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every country, the central bank is the regulatory authority for financial institutions and acts as the government’s bank. Looking at other South Asian countries, one sees highly qualified individuals with PhDs from institutions like Princeton, appointed to central banks. In contrast, after the formation of the new government in Bangladesh, the person appointed (as Bangladesh Bank governor) was a member of BNP’s election committee and managing director of a sweater factory.”

“The same pattern is evident in the appointments of vice chancellors at universities, where party-affiliated VCs and pro-VCs have been installed. Being politically active is not condemnable, but if one cannot be appointed without party affiliation, that is unfortunate,” she added.

Rumeen said the July uprising was driven by the dream of building a new Bangladesh, a new kind of politics, and a country for all, where no one would be excluded on the basis of religion, ethnicity, or gender identity.

“Women were at the forefront of this movement. We saw a wave of young, new faces. Yet within a year, those women seem to have disappeared. Why?” she asked.

“Women are needed at the front of marches; they stand as shields against police tear gas and batons, and they help in times of turmoil. Yet, once everything is settled, women are treated as objects -- ridiculed for their clothes, their faces, their words, their laughter,” she said.

She also said the balance of power between the president and the prime minister had long been a subject of debate for both the ruling party and the opposition, before and after the 2024 uprising. In its Vision 2030 and 31-point programme, the BNP had put forward specific proposals on the issue.

“That is why we had expected the president, this time, to deliver a speech of his own rather than merely reading out a cabinet-approved text. But once again, we saw the president compelled to deliver a speech cleared by the cabinet. If we cannot allow the president even this small measure of independence, then what kind of balance are we talking about?” asked Rumeen.