Long road ahead for NCP, the new party

By noon on February 28, 2025, people from all walks of life began gathering on Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka for the launch of a new political party, the Jatiya Nagarik Party or National Citizen Party – NCP, led by the students who were behind the successful mass uprising against the 15 years of autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.

By afternoon, thousands had filled the venue—one side of the wide road in front of the main parliament building. The wide road is separated from the other side by a road divider. The diverse crowd included students and non-students, young and old, men and women. Some wore shirts and pants, others traditional pajama-panjabi. There were bearded and clean-shaven men, burqa-clad and non-burqa-clad women, all united in anticipation.

By evening, the crowd had overflowed on both sides of the road, stretching from the main parliament building to Khejurbagan intersection. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as they cheered their leader, Nahid Islam, who declared, "There will be no room for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in Bangladesh. We will build our politics and our state together, with the sole focus on Bangladesh and the interests of its people."

One of the champion student leaders, Hasnat Abdullah, said "We want to ensure that dynastic politics is buried in this country. Here, a blacksmith's son will become the prime minister, a potter's son will become the prime minister. Leadership will emerge based on merit."

The student leaders also vowed to build a "second republic"—a transition from 'constitutional autocracy' to a more inclusive and democratic system through political and institutional reforms. They stressed that this transformation should be achieved by holding the next national elections for a constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution.

Challenges lie ahead

However, the road ahead for the NCP is strewn with challenges. Ensuring internal democracy within the party will be crucial, as its members come from diverse backgrounds and may need time to settle differences. Transparency in party funding and asset disclosure by party leaders will be another key test, as public trust depends on financial integrity. Additionally, the party must guard against infiltration by political opportunists and rent-seekers, who could derail its vision. Perhaps the most formidable challenge lies in delivering on its promise of a "second republic." Pushing for a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution will require widespread support from both the public and other political parties, especially the BNP, being the largest one right now.

In recent decades, major political parties in Bangladesh have increasingly centralized power surrounding their top leaders, eroding internal democracy. Most district and central committees are formed without secret ballots or standardized procedures, allowing the same individuals to retain control for decades. Many groom family members as successors.

This lack of transparency often triggers internal conflicts, sometimes leading to violent protests. The nomination process for parliamentary and local elections also follows a quasi-feudal pattern, where grassroots leaders have minimal influence, and a small group of central figures makes decisions.

Alongside state reforms, political party reforms are essential to establishing durable democratic practices free from dynastic control. For the NCP, the top priority is to earn public confidence and make a strong impact.

In Bangladesh's current political landscape, parties rely heavily on a vast number of full-time activists, many of them are unemployed. Using their political connections, these unemployed individuals often secure commissions from government development projects primarily through illegal lobbying.

Large-scale mobilization of people is required for rallies and polling day operations. During parliamentary elections, some 200,000 polling booths are set up across the country, requiring at least 200,000 polling agents from a single party across 300 constituencies in just one day.

However, implementing technological solutions such-- as smart ID verification at polling stations to authenticate voters against the electoral roll-- could eliminate the need for polling agents, thereby minimizing reliance on full-time party loyalists.

By embracing such reforms in the electoral process, political parties can curb the influence of opportunists and rent-seekers who exploit the system for personal gain. Political parties, including the NCP, can take a cue from this approach to enhance transparency and credibility in elections.

The NCP should start publicly disclosing its political donations and the assets of its leaders, aiming to score quick political gains. Under the current system, political parties are required to submit annual income and expenditure statements to the Election Commission. However, these disclosures are widely dismissed as unreliable. By taking a more transparent and proactive approach, the NCP has an opportunity to stand itself out and build public trust in a way that other parties have failed to do.

To establish a 'second republic' and create a more inclusive Bangladesh, the NCP will need broad support from voters and key political parties. The constituent assembly that the party envisions for drafting a new constitution will require consensus from both voters and political parties, including the BNP, which outlined its 31-point state reform package back in July 2023. The upcoming national elections, slated for either by December this year or by June next year as the chief adviser suggests, will provide the NCP with a decisive outcome.

Opportunity to make politics difficult for politicians?

The political accomplishments of the NCP in areas where changes are urgently needed can make politics difficult for politicians.

"I will make politics difficult for the politicians" is a famous quote in Bangladesh's political circles, attributed to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, also a former top military leader and one of the key heroes of the 1971 Liberation War.

When he entered politics by launching the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on September 1, 1978, General Zia was said to have made this remark, signaling that the traditional ways of doing politics were over and that politics was moving from the drawing rooms to the doorsteps of common people.

Apart from introducing the inclusive and modern idea of Bangladeshi nationalism in place of Bengali nationalism, Zia brought together people from different backgrounds into his party, allowing all political forces, including those linked to 1971 anti-liberation activities, to participate in politics and thereby usher in a new era of multiparty democracy.

However, critics of Zia maintain that he signaled an approach that ultimately divided the nation rather than uniting it. Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed said in parliament on March 16, 2009, that Zia did the most damage to the nation by dividing the country, adding that Zia's statement, 'I will make politics difficult for the politicians,' had polluted politics.

As Nahid Islam concluded his inaugural speech by saying, "Now is the time—to dream anew, to forge a new path, and to build a new Bangladesh!" the party must prepare for a long and arduous journey. The best strategy is to move forward with a timeline in mind—perhaps the next ten years. If the party stays persistent and maintains honesty, it will emerge as a sustainable force in Bangladesh's political scene.

Politics is a Test match, not One Day Internationals or T20s.