ACCORDING to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2017, our ranking has slipped eight notches from the preceding year as Bangladesh ranked 92nd compared to 84 in 2016. The Democracy Index is based on five factors: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. Bangladeshi media was touted as "partly free" ranking it 49th out of 167 countries. And in another index—the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2017-2018—Bangladesh was placed at 102 out of 113 countries where a lower number indicates better performance. The results do not come as a surprise.

We would urge the government to look upon these indices not as an attempt to make the country look bad, rather treat the assessments as indicators of things going awry. When we talk about democracy, it is our tendency to win elections at any cost and then treat the opposition as losers without rights. The same goes for the media where investigative journalism is treated with hostility and intimidation. We have members of law enforcement being caught in acts of robbery and extortion. Human rights groups at home and abroad and the media have repeatedly expressed concerns at the growing number of disappearances and crossfire deaths. The political opposition is given no quarter when it comes for them to congregate and hold meetings while scores of journalists have been hauled up in court under ever more stringent laws that stifle free expression and objective journalism.

Both the ruling party and opposition parties need to take heed of democratic purposes. As we near general elections at the end of the year, the government bears the burden of creating a congenial environment for people to exercise their franchise in a free and safe environment. For us to improve our overall ranking, we will have to do much better in improving political culture and political participation, ensuring civil liberties, and curtailing harassment of journalists.