Latest / New Thinking for a New World / Democracy Succeeds (At Least in Bangladesh)

Transcript

Democracy Succeeds (At Least in Bangladesh) · New Thinking for a New World

• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Welcome to New Thinking for a New World, A Tilburg Foundation podcast.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: I am Alan Stoga your host.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Each week i bring you conversations with people who think differently about the great issues that are shaping our world Geopolitics Disruptive Tech Mass Migration The Changing Climate Culture Wars.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: All of it is grist for our mill!
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: and that you join the conversation at tellbergfoundation.org.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: And now for today's episode of New Thinking For A New World.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: in too many countries.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: So let's celebrate one of the exceptions to that rule, Bangladesh!
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: In that South Asian country with more than a hundred and seventy million people during the summer of twenty-twenty four A student led revolution succeeded in expelling the brutal government of Sheikh Hasina who had ruled for fifteen years.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Fast forward to February twenty-two six And The Country has just conducted an election That by all accounts was mostly free fair and peaceful and attracted sixty percent of eligible voters.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: The result was that the interim government led by Nobel Prize-winning Mohamed Yunus has now been replaced by a democratically elected government.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: From start to finish, the entire transformation took less than twenty months.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: Score one for democracy And for the Bangladeshis.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: My guests today were in front ranks at that revolution.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Ayesha Sidiqua & Umama Fatema Were both leaders.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: students against discrimination the organization that drove The Revolution.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: Welcome, Aisha and Umama to new thinking for a New World!
• 2:07
  Speaker 0: Thank you, Ellen... ...for being just fully approved in.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Thank You, Ellen....
• 2:12
  Speaker 0: For inviting us
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: today on the podcast
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: And thank you for joining us.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: This is a terrifically important issue.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: So let's start at fifty thousand feet.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: How do you feel about where your country Is Today Compared To Where It Was Two Years ago?
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Umama why don't you Start?
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: how Do You Feel?
• 2:29
  Speaker 0: First of all, hello everyone whoever is hearing or listening to this podcast.
• 2:35
  Speaker 0: Asalaamu Alaikum from my side I'm a student who was part of this appraisal during the year and work as an coordinator From Hama University And after one-and-a-half years A new government has come.
• 2:54
  Speaker 0: They have taken over power Overall, it's very early to comment about anything after the election.
• 3:03
  Speaker 0: So if we go through a period of interim government and how they rule the country issue meets feeling from as a student And most at that time I think The promises they make They will do their reformations the systemic reformations in the country, they'll yield up to institutions.
• 3:29
  Speaker 0: But unfortunately I didn't see that sort of reforms in any institution.
• 3:38
  Speaker 0: but at end-of-the day there were very successful in participating in the election and it was smooth.
• 3:46
  Speaker 0: everyone went into polling area voted and exercised their voting rights.
• 3:54
  Speaker 0: There's a thing that mattered at the end of day because people didn't have their voting rights for seventeen years.
• 4:01
  Speaker 0: But we are looking forward to our next government and what they're going to do, how they will protect the thing in case there is problems at least.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: Aisha let me ask you this same question but slightly differently... How did your feel today compared with those memories where things were two years ago?
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Is it better or much better?
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Are you more hopeful?
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Hello everyone, this is Ayesha Siddiquati Thief.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: I'm a student and an activist from Bangladesh so what you have just asked Alam if i compare early in the year of two thousand twenty four to today then my mindset has shifted quite from being like quite frustration towards your engagement.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: that's the most noticeable change Because before July, many of us felt powerless like politically our but politically powerless.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: The domain is of Sheikh Haseena and the like.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Al-Malik created a sense that whatever outcome it was very much predictable for people
• 5:15
  Speaker 0: in
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Bangladesh And participation had limited impact.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Like whether you participate into politics or not, it doesn't matter.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: It won't bring any chance to the people and like.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: but now after July two thousand twenty-fourth The sense of inviolability disappeared like politics suddenly felt open.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: You can participate And if the participation Of your like in politics means very much To the People Like you can feel the change that your participation would bring some change into The situation of the country.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: That psychological shift may be one of the most important chains I have ever built Compared to two thousand twenty four like early two thousand and twenty-four to now.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: And uh, like You could see the election just Obama has already talked about but how?
