News Headlines of a Captured State: How Bangladesh Lost Its Way

August 5, 2024, marks a dark turning point in Bangladesh’s history. With the help of foreign powers and domestic extremist factions, a democratically elected government was ousted and replaced by a donor-driven, NGO-aligned, interest-based regime, fronted by Muhammad Yunus. Since then, the country’s economy has been sliding into a fragile and broken state—reflected now in the alarming headlines on the front pages of our newspapers.

One such headline reads: “Bangladesh's Economy Shrinking.” This is no ordinary market fluctuation—it’s the result of political upheaval. The unelected regime has launched flawed, costly mega-projects while ignoring core sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. Growth has stalled, exports are declining, import costs are rising, and inflation is out of control.

Another headline: “Gas for Industry Redirected to Power Plants: Collapse in Production.” Gas supplies to key industrial sectors—garments, leather, ceramics, pharmaceuticals—are being cut and rerouted. While power production may temporarily increase, that electricity isn't reaching consumers. Factories are shortening hours and laying off workers. Many believe this isn’t just mismanagement but a deliberate policy attack designed to weaken domestic production and increase dependency on imports.

And perhaps most concerning: “South Asia’s Highest Food Inflation Now in Bangladesh.” While nations like India, Nepal—even crisis-hit Pakistan—manage food prices, Bangladeshi households face soaring costs of rice, lentils, oil, and eggs. This is not solely due to global markets—it’s the result of government-backed syndicates, hoarders, and total failure to regulate. While the regime parades its so-called “data-driven governance,” it is entirely absent from the real marketplace.

The most alarming headline remains: “Gas Crisis Cripples Industrial Output.” This isn't just a sectoral failure—it’s a direct blow to the nation's future. Workers are losing jobs, small businesses are collapsing, loan defaults are rising. The root of all this is undeniable: a regime that is undemocratic, unaccountable, and beholden to foreign lenders, NGOs, and corporate interests—not the people.

What ties all these headlines together is one crimson thread: a collapse of governance rooted in the August 5 coup. With no electoral rights, national resources mortgaged to foreign powers, and shadow governance by fundamentalist factions, the nation is being dismantled. The daily headlines are not just news—they are documentation of national decline. And each one shouts: This is not a government of Bangladesh; it is an economic occupation project detached from the people.

These are not isolated incidents; they are evidence of a long-term political crime. Behind every headline is the shadow of that fateful night—when the people's will was overthrown.

The economy has been intentionally stifled, industries hollowed out, and food security and markets handed over to syndicates and international donors. National assets like gas and electricity are now trapped in “policy experiments,” with citizens reduced to mere guinea pigs.

The most dangerous part? This regime operates above accountability. Elections are meaningless, parliament is silenced, the judiciary is an administrative extension, and the media is slowly retreating into self-censorship.

Bangladesh is in a profound existential crisis.

Will we quietly accept this?
Or will we carry the burden of history and find the courage to speak truth to this illegitimate, disconnected regime?

Because silence, too, is a crime in the court of history. And if we keep legitimizing a system that robs the people of their rights, we will lose everything—democracy, the economy, and Bangladesh itself.⁩