eurasiareview
Dr. Habib Siddiqui
July 13, 2024
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In recent days, Bangladesh is seeing student protests in many parts of the country, esp. in the university campuses. The protesting students have valid reasons to protest about a quota system that they find highly unfair and discriminatory. A whopping 30% of the well-paid and massively over-subscribed Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) posts are reserved for the family members of those who fought during the liberation war of 1971, and another 10% for women, 10% for districts, 5% for ethnic minorities and 1% for the disabled/handicaps. This leaves only 44% of the jobs reserved for merit to roughly 98% of the applicants.
Critics of the quota system say the system benefits children of pro-government groups, who back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. They allege that the system incentivizes and weaponizes ‘party politics’ in the government sector. They also allege that the flawed system has allowed religious and ethnic minorities who represent less than a tenth of the population to now hold disproportionately three to four times their share of government jobs under the Hasina administration. This discriminatory system is kept alive allegedly as part of a litany of ‘appeasement policies’ adopted by the current government to be in the ‘good book’ of Narendra Modi whose Hindutvadi majoritarian policies have made the lives of non-Hindus miserable inside India. Critics also accuse Bangladeshi courts of rubber-stamping decisions made by the Awami League government.
Supporters of the quota system, on the other hand, say the system is necessary to promote and sustain the pro-liberation mindset and behavior. They see it also as a pay-off for the sacrifice and contribution of freedom fighters and as a necessary means of promoting diversity and secularism in Bangladesh. They also fancy that such pro-minority policies may positively influence the mindset and behavior of religious bigots ruling next doors in India and Myanmar. After all, nearly a million Rohingya people have been pushed out of the Buddhist-majority Myanmar since 2017. Similarly, two hundred million Muslims have effectively been made second-class citizens or aliens in Modi’s India since 2014. (The latter subject is covered in my upcoming book – ‘Modi-fied’ India: the transformation of a nation – to be published by Peter Lang, U.K.)
Interestingly, not all the freedom fighters favor the quota system any longer. Many of them say that it has outrun its utility half a century after the liberation of Bangladesh. Some see it as an insult to their very patriotism. They say that they did not participate in the war with the intention of getting rewarded or that one day their posterity would benefit from and take advantage of their service to the nation. As true patriots of the country they like to see the discriminatory quota system gone, thus enabling a merit-based selection process to take root in the government job sector.
The other pertinent fact on this debate is that the list of freedom fighters (FF) was completed only in 1996, some 25 years after the liberation of the country. As a result, although the 30% quota for the FFs was first introduced back in 1972, many freedom fighters could not avail the benefits when it was necessary. In 1997, as the numbers of those claiming FF quota positions started to dwindle, the government extended the quota to the children of freedom fighters. In 2010, it was further expanded to include the grandchildren of freedom fighters. According to Minister for Liberation War Affairs Muzammel Haque, only about 5% of the applicants in the last five BCS exams had come from the FF families of which about a half passed the written test. Thus, according to him, in most cases, the 56% quota was hardly ever filled to its specified figures.
What needs to happen with a system that is seen so negatively by so many inside Bangladesh?
To be sure, there were no more than 200,000 freedom fighters in 1971 whose family members can’t add up to more than a percentage of the overall population today. And so is the case with the ethnic/tribal minorities. It is not difficult to understand why the protesters are so upset with the quota system, which they find unfair and discriminatory. It is disheartening for most graduating students who see a bleak future awaiting them after years of college/university education. It is, at minimum, a dal-bhat (bread and butter) issue for many youngsters inside Bangladesh who face an acute job crisis. While Bangladesh has made much progress economically under Sheikh Hasina’s watch with per capita income overtaking India in 2021, the sad fact is that much of that growth has come from the ready-made garment (RMG) export sector, which absorbs only a handful of university graduates, and not any other industrial and commercial sector requiring huge, educated manpower.
As I had noted in an earlier article, the government of Sheikh Hasina has been well aware of the quota problem for quite some time. Back in 2018 after weeks of protests, her government cancelled the 56 % quota for the civil service for the first- and second-class jobs (while keeping 56 % quota intact for the 3rd and 4th grades). Sadly, on June 5, 2024, following a writ petition filed by the descendant of a freedom fighter and six others, the High Court in Dhaka declared illegal the government decision, sparking fury again from the student community and job seekers. Students launched protests earlier this month, with a four-point demand, including the reinstatement of the 2018 government circular. They blocked major highways and railway lines.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the student protests, saying the matter had been settled by the court. “Students are wasting their time,” Sheikh Hasina told female activists within her own party on July 7 before her official visit to China, adding there was “no justification for the anti-quota movement“.
