Bangladesh

Against all odds, Bangladesh had its first general election in 7 years that did not turn into a farce. Under the watchful eyes of monitors from the Commonwealth nations, and a staggering turnout of 70%, the Awami League of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed rose to a landslide victory. However this newly formed democratic rule is not very likely to be a walk in the park for the centre-left alliance.

After initial resistance from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its leader Khaleda Zia defiantly accepted the poll results and announced that the BNP is ready to give the Awami League a chance under the condition that there is co-operation between the two opposing parties. A chance? Have these half-wits not read the results? There should be very little consideration for the BNP as they had only won 29 seats out of 300, as opposed to the 230 won by the Awami League.

The fear now may be that even though Sheikh Hasina offered the chairs of some parliamentary committees to the BNP, the sheer scale of the victory may make her consider otherwise, tempting her to renegotiate the promise. This would only lead to further complication in the already polarised political climate of the country.

The main aim for 2009 will be to live up to the assurances made during the campaign. The voters deserve a country that is not rigged with politics that brings religion into disrepute or nonsensical bickering between the two female leaders, but one which addresses real issues that affect the ordinary people of Bangladesh.

India

India and Pakistan have vowed to ease tensions that have been on display since the Mumbai attacks in November. Post the fatal incident, India’s government has been struggling to maintain its credibility as it appeared to lack the security to protect its citizens. A situation the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ever so quick to exploit by urging the people of Mumbai to vote for them. The tactic did not prove very fruitful to the Hindu nationalists as they lost to the reigning Congress Party, who secured three of the four Indian states that held elections after the Mumbai blasts.

The big challenge for 2009 however is not necessarily that of terrorism or politics. Despite being immune to the grey cloud of the startling global economy, India, or better yet Chindia (China and India), has been experiencing a huge unemployment problem. A counter-measure in the way of interest rate cuts were introduced at the beginning of the month. For one of the world’s fastest growing economies, this is its first real economic challenge.

Pakistan

As well as being involved in the ongoing re-kindling of its relationship with India, especially since the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan is facing a key problem with the incoming US administration; it announced in December that military action in Pakistani territory may be conducted without the permission of the Pakistani government. Considering the instability of Pakistani politics, managing the volatile relationship with the US over the coming months will be tricky to say the least.

The relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is still ‘under construction’. Kabul has criticised Islamabad for many years, saying that it was not doing enough to fight the Taleban. The re-arrest of a former Taleban spokesman may be a step in the right direction.

To solve its economic deficits, Pakistan will be very likely to look to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) again for help on some of its liabilities of 2008. Pakistan is doing the right thing, as such an injection will enable it to restore economic stability and counteract inflation (hopefully!).

Sri Lanka

This is by far one of the most stagnant conflicts of the last 30 years. Sri Lankan troops have pushed deep into Tamil Tiger territory, and have captured their de facto capital of Kilinochi. The government announced that it is nearing the end of this 25 year old feud; however this is only a military victory. The ethnic conflict simply cannot be solved on the battlefield. If the Sri Lankan government were indeed to be victorious, then this victory should be followed up by a political settlement. The Democratic Peoples Front point out that there is very little evidence that this will be the case as constitutional law is simply being ignored for the purpose of a government victory. In fact, it feels like it is a fight between Sinhalese versus Tamils rather than that of the Sri Lankan government versus the Tamil Tigers. There is little hope for peace talks under this unfair climate.

Politically, there will be little change in Sri Lanka in 2009, as President Rajapakse and his brothers remain in power. Economically, Sri Lanka is still battling with their international tag of being one of the slowest growing economies in the world.

(5 votes. Average: 4 out of 5)