Opinion | Will young Bangladeshis be empowered to lead real change after ousting PM Hasina?
- Recent protests offer hope of a bottom-up transition to democracy after young people were pivotal in bringing down PM Hasina’s government
“Inni, we are independent!” my 26-year-old cousin chanted from Shahbagh, a neighbourhood in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, as millions joined a major protest march on Monday to the country’s Parliament House.
It was the startling culmination of weeks of unrest that resulted in some 300 deaths and thousands of arrests.
Now, the young protesters who instigated the protests have a real opportunity to contribute to the political discourse in a previously discriminatory system of government. Will the interim government listen – and bring real change to the country?
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‘Our country has been liberated’: Bangladeshis celebrate as prime minister resigns and flees
What happened in recent weeks
The student protests erupted last month over a quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war veterans and their relatives. The students demanded a merit-based system, deeming the current one unfair and biased.
