SAD wants to keep interim govt under pressure

The Students Against Discrimination (SAD), a student platform that led the recent mass-uprising, has begun raising questions about different decisions of the interim government.

In a similar fashion, the Jatiya Nagarik Committee, an organisation of ‘conscious citizens’, has been expressing concerns over different activities of the current government.   

In particular, they did not welcome the recent appointments of two advisers, and even went to the extent of public criticism and street demonstrations.

The SAD leaders vented anger through street programmes, while the Nagarik Committee issued a statement criticising the appointments. All these developments gave rise to a question about a potential conflict between the two entities and the government. 

Prothom Alo spoke to five key leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. There are differences in their perspectives, but they shared a common view that they intend to operate as a ‘pressure group’ throughout the process of state reforms. They want to exert pressure on the interim government to keep it on the right track, while maintaining their credibility as a pressure group. 

In this regard, a SAD leader told Prothom Alo, “The masses could not be satisfied fully with the interim government due to multiple reasons, including (high) commodity prices. The government needs to play a proactive role here, alongside some specific issues, but no such actions are visible yet.” 

Over the new appointments, the student leader said the new advisers were appointed on Sunday without any consultation with the students and the people. Among them, Sheikh Bashir Uddin and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, they believe, are compassionate to fascist Awami League. 

“Inclusion of Awami League’s direct or indirect supporters to the advisory council may put the interim government at stake. It is crucial to keep the government under pressure on such issues,” he said.   

The Awami League government was ousted on 5 August through an uprising led by the SAD, which has since grown into a formal student organisation. On the flip side, the Nagarik Committee began its journey in September to consolidate the spirit of the uprising and support state reforms.

Both organisations  share a common goal, but their target groups are different – one engages the students while the other works with professionals. 

Recently, the two organisations strongly demanded the removal of president Md Sahabuddin and set a deadline to meet the demand.

Some of their leaders and activists are now concerned over the lack of effective initiatives from the government over the issue. 

While speaking to Prothom Alo, another key leader of SAD said criticisms and opposition to certain decisions do not essentially mean a conflict with the interim government. 

“Many people consider the SAD as a government affiliate due to the presence of three student representatives in the interim government.

From this point of view, some suspect the activities of SAD and the Nagarik Committee as efforts to form a king’s party. In reality, the SAD and the Nagarik Committee are two independent entities and are, under no circumstances, parts of the government,” he said, adding they want to clarify the distinction.  

It was repeatedly claimed from the SAD that their ultimate target is implementation of aspirations of students and masses. In this regard, an active member of the platform told Prothom Alo, “There might be questions among the people about our credibility if we support the government blindly. Hence, we won’t support everything the government does.” 

Umama Fatema, a spokesperson of the SAD, said they have no conflict with the interim government, but a type of distance has grown between the two sides. 

“The reason is that the interim government is not seeking opinions from students and masses while making key decisions. In some cases, the government is not sharing information in a transparent way, which is giving rise to a trust deficit,” she explained. 

The Nagarik Committee has also expressed disapproval of different decisions made by the interim government. In a press release on Monday, it said any decision which has been made ignoring opinions and suggestions of stakeholders is contradictory to the aspirations of the July uprising.

Earlier in September, the committee in a press conference asserted that the aspirations that had prompted the people to join the movement have still been elusive. The interim government has been excessively slow in responding to any issues. It will be harmful to the nation if the government fails to embrace the aspirations of the uprising. 

Shamanta Sharmin, spokesperson for the Nagarik Committee, told Prothom Alo on Tuesday that decisions without consultation with stakeholders are triggering controversies. 

“Particularly, the method the interim government followed to recruit advisers is not pro-people. Students and masses have the right to know how the advisers are being recruited,” she added.