Bangladesh is one of the largest Muslim countries located in South Asia. Before independence this country had a winding journey. Starting from becoming one with India under the British colonial government, to become part of the State of Pakistan. Although as one of the largest Muslim countries, this country has never been free from disasters and conflicts, so that poverty is inevitable.
Geographical Location of Bangladesh
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a small country with an area of 144,000 square kilometers, an area that is slightly smaller than the state of Wisconsin. The country is located on the Bay of Bengal and is only bordered by two countries, India and Myanmar.
Incredibly, nearly 150 million people – half of the population of the United States, or about five times more people living throughout Canada – live in this small region. This condition creates the highest population density in the world, 2,600 people per square mile.
The Bangladeshi government realizes that its population is too high and has worked to resolve this situation. With a natural population increase of 2 percent per year, the situation is much better than in the past. Three decades ago, birth rates were almost twice as high. In 1970, the average woman would give birth to about six children; now, that number has dropped to three.
Bangladesh is also an Islamic country, with the fourth largest Muslim population in the world. Islam was brought to the country by Turks from Central Asia in the 13th century. Since its introduction several centuries ago, Islam has continued to develop. To date, 83 percent of the population is Muslim. While Hindus make up 16 percent of the population.
Bangladesh’s natural conditions are not very friendly to the locals. Especially if the monsoon that brings rain arrives, Bangladeshis are very prone to flooding. The condition is worsened because most farmers and others live in lowlands that are vulnerable to flooding, so the impact of the monsoon can be very devastating.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that 80 million Bangladeshis are in danger due to flooding. If the earth’s climate continues to warm and sea levels rise, the country’s vulnerability to flooding will be far worse.
Cyclones are another natural hazard that can have an impact on Bangladeshi land and people. Tropical cyclones form at the southern end of the Bay of Bengal during the summer and then move north towards the coast of Bangladesh. This cyclone causes frequent floods and tidal waves that affect the lowlands.
Human habitat also poses a number of threats to the nation’s environment. Among these are water pollution, deforestation, lack of water (during the dry season), land degradation, and a number of additional problems caused by overpopulation and poverty.
Bangladesh in the Colonial Period
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Bengal region was one of the South Asian regions included in British colonization. Bengal in 1905 was divided into two regions; West and East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh).
West Bengal which has its capital in Calcutta is more dominated by Hindus. Meanwhile, East Bengal, which is in Dhaka, is more Muslim-dominated.
However, in 1912, Britain reunited the area of Bengal due to the insistence of the Hindus. Conflict was inevitable and increasingly peaked when Muslim areas in India asked to be separated from India and become an independent country. The idea received strong support from the Indian Muslim League.
While Indian Muslims began to convey the idea of territorial separation, Hindus remained determined to unite. Mahatma Gandhi had tried to ease the tension between the two groups, but due to differences that were too steep the effort failed.
Finally, the British government issued the Indian Independence Act on July 14, 1947. The law separated the Indian colonial territories into two independent territories namely India and Pakistan.
Pakistan became independent on August 14, 1947, and India became independent on August 15, 1947. Chaos was inevitable.
After independence, fear for the future soon haunted the millions of Hindus who had moved to lands now separated from India. On the other hand, millions of Muslims fled their homes in India to seek security in the land of the new state of Pakistan.
Violence, riots, persecution, genocide and kidnappings occurred immediately after independence for the two new countries. An estimated 12 to 14 million people fled Pakistan or India, and more than half a million died.
Join Pakistan and fight for independence
After Pakistan gained its independence, the East Bengal region was referred to as East Pakistan. Pakistan is a country divided into two parts on opposite sides of the Indian continent. The two parts are 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) apart.
The nation’s capital is in Karachi and about 90 percent of the country’s wealth is concentrated in West Pakistan. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the country’s population lives in East Pakistan, which is relatively poor and powerless.
Political and economic decisions made by Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s government naturally favor West Pakistan.
Between the two there are also quite prominent cultural differences. One of the most prominent differences is the language used in each region. Urdu is suggested by West Pakistan to be the national language and Bengali, which is the dominant language of East Pakistan, becomes the second language.
Problems also arise, because most people in East Pakistan cannot understand Urdu. They were very angry over the political decision made by the government to adopt Urdu as the official language of the country.
In 1952, student demonstrations in East Pakistan ended violently when police killed two protesters. Two years later, East Pakistan succeeded in pressuring the Karachi government to recognize Bengali and Urdu as the official languages of the country.
However, the seeds of separation between East and West Pakistan are firmly planted because of language problems.
The Muslim League became a political party after Pakistan secured its independence. However, in the 1954 election, East Pakistan rejected the Muslim League and chose to support local parties such as the Peasant and Workers Socialist Party, and the Awami League (People’s League). These parties then formed a coalition that worked together to oppose the dominance of West Pakistan.
A new issue that is increasingly heating up the separation of East and West Pakistan arises, after foreign aid sent to the country was mostly given to West Pakistan and very little to East Pakistan.
In 1966, the Awami League leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (commonly called Mujib), issued a six-point political and economic program for East Pakistan. The main idea in the agenda is to increase East Pakistan’s autonomy.
Meanwhile, President Mohammad Ayub Khan of Pakistan responded by pushing the country in the opposite direction, towards the integration of East and West Pakistan. Mujib was captured by the government in 1968.
As a result, violence, strikes and demonstrations continue. In 1969, Ayub resigned and General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan took over control of the Pakistani government. He implemented martial law to quell chaos and violence.
The event changed unexpectedly on November 12, 1970, when a devastating typhoon struck East Pakistan. A quarter of a million people die. Two days after the typhoon, General Yahya came from Karachi to see the situation. He seemed indifferent to the problem, making the people of East Pakistan even more angry.
The political divide was evident in the December 1970 elections and West Pakistan began to move more troops to the East. At this time the political, economic and social rift between East and West has reached its peak.
General Yahya has decided to subdue East Pakistan with military use. The crackdown on military use began on March 25, 1971.
The next day on March 26, 1971, Bangladesh announced its independence from a radio station confiscated in Chittagong.
The Pakistani military continues to force East Pakistan to submit to the authority of Pakistan’s central government. In fact they have prepared a list of East Pakistan leaders who must be eliminated. Hundreds of people died on the first night of heavy fighting.
On the other hand, the local people of East Pakistan recognize this as the beginning of the war for liberation. The war took many casualties in East Pakistan. Not only are the land, infrastructure, and nature damaged or destroyed, but also an estimated one million people died in nine months of fighting.
As a result of the war, eight to ten million refugees flooded India from East Pakistan. This prompted the Indian Parliament to act, condemn the Pakistani military and provide support to the rebels in Bangladesh.
The Indian army then began to invade East Pakistan on 4 December 1971 and took control of the city of Dhaka. In just 12 days the Indian Army with the help of Bangladeshi freedom fighters succeeded in repelling Pakistani troops in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Constitution was adopted on November 4, 1972. This constitution modeled on the Indian Constitution and created a form of parliamentary government. Mujib became the first prime minister and Dhaka became the capital of a fragile new nation.
Bangladesh Post-Independence Turmoil
After the war, Bangladesh was in a mess. Cities were destroyed, the economy was destroyed, and the population was hit by chaos due to death, rape, starvation and pillage.
The new government faces the daunting task of regaining civil authority and creating law and order. The great famine of 1974 made this situation even more urgent. The government estimates 26,000 people have died, while several international sources claim the number is approaching 1 million
In his efforts to solve the country’s problems and the existing resistance to his government, Prime Minister Mujib adopted a more repressive policy.
Political parties were stopped, the media were suppressed, and personal freedom was severely restricted. He created a one-party state with himself as the ruler.
This unpopular policy finally led to efforts to bring down his government. In a coup led by young military officers, Mujib and many of his families were killed on August 15, 1975. This coup led to a period of military rule which lasted for 15 years until 1990.
Major General Ziaur Rahman served as the leader of Bangladesh from 1975 to 1981. His leadership focused on restoring law and order to a chaotic country. He also tried to form a political party and hold a general election, however there were many attempts to kill him. The last attempt was successful. In May 1981, Rahman was killed in Chittagong in a coup led by Major General Manzur Ahmed.
