By: Prof. Dr. Mohammad Tariqur Rahman
A peaceful demonstration by the general students for the reformation of the 30% quota that was reserved for the descendants of the freedom fighters for civil service commission jobs has turned into a deadly protest in Bangladesh. The ruling party had to resort to all-out armed forces retaliation and a nationwide curfew with shoot-on-sight to curb the movement. Armed forces were seen to use war equipment marked with the UN logo. Meanwhile, the controversial 30% quota was scaled down to 5%.
The reported civilian casualties exceed 170, and many of them are students. The actual number of casualties, however, after a massive armed forces crackdown amidst the network blackout will remain unknown. Looking at the logical nature of the initial demand of the students, anyone would question the necessity of such a deadly crackdown.
Because of the crackdown, the student body under the umbrella of the Anti-discrimination Students’ Movement later added demands to bring the individuals responsible for the killings under justice and resignation of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on top of their quota reformation agenda. As implied by the name, it was not just a quota reformation movement it was an “anti-discrimination” movement. Mass people joined the students’ anti-discrimination movement for the resignation of the PM and a reformation of the Government.
The movement turned into a deadly protest soon after a remark of PM Sheikh Hasina when she brought up the issue of “rajakar” (collaborator of the Pakistani army during the independence war in 1971) in response to a rather unnecessary manipulative question by a journalist regarding the quota reformation demand.
This was further fueled by a public announcement of Obaidul Quader who has been General Secretary of the Ruling Party Awami League (AL) since 2016 and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges of the current government to provoke the student wing of the ruling party Chatra League to fight-back the general students’ movement.
Following the provocation from their top leaders, activists, and leaders of Chatra League attacked peaceful student protests. Facing a massive encounter by the general students, leaders and activists of the Chatra League eventually had to flee from university campuses all over the country.
Leaders, activists, and intellectuals affiliated with AL claimed that students deliberately made PM’s remark controversial which was fueled and backed by the anti-liberation war forces Jamaat-e- Islami and their allies including the largest opposition political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
They have claimed that PM did not label general students as rajakar in her response during the press conference. However, AL has always been playing divisive politics based on their pro- and anti-independent narratives. Anyone against their views and opinions was labelled as rajakar or their allies.
Naturally, the use of the same narrative by the PM in a press conference in relation to the anti-discrimination movement inspired the students’ outrage. The current generation of university students who were born long after independence did not welcome a rather sarcastic account from the PM while responding to the journalist.
After the PM’s remark, a student’s slogan became popular during their demonstration “Who are you, Who am I? Razakar Razakar, Who said, Who said, Government, Government”. For argument’s sake, even if the PM’s remarks are considered manipulated or are used for the gain of the opposition political parties, it is not entirely unreasonable for the students to become angry with her remarks and sarcastically label themselves as rajakar.
During the last fifteen years in power or before coming to power, at every moment, in every context, and in every speech, AL leaders and politicians had brought their key narrative on labeling anti- or pro-independence forces in Bangladesh. Anyone except the activists and supporters of AL has been labeled as rajakar. No one including notable freedom fighters was spared from such labelling of the ruling party AL!
Needless to say, the protest with a very popular students’ slogan “Who are you, Who am I? Razakar Razakar …” made it clear that AL narrative did not work as they had expected it would do.
In fact, the spirit of freedom and the demand for civil rights of a free country have become so powerful among the current generation that they dare to take a bullet in their chest and embrace death with a smile. They seem to prefer living as a free citizen with dignity and civil rights without the fear of death. The new generation’s mighty spirit of freedom and independence against the autocratic and discriminatory regime of AL has been proven once again.
Meanwhile, the ruling party AL and its allies in Bangladesh and abroad are counting the loss in financial terms and the destruction of infrastructures. They want to see and project the protest as a conspiracy and doings of the opposition political parties namely BNP and Jamaat-e- Islami aimed at destruction to bring down AL from the ruling.
Indeed the infrastructure will be restored one day. And perhaps the opposition will be controlled too. However, the crackdown will be remembered as the highest scale of violence and manslaughter in the history of independent Bangladesh.
Contrary to the ruling party and their allies, the nation and the activists and supporters of the movement are counting the bodies. They continue weeping on the memories of their lost loved ones to whom the movement was their democratic right to stop the discriminatory ruling of AL.
The graveyard silence in the country looks peaceful from the surface. But will that bring an end to the fight for the democratic rights of the citizens? Or, is it the beginning of an end to the AL regime in Bangladesh which remained as the ruling party for more than 15 years through elections that are marred with various forms of vote rigging and manipulations?
Needless to say, it would depend on how the world leaders including those who have their own interests in the region such as China, India, and the USA will respond to it.
Nevertheless, looking at the public participation from every corner of the country, it is clear that the leaders of the ruling party AL have lost their moral authority and credibility to rule the country – no matter how they want to remain in power.
Whether the nation will see the end of the AL regime, the nation needs total reform to curb the unprecedented corruption by the top politicians and government servants. Such a change is inevitable for the economic and political stability of the 8th most populous nation in the world.
The author is the Associate Dean (Continuing Education), Faculty of Dentistry, and Associate Member, UM LEAD, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He may be reached at tarique@um.edu.my