State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad A. Arafat commented that quota is necessary to eliminate discrimination in government jobs. He said, after the judgment of the Appellate Division, the government has no opportunity to form the commission.
He said these things at an urgent press conference on contemporary issues including the anti-quota movement at the Dhaka District Awami League office in Tejgaon on Saturday.
10 instructions on quota movement
The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting said that quota versus merit is a negative narrative. Quotas do not create discrimination, quotas are intended to eliminate discrimination. Freedom fighters and their descendants have been neglected for a long time. After that, how can you say that those who pass through all the stages are not talented. He also alleged that an anti-national evil force is trying to create instability in the country by entering the agitators.
Mohammad A. Arafat said, first of all, the protestors demanded that the circular issued by the government should be reinstated by the order of the High Court. Only the Judiciary has the power to reinstate it. Therefore, it can be assumed that the judicial department, i.e. the High Court, demanded the reinstatement of the circular which the government canceled in 2018. But there is no chance to change the High Court order by protesting on the streets. The only way to change this is to go to the Supreme Court.
He said that when the government appealed to the Supreme Court against the order of the High Court Division and the legal battle started, the position of the government and the agitators became the same. The agitators also hired a lawyer for them and he sided with the government. But the agitators again changed their demand and started saying that the government should form a commission. While the government has entered into legal proceedings in the Supreme Court appealing against the High Court order, there is no scope for reforming the quota system or even announcing reforms. That would be unconstitutional.
But they (the agitators) started making that unconstitutional demand. In between, the government lawyers managed to get a four-week stay from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ordered a status quo for four weeks on the subject matter. As a result, the circular issued by the government in 2018 regarding quota was reinstated. The Supreme Court order also said that the order of the High Court did not remain in operation i.e. the circular of the government was reinstated.
The demand of the agitators was met for four weeks, which was their initial demand. Now the Supreme Court is also urging the agitators saying that the door of the court is always open to present their statement.
He said that the executive department of the state and the government were moving towards a solution through the legal process in the court, just when the agitators started changing their demands and said that they wanted a solution through the executive department and not the judiciary. But the government will not be able to do anything in this matter without completing the process of the Supreme Court. No announcement can be made in this regard.
The Minister of State for Information said that everyone has to pass preliminary, written, viva first, then the issue of quota comes. Before this there is no job opportunity from quota.
The State Minister commented that the protesters should go back to their classes, keeping in mind the demands of the protesters and the demands of the government. He said that the government also wants merit to be evaluated. He urged the students to be alert if many tried to mislead the emotions of the students.