The interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus came to power with huge public support through the mass uprising. After seven months, to what extent do you think people's expectations in this government have been fulfilled?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: It is difficult to answer this question directly or in just one word. Broadly speaking, the expectations of the general people were more or less the same - they wanted to live a peaceful life with whatever income they had. Perhaps everyone expected goods and services would remain affordable. Some of these expectations have been fulfilled. At the same time, some of them have not been fulfilled due to the deterioration of law and order, theft, robbery and extortion.
On the other hand, freedom of speech was a big issue for some of the educated middle class. I think there has been some improvement in this regard. There was a demand for the trial of those who committed various crimes using state power during the previous government. In some cases, work has started on those issues. We will have to wait and see where they ultimately go.
The most important thing is that the previous government was leading the country towards destruction. But Dr Muhammad Yunus has been trying to bring the country back on track. Personally, I still have confidence in him.
I believe he does not have the greed for money as was seen in other rulers along with their hunger for power. However, he is also human and can make mistakes. If he makes mistakes, he will correct these and take Bangladesh forward on the right path. As an optimistic person, that is how I think.
There have been changes at the top positions of many organisations after the fall of the past autocratic government. Those include the VC and pro-VC in the universities and other administrative posts. Were there any political considerations behind the changes? How’s the educational condition in the universities these days?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: Any person with political awareness could realise that most of the appointments at the universities have been made out of political considerations. Apparently many of them could seem to be neutral but if you see their past activities, their political leaning becomes clear. Some of them were directly involved while some had close communications.
I think most of the appointments in the university administration have been made out of political considerations. Such a decision of the interim government has truly disappointed us.
If you speak about the environment of education at the universities, you will have to take into account both the public and private universities.
The contributions of Dhaka-based private universities to the student-people uprising has been extensive this time. Many of their students have been martyred while many sustained injuries. After 5 August, the students of private universities have returned to their studies. But there have been some problems in the case of public universities. Let’s take Dhaka University as an example. Here extracurricular activities are more prevalent than academic tasks. Earlier, the Bangladesh Chhatra League had sole control at the university campuses; now other student organisations are trying to expand their dominance in the universities.
In some cases, some of the students are talking about some tasks beyond their jurisdiction, such as class and exam routines, attendance and so on. The university administration is not being able to play an effective role in these cases.
All in all, I would say that there has been no significant improvement in the environment of education in public universities. These issues seem to me to be a negative fallout of appointments made based on political considerations.
There have been some questions among the people regarding changing names of certain buildings and other establishments in the universities. Names of noted chemist and teacher Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy, physicist and teacher Satyendranath Bose, poet Jibananda Das, physicist and biologist Jagadish Chandra Bose have been discarded in Khulna University. On the other hand, the name of Bangabandhu Hall at Islamic University in Kushtia has been changed into Shah Azizur Rahman Hall. How do you see these changes?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: I think it was necessary to change the names of the buildings and establishments named after Sheikh Hasina and her relatives. I consider this as a positive step. But was it necessary at all to remove the names of scientists, philosophers, and teachers, who are famous for their work? These are condemnable decisions.
We want to know who made these decisions. Another thing is renaming establishments after controversial people, such as Shah Azizur Rahman. We know his role in 1971. Such changes made us think that those who made these decisions have political motives.
Prothom Alo :
We saw a huge participation of women in the July-August mass uprising. Just after the uprising, it seemed that those women had become largely “invisible”. This was followed by reports of rape, violence against women, or oppression of women from all over the country. Why are women facing such a situation even after the uprising?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: There is almost no such example in the history of our country that the women have got what they deserved. Maybe we know the name of one Taraman Bibi or Sitara Begum, but hundreds of thousands of women contributed to the liberation war in various ways. Could we pay them the respect they deserve?
Incidents of rape or torture of women have always been there in Bangladesh. It cannot be said that it has spiked suddenly. However, women have become a bit more fearful due to the deterioration of the law and order situation, social unrest and the activities of conservative religious groups.
It is sad that such an environment has been created even after the mass uprising. Both men and women participated in the mass uprising this time. This uprising was not just of students; it was an uprising of students and the people. But now the participation of women and the general people in the political and social sphere has become limited.
Recently, a female student of Dhaka University was sexually harassed by a university employee. He was arrested and taken to Shahbagh police station. At that time, a group of people went to the police station and engaged in various activities. Later, the court granted him bail. He was given reception too. As a teacher of Dhaka University, how would you explain the whole incident?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: Both the persons involved in this incident are from Dhaka University - one is a student, the other an employee. The role of the university administration is questionable, especially its handling of the incident where the student was forced to withdraw her complaint after being a victim of cyberbullying. The university administration did not contact the teachers who could have reassured the girl and given her courage.
And the incident at Shahbagh police station is condemnable. The way some groups are acting, as if they are above the law. Though they have been doing this continuously, there is no reaction from the government. We are terming them as “mobs”, but such mobs also have an identity. I think it is one of the government’s main responsibilities now to uncover their identity and stop them immediately.
Prothom Alo :
Which aspect of the interim government seemed most positive to you?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: I would speak about rebuilding the country’s image in this case. The image of our country was almost destroyed because of the autocratic government. Dr Muhammad Yunus has been trying to bring back that image. He is a universally accepted personality. Right now, there is no alternative to him. Our expectations from him are also huge. But he cannot do everything alone. We have to take into account, where his colleagues, the advisers, are working properly or not. Those who are not working or have failed should be removed and new advisers have to be appointed.
A section of the students who led the July-August mass uprising have launched a new political party - National Citizen Party. What is your assessment about the new political party?
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: We have been observing the dominance of two parties in Bangladesh for several decades. We have seen dynastic politics, corruption and lack of accountability among them. In this context, I welcome this youth-led new party. However, the new party is also showing some old tendencies. The allegations of getting support from the government and taking money from the rich people have created debates. I hope they will clarify their stand on these issues.
Prothom Alo :
Thank you for your time.
Tasneem Siraj Mahboob: Thank you too.
* The interview, originally published in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza