Over twenty years ago, Sheikh Hasina assumed power in Bangladesh, a nation riddled with military coups. She was looked upon as a beacon of secular democracy set to overhaul the impoverished nation’s economic infrastructure. Her vision, however, remained largely unfulfilled with her fifth tenure being marred by violence, corruption, and persecution of political rivals, resulting in an embarrassing departure, prompted by a popular uprising at her presidential palace in Dhaka.
Sheikh Hasina’s leadership starkly contrasts with her father’s ideals, the assassinated independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Her endeavour to uphold his legacy, by reserving government jobs to the offspring of 1971 civil war veterans, was one of the triggers for the public’s escalating resentment of her rule.
With a population of 170 million, the reins of power in Bangladesh have been returned to the military, an entity known for its involvement in state repression. Troop leader, Waker-Uz-Zaman, however, has pledged to engage political factions to institute a civilian government. Negotiations will be complex due to the incised fissures between Hasina’s Awami League and the opposing Bangladesh Nationalist party.
Demands from students to include renowned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus in a key position present an opportunity not to be missed. Yunus, one of Bangladesh’s most esteemed figures and a champion of microfinancing the poor, landed the Nobel Prize in 2006.
In an encouraging move, President Mohammed Shahabuddin has dissolved the parliament, leading to the release of formerly incarcerated ex-premier Khaleda Zia and student demonstrators. Zia was previously imprisoned on corruption charges, deemed by many as politically driven. It remains uncertain whether these measures will placate the volatile climate on Dhaka’s roads.