movement
Time for 'do or die' movement to ‘restore’ democracy: Gayeshwar
BNP senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy on Sunday said a 'do or die' movement is needed with the determination to hit back against the Awami League government to ‘restore’ democracy in the country.
“We didn’t think that we would return to our mothers when we took part in the Liberation War in 1971. Many didn’t return. The character of the current government is worse than the Pakistanis. So, we need another war for democracy,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader urged his party colleagues to consider their ongoing movement as a war for democracy. “So, we have to stay on the streets with the determination to hit back if we’re hit anywhere.”
Gayeshwar, a BNP standing committee member, said mothers got consolation getting the country’s independence by losing their children in 1971.
“If we can restore democracy and people's ownership of the country, mothers who have lost their children, wives who have lost their husbands and those who have lost their brothers in the struggle for democracy, will find solace and then our sacrifice of blood, facing cases and suffering imprisonment will be fruitful,” he observed.
The BNP leader also said their all sacrifices will go in vain and no one will show sympathy to them if they fail to make their movement a success this time.
Read: Khaleda Zia to be taken to hospital again Sunday
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Projonmo 71, a pro-BNP platform, arranged the discussion at the Jatiya Press Club, marking its 17th founding anniversary.
Gayeshwar said people are going through serious ordeal due to unbridled price hikes of daily essentials. ”The commodity prices will continue to increase every day as the government is doing what is needed to push up the prices.”
Under the circumstances, he said their party needs to work out programmes to ensure the fall of the government. “We’re committed that we won’t participate in elections under this government to be conducted by the current Election Commission.”
The BNP leader also said their party must remain strict to its position this time that they will not join any polls without having Khaleda Zia freed unconditionally.
He also said people are getting confused as a quarter is spreading a rumour that BNP will go to polls under the current government without Khaleda Zia as the party did in 2018. “But we have to remove this confusion by intensifying our street movement.”
Tea workers’ daily wage set at Tk170: Fair?
If one group was found missing in the recent movement by the tea garden workers for higher wages, they were economists. They were needed the most. Ultimately the wages were fixed at 170 by the PM personally. In a follow up to the wage fixing, which seemed meager to most, the PM’s Principal Secretary pointed out that the wages reflect only the monetary part and if one took into account benefits like medical, food subsidy and the rest, it would come to Taka 450-500 approximately.
The problem is that no one is sure what those are and what should be fair. The PS is not expected to say otherwise as it’s his job to defend the GOB’s position. However, he has a point that only wages should not count. This applies to all sectors where benefits are given on top of wages.
However, tea garden workers are not the same as rmg workers of Dhaka or any other industrial sector workers. They do constitute a part of the historical legacy of the plantation economy under colonialism. The poorest in colonial Bengal, many from Orissa and adjacent regions of Bengal, were brought to the Sylhet zone to work. The conditions they live in are very significant to bonded laborers elsewhere. Industrial wage workers' arrangements don’t fit them. They are not free to work elsewhere. Hence comparisons with other sectors can be misleading.
Read: Who are the tea workers? A brief profile
Some realities
* Tea garden workers live like serfs who are tied to their gardens. They can’t leave even if they want to. They are born and they die in the same place. This is because of both the location of gardens and its geo-economy. It’s impossible to have tea gardens elsewhere so whoever works in the garden is never free.
* They can’t survive if they are not provided with food subsidies and some –very inadequate- medical facilities. They would be dead very quickly and that means no workers. So the subsidies and facilities are not bonus wages to the workers but in the interest of the garden owners as well. No workers no gardens
* No one knows and no one has calculated what the range of the facilities is and what they cost. This has to be calculated in terms of the loss a unit worker suffers from working in isolation with no access to other work opportunities.
* The garden workers walk miles to their work which is symptomatic of their special condition of work and life. They are stuck to their conditions because the benefits offered to them don’t include skills training or post-primary education. They can’t switch jobs. In free Bangladesh, they are the least free population group helped by the fact that they are low caste Hindu non-Bengalis in an overwhelmingly Bengali-Muslim space.
What needs immediate attention?
A proper scientific assessment based on the ground realities of denial and access and the special conditions of the tea garden workers needs to be done by experts. What is fair wages and benefits needs identification specifically for them. They are not the same as other industrial workers and till we accept this reality of colonial planation slavery like conditions they live in, we shall continue to tolerate it like proto-colonials .
