English Transcript

Last Updated 13/07/2007 08:43:00

Introduction

Bangladesh is one of the most heavily populated countries in the world Poverty is a major concern and the country's economic stability is hindered by frequent floods and cyclones Since its inception in 1971 Bangladesh has seen many periods of political unrest and military rule, but a democratic system has been in place since 1991

Full country name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Population: 1468 million
Languages: Bangla, English, 96 tribal dialects
Religion: Muslim, Hindu
Ethnic diversity: Bengali (98%), tribal groups
Life expectancy: 61 years (female), 61 years (male)
Literacy: 43%
Capital: Dhaka
Total land area: 144,000 square kilometres
Border countries: India, Burma
Political Status: Republic
Head of State: President HE Professor Dr Iajuddin Ahmed
Head of Government: Fakhruddin Ahmed is leading a caretaker government ahead of elections expected in 2007
Currency: Bangladesh taka
Major trading partners: US, Germany, UK, France
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Issues
- Overpopulation is a major concern, and more than 30 per cent of Bangladeshis live below the poverty line
- Frequent cyclones and floods, causing widespread damage to infrastructure, displacement of people and deaths
- International human rights groups have expressed concern over alleged abuses in Bangladesh including the repression of women and the torture and abuse by police of people in custody
- Religious extremism In August, 2005, scores of people were killed in a string of bombings carried out by a banned Islamic group, prompting the government to admit it had underestimated the threat from religious extremists
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History
The area that is now Bangladesh has a rich history characterised by repeated arrivals of different ethnic and cultural groups, including the Dravidians, Indo-Aryans, Mongol-Mughuls, Arabs, Persians, Turks, and Europeans By the end of the 12th century Islam had taken strong hold in the region of Bengal, and has since played a dominant role in the area's history and political life

Bengal was absorbed into the Moghul Empire in the 16th century, but the empire's power began to gradually decline over the following century as European influence increased across the Indian subcontinent Bengal gradually came under the rule of the British East India Company, and then the British government following the Indian Mutiny in 1857

For almost 100 years Bangladesh formed part of the British-ruled Indian provinces of Bengal and Assam When India gained independence from Britain in 1947, the two countries of India and Pakistan were established Bengal and part of Assam formed the province in East Pakistan, which was separated from West Pakistan by more than 1,000 kilometres of Indian land

By the late 1960s frustration had grown in the eastern wing over its domination and exploitation by the west These frictions came to a head when the Awami League, an East Pakistani nationalist party, won a majority in the 1970 national elections on the platform of greater autonomy for the eastern province

Pakistan's president refused to recognise the outcome of the election, sparking riots and strikes in the east The independent state of Bangladesh was announced in 1971, and troops from West Pakistan were sent in to crack down on the dissident movement, resulting in a short and bloody civil war With the aid of Indian troops, West Pakistan was defeated and Bangladesh was officially formed

An Awami League founder, Sheikh Mujib, became the first prime minister of Bangladesh in 1972 Three years later parliamentary democracy was replaced with one-party presidential rule, sparking discontent within the military Mujib was assassinated in August 1975 in a military coup, and martial law was imposed

Political instability ensued for years, with a series of military coups, political assassinations and periods of martial law Bangladesh experienced a brief period of democracy in 1978 when the popular Major General Zia ur-Rahman was elected as president Under his rule, Islam was adopted in the constitution as the country's official religion General Zia was assassinated in 1981 and Bangladesh returned to military rule

General Ershad assumed control in 1982 and became president a year later He ruled the country until 1991, when he was forced to resign by an unprecedented popular movement led by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League (AL)

Democratic elections were held in 1991 and the BNP's Begum Khaleda Zia, the widow of General Zia, became Bangladesh's first female prime minister Constitutional changes were approved in the same year, creating a parliamentary system and returning governing power to the office of the prime minister

Bangladesh politics have since been dominated by Ms Zia and another woman, AL leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed - the daughter of Sheikh Mujib The AL won the 1996 elections, after 21 years in opposition Ms Zia became prime minister again in 2001 when her BNP-led four-party coalition won a landslide victory

July 2004 saw the worst flooding in Bangladesh in six years About 600 people died and 30 million were left homeless or stranded

In August 2005, more than 400 home-made bombs exploded across the country, killing 28 people, including four suicide bombers, and injuring more than 100 The bombings were blamed on the banned Islamic group, Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), as part of a campaign to impose Islamic law in the secular but Muslim country The attacks prompted the government to admit it had underestimated the threat from religious extremists

A series of strikes paralysed much of the country in 2006, as part of a growing campaign by opposition parties to force electoral reforms

Later in the year, opposition parties again launched protest action when Bangladesh's president, Iajuddin Ahmed, appointed himself as leader of a caretaker government, ahead of elections in January 2007
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Government
The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a constitutional democracy which is divided into six administrative regions called divisions

The democratic parliamentary system of government was instituted in 1991, following two decades of widespread political instability, periods of martial law and military rule and a number of political assassinations

The national unicameral parliament consists of 300 directly-elected members and serves a five-year term The president is the head of state, and is elected by the national parliament for a five year term The prime minister selects the cabinet and holds full executive powers
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Economy
Economic growth in Bangladesh has been steady at about five per cent for the past few years, but the country is still very poor and the implementation of economic reform is slow

Bangladesh relies heavily on international assistance

Over 90 state-owned enterprises were listed for sale or liquidation by 2005, and the country is under pressure to diversify sources of income

Half of Bangladesh's GDP is generated through the manufacturing sector, with the garment industry making up 70 per cent of total exports Other industries include paper, textiles and petroleum products

However, agriculture is the mainstay of Bangladesh's economy, contributing over 22 per cent of GDP and employing over 60 per cent of the labour force Rice is the main crop and other crops include wheat, jute, sugar cane and tea

Bangladesh is the world's largest producer of jute - a fibre obtained from plants and used in the manufacture of coarse sacking, rope and canvas However, the industry now faces fierce competition from synthetic fibre substitutes

Another source of income is the remittances sent home from Bangladeshis employed overseas, which have increased substantially in the past 20 years

Bangladesh's economic development is hampered each year by the monsoon season, when about one third of the country floods Unemployment is also high