On Wednesday (23rd July), the Muhammad Yunus regime in Bangladesh issued an ordinance eliminating the right of employees to protest against the government.
The ordinance amended the Government Service Act of 2018. According to reports, if a government employee henceforth goes on a strike, then he/she can be dismissed from service with ‘compulsory retirement’.
Besides the looming threat of forced dismissal from service, government employees could also be demoted to a lower rank or pay grade for agitating against the government.
Muhammad Yunus, who was once critical of Sheikh Hasina for her alleged ‘undemocratic ways’ of running Bangladesh, is now silencing government employees and stopping them from against his regime.
The new Ordinance is a step in the direction to plunge Bangladesh into authoritarianism.
Muhammad Yunus stiffles criticism of his regime by students and educational institutions
The Directorate of Secondary & Higher Education in Bangladesh issued a notice [pdf] on 2nd January this year.
It stated clearly that steps would be taken against students and educational institutions alike for ‘engaging in propaganda’ and ‘peddling misinformation’ against the incumbent interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
The Directorate Of Secondary & Higher Education added that all concerned authorities should remain ‘alert and active’ and ensure that students are ‘not motivated’ by misinformation, propaganda and rumours about the Yunus regime.
It further highlighted that steps should be taken to prevent students from ‘engaging in provocative activities.’
The Directorate Of Secondary & Higher Education emphasised, “In such a situation, it is requested to inform the higher authorities for taking action against any educational institution or any student involved in the issue of misinformation, propaganda and rumours.”
While in theory the notice might be interpreted as a step towards stopping the spread of ‘misinformation’, it is in fact a ploy to silence critics and intimidate students (who spearheaded the movement against the erstwhile Sheikh Hasina government).
Dissent against Bangladesh’s interim government could easily be labelled a ‘work of propaganda’. Students, critical of Muhammad Yunus, would be targeted as engaging in rumour-mongering.
Give the free hand to educational institutions to act against such students, they will be intimidated and coerced into silence.
