"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others." (Churchill)

This past weekend Bangladesh held elections in four key cities across the country — Khulna, Barisal, Rajshahi and Sylhet. I had the opportunity to go to Rajshahi as an observer along with two other people from the US Embassy.

First a little bit of background. Bangladesh is a big country from a population standpoint. Dhaka, the capital has 15-16 million people. Chittagong, the second biggest city has 7.5 million. But after these two cities the rest are really minor population wise. Khulna, which is the third largest city, has just over a million people. The other three, where mayoral elections were held yesterday, have less than a million, therefore you can call them ‘second tier cities.’ 

The local elections were important, just because the results could reflect a nationwide erosion of support for the ruling Awami League party six months ahead of general elections. Any vote against an Awami League candidate could be seen as a verdict against the government's performance. 

While the election went mostly smoothly, there was some violence preceding it. An activist campaigning for a Barisal candidate has been shot and supporters of two candidates clashed in Rajshahi. Turnout is usually high in elections in this country and this one was no exception.


The pictures below are from the elections day in Rajshahi.

Most of the stations were gender segregated, which was something interesting for me to observe. My enthusiasm at the sight of long lines at the women booths dissipated when I understood the reason behind it. Literacy rate is lower among women, therefore it took longer to explain the process to them. Sad, but true.

A polling official with the voting materials. You can see the ballot boxes. They are transparent and seal easily with the plastic zippers, both anti-fraud measures. When voting finishes, the flap on the top also closes and locks with a plastic zipper.

A close-up on the ballots. There was one ballot for the position of mayor, one for the council, and one being reserved for women. As in previous elections, the ballots use symbols to represent the candidates so that illiterate people can vote. Outside, all the election posters feature the candidate’s picture together with his or her symbol so you know to vote for “lock” or “pineapple”.

You've got mail!

There are a few things that a Foreign Service Officer here in Dhaka should be more grateful for then the generosity the US Government showed when it provided us with a DPO address.  A DPO address is a “Diplomatic Post Office,” a mail program that allows us to receive letters and packages the same way the Military does via an Armed Forces or an APO. Bottom line is that you are still treated like you are at home, somewhere in USA. Domestic postage rates still apply, even though the item is sent all the way across the world to a corner 90% of the Americans would have a lot of difficulties pointing to on a map.

I can order from Walmart.com, ebay or Amazon and I do not pay any international postage. This is huge!!!! Without this I would always probably have to wonder whether my stuff would arrive. I still remember way into the '90s if I sent something to my parents in Romania, if I sent something that the postal worker was interested in, my parents could end up with an empty box, or if they were lucky a lot lighter. I also do not have to think about the weight of the package.

The are still a lot of restrictions on the DPO, no liquids or batteries, size, etc. I can still get pretty much everything that is not available on the local market or is crazy expensive here.

Also, receiving the mail feels like getting something for Chrismas. Mail comes three times a week and the mailroom clerk sort it out and shoot out an email to everybody in the mission. If you name has a cross check next to it, you are luck, you've got mail.

This is making living here a lot more enjoyable for the whole family and I am deeply grateful for it!

PS. OK, I did not mention the unpleasant experiences. Like the time when I ordered sugar from Walmart.com. Why would anybody order sugar online, a normal person would ask, to which I would not have a valid answer, other then the fact that I am recovering online shopoholic! Anyway, a sugar bag broke, big panic engulfed, mail room got shut down for hours. How I wished I had magic wand to make myself invisible when I went to pick up that package!

There is soccer (football) in Bangladesh

I will start with a story about South Africa and apartheid. Robben Island was an isolated island where South Africa's white regime imprisoned many for opposing the brutal system of segregation that denied basic rights to the country's black majority from 1948 to 1991.
South Africa sent its political prisoners to the isle off Cape Town to serve hard time. The prisoners' job was to break rocks. Their captors' job was to break spirits. But the prisoners kept their spirits, and soccer was part of that. For years, prisoners demanded a right to play sports, including soccer. And for years, prison authorities said no, but eventually they caved in under pressure from the International Red Cross. The league was operated in three divisions — A, B and C, based on players' abilities — complete with trainers, managers, referees and coaches. The league had several standing committees to deal with a range of issues, including discipline and maintenance.
Running is freedom in physical form. The prisoners could forget about prison when they were playing a game, as physical exercise to keep their minds and bodies sharp — and as a way for those from differing political factions to work and play together. It was a unifying factor. Up until football, every activity on the island was self-segregated not by race but by political party. Then, for the first time, as football was established, the parties began to train together and play together in prison.

Now, there is very little resemblance between myself and a political prisoner in apartheid South Africa. I am here on my own will and I am loving it. There is nobody trying to keep me in Dhaka by force. Still, there are plenty of similarities. As I compete for the ball, as I run out of breath on many occasions and as I stand the risk of getting my knees busted again, it is the love of the game that keeps me going. Soccer is a huge part of me and being able to take this with me in Bangladesh brings such a joy to my heart. And not last, forming a "franchise" of my former Ursus team and bringing it to Asia, still gives me the chills :)