” One, two, three, four, Sheikh Hasina is a tyrant”!
Young activists in Bangladesh are increasingly vocal in their desire that their prime minister step down.
The 76-year-old Ms Hasina has ruled the South Eastern country of 170 million with an iron fist since 2009, and hearing those words on the roads would have been impossible.
But she is facing a dangerous standoff. As demonstrators in their hundreds of thousands, according to some estimates, prepare for a protest in Bangladesh’s investment Dhaka as an endless curfew is in place and there are fears of more crime.
Does Sheikh Hasina lose in the protests, which are some of the largest they have always witnessed?
She herself has been angry, condemning the provocateurs as “terrorists”. Law secretary Anisul Huq told the BBC calls for her departure are “unjustified” and the demonstrators were reacting “emotionally”.
The opposition leaders rejected Ms. Hasina’s request to lay down and talk to her. Some people worry that more bloodshed may result from her disobedience, which is a clear sign that she is unwilling to step down without a fight.
The child of Bangladesh’s foundation leader, Sheikh Hasina is the world’s longest-serving sexual head of government.
Her 15 years in power have been replete with complaints of forced disappearances, extra-judicial deaths, and the crushing of criticism characters and her critics- she denies the charges, and her government typically accuses the main opposition parties of fuelling protests.
In recent weeks too, Ms Hasina and her party – the Awami League – have blamed their political opponents for the unrest that has gripped the country.
But this time, the anger feels louder than ever before. Estimates say the protesters are in the tens of thousands, and the numbers now inlcude Bangladeshis of all stripes, not just students. This is certainly the most serious challenge Ms Hasina has faced since taking office after a contentious election win in January.
The employment quotas that sparked the demonstrations in early July have been eliminated by Ms. Hasina. But the student-led anger continued, morphing into an anti-government movements that wants her out of energy.
She has only become more vulnerable as a result of a brutal assault by security forces. At least 90 folks, including 13 police officers, were killed on Sunday- the worst single-day fatality in protests in Bangladesh’s new story. Critics are calling it a” destruction”.
Ms Hasina is hardly prepared to withdraw, says Professor Samina Luthfa from Dhaka University:” She thinks everything is under control. But, nothing is under her command longer”.
How much will she be able to hold on?
Ms Hasina already had to rely on the military when protesters ransacked police stations and set fire to government buildings last month.
After officers and military forces failed to halt the turmoil, the army was deployed. But Friday saw new demonstrations, which did not worsen over the weekend.
If Ms Hasina wants to survive, she needs the support of the military, which also commands respect among people.
Some ex-military personell have expressed support for the protests and the army has been cautious in its response. The military chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, met junior officers on Friday amid concerns over how the army might repsond to the protests.
According to the armed forces spokesperson,” The ] Bangladesh army will fulfill its promised obligation in accordance with Bangladesh’s law and current rules,” on Sunday.
However, Bangladesh’s neighbour and biggest supporter, India, is likely to remain backing Mr Hasina. For one, she has clamped down on anti-India violent teams based in Bangladesh.
Two, Ms. Hasina has given India travel rights to ensure goods from its island reach those states because she has always viewed its grip in Bangladesh as essential to the safety of the seven landlocked states in India’s north-east, which all reveal a border with Bangladesh.
There’s even powerful sentiment against India within Bangladesh, primarily because of Delhi’s support for Ms Hasina.
” If India decides]to] let things happen in Bangladesh and]that ] they will not interfere, then Ms Hasina will not be able to sustain]her role ]”, says Mohiuddin Ahmed, a Bangladeshi political historian. ” I think her days are numbered”.
But it’s not immeditaely apparent if and how the demonstrations may change Delhi’s calculations.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP ) and its allies claim that the last three elections were unfair and unfair, which Ms Hasina’s Awami League has refuted.
The opposition also boycotted the 2024 surveys, saying they may only take part if election was overseen by an interval, natural management.
However, Ms. Hasina’s current difficulties do not just stem from her social opponents. People from all walks of life have gathered around the student-led opposition activity, including Islamist and opposition parties.
Almost 100 people have been killed in recent days, many of whom were shot by the police, and thousands of people are taking to the streets to protest.
If activists are really undeterred by the promise of crime, that does n’t bode well for any state, least of all an besieged one.