The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) has recently stepped up its political activity around opposition to the trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States and criticism of deterioration in law and order.
Communist Party of Bangladesh mobilises against US trade deal
On 1 October, the CPB hosted a meeting at its headquarters in Dhaka involving the Imperialism and Anti-War Alliance and several labour organisations. The meeting decided to organise a central rally in Dhaka on 30 October demanding the cancellation of an “unequal” trade agreement with the United States. CPB President Kazi Sazzad Zahir Chandan attended the meeting.
The organisers said the agreement could adversely affect Bangladesh's national interests and working people. They also linked the issue to broader economic problems, including shortages of gas, electricity and water, rising fuel prices, transport fares and the cost of essential goods. The campaign will begin with workers' rallies, publicity activities and mass-contact programmes in industrial areas including Narayanganj, Gazipur and Savar-Ashulia on 9 October, ahead of the central demonstration at Dhaka's Central Shaheed Minar.
The CPB has previously campaigned against the agreement. In March, the party organised a discussion in Dhaka titled “Unfair Trade Deal with the United States: A Threat to Bangladesh's Economy, Security, and Sovereignty.” CPB leaders called for the agreement to be cancelled and criticised what they regarded as a lack of transparency surrounding its contents. Economists participating in the discussion also raised concerns about the agreement's implications for Bangladesh's economic policy and sovereignty.
The CPB's recent criticism has also focused on law and order and public security. On 28 September, CPB President Chandan and General Secretary Abdullah Kafi Ratan issued a joint statement criticising the government's handling of rising crime. They called for action against organised criminal groups, extortionists and land grabbers, as well as rapid and transparent investigations and prosecutions in serious criminal cases, including murder, rape and robbery. The party also called on the authorities to ensure accountability among government or ruling-party affiliates where they are implicated in criminal activity.
This was not an isolated intervention. On 20 September, following the kidnapping and killing of a 13-year-old boy and the killing of university teacher and writer Dr Nahida Begum, CPB leaders said that if the government and responsible security agencies were unable to control the law-and-order situation, the Home Minister should resign.