Everyone should speak concerning Bangabandhu, the liberation war, and the national flag. With flags on their heads and flags in their hands, the people of the opposition forces of the liberation war are also now a big part of the spirit of the liberation war.
The most dedicated to the implementation of the ideals of Bangabandhu and the prime minister, with the red and green flag on the head and the flag in hand, the question arises from the heart whether you are doing it from the heart or showing off, do you, your family and fourteen generations believe in freedom and liberation war?
Do you or your family have any role in achieving this flag and independence?
The Appellate Division stayed the status quota for one month on July 10, based on the verdict given by the High Court, which upheld the quota for government jobs. However, the anti-quota activists rejected it and announced they would continue their agitation.
The agitators said they will remain on the streets until the executive department meets this demand.
Chief Justice Obaidul Hasan spoke about the agitators' demands and advised those agitating about the quota and why they talk about the executive department. Any decision of the executive division can be challenged in court.
The court door is always open for quota agitators. One point of the quota activists is to pass a law in all grades of government jobs and cancel all types of discriminatory quotas by keeping a minimum quota.
The statistics show that total recruitment-14,813 General Merit Quota-9,818 (66.2 per cent) District Quota-2,124 (14.4 per cent), Female Quota-1,426 (9.6 per cent), Freedom Fighters Quota-1,298 (8.7 per cent), Minorities Quota-131 (0.9 per cent), Disabled Persons Quota-16 (0.11 per cent).
The necessity of quota will be apparent to everyone after seeing some more information regarding quota. Out of the 574 recommended in 40 batches, 121 women are recommended, 21.08 per cent of the total recommended number.
Of the 816 recommended in 41 batches, 173 women were recommended, 21.20 per cent of the total recommended number. Out of the total 645 recommended in 43 batches, 110 are women recommended, 17.05 per cent of the total recommended number.
The above information is related to the general cadre, which gives a general idea about the quota effect or impact. The number of recommended officers of all cadres of 38 batches is 2204; women recommended 578, 26.87 per cent of the total recommended.
The number of recommended officers of all cadres of 37 batches is 1,313; women recommended 309, 24.73 per cent of the total recommended.
The number of recommended officers of all cadres of 36 batches is 2323; women recommended 584. Current status of women officers and district-wise quota in BCS (Police) after the abolition of the quota system.
Quota-wise recruitment was maintained up to 38 batches. Hence, there was no quota for recruitment for batches 40 and 41. After the abolition of the quota, the recruitment of women in the BCS police began to decline.
Moreover, no officers were recruited from 24 districts in batch 40 and 18 districts in batch 41. Due to the lack of quotas for police jobs, only four women officers got a chance, and only two women were in the foreign service.
Candidates got a chance. In 23 districts, only a few people have gotten a police job. In 50 districts, women did not get any job opportunities. When the quota system was in place, women jobseekers were less than 26 percent more likely to get jobs.
As a result of the removal of quotas, the number of these jobs has dropped by 19 percent in some years. Only in medical doctors have women managed to retain some positions. None of those who led the anti-quota movement appeared for the Public Service Commission examination or preliminaries, and even those who did not pass, as we have seen in the media.
So, what is the purpose of their movement? Any job in our country should be given priority to freedom fighter families, children, and grandchildren. The debate about whether the freedom fighter family is brilliant or whether the grandsons of Razakar are brilliant is unnecessary.
Why did the protestors not participate in the PSC exam? That's a surprise. The government has canceled the quota system for first- and second-class government jobs for 46 years. The government gave up a 45 percent quota to recruit ninth to thirteenth grades in government jobs and hire them based on merit.
Based on the recommendations of the Quota Review Committee, this decision was taken in the regular meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 3, 2018.
However, on June 5, the High Court declared the circular issued on October 4, 2018, invalid, canceling the freedom fighter quota for first- and second-class government jobs.
As a result, lawyers said the 30 percent freedom fighter quota in government jobs will remain in place. Speaking about the quota of the liberation war, the role of freedom fighters was immense in getting our country recognized as an independent country.
The students try to meet their demands daily by putting ordinary people into indescribable suffering. Those who are protesting against quota have the full right to protest. But nobody has the right to block the road day after day and hold people hostage.
The Appellate Division has also said that street agitation cannot change the court's verdict. If there is a quota, the talented are deprived by this oversimplification, and the ordinary students have been brought down in the movement.
Candidates appointed in the quota are all worthy, and no one is meritless. Some try to establish the recruits in the freedom fighter quota as untalented. Preliminary selection by appearing in the examination on the same paper as the general candidates is not discriminatory, as the quota is applied after passing the written and viva.
However, the main goal of the anti-quota movement is the liberation war. It is not a good sign to have the young generation stand against the spirit of the liberation war. The freedom fighters sacrificed everything, fought for the country, and became martyrs.
When they fought, they must not have thought that their children would get quota jobs. We do not believe so because they did not know. We should not forget that today, we can sit in a free country and protest against the quota because of their blood.
If the country was not independent, these students had to agitate for the East Pakistan quota. So, the demands of the freedom fighters in this country will be a little higher. Freedom fighters are the best children of the nation.
But many of them were farmers, laborers, blacksmiths, potters, and ordinary people of the village.
