Mahfuj for ‘fair share of students in establishment’

Mahfuj Alam, Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in Bangladesh’s interim government, has called for a “fair share” of student representation in the state and establishment to counter what he describes as a return to a “two-party settlement” excluding students.

In a Thursday afternoon Facebook post titled “Explanation or Reality,” Mahfuj accused the establishment of sidelining students, who he claims face “complete non-cooperation.”

Mahfuj argued that the establishment favours a bipartisan system dominated by traditional political parties, with only two of roughly 36 recent appointees being students. 

He criticised the fragmentation of the student movement, particularly the anti-discrimination platform’s failure to unify nationwide, and the lack of student influence in bureaucracy, media, and the economy, still controlled by the Awami League’s political framework.

“The bureaucracy is compromised, and the judiciary remains trapped in a two-party circle,” Mahfuj wrote, lamenting the weakened July uprising and the failure to support martyrs and the injured. 

He accused both left and right-wing groups of undermining the coup – leftists for scepticism, rightists for reactionary politics – and claimed student activists have succumbed to corruption and partisanship, demoralizing the broader student body.

Mahfuj proposed restoring student unity and integrity to ensure their role in governance and to unite against “fascist forces.” 

He urged stakeholders to neutralize the old political settlement and empower students to build a new civil society, warning that without these steps, the coup’s ideals risk fading.