Corruption amid post-movement silence

We are a strange nation - we can wake up, we can burst into protest, we can stand on the streets. But is the achievement of that movement limited to banners, posters, and police baton charges? We have proven time and again, 'we can'; but have we ever thought - what exactly can we do? What else can we not do? Why can't we? For years, we have seen - that the student community of Bangladesh has sometimes roared against quota reform, sometimes against educational inequality, sometimes against salary inequality, admission corruption, question paper leaks, or housing problems. The Raju Sculpture of Dhaka University, Shahbagh, Press Club, and the protest sites in Chittagong are silent witnesses to these movements.

In 2018, A massive movement was staged against regional discrimination and socio-economic status in intake exams in various government universities in the country. Many students complain that various universities are running 'house rent-based questions', VIP quotas, and even undeclared reservations for political party loyalists. Due to these reasons, many talented students are left behind and are not able to get admitted despite their qualifications. In this context, students of Chittagong University staged a continuous movement for a week. The issue was covered in many media outlets, the administration assured an investigation; but what happened next? After a few days, the movement died down, and the media became busy with other issues. Although an investigation committee was formed by the university, no permanent measures were taken. Even today, the same corruption, the same discrimination - the internal occupation of the invisible circle remains intact.

We protest; but why are there no reforms? There are several deep structural reasons behind this:

1. Limitations of consciousness: We protest with momentary emotions, but we do not have a vision and strategic plan. Follow-up of the movement, maintaining pressure, presenting organized demands - these are absent from the culture of our movement.

2. Weakness and division of leadership: In most cases, student movements fall under the shadow of party politics. As a result, the movement loses strength, becomes divided, and group interests take the place of ideology.

3. State response: The government is busy suppressing the movement, not providing solutions. Intimidation, arrest or surveillance of students through the use of security forces - these methods suppress public consciousness instead of eliminating inequality.

4. Lack of good governance: Due to the lack of accountability among educational institutions, ministries, and administration, no one takes responsibility for these irregularities. When the administration itself is controlled by political patronage, it remains silent or covers up the problem.

The question is now very clear, we speak against inequality; but why can't we eliminate inequality? Because, we identify the opponent; but do not change the structure. The movement is centered on the individual; but it entrenches the corrupt system.

We demand change, but we are not prepared to change ourselves. As a result, after the movement, silence comes and in the silence, new forms of corruption grow. If the anti-discrimination movement is to be truly fruitful, it must have four pillars:
* Knowledge-based proposals: The movement must be enriched not only with slogans but also with statistics and policy alternatives.
* Long-term strategy: To ensure that the movement is not temporary, long-term planning and leadership are needed.
* Social unity and pressure: If students cannot involve other sections of society, the state will easily isolate the movement.
* Transparent leadership: No movement can achieve its main goal without political influence and ideological leadership.
In today's Bangladesh, discrimination persists not only in education - but also in the case of health, jobs, justice, and even fundamental rights. And so the question spreads to a larger extent.

If we know what we are agitating for - why don't we know how to eliminate it? So it is time to understand the process of change along with the movement, break the structure, and start the struggle to build a truly humane, just society. Otherwise, we will always say, ‘We can; but we cannot eliminate it.’

We roar against the problem; but we stand in the way of the solution, facing our convenience. Because, we have grown up not only in a corrupt state but also in a national mentality that accepts corruption as tolerable, even acceptable. The moment an opportunity comes instead of struggle, we choose not ideals but interests. In the greed of a handful of money, influential patronage, or temporary security, we do not hesitate to unmask the protestor and hold the hand of the criminal. This culture of self-sacrifice is our biggest defeat - that is why we can, but we can never ‘eliminate’ it.

We are about 180 million Bangladeshis today. Despite knowing the reason for this ‘inability to eliminate’ our time, we silently walk away without doing anything. This truth plunges me into deep despair. Does it not make you?

Rahman Mridha: Researcher and former director, Pfizer, Sweden.