Victory and vandalism: Why do we never learn?
August 5, 2024 is being touted as a second liberation day. Your timelines during the day were probably that of people celebrating this momentous occasion. You were probably out there snapping cool photos for your Insta to showcase your photography skills, or use this moment in history as a time to meet your friends and hang out outside, parading around the national flag. We were celebrating the end of difficult times after all, but let me ask the obvious and all-important question; how is this really over? Why are we shamelessly going for an inappropriate victory lap when all we did was just show up at the starting line? Why are we using this critical moment to pose for selfies to post on social media on the streets and not start enacting the long-term changes that are needed immediately? Why, instead of remaining calm, have we resorted to shameless looting and wanton violence and vandalism?
Sheikh Hasina, earlier on Monday, stepped down from her role as prime minister, and left the country, in the face of insurmountable opposition from student and civilian protesters heading towards Dhaka demanding her resignation. The moment this news broke, what did we do? We stormed Gono Bhaban, the official residence of the prime minister, the Jaitya Sangsad building, and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). And what did we do? We ransacked Gano Bhaban. Social media was awash with pictures of Dior travel bags, television, refrigerators, fans, chairs, sofa sets, etc. Even random cushions and ducks and chickens were not spared from the looting. People were swimming and fishing in the lakes surrounding the official residence. How did a revolution turn into a Black Friday shopping rush and a picnic? What did the looting prove? We always speak in judgemental tones, asking how government officials could ever resort to greed and corruption? If we can't handle our greed, how could we expect others to handle theirs?
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Another deplorable scene that I witnessed were photos of people standing atop the statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and defacing and damaging it. It's become quite a well-circulated picture on social media. Why? What did that statue do to you? Let's not forget that Bangabandhu was instrumental in our Liberation War against the then Pakistan regime. People have also resorted to breaking statues in different areas of Dhaka, including the Dhaka University area. They even torched and ransacked Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi 32. If you think that defacing these monuments sends a message, it absolutely does, just not the one you think. It shows that when left to our devices, we can't be trusted to act responsibly.
Now, everything I described so far, you could perhaps rationalise in your own head as somehow getting even with the old establishment (you'd be dead wrong, but still). However, what sufficient rationale can you provide that justifies attacking minority communities? What was their fault? Remember the slogan, "Lakho shahid er rokhte kena deshta karo baaper na"? In a similar manner, the nation doesn't simply belong to one particular faith group; a lot of other faiths call this nation home and have given their lives to protect it. It is your civic duty to do right by them and defend them from crazed individuals during this time of unrest.
Our country is now in a critical situation. Currently, with no government in place, there is a power vacuum, one that can be easily utilised against us. Because there is no acting government at this moment, the nation is in a state of confusion and lawlessness. Now is not the time to parade down the streets with ducks, fish, and Dior luggage. An interim government needs to be formed as soon as possible to bring some semblance of law and governance back to the country and set it towards the path of recovery. Make no mistake, these last few weeks have been brutal for the country, and if we continue our premature victory celebrations, we are in for really tough times. Monday was merely the first step in a long road ahead towards a stable, fair, and just nation. Once we get there, you can celebrate away.
Intisab Shahriyar is sub-editor for Star Lifestyle at The Daily Star.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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