Who Gains from Bangladesh’s Anarchy and Violence?

Who are the sufferers? The ultimate sufferers of anarchy and terrorism, as recently seen in Bangladesh, are the common people and the subaltern.

by Md. Sultan Mahmud

Domestic peace and stability have been the key to national progress in every part of the world. The growth of civilization and prosperity in the West has been possible due to political stability and social harmony. Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and China established prolonged periods of domestic peace and stability for their national progress and economic prosperity. Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Brazil, and Senegal are recent examples of successful development due to relative levels of domestic peace and political stability. Most nations in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America continue to struggle and suffer from anarchy and disorder in their societies.

Violence in Bangladesh [Photo: Rashed Shumon/ Daily Start, Bangladesh]

On the other hand, anarchy destroys nations, as evidenced by history. It undermines national vitality and core ethos, which are the sources of national progress and prosperity. Even in the current world, many societies and nations suffer from poverty, underdevelopment, and social backwardness due to chronic political and social unrest caused by anarchy and terrorism. From Mali to Sudan, African countries are fragmented along the lines of insurgent groups, extremist outfits, and rebellious entities supported by external forces. The continuing presence of United Nations peacekeeping missions in several African nations demonstrates the consequences of anarchy, destruction, and hatred in societies. Iraq, Libya, and Syria are glaring examples of external intervention leading to subsequent political and social disorder, political anarchy, and cultural decay.

People in the West and a few non-Western nations understand that anarchy means the destruction of their societies, economies, and cultures. Political movements and social discontent do not lead to anarchy in the developed world due to their liberal and knowledge-based understanding of phenomena. Some countries, like France, have recently witnessed massive political and social unrest and protests. But it never crossed the limit to destroy the French economy and sources of life and livelihoods.

Bangladesh has recently witnessed an upsurge of mindless violence and anarchy, resulting in the destruction of treasured public properties, insecurity of common people, the collapse of economic activities, and social breakdown. The peaceful demonstration of anti-discrimination (Quota-Reform Movement) turned violent at some point due to the penetration of terrorist and anarchic forces. It is widely reported in the media that opposition political forces immediately seized the opportunity and extended their support to the movement in the first place. Later on, they engaged in arson, demolition, and looting to create havoc in the nation. The main opposition political party on the street, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), openly expressed their support and stated their goal: the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government with immediate effect. The goal of ousting an elected government in the midst of a student movement is a mockery of the highest level.

Rejecting a verdict of the High Court Division of Bangladesh, students demanded to reinstate the government notice of dismantling or reforming the quota system in government jobs in Bangladesh. This specific demand related to government policy. When the government took time, the student community became impatient and emotional about their demand. As days passed, it created enormous sympathy among young students of all ages, from high school to university. Academic institutions, particularly the University of Dhaka, became the epicenter of the movement, as has always happened in the history of Bangladesh. Eventually, a non-violent movement turned violent one fateful day, giving anti-government political forces an ideal chance to merge with the movement. Exploiting the wrath of the students and public sentiments, these forces unleashed a reign of terror that Bangladesh has never witnessed since its birth on 16 December 1971.

The reign of terror in the name of protests has caused irreparable damage to the nation on every front – economic, social, political, and cultural. The violence and destruction of public properties can represent nothing but the evil designs and acts of such subversive elements. Specifically, the destruction caused to roads, highways, expressways, metro rail, railways, national public offices, factories, industrial locations, and academic installations is unimaginable. More than 800 prisoners were forcibly freed from a district-level jail, including nine convicted extremists. This has been noted by historians as a new level of anarchy in Bangladesh. The economic cost of the destruction is going to be unprecedented in terms of disruptions to production, services, and businesses. A rough estimate of direct GDP lost is no less than $1.3 billion daily since July 18, when everything came to a standstill due to this reign of terror.

The key question is, who has benefited from this anarchy? Bangladesh has more than 170 million people. The country has been thriving over the past decade and has already surpassed India by per capita income and Pakistan by per capita income and gross domestic product (GDP). The magnitude of destruction caused by the recent spree of anarchy and violence clearly shows that it is primarily a reflection of the vengeance of the anti-Liberation forces who were defeated in 1971. Activists of Jamaat-e-Islam and Islami Chatra Shibir, BNP, and scores of radical political outfits led the country-wide anarchy to oust the Sheikh Hasina government through the destruction of the economy. Second, the terrorist forces who are cornered and virtually toothless due to the government’s zero-tolerance policy took the opportunity to demonstrate their capacity to cause massive damage to the people and economy.

Third, international actors who do not like Bangladesh’s balanced and independent foreign policy may support the anarchic forces to create pressure on the government. There is a clear alignment of interests between local and external players to foment public anger and lead to destruction as evidence of the government’s incapacity and failure to run the state. Fourth, apart from dislodging the government, there may be actors beyond the border seeking to slow, if not halt, the growth of the Bangladesh economy. Recently, Bangladesh has emerged as an assertive nation in the global South, riding on its economic success which helped the nation become a ‘developing country’ and a ‘middle-income’ economy. Bangladesh’s progress may worry those countries fearing a loss of influence or market share in the world. Fifth, domestic terrorist and anarchic outfits may have received support from their global networks. These external terrorist and violent networks will benefit from weakening the liberal fabric of Bangladesh society.

Who are the sufferers? The ultimate sufferers of anarchy and terrorism, as recently seen in Bangladesh, are the common people and the subaltern. A government may face challenges of governance or even lose power, but this does not help the nation. A nation cannot thrive when anarchic and terrorist forces exist. The old and new generations of anarchic forces in Bangladesh must be stopped and wiped out through effective governance and strong support of the people. The mayhem, havoc, and destruction caused by the anarchist and terrorist forces over the past 15-23 July 2024 have caused unprecedented and untold suffering for the people in the country. The perpetrators wanted to inflict long-term damage on the economy so that Bangladesh would never flourish. Eventually, it will embrace the fate of Pakistan to the great delight of the anti-Liberation and anti-people anarchic political forces. They have effectively capitalised on the student movement to achieve their political motives, with students being used as pawns, knowingly or unknowingly. The student community must understand this and think outside the box for the greater good of the people and the nation.

Dr. Md. Sultan Mahmud, a Professor of Political Science, holds an M.S.S from Rajshahi University and a Ph.D. from a Bangladeshi institution. His research focuses on Bangladesh politics, political development, party politics, international affairs, the Liberation War of Bangladesh, peace and conflict, conflict resolution, and security studies.