BNP and Jamaat are aiming for civil war
Taking stock of the quota reform movement
The Awami League’s boat is facing turbulent tides. It still feels like the country is in the eye of the storm. Will the boat sink or sail on? Bangladesh has deployed all its might to quell the protests, with curfews, shoot at sight orders, and helicopters being used for the first time to disperse crowds by lodging tear gas from the air. The state is determined to crush this movement.
There are a few points to consider about the quota reform movement.
The quota reform demands did not initially call for the government’s resignation.
The quota reform demands do not take into account affirmative action for women and ethnic minorities.
That being said, the Supreme Court reduced quota reservation to 7%. The court agreed with the demands of the protestors for reform.
Regarding the government’s response to the protests, here are a few points.
While the government correctly points out that its stance on quota reform complements the demands of the protestors, the earlier attempt at reform in 2018 was incomplete because it covered only the first and second class positions.
By the time the Supreme Court decision was given, violence had already escalated. This begs the question as to whether the government could have met the demands much earlier, and implemented reforms through an executive order in the first week of the protests before escalation.
The Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan is responsible for the public relations disaster. He is also responsible for the persecution of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Nayeemul Islam Khan should never be in this job.
Police brutality and overreach need to be checked. During the 1970s and 1980s, police officers came from an esteemed breed of families. What happened?
It is now 2024. It has been over 50 years since 1971.
It’s hard to believe that a motley group of anti-Awami League university students can bring down the state. Some have likened it to the fall of Ershad, which happened because of a combination of factors, including AL-BNP unity and the role of the army. There is also scant international interest in the current protests.
Netra News is clearly making the most of it, with a musician penning a piece on “Death everywhere”. The folks at Netra are having a concert of anti-Awami League voices, with prominent LGBTQ writer and performer Ibtisam Ahmed lambasting Bangladesh’s “foundational myth”. David Bergman has called for an army coup which would pave the way for the far-right BNP to return through an election held under military rule. A Supreme Court verdict in 2010 effectively closed the door for military coups. The constitution was amended in 2011 to abolish any loopholes for military interventions through a caretaker government. The 15th amendment also inserted the death penalty as the punishment for any usurper of state power. So any future coup leader would be weighing these issues in head before using the army to capture state power.
Leaving all this aside, there are also the sinister elements in this circus. The BJIM reporter and BNP activist Muktadir Rashid Romeo appeared on Newslaundry to claim that Bangladesh was in a state of war. Romeo is the most disgusting journalist among the army of dissidents and journalists who are working as regime change agents of Tarique Rahman. Romeo has made a name for himself by using poor English. His X account has gained a large following among Bangladesh’s deplorables. These people don’t stand a chance if they were to stand for public office. William Shakespeare is turning in his grave at the sight of this notoriously ugly Romeo.
A new X account called Revolt has been gaining followers who are desperate for regime change. The Revolt account regularly posts videos of BNP activists, including Dhaka-based Zahed Ur Rahman and expat Faham Abdus Salam. Salam’s video disparaging the government and army is an example of the current BNP mindset.
In the video, Salam dismisses the AL with profanity, then goes on to recite verses from Islam’s holiest book, the Quran. Profanity and faith go hand in hand in the BNP. How does BNP claim to have the moral high ground when they combine profanity and faith in their language? In the video, Salam asks members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces to leak information to Tasneem Khalil and other extreme dissidents. Salam also threatens the family members of military officers, including their wives. Through videos like this, the BNP is raging for civil war.
Why should Bangladesh’s students sacrifice their lives to bring to power these thugs, deplorables and lunatics?