No decisions have been made regarding former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s participation in the upcoming national elections, her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said this on Thursday in an interview with TIME, a US news magazine based in New York City.
Following the ousting of her government on August 5 by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Sheikh Hasina fled to India.
Joy said that his mother is deeply upset and frustrated by the current state of Bangladesh, feeling that her efforts over the past 15 years are unraveling.
Regarding the quota movement, he mentioned it had been a topic of discussion from the outset.
“We were all surprised by the quota movement,” Joy said in his first interview with US media since the regime change. “I remember saying in the WhatsApp group, ‘30% quotas are too high; we should reduce it to 5%.’ Someone responded, ‘But we’re grandchildren of freedom fighters too.’ I jokingly replied, ‘That’s why I kept 5%!’”
On the subject of an interim government, Joy expressed support for the idea, suggesting that a year or 18 months under interim rule might be beneficial given the current lawlessness, referring to ongoing protests and mob activity.
While he acknowledged that his mother’s administration made mistakes during the crackdown, he argued that at least half of the fatalities were caused by “terrorists”, likely backed by a “foreign intelligence agency.”
When asked about the growing calls to ban the Awami League, Joy questioned the feasibility of such a move, saying: “How can you ban the oldest and largest political party in Bangladesh? It’s not legally possible.”
He also said: “I’ve never had political ambitions… but with the current situation, who knows? I haven’t made any decisions yet.”
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