -- it’s a choice. Bangladesh has 15 years to act, but the window shrinks daily. Without a bold vision, this youth bulge could ignite unrest rather than prosperity, echoing the Arab Spring’s unfulfilled promise.
It is long past due for Biman to start fulfilling its potential and becoming a cornerstone of the Bangladesh development story
What happens when history is turned into an instrument not of understanding, but of coercion, sanctification, and political legitimacy? Across continents and ideologies, regimes and ruling parties have wielded history not just to remember, but to silence, not to teach, but to control.