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: failed to the people that uh in two thousand twenty four we had an election and now, in two-thousand twenty six.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: We had our recent election after the revolution.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: so this too if you compare these two elections together And then we can see how young people are getting more engaged with politics How they're willing like do something for them.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: This is one of the main change I have ever heard after July revolution.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: We can wait to talk a bit about whether and how reform actually happens, what this government does or does not do... And so on..I want to come back to that but i don't wanna stay for moment with fact in last twenty months.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Umama twenty four month ago let's say I'm sure you share what Aisha just said, that your frustrated politics didn't matter.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: Nothing was going to
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: change.".
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: What made you an activist?
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: What motivated you other than that sense?
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: because a lot of people have but not everyone does something with it.
• 7:26
  Speaker 0: The thing that happened in the year two thousand twenty four appraisal itself is very big experience for individuals But uh... With students who had been actively engaged in politics or social activism even during the period of Fekhasina.
• 7:44
  Speaker 0: For us, it was a very difficult and frustrating phase because we have to see that same face each every day in television as she is being uttering utmost bullshit on TV To be honest.
• 7:57
  Speaker 0: So whenever... That's
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: a tactical formal term!
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: We put quotes on it.
• 8:03
  Speaker 0: So there's the thing for a person who is part of the youth and we want to see what's governing doing about unemployment, price hike or economy.
• 8:16
  Speaker 0: On the other hand What do you have been seeing?
• 8:20
  Speaker 0: Is just daily soak in the parliament.
• 8:24
  Speaker 0: So that's the thing that frustrated us as I think even when i was in school.
• 8:34
  Speaker 0: At that time, I became motivated to participate in different sort of environmental activism.
• 8:41
  Speaker 0: That concerned the mangrove forest or Bangladesh are the river economy.
• 8:46
  Speaker 0: so Bangladesh had a great deal off bilateral deals with India at their time because Shreya Kaseena was just constantly she was trying to appease India by doing by fulfilling a lot of their unjust demands.
• 9:05
  Speaker 0: And at that time, as I was part of the environmental activism groups so i had been participating in this sort of movements during two thousand sixteen or two hundred and seventy.
• 9:17
  Speaker 0: So after that when I came to university um...I saw more raw version of politics where I could literally see that The University dormitories.
• 9:31
  Speaker 0: It was completely occupied by the students' organization of the Amalik or the then power party.
• 9:39
  Speaker 0: So, the student political group.
• 9:41
  Speaker 0: they've occupied their dormitories and each and every student who had to take a seat in the dormitory They have to be part of that student organisation And by default they had to be apart from this one organisation.
• 9:54
  Speaker 0: Whoever didn't listen to them whoever opposed their political view Whoever posted something on Facebook they would literally beat him and just throw him out of the dormitory.
• 10:09
  Speaker 0: So that was literally, there's literally a day-to-day scenario of Ghakar University at their time.
• 10:15
  Speaker 0: so when during June twenty four in the whole mass appraisal before the mass appraiser started we actually had a movement.
• 10:24
  Speaker 0: it is about unemployment.
• 10:28
  Speaker 0: it concerned unemployment because our government jobs, particularly the government jobs.
• 10:34
  Speaker 0: It had fifty six percent reservations and people who are closer to Amalik they have been getting their jobs using this fifty-six percent quota system for last seventeen years so that youths who could literally see there don't have anyone who is affiliated with Amalika So They can't have a good job.
• 10:57
  Speaker 0: And someone who doesn't have that sort of quality is getting all the opportunities and every job from government.