The protesting students and job seekers obviously don’t agree with her statement and like to see a permanent solution to the discriminatory quota system. They say that they are, however, not opposed to five percent of jobs being reserved for the ethnic minorities and disabled or handicapped people. They have vowed to continue their protests, the so-called ‘Bangla Blockade’ program, until their latest ‘one-point’ demand – for a law passed in the parliament that outlaws the discriminatory quota system – is met. This time they have also chosen the Supreme Court to file their grievances.
Based on a petition filed on July 10 by two Dhaka University students challenging the High Court verdict, Bangladesh’s top court has temporarily suspended quotas for coveted government jobs. Apparently, such a temporary measure is not acceptable to the protesters. After a one-day break in their program, student organizers announced a nationwide blockade on July 11. Many teachers have also joined in these protests forcing the academic activities of many universities to come to a complete halt.
As we have seen in the past, these protests are seen by the ruling AL party as ant-government agitations that are being encouraged by the opposition party BNP. Minister Obaidul Quader said, “If anyone tries to give the protests a political shape, we’ll face it politically”. The Home Minister Kamal also threatened to use force to curb any violence.
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. Tear gas was used by the police on the protesters in various cities resulting in some injuries, further worsening the situation. The organizers are seemingly determined to continue their protests until their ‘legitimate’ 1-point demand is met.
Experts have long known about the adverse effects of a discriminatory quota system that may not allow the best of the candidates selected for government jobs. In the corporate world, there is a saying the 1’s hire the 1’s empowering them; the 3’s hire the 5’s to create a cadre of sycophants who won’t challenge them; and when the 5’s are in power, it is not why but when that corporation is gone. What is true in the corporate world is more true for a state, esp. in the age of Internet where there is no room for mediocracy. Simply put: mediocre minds do not and cannot think brilliantly and hire and promote poorly so as not to be challenged with their own mediocrity. This puts the state on a wrong trajectory when to survive in a fast-paced and highly competitive global economy it needs talented workforce planning and executing various programs effectively
If the Hasina government is serious about positioning Bangladesh successfully in the global arena, it needs to promote meritocracy. Nor should it be oblivious of the old saying: the politics of Bengal is in reality the economics of Bengal.
Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Dr. Habib Siddiqui has a long history as a peaceful activist in an effort towards improving human rights and creating a just and equitable world. He has written extensively in the arena of humanity, global politics, social conscience and human rights since 1980, many of which have appeared in newspapers, magazines, journals and the Internet. He has tirelessly championed the cause of the disadvantaged, the poor and the forgotten here in Americas and abroad. Commenting on his articles, others have said, "His meticulously researched essays and articles combined with real human dimensions on the plight of the displaced peoples of Rohingya in Myanmar, Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo and Palestine, and American Muslims in the post-9/11 era have made him a singular important intellectual offering a sane voice with counterpoints to the shrill threats of the oppressors and the powerful. He offers a fresh and insightful perspective on a whole generation of a misunderstood and displaced people with little or no voice of their own." He has authored 11 books, five of which are now available through Amazon.com. His latest book - Devotional Stories is published by A.S. Noordeen, Malaysia.
Link : Here
Supporters of the quota system, on the other hand, say the system is necessary to promote and sustain the pro-liberation mindset and behavior. They see it also as a pay-off for the sacrifice and contribution of freedom fighters and as a necessary means of promoting diversity and secularism in Bangladesh. They also fancy that such pro-minority policies may positively influence the mindset and behavior of religious bigots ruling next doors in India and Myanmar. After all, nearly a million Rohingya people have been pushed out of the Buddhist-majority Myanmar since 2017. Similarly, two hundred million Muslims have effectively been made second-class citizens or aliens in Modi’s India since 2014. (The latter subject is covered in my upcoming book – ‘Modi-fied’ India: the transformation of a nation – to be published by Peter Lang, U.K.)
Interestingly, not all the freedom fighters favor the quota system any longer. Many of them say that it has outrun its utility half a century after the liberation of Bangladesh. Some see it as an insult to their very patriotism. They say that they did not participate in the war with the intention of getting rewarded or that one day their posterity would benefit from and take advantage of their service to the nation. As true patriots of the country they like to see the discriminatory quota system gone, thus enabling a merit-based selection process to take root in the government job sector.
The other pertinent fact on this debate is that the list of freedom fighters (FF) was completed only in 1996, some 25 years after the liberation of the country. As a result, although the 30% quota for the FFs was first introduced back in 1972, many freedom fighters could not avail the benefits when it was necessary. In 1997, as the numbers of those claiming FF quota positions started to dwindle, the government extended the quota to the children of freedom fighters. In 2010, it was further expanded to include the grandchildren of freedom fighters. According to Minister for Liberation War Affairs Muzammel Haque, only about 5% of the applicants in the last five BCS exams had come from the FF families of which about a half passed the written test. Thus, according to him, in most cases, the 56% quota was hardly ever filled to its specified figures.
