After bloody riots, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has partially rejected a controversial quota system for public sector recruitment. Can the decision calm the situation?
Following deadly clashes between demonstrators and police in Bangladesh, the highest court in Dhaka has partially reversed the reintroduction of a controversial quota system in the public service. The plans had sparked ongoing violent student protests.
From now on, 93 percent of appointments should be made on the basis of merit, the court decided on Sunday, according to BBC Bangla. This at least partially followed the protesters’ demands. Only the remaining seven percent would be subject to a quota system and would be reserved primarily for descendants of soldiers who fought for the country’s independence in 1971, the judges decided.
The previous system, however, provided for 30 percent of the positions for war veterans – and in total, more than half of the positions were to be reserved for certain groups. According to observers, the regulation favored supporters of long-standing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In the country with more than 170 million inhabitants, unemployment and inflation are high. Government jobs are usually well paid.
Since the violence began on Tuesday, more than 100 people have died in the protests, BBC Bangla reported, citing the daily newspapers “Prothom Alo” and “The Daily Star” among others. Current reports from these and other local media were not available online at the weekend. The government had largely cut off internet, telephone and SMS connections. The number of victims has not been officially confirmed.
A curfew has been in place in the country since midnight on Friday, and the army is stationed across the country. Nevertheless, according to BBC Bangla, there were isolated violent incidents on Saturday. The curfew was to be relaxed between 3 and 5 p.m. (local time) today so that people could run essential errands, it was said.
