Tens of thousands of young people have been on the streets for five days in the capital and across the country. They are demanding reform of the system that favours relatives of independence fighters. Amnesty’s concern over police violence. Nil coordinator Nahid Islam: “We call for emergency session of Parliament”.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – In Bangladesh they call the protests that for five days have involved tens of thousands of students, who have been blocking the main streets of the country’s capital, especially in Dhaka, demanding that quotas for government jobs – hundreds of thousands of them, well paid – be abolished and that a system based on merit be instituted. The current system favours the sons of the 1971 independence fighters for one third of the posts. Tensions rose, protesters ran into police barricades, resulting in clashes. Yesterday, the Bangladesh High Court temporarily suspended the system, but the protests are not expected to stop until it is permanently removed.
At Comilla University, police chased students and opened fire, while in Chittagong they used batons against protesters. Amnesty International expressed concern over reports that at least 20 people, including students, were injured in the police crackdown. The current demand is for Parliament to pass a law reforming the quota system. Without this response the protests will continue. The announcement was made after blocking the Shahbag intersection in the capital for four hours; accompanied by the start of protests in all educational institutions in the country this afternoon.
Nahid Islam, among the coordinators of the movement, announced the programme for tomorrow, denouncing police attacks on protesting students in various parts of the country. Tomorrow at 4pm, marches and protest rallies will be held on all campuses to protest these attacks. Islam said: ‘Our demand is for an emergency session of parliament to pass a reform’. Addressing the protesters, Nahid Islam warned that any obstacles to the movement would be met with collective action, blaming the government for the people’s suffering, arguing that logical reforms to the quota system would avoid the need for protests. He added that the movement has the support of the public.
Minister of Public Administration Farhad Hossain said: ‘There should be a reform of the quota system. We need a logical solution based on discussion to determine the appropriate quota percentage. This discussion should be conducted in a rational manner’. Since the country’s independence, the quota system for government jobs has evolved. Until 2018, 56 per cent of jobs were covered by quotas, the majority, 30 per cent, going to children and grandchildren of freedom fighters. That year, widespread protests demanded reforms to reduce the quotas from 56% to 10%. Eventually, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the cancellation of all quotas and on 4 October 2018, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a circular abolishing the quota system for direct recruitment to ninth class (previously first class) and tenth to thirteenth class (previously second class) positions. However, a 56% quota remains for third and fourth class positions.
On 5 June, the Supreme Court, comprising Justices KM Kamrul Quader and Khizir Hayat, declared the decision to cancel the quota system illegal. A Christian freedom fighter, who preferred to remain anonymous, commented: ‘If the quota system is cancelled again, it will dishonour the freedom fighters. Martha Das, general secretary of the National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh (NCFB), told AsiaNews that she supported students, but felt that district, women, ethnic minority and disabled candidate quotas were necessary. “The quota for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters should be reduced from 30 per cent to 10 per cent. All other quotas should remain to ensure integrated development,’ Das said. The NCFB is a movement that aims to encourage Christians and Churches in Bangladesh to pray, plan and work together for the evangelisation of Bangladesh.
