Mukta Barai is President of the Socialist Students Front, the student wing of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh, and played a leading role in the recent protest movement that toppled the Awami League government. She spoke with Green Left’s Susan Price and Jacob Andrewartha about the political situation in Bangladesh and the challenges for the democratic movement.
* * *
What is the political situation in Bangladesh now, since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and Dr Muhammad Yunus was appointed interim leader?
[We] have witnessed an unprecedented awakening of students in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country at one stage of the 36-day-long movement. After that, an interim government was formed under the leadership of Dr Muhammad Yunus.
For about 15–16 years, the country was under the grip of a fascist regime. And as a result of this, almost all institutions of the state, including the administration, law and judiciary, have been widely partisan.
As a result, despite the escape of the prime minister, there is still much political instability in Bangladesh.
There are various questions in the public mind about the interim government that has come to power, especially the Chief Adviser [Yunus] and his various affiliations.
This government was not formed in consultation with all the student or political organisations that took part in the movement. However, since this government has come to power through an uprising of the students, the people and our organisation have a watchful attitude towards it.
The BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] and Jamaat-e-Islami — which were out of power for a long time — have become quite active since the fall of the Awami regime.
Hindus have been attacked in several places. However, the way the international media, including the Indian media, are portraying it is misleading. The fascist Awami League is trying to come back in many ways by making a noise that there is an attack on Hindus by presenting many old pictures, videos and fake news.
On our part, we have raised several demands to the government regarding the country's democratic system and institutions, including the elimination of discrimination at all levels of society and the change of the fascist state structure.
We demand that the government immediately reform the electoral system, and organise an election to restore the voting rights of the people and transfer power to elected representatives.
What is the movement demanding of the interim government? Are the people still mobilised?
Yes, the protesting students are still in the field.
After the fall of the government, the police administration became ineffective. Since then, students have worked to maintain order on the streets, guard neighbourhoods at night, guard various religious institutions to prevent communal violence, and graffiti the streets to highlight the spirit and demands of the movement.
At the same time, they are now in the field to ensure that the dictatorial Hasina government cannot somehow overturn this coup.
Similarly, the students have demanded that the killers of the student protesters be tried and the injured compensated. Hasina and her cabinet, who ordered the attack, must be tried.
Students also say that a new Bangladesh was created through this coup. That new Bangladesh should be reformed and transformed into a non-discriminatory and democratic Bangladesh.
How did members of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) and Socialist Students Front (SSF) intervene in the protest movement? What role did trade unions and other sectors of society play?
The SPB and the SSF were very actively involved in this movement from the beginning. There have been major protests in about 45 districts in the country (there are 65 districts across Bangladesh). In about 15‒20 of these districts, we have led these protests. Several of our comrades were injured, shot and subjected to police torture.
Along with the students, the general public also took to the streets. This can be understood by looking at the list of those killed. A large number on this list were students, but the largest number of people who lost their lives were working people.
Various trade union organisations expressed solidarity with our movement and participated in street protests with us.
One of the special features of this movement is the participation of women on a very large scale. Women students from schools, colleges and universities, as well as mothers, have taken to the streets in this movement. Many gave the protesters food and water and have played various roles.
The women, mothers and teachers of this country have fought fiercely to protect their children and students by standing in front of the police.
What is your analysis of the incidents of communal violence?
Protests are unavoidable following the removal of a fascist dictatorship. Again, fundamentalist communal groups in the country are attempting to seize on this. As a result, we see communal attacks in some locations, as well as artworks being destroyed.
From the beginning, the agitating students took to the streets to oppose this. However, there have been some extremely disgusting events that should be prosecuted.
As I've already stated, the way it's been portrayed in numerous worldwide media outlets, including India, is overblown and motivated by special political interests. The Bangladeshi student society is aware of these schemes and will combat them.
How can the Australian left best support the movement in Bangladesh?
This movement is undoubtedly a valuable lesson for left activists around the world. On the one hand, this movement demonstrated once more that the power of the people is unstoppable. However, it also demonstrated the importance of organisation in bringing a spontaneous movement to fruition.
We hope that the Australian left will spread the message of our movement across the continent and organise them to speed up the anti-capitalist struggle. This is what we want from them.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The platform that spearheaded this campaign is named the “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement” — which expresses its desires directly.
We understand that sustaining the capitalist state system will not eliminate inequality in society.
This is our first victory. Our final victory will only come when we replace the capitalist system with a socialist system free of exploitation.
That fight involves all of us.