With the fall of the previous government, Bangladesh currently finds itself in a particularly precarious position, especially when it comes to rule of law. With police stations around the nation finally coming back into operation, it is now more important than ever for the public to cooperate with law enforcement.
Which is why yesterday’s reported storming of the Secretariat by hundreds of students is such a disappointing development.
According to reports, hundreds of students stormed the Secretariat yesterday afternoon demanding the cancellation of the remaining Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams, bypassing police barricades. The circumstances had reportedly deteriorated to the point where law enforcement stationed at the Secretariat gates had to take refuge in a safe area.
As things stand, the protesting students have been granted their demand as all postponed HSC and equivalent examinations have been cancelled in the face of the protests. However, surely this did not need yet another round of protest -- especially one which resulted in the Secretariat being stormed -- to be accomplished?
The student movement against discrimination has already resulted in a new government being in place, one that has shown an immense capacity for listening to the youth and rational decision making. Why, then, did these students feel the need to storm a government office?
As we have said before, there is a very fine line between a people rising up to have their voices heard and mob rule -- as responsible citizens of a new Bangladesh, we must always be wary of crossing that line.
We need to cooperate with our government, with our law enforcement just as much as we expect them to cooperate with us. A breach in that contract, at any end, does the entire nation a disservice.
