Quota reform: Protesters say blockade will continue
10 JULY 2024
Students will continue protests, demand that govt reform quota system
Anti-quota blockades cause widespread public suffering
Countrywide blockade from 3.30pm on Thursday
Mamun Abdullah | Mahathir Mohammed /Publish : 10 Jul 2024, 11:00 PM Update : 10 Jul 2024, 11:00 PM
Protesting students welcomed the court's decision, but they have announced that they will continue their movement and blockade programs demanding quota reforms in government services.
The protesters declared their intention to remain on the streets until their demands were met and announced a countrywide blockade starting at 3:30pm on Wednesday.
Protestors claimed that their movement is not linked to the status quo order on the quota system issued by the Appellate Division of the High Court on Wednesday.
They said their demand is crystal clear: they want the executive decision of the government on abolishing all types of quotas in all grades of government jobs, keeping a maximum quota of 5% only for backward communities.
Nahid Islam, coordinator of the Bangla Blockade, said: "Our demand is directed at the executive branch, not the judiciary. While we appreciate the Appellate Division’s move on the High Court order, we believe the judiciary cannot resolve this issue. We urge the executive branch to amend the constitution and pass a bill to create a new quota system. Only this can resolve the situation."
Another coordinator, Hasnat Abdullah, said the protesters will continue the movement until the government establishes a commission to reform the quota system.
"We have welcomed the Supreme Court's decision. However, our protest is not against the abolition of the quota."
He said they urged parliament to enact legislation for a 5% quota in government jobs for underprivileged sections. The movement will continue unless the demands are met.
Meanwhile, Attorney General AM Amin Uddin later said that no quota in the cadre services would be enforced for four weeks following the Appellate Division's order.
The government will need to recruit government servants following the 2018 government notification that abolished the quota system.
The court also asked the agitating students to return to their classrooms and to hire lawyers if they wanted while the quota case is now pending in the Appellate Division.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said the quota reform issue will be resolved through a final hearing in the Supreme Court in the first week of August, urging students protesting quotas in government jobs and blocking roads to return to their classes and to stop any activities that may cause public suffering.
What was said in the Appellate Division's status quo order
Habibur Rahman, an advocate at the Dhaka Bar Association, told Dhaka Tribune about the Appellate Division's status quo order on the High Court's verdict regarding the quota system.
When asked whether the status quo order of the Appellate Division means the government's 2018 notification on quotas remains in effect for the next month or not, he responded: "It shall remain as it is now, but it cannot be said to be fully maintained."
When asked if the court can do anything about reforms in the quota percentage that the protesters are demanding and how the executive branch of the government will go about doing so if it wanted to, he said: "Only the 2018 circular is pending in court. If the government wants, it can now issue a new circular. It will not be in contempt of the High Court verdict."
Public suffering over movement
For the third consecutive day, students demanding the cancellation of quotas in government jobs have intensified their Bangla Blockade program, severely disrupting transportation and daily life across Dhaka.
Protestors blocked several key railway lines and crucial points in the capital from the morning, causing widespread traffic jams and public inconvenience.
Major roads like Panthapath, Green Road, Sonargaon Road, and Tejgaon were completely shut down, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.
The blockade’s impact extended to every neighborhood and alley, significantly escalating public suffering.
On June 5, the High Court ordered the government to restore the 30% quota for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters in the recruitment of various cadre services.
On October 4, 2018, the government issued a circular abolishing all 56% quotas—30% for descendants of freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for people from underdeveloped districts, 5% for ethnic communities, and 1% for physically challenged—in the civil service after student protests.