Bangladesh Must Build a Culture of Political Tolerance for Peace and Prosperity
Bangladesh has entered another important phase in its political journey. Since 2024, the country has experienced a major political transition, followed by a national election and the return of an elected government.
Yet the transition from one political period to another has not automatically produced a political culture grounded in tolerance, mutual respect and acceptance of differences.
Concerns over political confrontation, restrictions on political activity, violence, pressure on dissenting voices and shrinking civic space continue to raise fundamental questions about how Bangladesh can build a stable and genuinely democratic political system.
This should concern everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
A culture of political tolerance rests on several fundamental principles: respect for political differences; recognition of both government and opposition as legitimate representatives of citizens; freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; protection of dissenting and minority voices; rejection of political violence; adherence to the rule of law; constructive dialogue; internal democracy within political parties; and a willingness to compromise when it serves the public interest.
The central challenge is not simply which political party is in government and which is in opposition.
The deeper question is whether Bangladesh can move beyond a political culture in which power is too often treated as an instrument for defeating opponents rather than as a responsibility to serve citizens.
The experience of recent years offers important lessons. Freedom House’s 2026 assessment rates Bangladesh 44 out of 100 and classifies the country as “Partly Free”.
Its assessment notes that political violence and political retribution remained concerns during the transition following the fall of the previous government.
Human Rights Watch has similarly documented concerns over arbitrary detention, political violence, freedom of expression and restrictions affecting political opponents.
These developments demonstrate that changing governments does not necessarily change political behaviour.
Bangladesh has repeatedly witnessed a cycle in which political parties demand democratic rights while in opposition but struggle to tolerate dissent once they gain power.
The language may change, political actors may change and institutions may change, but the underlying pattern can remain remarkably familiar.
If this cycle continues, political competition risks becoming a struggle for control rather than a contest over ideas, policies and public service.
A democracy, however, cannot function on the principle that only those in government deserve political space.
Those who receive the mandate to form a government have a responsibility to govern. Those who do not form the government have an equally important responsibility to scrutinise, criticise and offer alternatives.
Neither role should be treated as hostility toward the state. Opposition is not an obstacle to democracy; it is one of the mechanisms through which democratic government is held accountable.
The same principle applies within political parties. A healthy political culture requires space for internal debate, disagreement and generational renewal.
Political organisations that cannot tolerate criticism within their own ranks may find it difficult to accept criticism from outside.
Democratic culture must therefore begin within political parties before it can become a wider national practice.
Civic space is equally important. Citizens need the freedom to organise, speak, write, protest peacefully, access information and question those who exercise public authority.
Journalists, civil society organisations, academics, lawyers, activists and ordinary citizens all contribute to public accountability.
Restricting such space may sometimes appear to provide short-term political control, but it can also weaken the channels through which grievances are expressed peacefully.
Recent experience demonstrates why this matters. Human Rights Watch has reported continuing concerns over freedom of expression and association, including restrictions on political speech and cases involving political opponents.
It has also raised concerns about prolonged pretrial detention of people linked to the former ruling party. Such concerns should not be viewed merely through the lens of one political party.
They should be treated as warnings about the consequences of allowing exceptional restrictions to become normal features of political life.
This is why political tolerance matters.
Tolerance does not mean ignoring corruption, violence, abuse of power or serious crimes.
Accountability and tolerance are not opposites. Individuals accused of crimes should be investigated through lawful, transparent and independent processes, and victims should have access to justice.
But accountability must not become collective political punishment.
The distinction between holding an individual responsible for a specific offence and treating an entire political group as an enemy of the state is fundamental to the rule of law.
Bangladesh also needs to rebuild trust among citizens themselves. Political division increasingly extends beyond formal party politics.
Families, communities, workplaces and social networks can become divided along political lines.
When political disagreement becomes a measure of personal loyalty or hostility, democratic debate becomes much more difficult.
The country therefore needs a political culture in which disagreement is regarded as normal rather than dangerous.
Political leaders have a particularly important responsibility in this regard. Those who represent citizens must recognise that their political opponents also represent citizens.
A parliamentarian, local representative or political activist does not lose democratic legitimacy simply because they disagree with the government. Likewise, government supporters should not be treated as enemies merely because they support the governing party.
Respect for political representation is ultimately respect for citizens.
Bangladesh’s democratic future will depend not only on elections but also on what happens between elections.
Independent institutions, an accountable administration, an impartial justice system, free and responsible media, peaceful political activity and an active civil society are essential components of a functioning democracy.
International assessments continue to identify weaknesses in several of these areas, underscoring the need for institutional reform alongside changes in political behaviour.
The country has already paid a high price for prolonged political confrontation.
Repeating the same patterns under different political circumstances would risk wasting the opportunity created by recent political change.
The way forward is not to ask which party should dominate political life. It is to establish rules and democratic norms that remain valid regardless of who occupies the government benches and who sits in opposition.
Bangladesh needs a political culture in which the government accepts criticism, the opposition accepts electoral outcomes while exercising its constitutional role, political parties respect peaceful disagreement, state institutions remain independent and citizens remain free to question those in power.
Such a culture will not emerge overnight. It requires restraint from political leaders, independence of state institutions, responsibility from the media, and constructive engagement from civil society and, above all, respect for citizens’ political choices.
Bangladesh’s democratic development will ultimately be measured not by how effectively one political side defeats another, but by whether the country can build institutions and political norms in which competing political forces can coexist peacefully.
The most important lesson of the recent past may therefore be simple: political power changes hands, but democratic principles must remain constant.
If Bangladesh is to move from political fragility toward a stable and prosperous democracy, political tolerance cannot remain a slogan. It must become a habit of political life.
(The writer is the Editor and CEO of News Network)