Tea garden owners propose wage hike by Tk 20 Workers now want PM's intervention
The workers of 167 tea gardens across the country, including 92 of Moulvibazar, continued their strike on Thursday as the garden owners proposed a daily wage hike by only Tk 20 against the demand of an increase to Tk 300 from Tk120.
The owners offered to increase wage from Tk 120 to Tk 140 at a meeting with tea workers at the Dhaka office of the Labour Department on Wednesday night.
Bijoy Hazra, organizing secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, said it is not possible to meet the expenses of their family with the wages they proposed. “So we want the intervention of the Prime Minister.”
A tripartite meeting will be held in Dhaka on August 23 led by the Labour and Employment Minister.
On August 9, the Bangladesh Tea Workers Union started two-hour work abstention a day demanding daily wage hike.
Read: Tea workers continue strike; tripartite meeting in city Aug 23
Workers demanded an increase to Tk300 a day, with inflation rising and the currency depreciating and they started a full-scale strike on Saturday, after four days of two-hour work abstention.
Bangladesh is producing a record amount of tea every year through the toil of the tea workers. In 2021, a record 96 million kilograms of tea was produced in the country thanks to the hard labour of the underpaid tea workers.
Although two agreements on increasing wages were signed, the fate of more than 1.5 lakh tea workers in the country hasn’t changed a bit.
BNP supports left alliance’s hartal on Aug 25
BNP on Wednesday extended its support to a half-day hartal to be enforced by Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) across the country on August 25 protesting the price hike of daily essentials, fuel and fertiliser as well as transport fares.
Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made the announcement at a press conference at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office.
The press conference was arranged on giving the party’s reaction to the unbridled increase in the prices of essential commodities following the unusual fuel price hike.
As a journalist asked Fakhrul whether BNP would support the left parties’ hartal, he said, "We have already said that we always support the movement of any party for realising justified demands.”
Earlier on Aug 16, the Left Democratic Alliance (LDA), a platform of left-leaning political parties, called a nationwide half-day hartal on August 25, protesting the price hike of daily essentials, fuel and fertilizer.
In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 per cent, 51.7 per cent and 51 per cent respectively on August 5.
Read: BNP sits with Ganosanghati Andolan
Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre, pushing up the prices of all essential items.
On August 9, BNP took various programmes to continue the party’s protest against the increase in fuel prices, soaring prices of daily essentials and load shedding for long time.
As part of the programmes, the party today arranged the press conference on the rise in prices of daily essentials and inflation. The party will arrange a seminar on the energy sector in the capital on August 19.
Besides, the party has decided to continue protest rallies and demonstrations in metropolitan cities and their all wards, districts and upazilas from August 22.
Khulna University: Students call off movement following assurance
Students of Khulna University called off their movement in the early hours of Wednesday after authorities assured them of meeting their demands.
The university authorities on Tuesday afternoon issued a notice to seize all sorts of items, including electronic devices, rice cookers and knives, after a female student of Aparajita Hall attempted suicide by slitting her throat with a chopper.
Following the announcement, the students broke open the lock of the hall and took position in front of the dormitory’s main gate to press home their 10-point demand around 10pm.
Expressing solidarity with the movement, students from other halls started gathering at Hadi Chattor and continued with the protest until the university authorities assured them of fulfilling their demands around 2am.
Read:DMCH interns suspend strike
Later, the agitating students submitted their 10-point demand to the authorities.
The major demands included lifting the ban on the use of rice cookers and other utensils, amnesty for students who raise voice against sexual harassment on social media, and allowing guardians and female relatives to stay in the halls.
The students also made it clear to the university authorities that they would go for a stricter movement "if our demands are met at the earliest".
Rahima Rimmi, provost of Aparajita Hall, said that the authorities would meet all the demands of the students.
Is the pro-Chinese Left behind the Sri Lanka agitation?
The media has focused on the fleeing Rajapakses, gate crashing of official residences and torching one or two but not much on the internal maths of the agitation. Reports suggest that the movement is not monolithic and many forces including the hard Left are behind this.
Activist middle class may have been the TV face of the crowd but the muscle has largely come from a party called the Front Line Socialist Party (FLSP). It’s a splinter e- of the ultra-Left and ultra-Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which had itself mounted two armed revolts against the government in the past, comes in.
India media "India Narrative" says, "that FLSP has been a key player in giving political direction to what had started at Colombo’s Galle Face as spontaneous protests against a virtual economic meltdown."
