Can Bangladesh build a democracy?

In a quiet village in Bangladesh, an elderly woman sits on a bamboo stool, her eyes half-squinting in the afternoon light.

- BY TAHSINA NASIR

Around her stand a few men, one holding a phone camera, another asking the same question over and over: "Who gave you electricity? Who built these roads? Who made your life easier?" Their tone leaves little room for hesitation. After a few uncertain pauses, the woman says the name they seem to expect. The men smile, satisfied that her words will make a convincing video. That short clip soon travels beyond her courtyard, shared across social media as proof of development. But for those watching closely, it says something much larger about the way politics and power often operate in our time. The old woman speaks, yet her voice does not seem entirely her own.

Scenes like this are not about a single candidate or party. They are part of a larger culture that has slowly shaped the language of democracy in Bangladesh. Electricity, roads, and infrastructure have become central to our idea of unnayan, or development. These achievements matter, and no one would deny their importance. But the way they are spoken about often turns them into a script rather than a dialogue. The citizen becomes a recipient, not a participant. When the question shifts from "What do you need?" to "Who gave you this?", democracy turns into a performance.