Peace 101

Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

The recent protest carried out by students of private universities was met with victory as the Finance Ministry issued a statement saying the VAT imposed on Private Education will be withdrawn. There were many ups and downs of this protest, and while people were stuck in traffic for hours- there was more to learn for us from it, than not. 

The first noticeable feature of this protest was that, shockingly, no people were injured! In Bangladesh, more often than not, during protests, other civilians choose to stay locked up in their houses because of the ruthlessness of said protests, or those rallying against it, and the chance of actually losing your life arises. This time there was no such fear, no such deaths, no ruthlessness. And also shockingly, no opposing force. 

Another observation showed that there were no vandalised vehicles, while often we see during protests the violent breaking of cars (what fault vehicles have, I do no know) and burning buses. The students let ambulances pass by making way for them, and the biggest casualties of the protest were 2 cars with 'No Vat on Education' spray painted on them (can be washed off with acetone), some placards with the same slogan placed on car windows, and people facing traffic for 6-7 hours, instead of the usual 3-4— maybe not so terrible when compared to human beings and vehicles set ablaze. 

While remaining peaceful was their ultimate goal, the police had already once attacked the students on the first day of the protest. The police themselves were not touched. And when they next showed up with guns and rubber bullets, the students were ready with flowers, to teach the force the power of peace. They learned, and withdrew. 

What was most evident in the students was valiance. Even after the first attack from the police, even after being attacked by Titumir College students, even after knowing that they were prone to any kind of attack from anyone, the students remained strong and courageous. They stuck to their word, as they promised a peaceful but determined protest. They weren't going to back down. Not for anything or anyone. 

And lastly, the biggest lesson we learned from this protest was that peace always wins hearts. Many political parties and politically backed student bodies believe that the only way to win a protest or be heard is by killing, burning and putting fear into the hearts and minds of people, but the private university students have proved the contrary. While many have complained about the traffic, many have also accepted it because it was for a good cause. 

Now, #NoVatOnEducation remains no more just a hashtag. It has become one the most popular and successful slogans in Bangladesh in recent times. It has become the victory of the people. The students have won our hearts and our support with peace, which, ultimately the Government had to accept and yield into. We spoke, they listened. History was made.