Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left her country on August 5. She fled the country amid week-long protests and non-stop chaos in Dhaka and elsewhere across the country. As soon as news about Hasina fleeing the country spread out, the protesters swarmed into her residence in the capital much similar to what played out in Sri Lanka against Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022.
Years of economic mismanagement snowballed into a huge peoples’ movement called as Aragalaya in Sri Lanka in 2022. The Aragalya was led by the students and the people in Sri Lanka. Aragalaya, which means “Struggle” in Sinhala, became a mass movement which brought the people to the Galle Face near the President Secretariat in Colombo. The petrol crisis, the long queues in front of the fuel stations, super markets, long hours of electricity cuts and foreign currency shortage led to the people's struggle in Sri Lanka. Gotabaya left the country and his brother Mahinda resigned as the Prime Minister. Gotabaya stayed in the Maldives and Singapore and returned to Colombo after a year. The country saw a change in leadership and Ranil Wickremesinghe took charge as the President.
Exactly two years down the line as Sri Lanka is heading for a crucial presidential election, the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) of Sri Lanka has expressed solidarity with the students union leading the protests in Bangladesh. Speaking to THE WEEK over a zoom call from Colombo, IUSF leader Madhushan Chandrajith shared his views and support to the Bangladesh people struggle.
Excerpts
Q. As a student leader who was part of Aragalaya, how do you look at the students protest in Bangladesh?
It is quite a momentous decision by the students of Bangladesh to lead the protest and ouster an undemocratic leader. We, the students of Sri Lanka, share their exhilaration and aspirations. Their courage in kindling the flames of hope today is a testament to the power of the people. As their counterparts in Sri Lanka, we have extended our heartfelt congratulations on this historic milestone achieved through collective strength. We, too, have traversed a similar path. In 2022, the Sri Lankan populace ousted the tyrannical regime of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a racist despot.
Q. What is your advice to the student union in Bangaldesh?
While we fought our leaders here in Sri Lanka we learnt many lessons. It was a sure victory for us to get rid of Gotabaya. One lesson we learnt was to keep the voices, particularly the community voices heard as always. So we initiated a process and set up the Peoples council which will comprise activists, students, and the general public to work among the common man. This was to ensure that the community voices are loud and the people get the platform they deserve. We wanted the people's voice to be heard all over the country. So we have passed on this lesson we learnt to sustain the protest movement through community voices to the Bangladesh students.
Q. Did the students union from Bangladesh reach out to you?
Yes. Not now. They have been in touch with us since our 2022 Aragalaya movement, since our then student leader Wasantha Mudalige was arrested and jailed. They extended support to us then and expressed solidarity. So are we. The connection between the two unions existed since then. And in the past few months, the relationship has grown strong. They reached out to the IUSF for advice and also to discuss the ongoing situation. We proposed several ideas to them, as to how they can go forward. We suggested that a vibrant discourse can flourish within people’s councils that genuinely empower the citizenry. By establishing a people’s government grounded in such structures and underpinned by a transformative social, economic, and political agenda, Bangladesh can achieve a truly resounding victory.
Q. You mentioned the People's Council. Where does it stand now in Sri Lanka?
The idea to set up the People’s Council came up when the protests were happening at the Galle Face in 2022. The idea of the council at the first instance was to tackle the economic crisis and ouster Gotabaya. But after Gota’s exit, people felt that the GoHomeGota slogan was successful and felt they need not protest anymore. But we ensured that the council was informed that their protest should go beyond this one individual and there are many issues like abolishing executive presidency, bringing in amendments to the constitution and pushing the country beyond the economic crisis. Now we have more than 40 councils across provinces in Sri Lanka and all of them act individually addressing the community issues, even though we have a central committee.
Q. What do you have to say about the situation in Bangladesh now?
The expulsion of the autocratic and murderous Hasina regime marks a significant victory in the united struggle of students and people. Yet, a crucial question looms large: who shall assume the mantle of leadership in Bangladesh post-Hasina. Will it be the ascent of another ruthless ruling clique, as witnessed in Sri Lanka, or the spectre of repressive military dominance. It is imperative that Bangladesh avoids the clutches of either a capitalist oligarchy or an authoritarian military junta, thereby safeguarding the fruits of the collective sacrifice of the protesters. So we proposed the establishment of a people’s government which will mark a victory for the revolution led by the students.
