One year has passed since 24 July to 25 June, a time with a difference. On 1 July last year could anyone imagine such a change in scenario? It started with the movement for reforms in quotas in government service. That morphed into a one-point movement to oust Sheikh Hasina. Then came the miracle. Sheikh Hasina fled across the border. This was a thrilling, unbelievable, breathtaking, dramatic changeover. The country had no government for a few days. Then the interim government was formed. Surely there will be a movie in the days to come of those gripping 100 hours.
And then? There are so many stakeholders in the country. Hundreds of political parties, all vocal. The smaller the party, the louder are its leaders' voices. All of them pose as guardians of the public. And now all eyes are focused on a charter. The July Charter is in the making. This is, ostensibly, to be on a basis of political consensus.
The coordinators of the anti-discrimination students' movement were at the heart of the July movement. That is as far as we know at the moment. We do not know what transpired behind the scenes. The fallen leaders of Awami League claim that there was a deep-rooted conspiracy behind this movement. This country's politics thrives on conspiracy theories. We've being swallowing conspiracy theories down the decades, down the centuries. We see conspiracies behind every change. Let's see if the conspiracy-vendors find the conspirators soon.
We were talking about the July Charter. It was D-Day on the 5 of August 2024. The charter was supposed to have been brought out around that time. We had hoped for at least a paragraph back then on what we want, where we want to go, how we will proceed, and so on. The people at that moment of time would have listened to the coordinators. They had the trust and love of the people at the time. But that did not happen. It was apparent that no one was quite prepared for D-Day.
The charter which the activists of the movement were supposed to have brought out, is now being prepared by the government. It is, in other words, a government charter and support will be sought form the political parties for this charter. It will clipped and cropped, then adopted on the basis of political consensus. Political consensus? What in the world is that? Each and every side wants some of their pet words and trademark terms to be included. It would be unrealistic to imagine that everyone will be in agreement. I do not understand how conflicting parties will come to an agreement over the wording of this charter. If they do, that will certainly be another revolution.
On one hand, you will laud the youth, and on the other, you will pitch them into the chasm of partisan politics, destroying their future. A generation will get their degree without taking their exams. Will anyone knowingly give them jobs?
Why are we so hot and bothered about the charter? Will the words of the charter change our lives? The preamble of the 1971 constitution contained the most beautiful and appealing words possible. It has democracy and socialism. It shone with secularism. Nationalism is a part and parcel of a nation state and so that could hardly be left out! The tome also had the grand words of human rights. And what was the outcome? From the very outset, these tripped up one after the other.
These words of the constitution remained confined to paper. The people of the country, the majority of whom are not educated, to whom literacy means being able to sign one's name or study up till Class 5 at the most, never got to know that this sacred book had given them ownership of the country. And since they don’t know, the self-styled syndicate of "owners" feels no responsibility toward them. If yet another charter is handed down, what difference will it make? The actual owners of the country will not know what the charter contains. The majority of the people have never even seen the constitution, let alone read it. What difference does it make to them if anything is added or removed?
Two
In 1971, there were freedom fighters. In 2024, the country became independent a second time. Now we have “July Warriors.” These July Warriors will receive official state recognition. They will be granted various state benefits - medical care, jobs, allowances.
In ages past, mercenaries from across wide swaths of Asia took up arms, sticks, swords, and guns, for the ruling powers in pursuit of money, estates, and spoils of war. These were paid soldiers. By offering various material benefits, we have already turned a section of the freedom fighters into mercenaries. Alongside this, a large number of fake freedom fighters have sprung up. If you can somehow obtain a certificate, you can sit back and enjoy a hefty allowance.
Meanwhile, due to political rivalries, many genuine freedom fighters were never issued certificates. The same sleight of hand is now unfolding with the July Warriors. The very quotas they protested against are now being used to trap them. This will turn the rest of the public against them.
Society must take responsibility for the treatment and rehabilitation of those who gave their lives, who were permanently disabled and who were injured. That was not done properly for the 1971 fighters. But the "fattening-up scheme" that was run in the name of 1971 freedom fighters must not be replicated today, portraying them as a privileged group.
Those who fought in 1971 and in 2024 did not do so for personal gain. They fought for the freedom of all people in the country. Many attempts have been made and are still being made, to buy their loyalty with various incentives. The fighters must speak out against this. If they do not, a scramble for the spoils will begin. Pseudo-warriors will mushroom overnight like toadstools. Bribery and profiteering will ensue, just as it did under previous governments. The signs are already showing.
Three
There is a minimum age to become a voter and to contest elections. A proposal has been made to lower that further. This idea stems from political motives. Parents are increasingly desperate to see student political wings removed from educational institutions. Even the elites of political parties don’t allow their own children to engage in student politics. But while their children will study at home or abroad, the children of others become the political thugs of these elite political leaders. That is the miracle of so-called student politics in this country. Aside from shouting slogans for the ruling party and beating up opponents, what else do they really do?
There are knives, choppers, cleavers, crude bombs and guns, everything in the educational institutions. The teachers have their political groupings. They use their political loyalty to grab positions as provosts, vice chancellors, members of various commissions and even ambassadors. Studies are of least concern. When an entire batch of students are given auto-promotion, based on certain demands and barricades, one can easily understand the level of degeneration that exists. That is where mob culture began.
On one hand, you will laud the youth, and on the other, you will pitch them into the chasm of partisan politics, destroying their future. A generation will get their degree without taking their exams. Will anyone knowingly give them jobs? Where will they turn to? Will they have to sell all their worldly possessions go the Middle East to work 18 hours a day and live in cramped quarters where 20 men huddle together in 10ft X10ft rooms? Of be lured by dubious agents to the dream world of Europe, only to drown half way there in the Mediterranean sea? Or spend their lives as a leader's henchman, living off his leftovers or making money through extortion?
* Mohiuddin Ahmad is a writer and researcher
* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir
(The opinions expressed here are the writer's own.)