Badiuzzaman Bay

OF MAGIC & MADNESS

Badiuzzaman Bay is Assistant Editor, The Daily Star. He can be reached at [email protected]

The more BNP talks about reforms, the less convincing it sounds

BNP’s adversarial politics hurts more because it was expected to lead a new culture of politics.

2w ago

Devils, heroes, or something in between?

Should we continue to condone unregulated public outbursts?

1m ago

No more concessions for India on border killing or fencing

Protecting our citizens and our border integrity is non-negotiable

2m ago

BNP faces the weight of history and expectations

For all its pro-reform posturing, BNP has yet to signal a real willingness to lead political reforms, including within itself.

6m ago

The new age demands a re-reading of Bangabandhu

Bangabandhu as a subject of study should be approached with an openness to embrace truths, however unflattering.

8m ago

The nine lives of a corrupt public servant

Let's delve into the hypothetical lifelines in a public servant’s career that help them indulge in corruption.

9m ago

Cow running amok in a shopping mall: It’s not a ‘moo’ point

Animals in Bangladesh are losing their homes because people are taking over their spaces.

10m ago

The only budget I care about is one that reduces my bills

Budget day is turning into our very own Groundhog Day.

10m ago
March 9, 2024
March 9, 2024

Who will restrain prices in the month of restraint?

If the government really wants to control or bring down prices during Ramadan and afterwards, it must be willing to go after its 'own people.'

March 9, 2024
March 9, 2024

Who will restrain prices in the month of restraint?

A government’s job is not to preach about people’s food choices, but to keep food prices stable and reasonably down. When it starts to preach, more often than not it is trying to deflect scrutiny of what it cannot achieve through actions.

February 14, 2024
February 14, 2024

‘Will you be my Valentine?’ and other expensive offers

In the end, love is a personal matter and it should remain so, regardless of how it comes out on February 14 and in the days that follow.

February 3, 2024
February 3, 2024

‘There’s a huge difference between DSA and CSA’

Mohammad Ali Arafat, the newly appointed state minister for information and broadcasting, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.

January 12, 2024
January 12, 2024

Word of the Election Year: Dummy

Politicians provided a steady supply of obnoxious, potentially title-winning examples

January 4, 2024
January 4, 2024

Can BNP survive the pre-election meltdown?

BNP's retreat to the back foot amid mass arrests and convictions was as remarkable as it was rapid.

December 29, 2023
December 29, 2023

Voters without choice are just glorified dummies

You’ve already met the dummy candidates, aka independents. Now, meet dummy voters.

December 13, 2023
December 13, 2023

How to make dissenters out of citizens

Awami League has always found justification in the Nietzschean theory of cultivating or “inventing” enemies

November 16, 2023
November 16, 2023

Polls schedule is not a cut-off point for dialogue

Without political reconciliations, we're headed for another violent, one-sided election

November 9, 2023
November 9, 2023

Who are these nameless, faceless arsonists?

These attacks are at once a political issue, a law enforcement issue, and a human rights issue.