GenZ’s Toolkit for a New Bangladesh: Blockchain

We
all
remember
where
we
were
“when
it
happened”:
I
was
in
a
dark
cabin,
waking
up
on
a
flight
from
Los
Angeles
to
Dhaka
to
reunite
with
my
family.
A
fellow
Bangladeshi
sat
nearby,
and
our
phones
were
abuzz
with
notifications.
We
exchanged
wide-eyed
glances,
not
yet
daring
to
believe
the
magnitude
of
what
had
just
happened
in
our
homeland.

A
little
over
a
month
ago
on
August
5,
Bangladesh’s
GenZ
achieved
the
unimaginable:

toppling
one
of
the
world’s
most
corrupt
governments
in
a
matter
of
weeks,
in
spite
of
a
cocktail
of
repressive
tactics
including
the
use
of
lethal
force,
internet
shutdowns,
and
curfews.

Sharmeen
Shehabuddin


is
Social
Media
Lead
at
Consensys.
The
views
expressed
in
this
column
are
those
of
the
author
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
the
company.

Fun
fact:
Bangladesh
has
three
de
facto
national
pastimes
(the
3Cs
if
you
will):
cricket,
cha
(tea),
and,
regrettably,
corruption.
While
the
first
two
inspire
pride,
the
third
has
turned
governance
into
a
tragic
farce.
What
is
now
known
as
the
“Monsoon
Revolution,”
in
which
hundreds
of
lives
were
lost
and
tens
of
thousands
injured,
was
not
just
another
episode
in
Bangladesh’s
history.
It
was
a
collective
reckoning.

The
abrupt
end
of
16
years
of
single-party
rule
has
triggered
widespread
hope
that
Bangladesh
will
finally
wrest
itself
from
the
clutches
of
corruption.
Yet,
the
question
remains:
How
do
we
ensure
that
corruption
does
not
simply
reemerge
in
a
plethora
of
other
forms?
The
answer
lies
in
practical,
enforceable
tools
like
blockchain.

Caveat,
of
course:
No
technology,
however
advanced,
can
substitute
for
the
moral
compass
of
human
conscience
and
empathy.
A
tool
is
only
as
good
as
its
handler.

I
am,
along
with
millions
of
other
Bangladeshis,
defiantly
optimistic
as
we
inch
toward
a
truly

shadhin
(independent)
Bangladesh,
where
transparency
and
accountability
aren’t
just
lofty
ideals
but
the
solid
foundation
we
stand
on.
Rooting
out
the
deeply
entrenched
corruption
that
has
suffocated
our
institutions
for
over
50
years
won’t
be
easy.
But
we
have
the
tools
to
build
the
future
we
owe
to
the
young
lives
lost
at
the
hands
of
those
meant
to
protect
them.

We’ve
just
been
hit
with
our
most

catastrophic
flood
in
30
years.
Natural
disasters
hit
us
hard
and
often;
the
aftermath
is
almost
always
marked
by
suffering
and
mismanagement.
In
Bangladesh,
foreign
aid
often
has
a
notorious
tendency
to
vanish
before
it
reaches
those
who
need
it
most.

Fortunately,
a
glimmer
of
hope
shines
through
the
World
Food
Programme’s

Building
Blocks
system,
which
offers
a
model
for
efficiently
and
fairly
distributing
food
aid
to
its
intended
recipients.
Building
Blocks
has
already
made
a
meaningful
difference
here
in
Bangladesh
with
the
Rohingya
refugee
crisis,
as
well
as
in
Jordan,
Kenya,
and
other
countries.
We
can
do
more.

With
Nobel
Peace
Prize
Laureate
Muhammad
Yunus
heading
our
nonpartisan
interim
government,
Bangladesh
is
looking
at
a
world
of
possibilities
and
the
Professor
is
a
man
of
indefatigable
energy.
Having
worked
for
him
as
a
writer
years
ago,
I
can
attest
to
his
endurance,
a
pace
so
intense
that
I
eventually
burned
out
and
started
a
bakery
just
to
recover.

We
can
finally
serve
the
people
of
the
People’s
Republic
of
Bangladesh,
not
just
the
interests
of
a
select
few.
This
isn’t
simply
about
eliminating
corruption;
it’s
about
restoring
public
trust
in
our
institutions,
trust
we
owe
to
those
brave
young
students
who
gave
their
lives
this
summer
for
a
fair
and
just
society.

And
so,
here
I
am,
just
a
girl
who
tweets
and
makes
memes
for
a
living,
standing
in
front
of
a
newly
formed
interim
government,
asking
it
to
adopt
blockchain
in
its
public
goods.
The
old
guard
will
resist,
as
politicians
do,
just
for
the
sake
of
it.
But
Bangladesh
has
endured
too
much
to
retreat
into
the
shadows
of
its
past.
The
global
Web3
community
should
be
here
to
help.
We
can
never
forget
that
the
true
strength
of
any
system
lies
in
the
people
who
uphold
it,
not
just
the
technology
that
powers
it.

As
Rabindranath
Tagore,
our
subcontinental
treasure
who
penned
the
national
anthems
for
both
India
and
Bangladesh,
wrote,
“Let
my
country
awake.”

Note:
The
views
expressed
in
this
column
are
those
of
the
author
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
CoinDesk,
Inc.
or
its
owners
and
affiliates.