What needs to happen with a system that is seen so negatively by so many inside Bangladesh?
To be sure, there were no more than 200,000 freedom fighters in 1971 whose family members can’t add up to more than a percentage of the overall population today. And so is the case with the ethnic/tribal minorities. It is not difficult to understand why the protesters are so upset with the quota system, which they find unfair and discriminatory. It is disheartening for most graduating students who see a bleak future awaiting them after years of college/university education. It is, at minimum, a dal-bhat (bread and butter) issue for many youngsters inside Bangladesh who face an acute job crisis. While Bangladesh has made much progress economically under Sheikh Hasina’s watch with per capita income overtaking India in 2021, the sad fact is that much of that growth has come from the ready-made garment (RMG) export sector, which absorbs only a handful of university graduates, and not any other industrial and commercial sector requiring huge, educated manpower.
As I had noted in an earlier article, the government of Sheikh Hasina has been well aware of the quota problem for quite some time. Back in 2018 after weeks of protests, her government cancelled the 56 % quota for the civil service for the first- and second-class jobs (while keeping 56 % quota intact for the 3rd and 4th grades). Sadly, on June 5, 2024, following a writ petition filed by the descendant of a freedom fighter and six others, the High Court in Dhaka declared illegal the government decision, sparking fury again from the student community and job seekers. Students launched protests earlier this month, with a four-point demand, including the reinstatement of the 2018 government circular. They blocked major highways and railway lines.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the student protests, saying the matter had been settled by the court. “Students are wasting their time,” Sheikh Hasina told female activists within her own party on July 7 before her official visit to China, adding there was “no justification for the anti-quota movement“.
The protesting students and job seekers obviously don’t agree with her statement and like to see a permanent solution to the discriminatory quota system. They say that they are, however, not opposed to five percent of jobs being reserved for the ethnic minorities and disabled or handicapped people. They have vowed to continue their protests, the so-called ‘Bangla Blockade’ program, until their latest ‘one-point’ demand – for a law passed in the parliament that outlaws the discriminatory quota system – is met. This time they have also chosen the Supreme Court to file their grievances.
Based on a petition filed on July 10 by two Dhaka University students challenging the High Court verdict, Bangladesh’s top court has temporarily suspended quotas for coveted government jobs. Apparently, such a temporary measure is not acceptable to the protesters. After a one-day break in their program, student organizers announced a nationwide blockade on July 11. Many teachers have also joined in these protests forcing the academic activities of many universities to come to a complete halt.
As we have seen in the past, these protests are seen by the ruling AL party as ant-government agitations that are being encouraged by the opposition party BNP. Minister Obaidul Quader said, “If anyone tries to give the protests a political shape, we’ll face it politically”. The Home Minister Kamal also threatened to use force to curb any violence.
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. Tear gas was used by the police on the protesters in various cities resulting in some injuries, further worsening the situation. The organizers are seemingly determined to continue their protests until their ‘legitimate’ 1-point demand is met.
Experts have long known about the adverse effects of a discriminatory quota system that may not allow the best of the candidates selected for government jobs. In the corporate world, there is a saying the 1’s hire the 1’s empowering them; the 3’s hire the 5’s to create a cadre of sycophants who won’t challenge them; and when the 5’s are in power, it is not why but when that corporation is gone. What is true in the corporate world is more true for a state, esp. in the age of Internet where there is no room for mediocracy. Simply put: mediocre minds do not and cannot think brilliantly and hire and promote poorly so as not to be challenged with their own mediocrity. This puts the state on a wrong trajectory when to survive in a fast-paced and highly competitive global economy it needs talented workforce planning and executing various programs effectively
If the Hasina government is serious about positioning Bangladesh successfully in the global arena, it needs to promote meritocracy. Nor should it be oblivious of the old saying: the politics of Bengal is in reality the economics of Bengal.
Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Dr. Habib Siddiqui has a long history as a peaceful activist in an effort towards improving human rights and creating a just and equitable world. He has written extensively in the arena of humanity, global politics, social conscience and human rights since 1980, many of which have appeared in newspapers, magazines, journals and the Internet. He has tirelessly championed the cause of the disadvantaged, the poor and the forgotten here in Americas and abroad. Commenting on his articles, others have said, "His meticulously researched essays and articles combined with real human dimensions on the plight of the displaced peoples of Rohingya in Myanmar, Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo and Palestine, and American Muslims in the post-9/11 era have made him a singular important intellectual offering a sane voice with counterpoints to the shrill threats of the oppressors and the powerful. He offers a fresh and insightful perspective on a whole generation of a misunderstood and displaced people with little or no voice of their own." He has authored 11 books, five of which are now available through Amazon.com. His latest book - Devotional Stories is published by A.S. Noordeen, Malaysia.
Link : Here
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