A well-functioning democracy is like a stately ship. But when dysfunction sets in, it erodes the very foundation of stability. Bangladesh just went through such a turmoil where the state institutions were shaken to the core by violent street demonstrations leading to toppling of the government.
To understand the current turmoil in Bangladesh, one must understand the genesis of this conflict. It stretches back to 1947.
In 1947 Pakistan was cleaved out of India when the British granted independence to the subcontinent. At the time of creation, Pakistan had two provinces called East and West Pakistan. They were separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory.
It was a geopolitical anomaly. The only thing that bound the two provinces was the desire to get independence from the British and a shared Islamic faith. The fervor for independence lasts only a short time after it is granted, and religion has never been able to keep disparate people together. People in East Pakistan had their own Bangali language and their own millennia-old culture. West Pakistanis did not relate to the other half of the country.
The seeds of dissention were sowed early on when the Pakistan government, dominated by West Pakistanis, tried to impose the Urdu language on the eastern province. Riots broke out and the government had to withdraw the scheme. Disparity in federal spending between the two provinces was glaring even though East Pakistanis constituted 54 percent of the country’s population. Despite a majority in the parliament, they were denied the right to form the national government.
A firebrand political leader Sheikh Mujib ur Rahman took exception to this high handedness and started demanding separation from Pakistan. His daughter Sheikh Hasina inherited his mantle and is the one who was just deposed.
In 1971, after 25 years of independence, East Pakistan broke away after a bloody struggle. India jumped into the fray by helping and training the rebels. The Pakistan army let loose a reign of terror over the province and as a result hundreds and thousands of people died. Sheikh Mujib became head of the newly independent country of Bangladesh.
For Pakistan it was a humiliating defeat. Its army in East Pakistan surrendered to an Indian general, and 100,000 soldiers were taken to India as prisoners of war.
Awami League is the main political party that has ruled off and on since separation from Pakistan. Within five years, in 1975, Mujibur Rahman, the founder, was assassinated. Typical of dynastic politics his daughter Sheikh Hasina took her father’s place. With an absolute parliamentary majority, she ruled with an iron fist. Opposition leaders were thrown in jail, and dissent was forbidden.
The current trouble started in July when students took to the streets protesting against the quota system that reserved 30 percent of federal jobs for the descendants of the war for independence from Pakistan. Most of the beneficiaries, however, were members of her Awami League party and Sheikh Hasina’s cronies. Violent demonstrations forced the courts to declare the quota system illegal. But then the students had the momentum. They demanded the resignation of the prime minister and her government. Things came to a head when the army intervened.
The head of the army advised the prime minister to resign and to leave the country for her own safety. The generals provided a safe passage to the prime minister and her family to India.
Anarchy ruled the streets of capital Dhakka and other cities. Wakar uz Zaman, the army chief, promised an interim government to overcome the crisis.
Enter Muhammad Yunas, world renowned economist and Nobel laureate. Sheikh Hasina had him set for court appearance on trumped up charges of corruption that would have sent him to prison for a long time. His trial was on the very day when the government resigned. Two days later the army chief asked him to form the interim government.
A civilian government of technocrats has been installed. It also has two members from the protesting students. The chief justice of the Supreme Court has been let go and so has the governor of the state bank.
It is a shame that Bangladesh has suffered such a calamity. Of late it was doing very well with a robust economy thanks to a thriving garment industry. Now the immediate task for the interim government is to bring political stability to the country. Such governments usually work for a short time before returning power to political leadership after fresh elections.
In this case experts predict that a short-term stability will not be able to make necessary corrections in the system that has been badly damaged by graft, cronyism, and political nepotism. It would require a few years to stabilize it.
It is a rather difficult task to steady the ship of state when it has been listing for years.
S. Amjad Hussain is an emeritus professor of surgery and humanities at the University of Toledo. His column appears every other week in The Blade. Contact him at: aghaji3@icloud.com.
First Published August 21, 2024, 4:00 a.m.
