The percentage of public sector jobs reserved for descendants of fighters in the war of independence has been reduced from 30% to 5%. The curfew has been partially relaxed, but students are demanding the release of leaders and the resignation of some ministers. Unlike in the past, discontent with the government led by Prime Minister Hasina is more widespread today.
Dhaka (/Agencies) – A tense calm reigns in Bangladesh this morning after the Supreme Court yesterday ruled to reduce the quotas reserved for certain categories of people in the public sector. In particular, the percentage dedicated to the descendants of the “freedom fighters” (those who participated in the war of independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971) was reduced from 30% to 5%, and another 2% will be used to protect members of minorities and people with disabilities. Thus, the reserved quota will be only 7% of public officials, compared with the 56% previously planned.
There were no clashes this morning and the curfew was partially lifted, but the university students who took to the streets in recent days are demanding that the government release the detained protest leaders, reopen the universities, closed since July 17, and the resignation of some ministers, setting a deadline of 48 hours for the government to act accordingly.
Although Bangladesh has seen incredible economic growth since 2009, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina first came to power, growth has slowed in the past two years and youth unemployment is very high, with some 18 million young people (out of a population of 170 million) looking for work. It is mainly university graduates who have difficulty finding work, so government jobs, which offer a high and stable salary, are highly sought after.
As in other South Asian countries, the quota system is intended to protect socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the population, which is why some seats are reserved for women, the disabled and ethnic and religious minorities. Moreover, the quotas reserved for the descendants of the so-called freedom fighters have political significance, since many members of the current political elite belong to that generation and are politically close to the Awami League, the party from which Hasina comes, daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father and first prime minister of Bangladesh after independence. Thus, according to the commentatorsthe quotas were being used by the Awami League to “reward its supporters” and as a “ploy to consolidate the party’s influence in the future administration”.
The system had been abolished in 2018 (again following protests by university students) but was reintroduced in late June this year by a lower court, triggering a new wave of protests, which quickly escalated from demonstrations against what is perceived as an unfair system to anti-government protests. More than 100 people were killed in the clashes, but the internet blackout remains in place, making it impossible to establish the exact number. Local sources have so far stated 146 and 127 dead.
Unlike in 2018, hostility towards the government seems to cut across social classes. Students refer to Hasina as a “dictator” and an “autocrat.” Re-elected in January for a fourth term, the prime minister has long been accused of giving an authoritarian turn to her government, which the population considers increasingly corrupt and incapable of managing the economy and the growing push by young people to emigrate abroad. A sentiment harassed by the opposition, represented by the Bengali Nationalist Party, for now still a leaderless movement since the party leader, Khaleda Zia, has been in prison since 2018 for corruption charges.
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