If NCP grows too strong, it risks becoming a genuine rival. My sense is that Jamaat has neither the intention to reform itself nor the willingness to allow such growth. Jamaat will remain the benchmark of right-wing politics in Bangladesh, while exploiting the NCP whenever a secular shield becomes necessary. The greatest casualty of this alliance will be July itself.
“Razakar” is a word that keeps reappearing in Bangladesh’s political history, carrying shifting meanings and renewed political weight over time.
The King’s Party and the Queen’s party just perpetuate the cycle of dysfunction and corruption, while the people yearn for change. Into this vacuum step the Islamists. But the only change they can deliver will be to further divide us.
The truth is: the only path by which Islamists can succeed is exactly the path the League had chased them down. But will it be enough now that the League is history? Only time and the wisdom -- or lack thereof -- of the other political parties will tell.
