Major daily greets ‘dawn of a new era’, credits ‘people’s uprising’ with driving Hasina out of power
MOST Bangladeshis are treating ouster of Sheikh Hasina Wazed from power corridors as a watershed in their country’s history, not as just another change of government (as we in Pakistan usually do every three years or so). One obvious reason is that she remained the country’s prime minister for 15 consecutive years, no less. The hordes from Gen Z — who are being credited with ‘liberating’ the country after rendering a lot of sacrifices — have simply not seen any other politician at the top. No wonder they see her ouster as a first revolutionary step in the country’s journey towards betterment.
The other reason for widespread hatred against the ‘iron lady’ is the excesses, even atrocities, her government allegedly carried out to prolong her rule. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have gone missing and her critics allege this is the result of a deliberate campaign. Then there are allegations of corruption, cronyism and favouritism.
‘The Daily Star’, arguably the country’s best newspaper, has characterised the mass campaign that ultimately led to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as “the people’s uprising”. On several important pages of its website, the daily’s editors have put catchy headlines across the top that sort of express satisfaction at her resignation, which even a few days ago seemed inconceivable. Below such headlines are big pictures under which short and well-written paragraphs have been posted that make it clear the daily is not at all shedding tears over the “battling begum’s” sudden departure from the scene.
On top of the website’s Opinion Page is the headline “A new dawn rises on Bangladesh” under which a big picture of the National Parliament House is given. Below the two items is the newspaper’s opinion about Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, which reads: “This is a day that will be remembered for generations to come. A day when a 15-year-long authoritarian rule finally came to an end. A day when people truly rose to power, putting aside their differences and uniting in their desire for freedom and a better tomorrow. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the extraordinary showing of the student-mass movement that has led to the downfall of Sheikh Hasina — who came to power for a fourth consecutive term only this January — will henceforth be the new reference point in our history of mass uprisings.”
The page on which the lead story has been publish is headlined: “Hasina falls, flees”. And the passage published below that says: “Bangladesh’s iron lady of 15 years bowed out to a people’s uprising yesterday. Serving as the prime minister since 2009, Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country as hundreds of thousands marched towards Dhaka, defying a curfew amid a continual morning drizzle.”
The headline of another popular daily’s editorial says, “Time to start over”. Below the headline is a stand-first, which says: “The spirit of young Bangladeshis cannot be vanquished.” The editorial of ‘Dhaka Tribune’ starts off rather innocently. “If the events of the past month or so have proven one thing, it is this: The spirit of young Bangladeshis — especially once their blood has been spilled and when they unite together for a greater good — cannot be vanquished.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation came suddenly, but the writing had been on the wall. As the crisis deepened, her position became less and less tenable. With Sunday seeing deaths in the triple digits, it was apparent that the situation was beyond her control, and that the nation had lost confidence in her and her administration. Her resignation was the right thing to do.”
Turning to the mistakes made by the ousted government, the newspaper says: “Time and time again, the administration had the opportunity to resolve the issues it was facing, to right their wrongs, to listen, to face up to its actions, and act in a manner befitting a dignified, democratic government of the people. Instead, these were squandered, where leaders, including the prime minister herself, continually misjudged the public mood and failed to de-escalate the situation and led us to where the nation finds itself today.
“While there is tentative new hope in Bangladesh today, we must remember that these are uncharted territories for us as a nation. We must not make the mistakes previous administrations have made, distancing themselves from the needs and concerns of the people, and acting without transparency and commitment.”