“Extreme measures by the government to promote organic farming had already hit farm production, which plummeted. As in the case of Tahrir square in Egypt during the Arab Spring, the Galle Face became the sanctum sanctorum and the ground-zero of a popular uprising.”
Read:Sri Lanka : Has the colonial democracy model run its course ?
India-China factor ?
Indian media has now begun to write on the issue more because some fear the crowd is really in the FLSP hands and that this party is largely funded by China. This means the Chinese wanted the Rajapakses to go, a group once China’s darling and they succeeded. And China remaining such a big player in Sri Lanka means, one rules only if one has good equations with Beijing. If China is still calling the shots India will feel threatened.
India has intervened in Sri Lanka several times beginning from the Tamil insurgency days and doesn’t have a great track record. Rahul Gandhi’s assassination was a factor behind this nor very popular.
The recent round of speculation on invasion gained clout with the remarks made by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who tweeted on May 10 that the Indian Army must be sent to “restore Constitutional sanity”. Swamy has been fringed for a while and had advised invading Maldives as well as Bangladesh before. He is not taken very seriously but he does say what is in many political hearts and can’t reach the lips. Like a policy level Nupur Sharma of sorts. Both the Government and the BJP were quick to deny such statements.
A nervous Sri Lanka ruling class ?
Public feelings against the random crowds acting at will has now started to create unease and JVP memories are also a factor. The extreme left position of FLSP also has been a factor in getting MPs to recognize that greater internal chaos awaits them if they don’t act quickly. The lawyers, businessmen and professional bodies have spoken on behalf of law and order and the election date is being taken seriously. But it’s also possible that deal making with the FLSP may be on some cards. Meanwhile, many have spoken of the “invasion threats” as an impetus to start elections seriously.
FLSP through the Inter University Students' Federation (IUSF) -- a confederation of around 70 students' unions, has great influence on Sri Lankan agitation politics. They basically forced the Rajapakse hand through hard agitation. Trade Unions have also supported the FLSP in general making them a major factor in Sri Lanka .
Its extreme views probably rules it out of any immediate future coalition role, but it’s on the street, has clout and intends to continue making prolonged unrest in the future a real fear for Sri Lanka
Rohingyas to stage demo on Sunday
Rohingyas at various camps in Cox’s Bazar are going to stage a demonstration titled ‘Go Home’ on Sunday.
The demonstration will be staged to press home a total of 19 demands, including an end to killings at refugee camps and their repatriation to Myanmar.
The local police haven’t provided permission to stage the demonstration as of filing of this report.
The demonstration will be carried out in a bid to celebrate ‘World Refugee Day’ tomorrow. The last time a demonstration of this magnitude was staged was on August 25, 2019, under the leadership of slain Master Muhibullah.
Read: Rohingyas staging demonstrations, unwilling to go back
According to sources, tomorrow’s demonstration will also be organized by Arakan Rohingya Society Peace for Human Rights, an organization founded by Muhibullah.
The program will start at 10:00am. Rohingyas from five camps will gather at the football field of Balukhali Rohingya Camp-9 to participate in the programme.
UNB couldn’t contact Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissionar Shah Rezwan Hayat in this regard though after repeated attempts.
Additional Police Super (ASP) of Armed Police Battalion Unit-8 (8APBN) Kamran Hossain said that they’ve come to know that the Rohingyas are going to organize a demonstration demanding their quick repatriation.
“We’ll comment on this after knowing the details,” Kamran added.
Seed of ultimate freedom sown through 6-point demand in 1966: Joy
Prime Minister’s ICT affairs adviser Sajeeb wazed Joy has said the seed of the ultimate freedom of Bengalis was sown through the six-point demand in 1966, a milestone in the nation's long struggle towards liberation.
The six-point charter, raised by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was the foundation pillar of the Bengali nation's movement for their rights, he said in Facebook post from his verified account on Tuesday.
Also read: 6-points anniversary: Bangladesh to keep advancing with dignity, says PM
“It was the instrument of freedom for Bengalis. A victim of prolonged persecution, injustice, and indiscrimination, the nation got a new direction through the six-point movement,” he wrote in his Facebook post that accompanied a web link of an article titled “Six-Point Demands: Roadmap for Bangladesh’s Emancipation.”
On March 18, 1966, a booklet, titled ‘The demand for our existence: six-point initiative', attributed to Bangabandhu, was circulated in a conference of the Awami League council, Joy wrote. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman toured districts to drum up support for the initiative.