After independence, the state could not give them all jobs even if they wanted to. Although they dared to make the country independent, they did not have the qualifications to do any job in that independent country.
Later, he may have understood the importance of institutional education and made his child study with many difficulties. Now, the state will not stand next to the child. I will stand. It's not discrimination; it's debt repayment.
It is the responsibility of the PSC or the state to verify whether the freedom fighter's certificate is genuine or not. But freedom fighters cannot be disrespected on this pretext; slogans cannot be raised against them on the streets, and their quotas cannot be demanded to be canceled.
Of course not. Those who fought for the country may have nothing to ask for from the government. But the state should always keep extra seats for them.
When slogans against freedom fighters were raised on the streets in the name of the anti-quota movement, the freedom fighters must have suffered by hearing slogans against our freedom fighters.
A quota of 30 per cent has been kept for the descendants of freedom fighters, but for many years, no one has been found to fulfill this quota. If no more is available, it is filled out among the general applicants.
So, descendants of freedom fighters are taking 30 per cent of jobs. Statistically, it is not correct. This movement is to humiliate the freedom fighters to destroy the spirit of the liberation war.
So those who are agitating should be careful. Don't let the anti-independence people break the jackal on your head. It is natural, logical, and fair that the freedom fighters will benefit a little from independence in Bangladesh.
Many families have lost their lives due to the arson by the Pakistani forces. Many Bengalis were victims of genocide. Their contribution to strengthening the determination of freedom fighters and creating public opinion at home and abroad is no less.
These affected people are undoubtedly freedom fighters. Freedom-loving familiar people have guided the freedom fighters, given information about Pakistani soldiers and Razakars, sheltered freedom fighters at the risk of their lives, and kept their weapons safely hidden - can they be left out of the list of freedom fighters?
Let's talk about the demands of the protesting students.
First, the students demanded to cancel all quotas except for people with disabilities in first and second-class jobs. Later, the cancellation of class III and IV quotas was added to it. Students say they favor bringing down the quota system to a reasonable level.
Of course, this is a logical claim. On the other hand, His Excellency the High Court asked the state party if they wanted to change the court order due to the movement. Leave to appeal has also been suggested.
This is also a critical point, i.e., the Prime Minister cannot make an announcement even if he wants to because there is a court over him. So, the matter has become somewhat complicated.
As such, leaving to appeal may have to wait until the appeal is disposed of. Many of those writing in support of the movement on social media are disrespecting freedom fighters or children.
It must be remembered that if it were not for those children of the sun, they would not have been able to write this.
Pakistan had to mediate all his life. A few days after the establishment of Bangladesh, many people who returned from the liberation war became millionaires. But the lives of many students, who were hardworking farmers, day laborers, and hard workers, did not change.
Sheik Hasina sought them out and made an apparent arrangement for their survival. If you look into it, you will find that a son or grandchild of a freedom fighter has become an office assistant, watchman, gardener, or cook.
Because of the lack of opportunities, they could not be educated.
If the quota system of this class is lifted, that person has no chance. Many such heroic freedom fighters are on the list. So, if the quota movement leaders cherish Bangladesh, they should consider this matter.
It is desirable to have a respectable freedom fighter quota in classes III and IV. Primary school teacher recruitment also has pets. The quota system may be reformed in other grades. Vacant posts must be filled from the merit list if eligible candidates are unavailable from the quota.
There is no special test for quota. The limit should be the same for every candidate. No candidate can avail of the quota facility more than once.
As the situation is anti-government and against the spirit of the liberation war, on March 21, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the introduction of a quota system in government jobs for freedom fighters, their children, and grandchildren.
They can demand to increase the facilities in the educational institutions to increase their qualifications. They should think about quotas and jobs only after everything is in place to turn them into skilled human resources.
In 2024, the Awami League government came to power again. The Smart Bangladesh program has been started to accelerate the development of the country by giving priority to youth power.
That is why those who are occupying the roads against the court and causing suffering to the people are taking away the fundamental rights of the ordinary people. It was necessary to demand an increase in employment opportunities first.
In addition, they can be required to increase the facilities in the educational institutions to increase their qualifications.
They should think about quotas and jobs only after everything is in place to turn them into skilled human resources.
Muktijoddha Sangsad Children Command and Bangladesh Muktijuddha Manch jointly carry out various programs under the banner of 'Muktijoddha Quota Restoration Movement' to demand the maintenance of freedom fighter quota in government jobs.
The quota set for the freedom fighters and their families who lost their homes and families at the hands of Pakistani invaders and razakars due to going to the liberation war was not correctly implemented.
Because of this, many freedom fighter families are still backward in society and could not be established. After clearing the preliminary selection, written and viva tests, there are enough candidates to fill the Muktijodha quota.
Still, some anti-independence bureaucrats have implemented their agenda by filling the posts with ordinary candidates and showing vacant posts as candidates are unavailable in the quota. After the assassination of Bangabandhu from 1975 to 1996, when the freedom fighters were in power, the freedom fighter quota was not implemented.
Brave freedom fighters are the best children of the country and nation. Some of the anti-quota activists are constantly taunting Bangabandhu, liberation war, and heroic freedom fighters on social media, which is an apparent crime in the eyes of the law.
The author of this article Hiren Pandit is an essayist and research fellow.
