TDS Desk:

Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has said that Bangladesh’s major political parties have an extensive global presence, claiming such a phenomenon is unmatched by any other country.

“Parties like the Awami League, BNP, Jamaat, and the Jatiya Party have branches all over the world, which makes them the largest in terms of structure. However, the hostile political rivalries we see at home are similarly mirrored among their expatriate branches,” he said.

Touhid Hossain made these remarks during the inaugural ceremony of the World Conference Series titled “Branding Bangladesh: NRB and UN Peacekeepers Leading the Way”, organized by the Centre for NRB at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka on Saturday morning.

“Have you ever seen another country where people organize demonstrations solely to chant slogans or throw eggs at an individual who has travelled from their homeland?” he asked, adding that the response in Bangladesh’s diaspora politics is rarely issue-based but rather rooted in individual and group-based rivalries.

“This hostility is damaging our image and undermining our efforts at branding the country positively on the global stage,” he said.

Taking a comparative example, he pointed to India: “When an Indian prime minister visits another country, their expatriates don’t engage in public protests targeting their leader. For us, it’s the opposite, and it has been like this for far too long. We must move past this behaviour.”

Touhid Hossain also highlighted how the Indian diaspora’s integration into local politics has created opportunities for branding India globally.

“In the United States, many Indians hold key positions in the incoming administration. Similarly, Indian companies, particularly in software and technology, serve as powerful examples of national branding. We, however, haven’t tapped into this potential to the same extent,” he said.

He cited a rare exception in South Africa, where expatriates from opposing Bangladeshi parties came together to host a guest from Dhaka.

“This is what we need to replicate elsewhere. Unfortunately, such unity is seldom seen, especially in the West,” he added.

Speaking about the diaspora’s role in shaping the country’s global image, Touhid Hossain emphasized that it has both positive and negative facets.

“When a Bangladeshi taxi driver in a foreign country finds and returns a large sum of money to its rightful owner, it elevates our reputation. Conversely, the image suffers when it’s revealed that a large number of those rescued or perished while crossing the Mediterranean are from Bangladesh,” he noted.

The foreign adviser stressed the importance of coordinated branding efforts: “We must focus on building a cohesive and positive narrative for Bangladesh, leveraging the contributions of our non-resident Bangladeshis in a more strategic manner.”