Asif Mohammad Shahan: It is rather difficult to exactly define the achievements of the uprising. Everyone who participated in the July popular uprising did not have the same expectations or goals. We now see many political parties strongly asserting that the main objective of the July uprising was the fall of Sheikh Hasina. According to them, that goal having been achieved, their mission is complete.
But if we look back, the uprising actually began around the quota reform movement. In its early days, that movement was not about regime change or toppling the government. It was focused on a specific demand. However, when the government began suppressing the movement with extreme force, and especially when that repression turned brutal with incidents of killings, the nature of the movement gradually changed. Eventually, it evolved into a one-point demand: the resignation of the government.
If we then look at the protests of 2, 3, or 4 August last year, particularly the mass gathering at the Shaheed Minar on 3 August, we see that the movement's objective had extended beyond merely removing Sheikh Hasina. Protesters were declaring their vision of a state where no future Sheikh Hasina or authoritarian ruler could return to power. In other words, by that stage, the aspirations of the movement had become much broader. It had come to express a desire for a state system that would not strip citizens of their rights, suppress freedom of expression, or disregard the wishes and aspirations of the people.
It started off as a students' movement and then the teachers joined in. Later, readymade garment industry workers, rickshaw pullers, people from all works of life joined in too. They weren't there for the quota in government service issue. They certain had aspirations. They aspired for a change in the way their lives were being lived. They wanted the state to give importance to their views, their opinions, their wishes.
Broadly speaking, the aspirations of the 2024 popular uprising can be viewed from three perspectives. First, the fall of Sheikh Hasina. That goal has been achieved. Second, the transformation of the state system, meaning the desire to move away from a fascist regime and ensure it doesn’t return. Here, the extent of our success remains debatable. In various discussions, we find debates around whether the current government is strong or weak, but the core question is being sidestepped. We have yet to reach a consensus on how much authority the state should wield. In this respect, the achievement is partial at best. Third, when it comes to public participation and shared ownership of the state, we have not been able to bring about any tangible change whatsoever.
