Just as our social life and cultural heritage have been molded by a continuous stream, so too our political practice and organizational behavior follow a distinct tradition. Whenever attempts are made to step outside of that stream, we stumble — indeed, that has always been the case. We have adopted democratic principles and ideals, yet we have never truly managed to align them with Western democracy, nor does there seem to be reason for such hope. That is why, while Western-style parties thrive on democratic practice within their structures, we have never been able to do the same. British or American forms of democracy are absent from our South and Southeast Asian context.

Take, for example, the world’s largest democracy, India: their political culture has little resemblance to British or American systems. In Britain or America, dynastic politics has little currency. To assume national leadership there, one must demonstrate numerous personal qualifications. But in our country, inheritance politics is alive and vibrant. We have never been able to escape the far‑reaching grip of inheritance politics, nor have attempts at escape succeeded. Therefore, in the continuity of our history, the political predominance that has existed must be acknowledged, and our political path must follow that current.

Within our subcontinent, political dynasties abound. In India, there are the Gandhis; in Pakistan, the Bhuttos; in Bangladesh, the families of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, and Pollibandhu Hussain Mohammad Ershad; in Myanmar, the family of Aung San. For as long as these families have carried inheritance politics, their political journey has faced no true disruptions. Inheritance has taken shape through wives, sons, or daughters. Beyond them, just as property does not pass to outsiders, neither does leadership in politics. If it does, collapse follows. Survival depends on a natural heir.

This truth is clear in the Jatiyo Party as well. When Pollibandhu Ershad’s dearly cherished Jatiyo Party saw his brother GM Quader attempt to enthrone himself as supreme ruler, disaster followed. The political organization that Hussain Muhammad Ershad had built with his life suffered grievously. To understand this better, one must glance backward at the history of inheritance politics.

Let us begin with Pakistan. In the 1970 election, the........

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