A month ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people and pushed the country to the brink of chaos.
What began as student protests over government jobs became a large-scale revolt against the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Ms. Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5 as anger against her government swelled. But the ouster triggered more violence. Police went on strike and mobs rampaged across the country until a new interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in.
Yunus Cabinet
Since he was sworn in, Mr. Yunus declared that his key tasks would be to restore peace and law and order, fight corruption, and prepare for new elections.
His Cabinet, which includes two student leaders who spearheaded the protests, has fixed its sights on overhauling and reforming Bangladesh’s institutions, from its courts and police to the Election Commission. To do this, it’s also seeking support from the United Nations Development Program.
Reforms have been a key priority as demonstrations against Ms. Hasina quickly escalated into anger against her increasingly autocratic rule. Her government had jailed Opposition members, curbed independent media and curtailed civil society.
Protesters also accused Ms. Hasina’s Awami League of corruption and said that public institutions, including the Election Commission, had been eroded under her 15-year rule.
What Yunus needs is time.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who pioneered microcredit to help impoverished people, especially women, asked for patience in an address to the nation. He said his Cabinet has worked hard to curb the violence and lawlessness that set in after Ms. Hasina was ousted.
“I request everyone to be patient,” he said. “It is one of our objectives that public institutions regain public trust.”
Unrest persists
Garment workers demanding better wages have forced about 100 factories to shut down and tensions are simmering, with lingering but widespread anger against Ms. Hasina and her Awami League.
Ms. Hasina, now in self-imposed exile, is facing murder charges in more than 100 cases. Key officials perceived as close to her resigned after mass protests.
Many cases have also been registered against those associated with Ms. Hasina, her party or her government — from former Ministers and judges to journalists and even a prominent cricket player. They’ve been attacked, stopped from leaving the country and even jailed. Rights groups have also condemned these lump charges.
Most of the cases are legally weak and politically driven, said Zillur Rahman, executive director of the Center for Governance Studies, a Dhaka-based think tank. This form of “vigilante justice” has sparked fears that “the system that Ms. Hasina perpetuated is still alive, just the victims have changed,” Mr. Rahman said.
Within a week of unseating Ms. Hasina, the students who drove her out were directing traffic in the capital, Dhaka.
Varsities reopened
Some schools and universities have since reopened, including Dhaka University, which became the epicenter for the protests against Ms. Hasina. But things are not back to normal yet.
Many heads of educational institutions have been forced to resign and in some cases, even though classes have formally restarted, few students are attending them.
Still, many students remain optimistic about the interim government’s potential to bring about real change.
Sneha Akter, a student at Dhaka University, said, “By replacing those who were previously in power, we are correcting past mistakes. It is not possible to change the entire country in one month. … We need to give the government some time.”
There are those who say the Yunus-led temporary government should remain in power until meaningful reforms are enacted, “whether that takes three months, three years or even six years,” said Hafizur Rahman, another Dhaka University student.
There is a sense that normalcy is slowly returning — Dhaka’s streets are no longer a battleground. Internet is back on and a nationwide curfew with a shoot-on-sight order has been lifted.
With much of the violence eased, there is hope for a new chapter. Shops, banks, hotels and restaurants are open, and police — who went on strike over fears for their own safety — are back at work.
However, their morale is low.
Another challenge is restoring the economy, which was disrupted by the weeks-long shutdown during the uprising.
Polls uncertain
Some experts say the interim government doesn’t have the mandate to enact major reforms and that it should focus on building consensus among political parties on reforms — and schedule the polls.
Ms. Hasina’s chief opposition — the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP — is seen as having the greatest chance of winning the polls and has been pushing for the elections to happen soon.
Published – September 06, 2024 10:33 am IST
