Protests to resume as no headway in gazette

QUOTA REFORM

Protesters on Monday threatened to resume protests for reform of the quota system in public service recruitment as no headway was made in the issuance of a gazette notification on abolition of quota in the civil service announced by the prime minister. 

Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad, the platform of the protesting students issued the threat as its ultimatum issued on the government for the gazette notification expired Monday. 

Asked whether there was any headway in the issuance of the gazette notification, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said that there was no progress. 

The public administration ministry would form a committee to be led by him over the matter as directed by the prime minister, the top civil bureaucrat said at a briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting. 

In the face of protests by students across the country, prime minister Sheikh Hasina announced in parliament on April 11 that the quota system in government jobs would be abolished. Shafiul said that he got no instruction over the issue. 

Platform joint-convener Rashed Khan on Monday told New Age that earlier they postponed their protests after Awami League lawmaker Jahangir Kabir Nanak told them that the government would publish the gazette notification after the return of the prime minister.

Rashed said that now they had no option but to resume the movement again as there was no development in this regard and they would hold a press conference today in front of central library of Dhaka University.

Earlier on April 26, the protesters warned that they would resume agitation if a gazette notification was not published by April. The protesters took to the street on April 8 and continued the protests for five-point demands, including reduction of quota in public service recruitment to 10 per cent from the existing 56 per cent.

The protesters have been on the streets since February for the five-point demands, including recruitment of jobseekers in vacant posts on the basis of merit if eligible candidates were not found under the quota, an end to special recruitment tests for quota candidates and a single age limit for all jobseekers.

Students were on the street as 56 per cent quotas are reserved in government jobs – 30 per cent for freedom fighters’ children and grandchildren, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for districts lagging behind, 5 per cent for ethnic minorities and 1 per cent for physically challenged people.

The protesters also demanded withdrawal of cases as at least five cases were filed against unnamed persons with Shahbagh police and Ramna police for violence and vandalising the Dhaka University vice-chancellor’s house on the campus during the agitation against the quota system. 

• Courtesy: New Age/ May 08 2018