• 11:06
  Speaker 0: So, this thing triggered first of all the quota reformation movement on early July.
• 11:14
  Speaker 0: For fifteen or sixteen days we had been protesting against unemployment issue when a boy named Abu Said was shot by police.
• 11:24
  Speaker 0: then it took turn into a prisel.
• 11:27
  Speaker 0: So, is something that Armley was constantly doing?
• 11:31
  Speaker 0: Constantly kind of frigging the people, constantly talking bullshit in the parliament and there's nothing that triggered ultimately this whole movement.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: So all of that... The unemployment issue, reservation issues did the dormitory issue, environmental issues you come to from an environmental background.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: All of that had existed for a while.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: It has gotten worse, had gotten worse over time.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: but Aisha in your case let's go back to twenty-twenty four.
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: what was it about those early months of Twenty-Twenty Four?
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: That either gave you...either got you angry enough or gave you enough hope.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Oh like if I talk about how is eight before twenty twenty four?
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: First, I was also like observing
• 12:26
  Speaker 0: because
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: uh i am quite young to be my age and the thing all of the revolution.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: but it's quite normal
• 12:32
  Speaker 0: for
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: as a Bangladeshi.
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: Because we have been seeing are like a sudden political party ruling over one decade And like do appraising people?
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: Like you can't ask for accountability You can't asked for transparency.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: When I realized that silence is also a political position.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: So if you are not talking about what's going wrong, then it was like taking sides of the wrongdoers.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: so this when i started to question myself and I realize that I'm getting frustrated too as young but why isn't they letting people talk their problem when they are talking about how should they shape the future of young people.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: So you were talking about Young People's Future, but like including them and then you're not hearing their voice.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: so why is that part of the Young People Future here in this position?
• 13:43
  Speaker 0: I said to
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: see that people especially Dhaka University students,
• 13:48
  Speaker 0: they were very multi-active
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: in cases of like raising their boys fighting against the injustice.
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: So I used to dream yes one day when will be age enough and at certain age i'll be
• 14:03
  Speaker 0: on the
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: road with them so that...I would say somehow my parents along with my parents student of university students where kind like, more confidence and to raise my voice.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: And then now when...like after July twenty-twenty four it's the role is also going on because I've never stopped from..after that.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: I continue to question whatever whenever i am seeing anything Whenever I need to question or whenever I need criticize the government, either it's any political
• 14:53
  Speaker 0: figure.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter because we have understand that the youth has understood.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: finally if you're not going to ask them vacanatability then they will lose their power and give all of them
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: Umama, this was a as you've both described.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: A student led process not even processes.
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: perhaps the wrong word.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: it Was a student-led thing that happened.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: why did others follow?
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: You found your voices.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: Why do they follow those voices?
• 15:27
  Speaker 0: particularly because of the history.
• 15:29
  Speaker 0: historically Bangladesh in Nineteen even before Bangladesh was born When he goes part of Pakistan when it is part of the British Empire during the starting of the period century, there has been massive student movements in the Indian subcontinents.
• 15:51
  Speaker 0: Even before Britishers lived the continent even during the nineteen nineties after a ten-year tyranny of Hussain Muhammad Eshad and he was dictator at that time and Hussan Muhammad Eshad also was ousted by students by the students of Dhaka University and the school colleges, they were marching to their streets.
• 16:14
  Speaker 0: And if it's really should have had two gave up give up the power.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: So
• 16:20
  Speaker 0: after nineteen nineties because of that history when Fekhasina was in power for seventeen years every general people They could not actually see any hope That they always did that.
• 16:34
  Speaker 0: okay Now, political parties they only think for their own benefit.
• 16:39
  Speaker 0: So whenever political parties were doing any movement and calling people to come to this speech then overthrowing the government The People did not listen to them.
• 16:53
  Speaker 0: It's because our general peoples don't trust the political party Because They are very corrupted.
