Bangladesh cancels quotas after bloody disturbances
With a Quota System, Bangladesh Allows Only Certain Population Groups to Apply for Half of the Jobs in Public Service - Causing Massive Unrest. Protests Result in Dozens of Deaths. The Supreme Court Intervenes and Reverses Course.
In Bangladesh, which has been shaken by violent student protests for weeks, the country's Supreme Court has significantly rolled back the controversial quota system for public sector jobs. According to Attorney General AM Amin Uddin, only 7 percent of the positions should be reserved for specific population groups in the future. Previously, the quota had been 56 percent.
The earlier decision of a higher court to reinstate the quota in full was "illegal," Uddin added. The remaining 93 percent of public sector jobs should be allocated based on merit. An attorney representing protesting students reportedly called on the students to return to their classes after the verdict was announced.
The students had demanded the complete abolition of the quota system. At least 151 people were killed during the protests. The government declared a curfew due to the unrest, but many protesters defied it on Saturday. The Supreme Court was originally scheduled to rule on the quota issue in August, but the decision was brought forward due to the escalation of protests.
The system previously reserved more than half of the well-paid positions in the public sector for specific population groups. Those particularly benefiting from the quotas were the children of veterans of the Bangladeshi Liberation War of 1971, which ended the country's independence from Pakistan.
According to their critics, the quotas favored supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was re-elected for a fourth term in January in an election with virtually no opposition.
- Despite the Supreme Court's intervention, the issue of Murder and Manslaughter surfaced, as several students lost their lives during the protests against the quota system in Bangladesh.
- In theAftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to limit the quota system in Bangladeshi public sector jobs, discussions about Justice and Equality in Politics have become more prevalent among the nation's Students.
- The Courts in Bangladesh have been under increased scrutiny, with many questioning their role in upholding Merit over Quotas in the public sector, a topic that has been at the heart of recent Students' Protests.
