Political Upheaval in Bangladesh

What Lies Ahead After Sheikh Hasina’s Resignation?

Bangladesh is on the boil for several weeks. The decision to give quotas to descendants of war veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Liberation against Pakistan sparked widespread protests in Dhaka by university students who had strongly protested against the move to give 30% reservation in civil services to families of war veterans. To the largely peaceful protests, Sheikh Hasina’s heavy-handed approach led to massive crowd surges in different pockets of the country’s capital city and other parts.

Are the protests spontaneous?

To the outside world, the protests seem spontaneous. But a closer look at Bangladesh’s current state of economy, joblessness and jobless growth, lack of jobs in the private sector, and a litany of other grievances against the government proved vital in triggering the countrywide protests.

Why were the students angry?

During Prime Minister Hasina’s rule, the country has seen remarkable growth and development. Bangladesh’s garment sector has seen exponential growth, with the country being touted as the world’s ready-garment capital. Several global clothing brands have outsourced their production to local production houses. This led to a surge in annual exports of garments to the tune of $40 billion and employment generation for 4 million youths.

But the economic growth mostly created opportunities for the less educated youth. University graduates and students with higher qualifications struggled to find jobs in the private sector. In the absence of private sector jobs, civil services and other government sector jobs became attractive to the students mainly for two reasons: job security and a good pay structure. Nearly 18 million youths are unemployed out of a total population of 170 million in Bangladesh.

The students were disenchanted with the jobless growth and lack of employment opportunities. Reports of corruption in government offices and embezzlement of government funds had further aggravated the grievances against the government. Despite the tall promises, Prime Minister Hasina failed to tackle corruption. She herself had earlier admitted to the sacking of a household assistant who had allegedly embezzled state funds to the tune of $34 million. Through social media, this news spread like wildfire to all nooks and cranny of Bangladesh.

Instead of dwelling on a democratic approach to resolution of students’ grievances, Ms. Hasina responded with an iron-fisted hand. She sought to delegitimize the protesters, calling them "Razakaars,” a term abusive to the Bangladeshis. Even she termed the protestors as terrorists who were instigated by the Jamaat-e-Islami to topple the government. The simmering discontent translated into public anger and eventually led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 to seek asylum.

What lies ahead: restoration of peace or long-term political instability?

With the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, a sense of jubilation among the protestors descended. In Hasina’s exit, they see an end to a dictatorial government and the perceived abuse of power. The army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, has taken over control of the administration. He appealed to the protesters to maintain peace and tranquillity. In the latest development, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has been appointed as the interim head of the government.

The country today is a sight of gloom and turmoil. Though protests have dwindled, anarchy prevails in various parts. Reports of vandalism, sporadic violence against minorities, particularly the Hindus, and violence are capturing the attention of the world. Many world leaders have reacted to the bringing down of the iconic statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur-Ur-Rahman by the protesters. This brazen disrespect to the Founding Father and First President of Bangladesh was an unnecessary act.

In this backdrop, Muhammad Yunus faces a stiff challenge to restore peace and normalcy in the country. Unequivocally a man of ideas and promises, Mr. Yunus has a lot of political maneuvering to do in the next few weeks to douse the flame that has engulfed the nation and restore Bangladesh’s growth trajectory.

Opinion expressed by:
Dr. Md. Intekhab Alam Khan
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
Nazir Ajmal Memorial College of Education (Hojai), Assam.