“Hopeful”: FIU students relieved as Bangladesh enters a new political era

Fariha Tasnim Amir | Staff Writer 

Following the end of the deadly student-led protests of Bangladesh, the country’s political landscape takes a refreshing turn with the formation of an interim government.

After the previous prime minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 7th in response to gruesome protests that left hundreds dead and even more wounded, the country, and by extension the 600 Bangladeshis pursuing their studies in FIU finally breathe a sigh of relief as the country begins a long sought for process of reformation under the new government. 

PantherNOW collected responses from the Bangladeshi students at FIU asking about the direction Bangladesh is heading towards with the newly formed government in lead. From the responses, it’s evident that they’re expecting great things after the end of such a huge crisis.

The newly formed interim government is being led by Bangladesh’s one and only Nobel laureate, renowned economist Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Of the 17 cabinet members, 2 are student coordinators who led the quota reform movement that brought down Hasina’s regime.They’re the youngest members of any government in Bangladesh history.

“I am hopeful that the new government will be able to shape and guide the institutions in the right direction for fair election and rule of law,” said PhD student Sarwar.

When asked about his expectations of the current government, Tofazzal Hossain expressed his hope for a better future, “Definitely, they will bring justice and fairness amongst public service officials.”

“I trust this government. All its members are educated and intelligent. Dr. Yunus is a wise leader, and I believe he will take the necessary steps to repair the damage,” said Adil Arman.

Masters student Bipasha Amin brought up the urgency of eradicating corruption in her response. “The government has to break the internal corrupted syndicate in every sector as soon as possible,” she said.

“Reforming the constitution, policymakers and policy enforcers is urgently needed for a stable, prosperous, and independent Bangladesh. Moreover, ensuring exemplary punishment to the wrongdoers will help to prevent the birth of future tyrants,” said PhD student Ahmed Awsaf on his idea of a new and better Bangladesh.

“As the chief adviser of the new government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus is a world renowned economist, I’m hopeful that Bangladesh will overcome this financial crisis under his supervision,” Computer science doctoral candidate Sohely Jahan said, putting forth her faith in the new leader of the country.

Though they’re filled with patriotic passion for their country, students also expressed concern for the harsh challenges that await the new government. “One of the major challenges will be ensuring political stability and gaining the trust of the population after the fall of a long-standing leader like Hasina,” said Nusrat Yamin, another PhD student. 

Sadik, a doctoral candidate, expanded on this sentiment, “The interim government will need to counteract the propaganda being disseminated by the former regime to regain political influence”.

Immigrants living in different countries also played an important part during the movement. They had stopped sending remittance to the country to show disapproval to the previous government’s violent repression methods on the people.

After the fall of Hasina, they resumed the flow of remittance again to play their part in reforming the country.

Ahmed Awsaf’s response sheds light on this. “The financial destruction brought upon the country is extensive and will require considerable time to recover. However, citizens living abroad have begun sending money through legal channels, and if this trend continues, financial recovery is achievable,” he said.

“The new government has to encourage remittances through legal channels by aligning the exchange rates with the open market dollar value,” PhD Student Nur Imtiazul Haque mentioned the great impact Bangladeshi immigrant workers can have on the economy.

Muhammad Mahmudul Hasan brought up the contribution of the brave protestants in his response. “The new government has to help our  national heroes and their families and ensure their proper medical treatment.” 

PhD candidate Sohely paid her respects to the protestants as well. “I think the inclusion of two student coordinators in the cabinet is a commendable step. It’s good because they’ll work to make sure the victims of the movement get justice. They also need to make sure the wounded victims don’t suffer in the new independent Bangladesh. They should get a chance to rehabilitate themselves and contribute to society,” she said.

On the topic of the 2 student coordinators being a part of the current cabinet, Nur Imtiazul Haque said, “Although they are young and lack experience in running a government, I believe they possess talent and, most importantly, a genuine goodwill for the country.” 

Highlighting the current crisis of the country, Sohely explained, “Economic freedom and reestablishing our cross border relations with India, especially with the recent flood and religious tolerance for minorities issue, is a must.” 

To note, on August 22 of this year, India opened their Dumbur Dam gates which hadn’t been opened in the last 31 years. Due to Bangladesh’s geographical location, the water that was released caused heavy flooding that caused nearly 3 million people to be stranded in Bangladesh.

 “Strengthening and more importantly, balancing international relations with our neighboring countries is something the new government immediately needs to focus on,” Sohely added.

 Health science doctoral candidate Sharika highlighted the importance of fair elections. “They need to focus on electoral reform to ensure free and fair elections in the future,” she said. “I think at least 6 years is an appropriate time for this government to create a suitable atmosphere to organize an election given the current state of the country. Even a properly elected government stays in power for 5 years, to bring forth positive change in the country after this huge shift-more time is definitely needed,” Ms Sohely said.

Following the downfall of Hasina’s regime, FIU’s Bangladesh Student Organization arranged a get-together event on August 18 in front of the Engineering Center to celebrate the historic victory of the Bangladeshi people against dictatorship and to honor the country’s new journey towards true democracy and freedom.