[Bangladesh2024 Campaign] 17. Quotas for public office

Since the turn of the millennium, Bangladesh was in good economic shape: population growth had slowed, education was improving, industry was growing, and economic indicators were improving.

 

 

For two decades, Bangladesh's economic growth rate averaged 6.25% per year, and by 2022, the country's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita exceeded $2,500, the highest in Southwest Asia, surpassing even India. International organizations have predicted that Bangladesh will leave the least developed countries by 2026.

 

 

With the country on an economic upswing, the question was, why did the people's revolution happen? Mr. Mustain Zahir's presentation at the global forum offered few clues to answer this question.

https://teameye.tistory.com/717

[방글라데시2024캠페인] 8. "몬순 혁명과 저항의 언어" by 무스타인 빌라 자히르

 

One clue was that youth unemployment was 15%, three times the overall unemployment rate, making it extremely difficult for university graduates to find jobs. They would prefer to hold public office, but the Hasina regime has allocated 56% of public offices to certain groups: 10% each to women and people from underdeveloped areas, 5% to indigenous people, 1% to people with disabilities, and 30% to the descendants of freedom fighters.

https://www.voanews.com/a/bangladeshi-protesters-demand-end-to-civil-service-job-quotas/7688573.html

Bangladeshi protesters demand end to civil service job quotas

 

University students have been protesting against the quota system since July 2024. They objected to quotas other than those for indigenous people and people with disabilities. In particular, they argued that the allocation of 30% of public offices to the grandchildren of freedom fighters, who make up only 0.13% of the population, was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/7/18/who-are-the-protesters-demanding-an-end-to-job-quotas-in-bangladesh

Who are the protesters demanding an end to job quotas in Bangladesh?

 

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh imposed a moratorium on the quota system, postponing a final decision until August 7, 2024. The students, who felt that the Supreme Court was only stalling for time, continued their protests, because once the quota system was implemented, the competition for government jobs, which had already reached to 100-to-1 competition rate, would be harder to get.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/why-are-bangladesh-students-protesting-against-job-quotas/what-is-the-quota-system/slideshow/111905342.cms

Why are Bangladesh students protesting against job quotas? - ​Bangladesh student protests​

 

Two decades of rapid growth didn't help the university students, as Bangladesh's growth was mostly driven by light industry, including the sewing industry. As the professional sector for university students remained weak, university graduates preferred government jobs. The quota system, which the Hasina government is reviving, was a “do or die” threat to them.

 

 

Nevertheless, this still doesn't explain why university students' protests against the quota system evolved into the uprising of the general population.

 

In his presentation at the forum, Mr. Zahir explained that the protest escalated after five university students, including Abu Sayed, a student of English literature at Dhaka University, were killed in police firing on July 16, 2024.

 

 

The death of Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mughdo, an MBA student at Dhaka University on July 18, was also spread like wildfire across the country on social media, prompting Bangladeshis to join anti-government protests, Mr. Zahir explained.

 

 

All three members of the Bangladesh delegation are activists who were directly involved in the protests, so their testimony is likely to be credible.

 

However, it's hard not to wonder if there must have been some underlying factors that led to the escalation of the university students' protests into a civil revolution. (jc, 11/19/2024)