• 17:01
  Speaker 0: But as students had a long history of long history of resistance.
• 17:07
  Speaker 0: The people were actually waiting when students will be united and they'll call for the movement against a government.
• 17:16
  Speaker 0: during the period of Tegucina, there had been many massive student movements but none of them have been successful in turning the whole movement into an appraisal because of other situations.
• 17:30
  Speaker 0: as you know after There has been different events that have happened around the world.
• 17:39
  Speaker 0: If we see Sri Lanka in there was a massive uprising in Sri Lanka and for the Bangladeshi people, as we've been quite frustrated about government by end of two thousand eighteen who had started to become frustrated when they saw Sri Lanka and how they ousted their own government, the Rajapakse and his whole family out of Sri Lanka.
• 18:09
  Speaker 0: That was the time maybe that general people as a whole who had some sort of inspiration... ...that may be one day in our country we will able to oust our government in similar manner.
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: The point is there has been long history in student movements.
• 18:24
  Speaker 0: Right, there's another thing I think i need to add maybe through some of the conversation around students.
• 18:32
  Speaker 0: As Aisha was saying that in silence That was a thing that facilitated the tide on your state casino.
• 18:41
  Speaker 0: It is because after the nineteen nineties as I said during the ninety nineties There were massive appraisal Tairani whose name was General Eishad, who's in Mohamud-Eishad.
• 18:54
  Speaker 0: So when Eishadoz outsted there had been different policies that were given by World Bank or IMF for different international organizations who have been deliberately trying to stop the student politics on campus and they also had different economic policies which will eventually introduce taxation system into private universities.
• 19:20
  Speaker 0: specifically
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: they
• 19:21
  Speaker 0: wanted to introduce tax on the university education system, schools and colleges.
• 19:26
  Speaker 0: So for last seventeen years there's another policy that had happened is a massive sentiment around society.
• 19:39
  Speaker 0: it's an extremely anti-political sentiment After two thousand seven and eight, but
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: what was it about?
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: Two years ago that finally Created the possibility of this change because as you've just repeated Episode after episode after episode over seventeen.
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: Years did not produce change But something was in the air in twenty-twenty four That did produce change.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: Aisha What do you think?
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: I think uh i'm gonna add something with mama because she has already said how rich full, like enriched history we have already.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: Like always is the youth who lived any kind of change whenever society or country needed.
• 20:28
  Speaker 0: so
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: in what?
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: during July revolution it was also the same youth.
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: because you know already Obama has said that in two thousand eighteen there were already a protest against the court system And then the government didn't fulfill their promise, and young people were getting frustrated.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: And unemployment was rising so high that it's like... The
• 20:59
  Speaker 0: future
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: of these young people in question is what they're going to do because there are a huge number of unemployment problems in this country.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: To solve them I think And I was also in two thousand eighteen when the protests were going because it's not Because that I work a college student.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: It was the sense That i have to.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: In some day, in The near future?
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: I will be University students so II'll Be in the same position if I don't speak up right now.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: So it Was the same.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: near future, we will be in the same position.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: If you don't speak up with our seniors or people then this never-ending problem would not get
• 21:45
  Speaker 0: solved.".
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: That was a voice that students and young people really thought about.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: if there is responsibility?
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: And it's an inner voice where they need freedom to speak because many student have already died because of stating
• 22:05
  Speaker 0: what
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: they really think and saying against the corruption of previous government.
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: That was fair, I think our parents used to have.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: that's why they didn't say anything about corruption And we young people really did not care about it.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: It is now or never because its also becoming... Our future Children, you know they are young right now.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: They have the children like no but it's also about their future if we don't shape it right?
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: Now If I don't question it right now then this never ending loop will never end.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: Do you know leaders who regardless of where they live or what they do our changing world?
