Chakma King Broke His Silence Against Jihadism

Chakma King Barrister Raja Devasish Roy broke his silence yesterday and expressed his disappointment with the government led by Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Yunus. He posted his concerns on Facebook, requesting that the rights of non-Muslim minorities and Indigenous peoples be reconsidered in the new reform commissions.

Barrister Raja Devasish Roy is one of Bangladesh’s most prominent intellectual figures. He is the Circle Chief of Rangamati in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, one of the three hill districts in the region. Raja Devasish Roy is respected not only for his royal heritage but also for his non-communal ideas and intellect.

Following the fall of the Awami League government, a caretaker government led by Yunus assumed power in Bangladesh on August 8, 2024.

After two months in power, the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, recently formed six reform commissions targeting critical sectors for national reform.

Sadly, the government did not include any minorities or non-Muslims of the country as participants in these commissions, retaining representation solely from the majority Muslim population.

The six commissions are as follows:

1. Electoral System Reform Commission: (For fair and transparent election process).

2. Police Administration Reform Commission: (For overhaul police operations and accountability).

3. Judiciary Reform Commission: (For judicial efficiency and impartiality).

4. Anti-Corruption Commission Reform Commission: (For anti-corruption efforts in the country).

5. Public Administration Reform Commission: (For improving public service delivery and administration).

6. Constitution Reform Commission: (This commission will focus on amending the constitution to reflect modern governance and democratic values).

Each of these commissions is very important for Bangladesh and every citizen of the country. But we all know that only Muslims do not inhabit Bangladesh; it is also home to Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and over 54 Indigenous groups.

Now it’s a question: if the constitution reform commission excludes representation from non-Muslims and minorities, what kind of constitution will it produce?

Indeed, the law and order situation in Bangladesh has seriously deteriorated over the past two months. Minorities and Indigenous people are facing daily attacks, and Hindu temples, Buddhist pagodas, and Christian churches are being vandalized across the country by Jihadis.

The biggest Hindu festival, Durga Puja, is currently underway in Bangladesh. Many of these celebrations have been attacked by extremist groups. Although the Bangladesh army is deployed to guard the festivals, the army has totally failed to protect this major Hindu festival.

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, where the population is predominantly Buddhist, the people decided not to hold their largest festival, Kathina Cibara Dana, this year to avoid potential attacks.

If the situation continues, it’s conceivable that Christians also will not be able to celebrate Christmas this year in Bangladesh.

I attached Raja Devasish Roy’s Facebook post below:

“DISAPPOINTING COMPOSITION OF REFORM COMMISSIONS OF INTERIM GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

The composition of the six Reform Commissions of the Interim Government of Bangladesh led by Dr. Md. Yunus, as declared recently, is extremely disappointing.

Representatives of indigenous peoples, religious minorities, women and other marginalised or disadvantaged groups, are either totally absent or visibly inadequate.

This is a serious blot on the image of a government led by a Nobel laureate.

I would like to hope that these omissions will be corrected soon, by amending the commissions’ compositions. Given the short time given for the commissions’ work, this has to happen fast, if at all.

If not, the unfulfillment of the dreams, declarations and visions of a more democratic and inclusive Bangladesh, that came forth from the student-led movement against autocracy in August 2024, will drag down the post-August struggle to the level of other mundane so-called people’s movements in Bangladesh, which were sabotaged by un-democratic, non-secular, communal, parochial, patriarchal and other reactionary elements.

I would like to hope, against hope, that our valiant students, and our citizenry at large, will not permit this to happen (I humbly request someone to please translate this into Bengali.)”

But there is less hope that the government will take heed to Chakma King Barrister Raja Devasish Roy and other minority leaders’ demands.

If not, then which direction Bangladesh is going? Is Bangladesh moving toward Pakistan or Taliban-led Afghanistan?

In fact, the sudden rising influence of extreme Islamism in Bangladesh signals a dangerous shift. Attacks on religious minorities are increasing. At the same time, radical ideas are spreading faster among the Muslim population, which raises serious concerns about whether Bangladesh will protect its secular roots or will fall into the grip of radicalism spreading beyond the Middle East.

October 14, 2024
Tokyo, Japan