The Awami League (AL) has fulfilled most of the promises made ahead of the 2014 election in the past five years under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At the same time, it has forgotten some of its important election promises relating to the upholding of democracy in the country. In its election manifesto, AL had promised to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021 and advancing the country to the level of developed countries by 2050.

The AL-led government has already succeeded in making the country a developing state by carrying out different development works, party leaders said. The current government was most successful in increasing the per capita income of the people. The ruling party had made an election pledge to increase the per capita income to USD 1,500 in 2021, but the promise was fulfilled before the deadline. At present, the country’s per capita income is USD 1,754, the leaders said.

The AL-led government has also done well in increasing the country’s GDP growth rate, which now stands at 7.65 per cent. Speaking on issue last week, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said that the GDP growth rate in the current fiscal year would reach 8.25 per cent, surpassing the fiscal target of 7.8 per cent. “As per the preliminary estimation, the GDP growth rate in the last fiscal year had reached 7.65 per cent and it will further increase when the final estimation is made. We expect that the GDP growth in the current fiscal year will reach 8.25 per cent,” he added.

One of the major successes of the AL-led government is in the power sector. Bangladesh’s total installed electricity generation capacity has now reached nearly 16,000 megawatts (MW).

The ruling party’s another major election promise was to try those who had committed crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War in 1971. The current government has already tried the country’s top war criminals and executed their verdicts in a timely manner.

The government has also succeeded in trying criminals involved in murder, terrorism, burning of Quran, arson against mills and factories, destroying public and private properties, attacking minorities, destroying places of worship, looting and felling trees in the name of the movement.

The AL-led government had also promised to construct Padma Bridge with self-funding and the government is trying to do so.

On the other hand, the ruling party could not keep its promise of taking initiatives to create a national consensus among all political parties, classes and professional organisations, civil society irrespective of groups and opinions on national issues. Though opposition parties have been crying for creating a national consensus on holding the next general election under a neutral administration to make the polls acceptable to all, the ruling party has steadfastly refused to entertain the plea so far.

The AL said in its election manifesto that the peoples’ democratic rights will be ensured, but opposition leaders have frequently alleged that the government was not giving any space for democratic practices in the country.

Speaking on the issue, BNP leader Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal said the ruling AL did not keep its promise to ensure peoples’ rights. “The government has snatched away all democratic rights of the people and established one party rule in the country,” he added.

The AL also promised to ensure unhindered freedom of the media and free flow of information. But it is allegedly trying to gag the media in different ways.

Talking to The Independent, Afsan Chowdhury, noted journalist and researcher, said though the AL-led government spoke for the freedom of media, it was yet to repeal Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act that was a hindrance to press freedom. “I think the owners of media houses should work along with the government to ensure freedom of media,” he added.

A rough translation of Section 57 (1) reads: “If any person deliberately publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the website or in any other electronic form any material which is false and obscene and if anyone sees, hears or reads it having regard to all relevant circumstances, its effect is such as to influence the reader to become dishonest or corrupt, or causes to deteriorate or creates possibility to deteriorate law and order, prejudice the image of the state or person or causes to hurt or may hurt religious belief or instigate against any person or organisation, then this activity will be regarded as an offence.”

When contacted, AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said they already fulfilled most of their major election promises and rest of the promises would be implemented gradually. “We have already taken Bangladesh to the list of developing states. The country will be a developed one by 2041 as per our election promise. The Sheikh Hasina government has been working hard to do so,” he said.