Violence and Politics: History Repeats Itself in Bangladesh | Politics

In a speech during the protests against her, Sheikh Hasina, the resigned Prime Minister of Bangladesh, said: “If not the descendants of freedom fighters, who will get the quota benefits? The descendants of Rizgars.” Rizgars were a paramilitary force formed by Pakistan during the war of independence against it by Bangladeshis (Bengalis). This force practiced excessive violence and torture against Bengalis, in 1971./1970.

Sheikh Hasina did not realize the consequences of making this statement against the protesters, likening them to this image, when she made it, as if they were enemies of the country. She sparked widespread anger in the country. She was unable, like Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who said before his escape (now I understand you), to comprehend the changes on the ground, and this is the problem of many countries in which a class monopolizes power.

Those fighting for independence see the country as spoils of war, to be taken over, so Sheikh Hasina's political backer, the Awami League, which fought the war of independence from Pakistan 47 years ago, has insisted on getting a share of government jobs as liberators.

While university students insist that these jobs should be made available to those who have merit and competence, and these quotas have deprived a large number of geniuses of their right to public employment, hence the movement of Dhaka University students against the reinstatement of these quotas again after they were cancelled in 2018. Although the Supreme Court made 93% of jobs to be filled by merit, police violence and the killing of protesters escalated the events that spread in the country.

The world is changing

Bangladesh, which has witnessed economic progress and a decline in poverty rates to less than 20% of the population after most of the population was poor, is cited as an example internationally, with the rise in education rates and levels, and has become an educated class and aware of rights with openness to the world via the Internet, and thus the new generations have acquired an unprecedented awareness of rights and duties of authority.

This, at a time when Sheikh Hasina has been using excessive violence against her opponents, exploiting the loyalty of the police, fabricating corruption charges and prosecuting Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s national icon who won the Nobel Peace Prize after his Bank for the Poor succeeded in lifting thousands out of poverty in the country, and who has now become one of the key players shaping Bangladesh’s future.

The internet outage was one of the reasons that escalated the anger in the country during the protests, and confirmed the authorities’ concern about it, which prompted many to join the protests.

clinging to power and violence

The 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina, who has served as prime minister five times, and her control over the police force, whose leaders are loyal to her, has made her one with the seat of power and not see the changes on the ground. According to a report by the Prothom Alo newspaper, which reported what happened at the prime minister’s office, Sheikh Hasina summoned security officers to her residence and asked them to impose a curfew.

But the growing numbers of protesters, the rising death toll (more than 300 dead) and images of protesters climbing on police vehicles prompted the police chief to tell her that the police would not be able to contain the unrest. The police in Bangladesh became concerned about the consequences of their violence if the regime changed, even threatening to strike after Sheikh Hasina fled in a military helicopter to India.

last moments

People close to Sheikh Hasina tried to convince her to resign so that the situation would calm down, including her sister Rehana, who was close to her. However, she refused, which prompted the intervention of her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who lives in the United States. Since he was monitoring events from abroad and was familiar with foreign media reports, he was able to convince her to resign. She left for Bangabhaban, the official residence of Bangladeshi President Mohammad Shahabuddin, and submitted her resignation moments before the demonstrators stormed the Cabinet headquarters.

Past and Future

Bangladesh has been governed by a parliamentary system since its independence in 1971. However, the military has controlled the country since the 1975 coup from behind the scenes. The president is elected by parliament, and thus power is in the hands of the prime minister.

In 1991, the country regained power from the military and began its economic rise, becoming one of the largest exporters of ready-made garments in the world, in addition to a number of different resources that enhanced the country's capabilities.

But the reality on the ground, such as: control of power, stagnation, lack of awareness of the variables, and reading the data, made the protests crystallize a new political movement that may cause the traditional forces in the country to disappear, with the emergence of leaders who have new visions, especially with the corruption of the elite that controlled the government under Sheikh Hasina, to the point that it may lead to the opening of corruption files, perhaps leading to the confiscation of the money and wealth of some.

But on the other hand, the old powers like “The Awami League will not disappear from the scene completely, but will remain present, and its presence will depend on its ability to withstand, or change its skin, and update its structure, and this is what I do not think likely, as the river currently rushing in all regions of Bangladesh surprises us daily with leaders who were not visible or present on the scene.

So, in the next five years we will see a different face of Bangladesh than what we are used to, and the current discussion among the rising classes of politicians and intellectuals sees Bangladesh as close to successful models politically and economically, so the talk has become about Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

In addition to what some outsiders in Bangladesh do not realize, the amazing progress of the powerful neighbor India, which last year became the fifth largest economy in the world and has a political democracy, this progress has become a source of jealousy and debate in Bangladesh, all of which has had an impact on what has happened and what will happen there.