BANGLADESH Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stepped down from office, ending 15 years of what the opposition says was “authoritarian rule” and sparking celebrations across the country. General Waker-uz-Zaman, the chief of army staff, said in a statement on Monday that an interim government will take over with immediate effect and asked citizens to keep their trust in the army. Hasina resigned after weeks of protests against quotas for government jobs flared into nationwide unrest. At least 280 people were killed and thousands injured as the government cracked down on the demonstrations.
Hasina, the longest serving female head of government, remained in power for a total of 20 long years (she was first elected as Prime Minister in 1996 and again in 2009) won a fourth straight term in elections in January this year, which were held in the backdrop of a nation-wide crackdown against the political opponents. No doubt, the continuity of the government resulted in remarkable economic progress by Bangladesh but unfortunately this achievement was misconstrued as a license to silence dissent, orchestrate disappearances, arrange extrajudicial killings and create brigades of loyalists that benefitted from the system at the cost of the common man. Her government was accused of large-scale human rights abuses, oppression, corruption and in-equality, therefore, she became unpopular despite delivering on the economic front. What happened in Bangladesh is a classic example of missed opportunities and the price that a ruler had to pay for not making timely decisions during a crisis. Hasina had ample opportunity to review her policies and respond to the popular will but instead she termed protestors as ‘terrorists’ and dealt with them accordingly, resulting in killing of about three hundred. The demonstrations began in July in Dhaka and were initially led by students angry at a court’s reinstatement of a job quota scheme that was rescinded in 2018. The policy reserved 30% of government jobs for descendants of veterans who fought in the 1971 war of independence – most of whom are linked to Hasina’s Awami League party, which led the independence movement. A further 26% of jobs were allocated to women, disabled people and ethnic minorities, leaving about 3,000 positions open for which 400,000 graduates compete in the civil services exam. A fifth of Bangladesh’s 170 million people are unemployed. The Supreme Court rescinded the job quota policy on July 21, ruling that 93 percent of jobs would instead be open to candidates on merit but the students’ movement by then had become so strong to demand a systemic change and an end of the rule of Sheikh Hasina, describing her as a dictator. Some analysts believe the decision of the former PM to deploy the army to quell protests proved a tipping point as the institution is largely perceived as a neutral entity and well-trusted by people. Killing of about one hundred protesters on Sunday and the possibility of more bloodshed on Monday made all the difference and forced Hasina to flee the country. The Army Chief has kept his options open by making a vague statement that an interim government would be formed, leaving commentators to guess whether the army itself would lead the government or simply facilitate the process. The decision of the BD President Mohammed Shahabuddin to order release of the key opposition leader Khaleda Zia and about 11,000 protestors arrested during the anti-government movement are steps in the right direction as these would help create congenial atmosphere for national unity and solidarity. The very fact that a meeting that took this decision was attended by Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, along with the head of the navy and air force and top leaders of several opposition parties including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami party also hints at taking crucial decisions through consensus. This augurs well for the country and hopefully normalcy would return to BD if the consultative process is upheld by the decision-makers.