On June 7, 1966, a countrywide strike was enforced to realize the six-point movement. Police and EPR fired bullets and beat protesters indiscriminately.
Also read:President Sayem's life was under threat until he signed: Joy
Eleven Bengalis, including Monu Mia, Shafique, and Shamsul, in Tongi, Dhaka, and Narayanganj embraced martyrdom, a sacrifice compelling the nation to observe the day as the 'Six-Point Day'.
Alarmed at the successful strike of June 7, military dictator Ayub Khan hatched another conspiracy to hang Bangabandhu by implicating him in the Agartala conspiracy case. But, the historic 1969-mass uprising foiled all these schemes, according to Joy’s Facebook post.
He encouraged his followers on Facebook to read the entire article to equip themselves with the knowledge of the six-point movement - from its inception to execution and pass the undistorted history to the young generation.
SUST students suspend movement after meeting with ministers
The students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have suspended their movement on Saturday following a meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni.
They urged the university authorities to resume the classes and examinations.
The students made the announcement at 7 pm at a press briefing on the SUST campus.
“The meeting with the education minister and the deputy education minister was successful and as the minister has assured us of fulfilling all our demands, we’re suspending the movement for now. We’ll be waiting to see our demands are met,” said Mohaiminul Islam Raj, spokesperson of the protesting students.
The students have discussed their six-point demand and some proposals for the overall development of all the universities of the country, he said.
Also read: SUST VC finally apologises over cop attack on students
“We’re urging the university authorities to resume classes and examinations from Sunday,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Vice-Chancellor of SUST Farid Uddin Ahmed expressed regret over the police action on protesting students on January 16.
“I express my sincere sympathy to all of those, including students, teachers and staff injured in the unwanted incident on that day,” he said in a press statement.
On Friday, regarding the student’s demand of VC’s resignation Dipu Moni said it will be placed before the President as he is the Chancellor of the university, holding the power to appoint and remove someone from the post of VC.
Regarding the two cases filed against the protesting students, she said arrangements will be made to withdraw those cases as soon as possible.
Also, the mobile banking accounts and numbers of students that were shut during the protest will be reactivated within a few days, said Dipu Moni to the protesting students at the meeting.
Also read: Removal of VC up to President Hamid: Dipu Moni to SUST students
Dipu Moni also assured that proper treatment will be provided to Sajal Kunda who was injured in police firing and a government job appointment for him, said the students at the briefing.
The students resumed their protests on Wednesday after their demand for the removal of VC was not met. They are now calling for the resignation of the new proctor.
SUST Proctor Md Alamgir Kabir was relieved from his position on Thursday and replaced by Associate Professor Md Ishrat Ibne Ismail of the English department.
The protests began in the middle of January. And over two dozen SUST students who went on fast unto death ended their strike on January 26. They broke the fast after former SUST Prof Zafar Iqbal offered them water to drink.
The students embarked on the hunger strike on the university campus on January 19, demanding the resignation of the VC over the police crackdown on their fellows.
The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets. On the other hand, the police had filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students.
The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.
Zafrin Ahmed, a provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints.
She later resigned from her post, citing health issues.
Get ready for movement with shrouds on heads: BNP to followers
BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday asked their party’s leaders and activists to get ready for taking to the streets with shrouds on their heads for the restoration of democracy in the country.
“Many of our political colleagues have remained missing. We’ve not yet found a good number of our leaders, including Ilias Ali, Chowdhury Alam, Parvez and Hiru. More may face the same fate at this point of our movement,” he said.
Speaking at a discussion, Nazrul said the leaders and activists of BNP must continue the movement together as their chairperson Khaleda Zia is now at the crossroads of death and life.
“We have to create a mass upsurge in a democratic process to oust the current regime. So, take preparations for that. We must carry out the fight with shrouds on our heads braving the fear of deaths,” he said.
BNP’s national committee on celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Independence of the country arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club.
READ: BNP not to join talks on EC formation
Nazrul, a BNP standing committee member, said democracy was obliterated and disrupted repeatedly in the country since the country’s independence by Awami League whenever it came to power.
He said BNP has the capability to bring back democracy in Bangladesh as it did in the past under the leadership of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia.
READ: Clash between BNP factions: Ex-Jubo Dal leader stabbed in Pabna
“It’s now the responsibility of BNP leaders and activists to restore democracy in the country,” Nazrul said.