Honestop • Twenty-five-year-old Abu Sayed, the son of a farmer and one of nine siblings, was a bright scholarship student at one of Bangladesh's top universities. He aspired to secure a government job that would provide economic stability and possibly lift his family into a better social standing. However, his aspirations were shattered when the government reinstated a quota system that reserved a staggering 30 percent of these sought-after government positions for the descendants of "freedom fighters" – those who liberated Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.
Aware that there are currently 18 million unemployed young people in Bangladesh, Sayed was determined not to become another statistic after graduation. This resolve led him to become a key organizer in a nationwide movement aimed at reforming the quota system, known as "Students Against Discrimination."
During one protest, Sayed stood defiantly just 15 meters (50 feet) from the Bangladesh police, his arms outstretched in a silent challenge.
They shot him dead.
The video of this shocking extrajudicial killing spread rapidly online, sparking outrage and drawing hundreds of thousands of students across the country into the streets. In solidarity and grief, educators, lawyers, parents, and even rickshaw pullers joined the protests, united in their anger over the death of Sayed and more than 200 other demonstrators who were killed by government-aligned student activists and armed forces.
Their bravery and sacrifice were not in vain.
The High Court ultimately revised the quota system, reducing the allocation for the descendants of freedom fighters to just seven percent of government jobs.
However, even this significant change did not quell the unrest.
The violence had transformed the student movement, which now aimed for much more than just reforming the quota system. The students demanded sweeping, systemic change, including the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a new government.
To the astonishment of many, their demands were met earlier today.
The violence that had been inflicted on the student movement radically transformed its goals. No longer content with simply reforming the quota system, the students now sought deep, systemic change. They demanded a new government and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
To the shock of the world, their demands were fulfilled earlier today.
Recognizing that she could no longer suppress the resolve of the student movement—a movement that embodied the future of Bangladesh—Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position and fled the country aboard a military aircraft.
In just five short weeks, a student-led movement, driven by idealistic youths like Abu Sayed, forced an autocrat who had ruled the country with an iron grip for 15 years to flee without a backward glance.
The success of this movement is a powerful testament to the fact that the people of Bangladesh are no longer willing to accept economic progress at the expense of human rights, free speech, and democracy.
Today, after five weeks of bloodshed, pain, fear, and heartache, the students have achieved their dream. Young Bangladeshis are now in charge of the country, and for perhaps the first time in their lives, they have a genuine reason to be hopeful about the future.
While a caretaker government, overseen by the Bangladeshi army, will now take control, some are understandably concerned. In the past, such governments have not always protected human rights or furthered democracy. However, the student leaders who brought about this change have vowed that this interim government will be different from any the country has seen before. They have promised to ensure that this new government remains accountable to the people and does not overstep its bounds. I believe they will keep their word because this is their country, their future, and their lifelong dream, for which they risked everything.
This revolution sends a clear message from the youth to those who have long held and abused power, not only in Bangladesh but across the world: your time is up. A new generation, unwilling to compromise on their rights and ready to fight for justice at great personal cost, is now in charge. Change is inevitable. We must all either embrace it or step aside.
“Fear's contagious, but so is courage.” - Michelle Aguilar