Bangladesh: the end of the tension or the fire under the ashes/ from the quota system to extreme poverty

News Seal, Group International: Previously, the name of the country Bangladesh was a reminder of a country that has taken some steps in the development path, but still a significant number of its citizens are on the path of migration. to achieve better living conditions. But now, Bangladesh is a reminder of the protests that started peacefully and then turned violent and shot.

The initial objection of the students of Dhaka University, which was later extended to other universities, was that the government’s special quota for hiring people is not based on a fair procedure and until such a procedure for If there is employment of people, social justice in Bangladesh will not be effective. The attacks of some supporters of the ruling party of Bangladesh on the protesting students and the extremism of some of the leaders of the demonstrations brought the work to narrow places and during several days of tension and conflict, more than One hundred people were killed. Now, Bangladesh has gone through conflict and violent demonstrations, but the issues that the students protested against could become a problem for Dhaka once again under different conditions.

Bangladesh with a population of nearly 180 million people; Now it is in a situation where talking about youth unemployment and the difficulties of providing a livelihood can lead to a new wave of protests. All this is in a situation where Bangladesh remembers the bitter and difficult years of the insecurity of the coup and now it has been living in peace and stability for years.

“Quotation”, father’s legacy for daughter

Sheikh Mujib-ul-Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, who is also known as the father of Bangladesh; He is the same leader who was killed by the military and the current prime minister of Bangladesh was also lucky to spend those dark days with his sister on a trip to Europe, if he had not lost his life like his father and other family members.

Sheikh Hasina Wajid, who has now been elected as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the fifth time, is the son of Mujibur Rahman and the leader of the “Awami” party.

Based on a special quota system first proposed in 1972 by Sheikh Mujib-ul-Rahman, the government of Bangladesh has ensured that the children and grandchildren of independence fighters and fighters who died fighting for independence be supported and have a special quota to hold government jobs.

Ms. Hasina also respected the tradition of her father and has always supported this law. But in recent days, protesting students came to the square with the slogan that a lot of time has passed since independence and it is necessary to remove the quota for the survivors of the independence fighters as well as the quota for women and ethnic groups.

It wasn’t long before the cancellation of the existing quota system for government jobs became a student demand and the fire of protests engulfed most cities.

The protestors demanded that with the approval of a new law in the parliament, the whole new quota system would eventually reach 5%. The presidents of the universities did not pay attention to the protestors’ request to cancel the classes, but the lack of attendance of the students automatically caused the closure of the universities.

Sheikh Hasina is known as a leader who is decisive in implementing government decisions. But now he is also in a situation where he has to cut back on some of his previous decisions. Although the quota system for holding government jobs is the intellectual legacy of the founder of Bangladesh, the protests and heavy casualties made Mrs. Hasina reconsider her decisions.

When Abu Mohammad Aminuddin, the Attorney General of Bangladesh, prepared to speak to foreign journalists, no one could believe that he was able to end a tense period based on the appeal court ruling. and cancel the verdict of the trial court. Now, based on this new ruling; It has been ordered that the allocation of 93% of government jobs should be based only on merit, 5% should be given to the descendants of the veterans of the Independence War, and the remaining 2% would be the share of the disabled and ethnic minorities.

Bangladesh and the challenge of poverty alleviation

The leaders of the student protests tried to raise the issue of government quotas as the only problem that has caused poverty and inequality in Bangladesh. But the fact is that the political, economic and social situation of Bangladesh is a complicated, complex and multifaceted issue. This country has experienced political unrest, economic challenges and social issues such as gender inequality and corruption at several times, in addition to the violent adventure of the US-affiliated coup officers. Sheikh Hasina’s government has been criticized on several occasions for authoritarian tactics, including suppression of opposition parties and restrictions on civil liberties.

But we cannot ignore the fact that he was one of the most effective politicians in overseeing relative economic growth and improving social indicators.

The situation in Bangladesh is complicated by a long history of political turmoil and the legacy of India’s partition, and without a doubt, had it not been for Hasina and her colleagues, Bangladesh might have experienced far more widespread poverty. be more worrying than the current situation.

Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh has made progress in reducing poverty and fighting corruption at several times, and for this reason, she was able to reach the position of prime minister for 5 times. Investing in education, health care and infrastructure has been one of the executive political goals of Sheikh Hasina and her party. However, the class gap and income inequality remain a serious problem, and many people in Bangladesh, especially in rural areas, still live in poverty.

Another structural problem in Bangladesh is corruption in government institutions. Sheikh Hasina’s government has taken measures to combat corruption, one of which was the creation of an independent commission to combat corruption and bribery and strengthening the laws against corruption. However, corruption has not gone away and serious allegations have been made against government officials.

The extensive actions of the team of economic experts under Sheikh Hasina led Bangladesh to economic growth, and strategies such as encouraging foreign investment and promoting exports brought positive changes. But during corona, the economic problems of Bangladesh increased and now this populous country, with The problem of unemployment, diversifying the economy and attracting capital is facing challenges.