After a while the vice president led the country, Hussain Mohammed Ershad seized power in 1982. He assumed full control and declared martial law.
Ershad’s government was hated by many Bangladeshis, because the previous government had been elected with reforms set by Rahman. In contrast, Ershad was a true military dictator.
During his reign, he made Islam the state religion and struggled to democratize the country. His rule ended when the army withdrew support from him and supported democratization. With the people and the military opposing him, Ershad resigned in December 1990
In early 1991, free elections were held and Khaleda Zia was chosen by Parliament to become prime minister. Zia is Ziaur Rahman’s wife and remains very popular in this country. He served until 1996 and instituted a number of reforms in the field of education and made the country more democratic.
After his term ended, the Zia opposition, led by Sheikh Hasina Wajed, took over the government. From 1996 to 2001, Hasina served as prime minister and worked to continue the process of good governance in the country. One contribution is the improvement of health services. Zia returned as prime minister in 2001.
Bangladesh’s political history can be said to have been colored with turmoil, military repression and regulation by distant authorities which have left scars in the country, but the roots of democracy are growing deeper each year. Until now the spirit of human independence and the search for freedom continue to live in the midst of difficult situations.
Bangladesh Economic Development
The economy of Bangladesh is characterized by extreme poverty and is overwhelmed by the political upheavals that often occur in the country. After independence from Britain, an estimated 20 million people were displaced, with Muslims moving from India and flooding into Bangladesh. This migration caused the country to lack housing, medical support and food.
But this problem is only the beginning of the country’s economic problems. Floods, cyclones and tsunamis use up Bangladesh’s economic resources. Repeated crop failures result in frequent starvation that afflicts millions of people. Political corruption and political strife undermine the government’s ability to fulfill its potential in carrying out development
Rapid population growth often exceeds annual economic benefits. The high population density in the country removes potentially productive land from agricultural use. Environmental pollution is also a big problem and requires expensive costs to solve. Inadequate power, even the country became one of the countries with the lowest energy use per capita in the world
Just like other developing countries, agriculture is the main occupation of the majority of the population of Bangladesh. Nearly two-thirds of the workforce is involved in agriculture. However, agriculture only provides one fifth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Agriculture in Bangladesh is a very challenging job. Most farmers work on a very small plot of land.
Very few machines are used, because of expensive equipment and cheap human labor. Adding a processing machine will drastically increase unemployment. Thus, efforts to increase production by using more tractors and other engines are not the desired solution for the country’s economic struggle.
Fortunately, Bangladesh is blessed with fertile soil. Rice is very important as the main food for Bangladeshis. Grains like wheat are also an important part of food. Other main crops include hemp (fiber), tea, and tobacco.
Bangladesh is known as the world’s leading jute producer, which is used to make yarn that can be woven into cloth, sacks, carpets, mats, ropes, and many other products.
In addition to agriculture, industry has become a major contributor to the wheels of the economy. Over the past few decades, manufacturing has shown considerable growth in Bangladesh, because labor is very cheap.
Low labor costs lured many foreign producers to the country. A number of U.S. companies employ low-skilled populations in Bangladesh and elsewhere in south and east Asia.
Bangladesh is also connected to the global economy through trade. In fact, the only way developed countries can progress economically is by accepting and participating in the globalization process. Because of low labor costs, Bangladesh can produce manufactured goods more cheaply than in countries where labor is more expensive.
The main export commodities of Bangladesh are clothing, hemp, leather and seafood. While they are importing some goods which include machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, food ingredients, petroleum products, and cement. Unfortunately, this country still imports more than exports and this trade deficit adds to the country’s debt and poverty.
Forty-one percent of the country’s products are marketed to other countries. Bangladesh’s main export markets are developed countries like the United States (24.2 percent), Germany (13.2 percent), Britain (10.6 percent), France (6 percent), and Italy (4 percent).
While the import market came from China (18.7 percent), India (14.7 percent), Kuwait (8 percent), Singapore (6 percent), and Japan (4.4 percent).
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