Nahid Islam faced a conundrum. Last year, when the sociology student protested the autocratic rule of Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, he had one clear complaint: The system of handing out government jobs was massively unfair.
Under the then-prime minister’s watch, more than half of civil service jobs were reserved for specific groups. The largest share (35%) went to the children and grandchildren of those who fought in the country’s 1971 war of independence. That hiring bias helped kindle one of the slogans in the 2024 uprising that forced Ms. Hasina out of office: “Equality of opportunity is the essence of the constitution.”
Yet earlier this year, Mr. Islam found the roles reversed. The revolution against an autocratic leader had succeeded, and he was now a part of the interim government. Shouldn’t the families of those killed and wounded during the protests – like those in 1971 – be given some quota in civil service jobs as thanks?
No, he announced in February. They would be cared for, but more quotas was not the answer.
The effort to put Bangladesh’s government and society on fairer foundations is a daunting one. Last July’s revolution grew because it tapped into a deep-seated sense that coups and corruption had derailed the country’s founding ideals of communal peace and opportunity.
Mr. Islam is now addressing that larger problem as the leader of a new party, the National Citizen Party. “The party’s anti-quota stance, which originally sparked the July movement, has evolved into a broader demand for equal rights and opportunities for all citizens,” writes Shafi Mostofa, a religion professor at the University of Dhaka, in The Diplomat.
Many challenges lie ahead as Bangladesh moves toward making government reforms and ultimately holding elections. In a society where women are often expected to fulfill traditional roles, the presence of three women in the National Citizen Party’s 10-person leadership team is seen by some as a sign of progress. But including an openly gay man who was a leader of the student protests caused a backlash and backtracking.
Perhaps the biggest test will be in Bangladesh’s Muslim majority embracing the Hindu minority. Tensions are high and misinformation is rife about acts of violence against that group. Last October, the nation’s largest Hindu festival, Durga Puja, was a test. And the interim government, with Mr. Islam playing a key role, prevented any major violence.
“Our government has engaged with the minority communities and assured them of their safety,” Mr. Islam told The Daily Star.
For one Hindu attendee at the festival, this sense of equality shone through: “People who thronged here are jubilant,” university student Arpita Barman told The Associated Press. “I feel happy to see people irrespective of their religions here. We want to see such scenes in the future and a harmonious Bangladesh.”