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: Leaders Who Are not content with What is and are working hard for It could be Leaders With Both a Demonstrated Track Record And The Potential For Continued Impact.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: Leaders whose work is innovative, courageous, rooted in universal values and global approach or implication.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: If so please nominate them for the Telberg SNF Eliason Global Leadership Prize at telbergprize dot org.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: What are your expectations?
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: And what our youth were generally expectations sitting here at start of this new chapter in Bangladesh's political history.
• 23:46
  Speaker 0: What do you expect?
• 24:07
  Speaker 0: They will take actions about the money laundering that had happened during last seventeen years.
• 24:15
  Speaker 0: Specifically, Sheikh Hasina she had completed drained out of the banks economy and her assets are all around the world.
• 24:26
  Speaker 0: so what we expected from the interim government is they would take some action and try to seize the properties bring their money into country because there's a thing economic needs And we really want perfect or something that concerned the youth.
• 24:46
  Speaker 0: because the interim government, what do you had expected?
• 24:49
  Speaker 0: That they will create job opportunities for their youth.
• 24:52
  Speaker 0: But unfortunately even the Bangladesh PM got there.
• 24:56
  Speaker 0: economic policies were focusing on keeping the economy stable rather than having incentives to boost it.
• 25:07
  Speaker 0: So what do we expect from the government is that they will have some policies to boost their economy.
• 25:13
  Speaker 0: Also, there are different policies so that a different job sector for the youth would be created.
• 25:19
  Speaker 0: and There's another thing that the government has promised specifically the industry workers and farmers.
• 25:30
  Speaker 0: They had been suffering for last seventeen years even during the period of interim government.
• 25:38
  Speaker 0: We have a large farmers population, but unfortunately this group of people had never been incentivized during the last regime.
• 25:47
  Speaker 0: The current government.
• 25:49
  Speaker 0: they have promised that they will have incentives from lowering income people along with farmers and industry workers.
• 25:56
  Speaker 0: what we wish to see is along with stable economy They'll have different incentives for different section of People in society as I mean youth.
• 26:07
  Speaker 0: Obviously, I want a free and fair freedom of speech.
• 26:11
  Speaker 0: And we want a pre-environment in the society.
• 26:15
  Speaker 0: after year two hundred twenty four and got that government there very uh.
• 26:20
  Speaker 0: i think they're very concerned about it.
• 26:22
  Speaker 0: is they don't want to uh in any way.
• 26:26
  Speaker 0: uh you would anger the angered youths at least they do not want to stir up their use anyway.
• 26:33
  Speaker 0: So by this time, they're only thinking about recovering the economy.
• 26:40
  Speaker 0: We do expect that other than the economy, there are promises made to implement the July Charter and the reformation policies that the interim government has just left half-baked.
• 26:55
  Speaker 0: so maybe elected governments will fulfill the promises that the Indian government had made with the July charter.
• 27:04
  Speaker 0: We do expect, we have a lot of expectations but are not very sure if the government is eventually successfully partake all their deformations they've promised.
• 27:17
  Speaker 0: so were really looking forward to changes or just watching what
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: We just had our election, and before that the interim government was on power.
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: So they did... I would say like whatever they did, the promise couldn't be fulfilled or didn't fulfill.
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: but now we have a new government.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: if you are at an inflection point because democracy is not always permanent it's an event.
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: It's a long process in a country like Bangladesh, where the whole system has been corrupted for so long time.
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: The fall of a long dominant leadership structure has created an opportunity for people from Bangladesh.
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: but this opportunity doesn't guarantee reform or the transformation for people.
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: Because if we are talking about how this government will bring reform and fulfill our expectations, I think they must show sustainability of democracy like accountability.
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: showing accountability protection of distance and also transparency and fulfilling what promises they have made before the election, how are going to fulfill these promises.
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: Like it's a new era.
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: so I think with honestly that i don't have much
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: expectation
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: strongly but I am optimistic because we've already seen too much optimism might cause like dissatisfaction later, if they don't fulfill the requirements or what we are expecting from them.
