At the outset, I want to emphasize that I am writing today’s article with absolute neutrality. The recent agitation and violence have deeply disturbed me, and I firmly believe that every responsible citizen of this country feels the same.
People both domestically and internationally have questioned the current situation and continue to do so. Many have tried to provide various types of information, and I myself have sought a lot of information. It is difficult to describe the current situation comprehensively. This movement was based on a very natural demand, which could have been easily resolved by acknowledging some facts, but we, the people of this country, did not allow that. Instead, there has been violence on a terrible scale, people have been killed, and state property has been set on fire.
This entire issue could have been easily avoided if the Honourable High Court had not outrightly quashed the 2018 Circular and had instead advised the Executive Branch to amend it. The violence could have been prevented if the Attorney Generals of our country had responsibly filed a leave to appeal to the Supreme Court under "The Doctrine of Political Question" after cancelling the 2018 Circular.
None of the violence would have occurred if the PM had perhaps been more careful with her words and refrained from using rhetoric involving the word “Razakar,” that had an inflammatory impact on the students.
Indeed, this movement might never have happened if the PM had been asked questions seriously in every press conference by the do-called media in attendance, especially the one at the end of her visit to China. However, she is often asked irrelevant or softball questions that even she seems embarrassed to answer. We need to reconsider the state of our country's media.
Despite all this, the horrific scale of violence, including the fighting and the killing of a six-year-old child from the roof, could have been avoided if the students had not been attacked by the sudden deployment of the Chhatra League following the violent student movement. All these actions are against Bangabandhu's true ideology and decades of people's politics. If Bangabandhu were alive today and saw the situation of the party he built in the 1940s, he would never have allowed such incidents. We must realize that there may be problems and mistakes in various areas of this government, which require changes.
The people of this country, especially the students, have not forgotten their purpose
However, questioning Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or his ideology by capitalizing on the various incidents of this government cannot be the work of any sane person.
On the other hand, if this movement had remained peaceful from beginning to end and there had been no terrible crackdown by the government, then the common people of this country -- such as rickshaw pullers, hawkers, day laborers, and people of all professions -- would have asked the students if they were agitating only because of the word Rajakar addressed to them by the Prime Minister. In that case, they might have been forced to postpone their movement. But the extent to which the government, using various forces including the police and the BGB, carried out or assisted in carrying out the killings undermines this whole scenario. The rickshaw-puller was supposed to ask the students, "The Prime Minister called you Rajakars; you are agitated for this, and we cannot drive rickshaws. Is that movement logical?" Now, the same rickshaw-puller Mama is helping students travel for free because he believes what the government has done in the past few days is unacceptable.
I have said much about the current situation, for which the government is mostly responsible. But everyone should be patient and professional in every case. The doctrine of yesteryear was that leaders who are very talented will be patient, so they can control the flow of events. However, due to the extensive development of information and communication technology and the impact of various events, we are now reaching a situation where every person in this country must be patient and professional. Different types of false information or facts are being published online, which do not exist in reality.
Both parties engage in this, so ultimately everyone must be patient and conscientious. On the other hand, I am encouraged by one thing in this difficult time: The people of this country, especially the students, have not forgotten their purpose. Essentially, in this non-political movement of students, a special group, specifically the ineffective opposition party of Bangladesh, BNP, is trying to capitalize on this movement and come to power. However, such movements are considered political in the real sense. But the definition varies in different countries. A political movement in our country today is a movement of violence, hatred, and venom. This is why this movement is now considered non-political by common people.
They want a government that is always accountable for protecting every citizen's rights
However, despite the violent involvement of the opposition, the common students have united in this movement. They have come to understand that this government is indeed flawed. However, this does not mean that the students are seeking the support of the BNP by holding the government accountable; rather, they have strongly rejected it because of their very own failures.
Fundamentally, the students desire a new horizon: A new system, a new government, and new responsibilities. They want a government that is always accountable for protecting every citizen's rights
What has pleased me most about this movement is the unbreakable unity among the students in our country. For instance, the act of providing water to protesting students by Mir Mugdho, or the collective protest when a student was arrested, exemplifies this solidarity. As an ordinary citizen, it is hard for me to predict the future or the final outcome of this movement. However, the decision must be made by the citizens of this country, and no one else has the right to intervene.
Looking to foreign entities for support is foolish and undermines the sovereignty of our country. No foreign country will protest or work for us; they are responsible for their own interests, not ours. Ultimately, the greatest achievement of our movement may be the realization that the people are the sole source of all power and that only the people can change the future of our country.
Tasin Mahdi, a devoted knowledge seeker based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, exhibits a profound commitment to the betterment of his home nation and a keen interest in international policy. His resolute dedication to comprehending and influencing domestic and global affairs underscores his potential as a significant contributor to shaping the future of his state and impacting international policy. He can be reached at [email protected]
