Now that Hasina has fled the country in the face of a student-led revolution, a new interim government under Dr. Yunus has come into power, and some attempts at a counter-coup have been foiled, maybe we can begin to breathe a small sigh of relief. There is still so much to be done, but now some of the initial uncertainty has been alleviated, especially ways of counter-coup by the legislative assembly (the parliament assembly was dissolved on very first day), and the judiciary (the chief justice was forced to resign, as well as all judges of apellate division as well; Attorney General also said they would initiate reforms in the HC soon).
Yes Sheikh Mujib statues have been pulled to the ground, and beautiful calligraphy has begun to adorn the streets in places (here, here, here). But there are uglier ways in which things are recalibrating after decades of Awami looting and takeover - see events of unrest fomented at Islami Bank (to remove S.Alom group influence) and IIUC (to remove Abu Reza Nadvi loyalists). I won't comment much on these matters except that Jamaat people have been most mercilessly victimised during Awami misrule; it is what is it.
Political detainees arrested in the fast few weeks have been released. And some detainees of enforced disappearance, such as Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem and Abdullahil Aman Azmi, but not all, have been released as well.
The new Bangladesh overwhelms one with hope, although the danger is still out there - the spectre of communal riots, despite being proven fake again and again (Aljazeera news, Deshbhakt report, Rumour Scanner tweets (part 1, part 2)), could spoil the image of Bangladesh and invite adverse reactions from an oversensitized world eager to play the minority saviour card (unless the minority in question is Muslim).
Many, including Mahmudur Rahman and Farhad Mazhar, are calling on the government to be declared a revolutionary government instead of an interim government, mainly due to the myriad problems of ruling under the constraints of the current constitution, and the current President Shahabuddin who was a Hasina appointed loyalist. Mazhar has been calling for the suspension of the current constitution, and assumption of Dr. Yunus the post of President of the revolutionary government. This call has strengthened after Joy, Hasina's son, in his latest interview, claimed that his mother the ex-Prime Minister Hasina, had not really resigned, and was still the legitimate leader. This is a stark departure from his first interview, where he said Sheikh Hasina would not return to politics. His shifting views are clearly an indication that although the first video may have been genuine, the other interviews are scripted, and most probably written and directed by Indian RAW operatives behind the cameras.
Indian interference, especially on the issue of inflaming minorities tensions, after having failed in bringing about an army coup, police coup, legislative coup and finally the judicial coup, is actually making the Bangladeshi people aware to the very problem of Indian interference, something that India has successfully tried to keep hidden till now. But desperate times elicit sometimes stupid reactions, as we have seen from Hasina a few days back, and are seeing from India now. Mahmudur Rahman has explained the issue of Indian hegemony beautifully here, and a letter from five citizens of different SAARC nations calling for Indian interference (read hegemony) to stop should be enough to help one understand what the issue is all about at the moment.
At the moment, while many are tensed and turning in their beds regarding what will happen with elections, will the interim government turn into another dictatorial tool itself, or will Sheikh Hasina come back to usurp power, I am in general not worried and have nothing to add to the debate really. The students have repeatedly shown they are more mature than we think - see condition of roads under students, the guarding of temples, etc (although some have voiced concern that students inside the government could compromise their position overall). In any case, it will not be easy to bring back the law and order situation of a country torn asunder by Sheikh Hasina's divisive policies over 16 years of misrule - the fact that police have just agreed to return to work is an encouraging sign; and a big alhamdulillah it is the police and not the military ushering in curfews to control the looting and revenge attacks against ex-regime people, although the military was deployed to control Awami League inspired violence in Gopalganj few days back.
Regarding recommendations, I am not really placed to suggest any. But if I were given to state my pick(s), I would say - (1) dismantle the hugely controversial ICT and reverse its politically biased judgements that polarised and tore the country over the past 14 years, (2) constitute a national justice and reconciliation process to bring all the criminals (whether they have fled, or are still under some guise in government, army or judiciary) involved with torture, blatant corruption, human rights violations, et al. to justice and give victims their due justice, and (3) restructure the army to secure the real troubles that will start now - a belligerent India, the persecuted Rohingya in Myanmar (see earlier post about army and possible changes).
At the end of the day, it is about bringing back trust in public institutions, and in ability of due political process to address public grievances, as well as the ability of due judicial process to ensure justice. Without that, there is no possibility of change.
There is still a lot more to unpack, such as a blueprint towards normalcy, but it is too early to even begin to contemplate about it. However, I do agree with Pinaki it is necessary to get everything up and running, and he has a nice list of things that need to be addressed on his youtube untold series. However, let us leave it here for the moment.