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: So I'm going to keep my hope on them and let's see what they bring up at the table for people in the country.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: Let me ask one last question because you're running out of time You've both talked about government as... the elected government As THEM What will THEY produce?
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: The people, the students produced this change and now it's back in the hands of the professionals.
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: We see a president or prime minister who has been around for long time... ...the families are back in control over the parties.
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: Alhambri League is gone but the Bangladesh National Party has two-thirds majority….
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: …has the ability to execute at least in parliament.
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: Not knowing Bangladesh, and I don't know Bangladesh from a distance one could say well they went through A very difficult revolution And now it's different has seen as gone But an old family is back.
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Is it really changed?
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: Let me be precise.
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: Do you just expect them to deliver and if not then its Back To The Streets?
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: or Are You at?
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: are your friends gonna Say no we need to Be part of this.
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: We Need to be Part Of the government itself Because very few students were elected in this last election.
• 30:48
  Speaker 0: There's way fewer room for the students to be part of this change, to be honest because as a new government which is elected by people they are empowered there and their will is being served.
• 31:05
  Speaker 0: so obviously For the general students who don't have that much authority on the government currently We can only talk about them.
• 31:43
  Speaker 0: interim government.
• 31:44
  Speaker 0: What we saw is that the power from their students, it went into the hands of the Puduprits and within six or seven months who had been seeing the law enforcement forces, the interim government political parties in the Budakresi all of them together they have again created their power centers and although there are back-in-the-gay so the JN students were very much part whose brother or sisters have died in the streets, there are no one else.
• 32:17
  Speaker 0: They only got some recognition from their government nothing else.
• 32:22
  Speaker 0: so it's like maybe we have... Maybe that's how democracy works?
• 32:26
  Speaker 0: Maybe this is how the government and the system work.
• 32:31
  Speaker 0: but after I had seen a lot of electoral politics-how the parties worked last year After seeing the whole, after just viewing the whole process I can't be that much optimistic about our future.
• 32:46
  Speaker 0: So...I want my country to be stable!
• 32:49
  Speaker 0: I want all of things done and i'm trying to be practical with everything.
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: My feeling is like cautious optimism rather than strong optimistic because there are political transitions often generate hope.
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: I have seen these young people around my
• 33:16
  Speaker 0: age feel
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: very much empowered and watchful after the July Revolution till now.
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: And still they are hopeful for their new government, as it should be because we're also afraid
• 33:34
  Speaker 0: to show
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: early optimism.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: the structural reform, it doesn't follow what they have promised before election.
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: And like
• 33:45
  Speaker 0: for me I think that
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: in a single government or a government cannot bring change or reform by themselves.
• 33:55
  Speaker 0: if
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: people of the country don't stand out and raise their voice to talk about government have their own way to reform and like decide how the real transformation should be.
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: And only decided by the politician, then it won't change because they are all same old people
• 34:27
  Speaker 0: who
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: were before us.
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: so why didn't there talk about that changed?
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: Before students of Bangladesh went protested against the former fascist government.
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: So I think that like, the citizen should remain engaged with them in government and you know for
• 34:49
  Speaker 0: change
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: of country.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: And if we don't talk about it or correct then If we do not talk to them, if they don't criticise us They won't realise what are doing.
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: sometimes is not right for people.
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: Sometimes need a change the method, sometimes they need to listen to people who are facing a problem.
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: So thank you Aisha!
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: Thank You Mama!
• 35:18
  Speaker 2: Democracy is messy when it works well.
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: When its not messy something's wrong.
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: so I think what we've heard in this last half hour of conversation is democracy and Bangladesh is messy.
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: And that good thing but then just end with What you've both said, unless the citizens remain engaged and active then it'll slip slide back to a place that nobody wants to go.
• 35:45
  Speaker 2: So again congratulations on what's happened over.
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: Remember, tell us what you think at telbergfoundation.org.