Bangladesh in Turmoil

Sourish Ghosh

Amra Kara? Rajakar, Rajakar”! This is the popular slogan which is presently resonating on the streets of Bangladesh. But this slogan testifies to one of the biggest mistakes of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who had labeled every protestor to be a ‘Rajakar’. A Rajakar is a cuss word in Bangladesh that is used to define the Pakistani henchmen who had created mayhem during the Bangladeshi liberation struggle and have been accused of torturing and assassinating many freedom fighters who are known as ‘Muktijoddha’ in Bangladesh.

On March 21, 2018, Sheikh Hasina announced the quota system for government jobs for descendants of freedom fighters. On April 8, 2018, at midnight hundreds of students began protests in the Shahbag area in demand of bringing down the quota system and filling up vacant posts by candidates from the merit list. The protest spread like wildfire engulfing the whole of Bangladesh which coerced the Hasina government to issue a circular dismissing the quota system for recruitment. But it erupted once again in June 2024 with the Supreme Court’s verdict which revived the 30 percent quota for descendants of freedom fighters. An obvious protest began against it and soon things became violent and it crossed the walls of institutes and spread throughout the country because of the government’s heavy-handed violent response, as well as public dissatisfaction stemming from enduring oppression under a so-called authoritarian government. The situation has been further complicated by several other ongoing issues, like- the government’s inability to manage a prolonged economic downturn and the absence of democratic channels for initiating change.

There are three major mistakes that Hasina has made which led to escalation of the conflict which is becoming brutal every passing day. The first grave mistake is to deliberately weaken the democratic setup and gradually turn it into an authoritarian regime. Since 2008, Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina has been ruling Bangladesh and has used high-handedness and stringent tactics to completely weaken the opposition. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (principal opposition party) under Khalida Zia was allegedly not allowed to contest elections Zia was put behind bars in 2018 on corruption charges and her health has significantly deteriorated since then. The BNP leaders have accused Hasina of personal political vendetta as she is allegedly hindering Zia’s medical treatment abroad.

The Awami League has been accused of rigging, terrorising and squashing the election system in Bangladesh for the last few years and that has created enough resentment among the common masses. People want to cast their votes in democracy, and if that gets hindered by authoritarian processes and the government continues to function without popular mandate then there is always a possibility that the situation will someday lead to chaos. If a centrist government like the Awami League becomes authoritarian then it does not need a rocket scientist to understand that the situation will eventually facilitate the rise of right-wing communal forces.

The second mistake is to facilitate the rise of Bangladesh Jamaat e-Islami (BJI) and its functioning through Bangladeshi Islami Chatra Shibir. In the 2008 elections Hasina had campaigned on the promise of placing all Jamaat e-Islami leaders (Rajakars) who were accused of colluding with the Pakistani army in 1971 on war trials. After winning the election Hasina not only facilitated the death of many Jamaat members and banned them from taking part in political activities but also weakened the BNP and even accused of political killings of those who were opposed to her regime (in the guise of dismantling Jamaat). This authoritarian tactic of weakening the opposition allowed Jamaat to function at the grassroots using religion as a tool and reportedly even the BNP leaders became overtly dependent on the organisation of Jamaat. Rampant corruption and incidents like the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Covid pandemic put a brake on the growing economy of Bangladesh. People became wary of their lives and joblessness became a major issue which allowed Jamaat to gradually consolidate its influence. Hasina also failed to protect the liberal bloggers who were campaigning against religious orthodoxy and wanted to maintain the secular environment in Bangladesh.

Above all, the US became ostensibly concerned about Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian stature and stated that it would clamp down on any Bangladeshi politician (past or present) that undermines democracy in the nation. This happened because the US became worried about Hasina’s close proximity with China and also because Jamaat has a significant support base among the massive Bangladeshi diaspora living in the US and Europe. This diaspora acted as lobbies in Washington to pressurise the Bangladeshi government on issues of human rights (and previously on war crime issues). The move forced Hasina to allow the BJI to participate in the elections fearing restrictions on travelling to the US. In June 2023, BJI organised a huge rally in Dhaka heralding its come-back to fore in the Bangladeshi politics. BNP also got a breather and conducted its first unfettered rally in May 2023 without any interference from the government.

The third crucial mistake is to brand every protestor and critics as a potential ‘Rajakar’. This attitude is quite common among authoritarian rulers who are always in fear of people on the streets who are on the verge of becoming political. Hasina’s attitude of coercing its critics has created rampant disappointment and resentment among the masses which has tarnished her image as an able leader. This resentment has been erupting for some time and presently it has taken the shape of a popular uprising that has the potential to oust Hasina from power. Undoubtedly, Jamaat played a crucial role in this movement as they can sense the opportunity but Hasina branding the protestors as ‘Rajakars’ has added steam to Jamaat’s fortune. The word “Rajakar” has now been naturalised as the protestors have adopted it to counter Hasina and this will only help Jamaat to consolidate its influence and purify the word from all its previous crimes and sins committed during the Bangladeshi freedom struggle.

If in the near future, the word “Rajakar” becomes synonymous with protest in Bangladesh, Hasina should only be blamed for this. Her hard tactics of killing and maiming the students will be remembered as a dark chapter in the history of Bangladesh. 

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 7, Aug 11 - 17, 2024