Pressure to hold elections motivating, Bangladesh student leader tells VOA

Dhaka — Along Dhaka’s chaotic roads, where cycle rickshaws and dilapidated double-deckers compete for space with honking cars and scurrying pedestrians, brightly painted graffiti tells the story of the protests that in just over five weeks ended the 15-year rule of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 


The uprising, popularly known in Bangladesh as the "July 36 Revolution," began as a student-led protest against a job quota system on July 1. It ended on August 5 with Hasina fleeing to India on a helicopter, as millions of people angered by the regime's deadly crackdown on students descended on the capital calling for the prime minister's ouster. 


Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old student leader who announced the mass movement's demand for Hasina's resignation on August 3, is one of two student leaders who are part of a 19-member “advisory council” – in effect, an interim government – headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.    




"My lifestyle has changed drastically," 26-year-old Islam told VOA in his office Sunday about the dramatic shift from student politics to running two ministries. The young activist is heading the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology as well as the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 


"In the case of government, it’s an official set up, and again we are re-learning how to work for the people," said the casually dressed Islam. "So, we have organizational capacity and that is being put to work right now but the government has different rules, there is a bureaucratic setup. We have started working in the system and are trying to adjust." 


He was also trying to change the system, Islam said. His 100-day plan includes breaking down silos to increase communication with lower-level officials, investigating corruption in government projects, expanding internet access, and getting rid of draconian cybersecurity and media laws. 


"If we cannot realize those wishes, we will not be fulfilling people’s demands," Islam said, adding that without necessary reforms, the next elected government will not be able to function well. 




However, the advisory council is under pressure from political parties to return the nation of 170 million people to democracy. After years of facing crackdowns, major parties like Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamat-e-Islami have resumed political activities. Party leaders have expressed support for the advisory council but are also pushing for elections. 


"This pressure should be on us," said Islam. "If we face the pressure, we will also actively work to pave the way for elections," Islam told VOA. 


Islam said the entire reform program of the interim government which includes electoral, judicial, and police reforms could take more than a year to implement. He said the bureaucracy needs to be cleansed of norms installed by Hasina's Awami League party that allowed corruption and politicization of government institutions. 




Bangladesh's military chief Wakar-Uz-Zaman told Reuters last month the country could head to polls within 18 months. 


Speaking to VOA Bangla earlier this week, Yunus refused to say when his interim government of academics, technocrats, student leaders, and rights defenders will hand over charge to a democratically elected government. 


Despite enjoying mass support, Islam said student leaders of the mass movement are currently not focusing on turning the alliance into a political party for the next elections. 


"The people have a desire to see the students in political leadership but actually we are not paying attention to this issue right now," the young leader said. "After the goals of the uprising are achieved or the nation has been reconstructed, the students will decide how they want to proceed." 




Several hundred people died between July and early August as the outgoing regime used deadly force against protesters across Bangladesh. Dozens of policemen were killed in revenge attacks. Anger at Hasina's Awami League is still high as hospitals across the country continue to treat injured protesters, most suffering from bullet and pellet gun wounds.   


While anti-Awami League students now have access to power, many student leaders of Awami League's student wing, known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League, now face the risk of attacks. Last month a mob beat a former organizing secretary of the Chhatra League for allegedly supporting violence against the protesters in July. The student leader died hours later. Another student leader told VOA he is afraid to go to his hostel on the Dhaka University campus.  


Islam said the Awami League may still have a role in Bangladesh's democracy but not without accountability. 


"We have not banned Awami League so far. But since the party and its beneficiary class are involved in mass killings, they should face the law. Those who are found to be guilty will face punishment according to the law and those who are found to be innocent, they will continue to enjoy their democratic rights." 




In a show of anger, student groups marked Hasina's birthday on September 28 by throwing shoes at her images. In Dhaka, a giant mural of the former leader next to an equally huge painting of her father, Shaikh Mujib, the founder of Bangladesh, has a garland of shoes hanging over it.  




Hasina is facing more than 200 cases. The list of cases against her party leaders, many of whom have fled, continues to grow. 


Islam, who was abducted and tortured in July – allegedly by intelligence agencies notorious for extrajudicial actions, believes justice will heal the nation. 


"Everything will be decided by the courts," said Islam, "Through such a process society will achieve reconciliation." 


Across Bangladesh's capital, messages of defiance, hope, and people power painted on walls celebrate hard-won political freedom. They are also a reminder of the burden of expectations that Islam and his fellow interim leaders carry.