Bangladesh's professional institutions are increasingly fracturing along political fault lines, with doctors, lawyers, engineers, and journalists openly prioritising party allegiance over professional conduct, according to a prominent editorial published on Monday, 4 May. The trend, analysts warn, is systematically undermining the country's modernisation prospects.

The Core Problem: Politics Over Professionalism

Mahfuz Anam, Editor of leading Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, argued that the politicisation of public service bodies — including the bureaucracy, administration, and law enforcement — has fundamentally shifted institutional accountability away from citizens and toward whichever party holds power. "One of the key factors that has prevented our modernisation and progress is politicisation of public service bodies like the bureaucracy, administration, and law enforcement institutions, whose accountability has shifted from the people and transformed into loyalty to the ruling party of the day," Anam stated.

SCBA Election Row: 42 Lawyers Barred

A particularly stark example emerged from the legal profession last week, when the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) rejected the nomination papers of 42 lawyers out of 90 candidates ahead of its elections scheduled for 13–14 May. The disqualifications were made on the grounds of the candidates' alleged affiliation with the Awami League, whose political activities have been banned under the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act, 2025.

Anam sharply criticised the move, noting that the 42 lawyers reportedly submitted their candidacy applications in their individual capacity — not as Awami League representatives. "With one stroke, electoral rivals were totally removed," he wrote, adding that the SCBA has so far refused to make its formal resolution public, raising serious questions about transparency. He argued the disqualifications amount to a violation of the lawyers' legal and constitutional rights.

"Today, the SCBA is practically taking away their right to contest elections, and tomorrow, they may use the same law to deprive them of their right to practise. So, the decision by SCBA has serious implications and must be thoroughly examined," Anam stressed.

Implications for the BNP Government

Anam warned that such conduct is not only dangerous in principle but also "extremely damaging" for the reputation of the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, which has publicly expressed opposition to such partisan overreach. The SCBA's actions, he argued, erode public faith in both the law and the constitution — and risk setting a precedent that other professional bodies could follow.

A Broader Warning for Bangladesh

Stepping back from the specific SCBA controversy, Anam framed the issue as a civilisational challenge for Bangladesh. "Take a look at the world and realise where every profession has gone, is going, and where they are headed. Do we have any chance of competing without transforming ourselves?" he wrote. He called for a restoration of professionalism across every institution in the country as the essential starting point for genuine national progress.

This is not the first time Bangladeshi civil society has raised alarms about institutional politicisation — similar concerns were voiced during the previous Awami League administration. The recurrence across successive governments suggests the problem is structural, not merely partisan.