The violent student protests in Bangladesh against the controversial job quota system, which have claimed at least 163 lives, have exposed the fragility of the civil society-state relationship in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s country, despite her back-to-back election victories. While the trigger was a High Court decision, last month, to reintroduce the old quota system — 56% of government jobs for different categories, including 30% for the descendants of freedom fighters — Ms. Hasina’s handling of the crisis made the situation worse. When student protests, backed by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, broke out, she dismissed the protesters as Razakars, which is considered to be derogatory as it refers to those who aided the Pakistani military’s genocide of locals in erstwhile East Pakistan prior to the creation of Bangladesh. There were also allegations that the student wing of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League attacked the protesters, besides police and paramilitary forces. The crisis spiralled out of control, bringing Dhaka, the megacity of 10.2 million people, to a grinding halt. On Sunday, the Bangladesh Supreme Court scaled back the quota system, offering a major victory to the protesters. The 30% quota has now been brought down to 5%, and remaining reservations to 2%, while 93% government jobs would be open for all Bangladeshis.
The quota system, established in 1972, has been a sensitive issue for years. In 2018, after violent protests, Ms. Hasina scrapped all reservations through an executive order. The protesters’ opposition now is driven by both the economic realities of the South Asian nation of 170 million and political concerns. Despite rapid economic growth under Ms. Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh remains a poor country where youth unemployment stands at around 20%. Government jobs are seen as more stable and highly sought after. Growing frustration among the youth has been a social time bomb. The protesters and opposition parties also say the quota system mostly benefits the Awami League, which fought for independence, and helps the ruling party tighten its grip over the bureaucracy. The Supreme Court’s order has come as a relief for both sides. Ms. Hasina should be willing to talk to the protesters and opposition leaders to find a lasting solution by reforming the reservation system. The Prime Minister’s high-handed style and the persistent hostility between the government and the opposition are also hurting the country’s institutions and weakening its political system. Ms. Hasina should show accountability by ordering an independent investigation into the high number of deaths of protesters. And in the long run, her government should address the booming unemployment crisis, which, if left unchecked, will come back to haunt her one way or the other.
