Topic Summary

Welcome to Dhaka. The year is 1990 and Bangladesh is currently in the midst of an uprising against the government of President Hussein Muhammad Ershad and his Jatiya Party, as he has essentially ruled as a military dictator since 1983. As one of the leaders of a multiparty coalition across the political spectrum against President Ershad’s rule, it is your job to coordinate the various groups within the protest movement, respond to coercion and opposition by the Bangladeshi Government, and advance the movement for democratic rule in Bangladesh—all while dealing with the reality that some members of committee are bitter rivals.

As the de facto faces of the opposition to the ruling Jatiya Party, it is your responsibility to fulfill the hopes and dreams of the Bengali people who support you. Will you be able to topple the regime of President Ershad and achieve democracy once and for all, or will political rivalries and self-serving motivations splinter the uprising movement for good?

Director’s Letter

Daring, Dashing, and Democracy-Minded Delegates,

It is my honor and distinct pleasure to welcome you to the 71st edition of Harvard National Model United Nations and to serve as your Director for the 1990 Bangladesh Mass Uprising Committee.

My name is Fayyaz Razi, and I am from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I'm currently a Sophomore at Harvard College concentrating in Social Studies with a secondary in Astrophysics. Aside from HNMUN, I am also a member of Harvard’s Intercollegiate Model United Nations Team and am involved with the Harvard Association for U.S.-China Relations, Harvard Global Research and Consulting Group, and the Harvard Association for Cultivating Inter-American Democracy. In my free time, I love playing pickleball, traveling, and watching investigative documentaries on YouTube.

In committee, I am especially excited to see all of your interpretations of the Bangladesh Mass Uprising movement to push for the establishment of democratic rule in the country, and how you all tie in each of your characters’ stories to further your arcs in both frontroom and backroom. As a crisis delegate, my absolute favorite committees to compete in are ones with fierce debate, collaboration, wild backrooms, and good vibes all around. I hope that this will be your experience in this committee and that your time in Boston will be a memorable one—and I look forward to meeting you all on February 20th!

Joy Bangla,

Fayyaz Razi

Director, The Bangladesh Mass Uprising, 1990

Crisis Director’s Letter

Hello Delegates!

Welcome to the 71st iteration of Harvard National Model United Nations and to the 1990 Bangladesh Mass Uprising committee!

By way of introduction, my name is Maitri Shah, and I am from Calgary, Canada. I am currently a junior at Harvard College pursuing a double concentration in Computer Science and Statistics. I have been involved with Model UN since I was in high school and have continued to do it in college as I compete on the collegiate circuit with Harvard’s Intercollegiate Model United Nations Team. To me, MUN is a place for people of all backgrounds to come together and spend the weekend getting to know one another through exciting debate and collaboration. 

The 1990 Bangladesh Mass Uprising committee will place an emphasis on teamwork and strategic thinking. As you navigate this movement in 1990, you must work together to make decisions for the benefit of the Bengali citizens and groups of the time. While everyone may have their own individual goals as part of their character arcs, it is important that you set those aside at times for the future of Bangladesh.

I am really excited to spend the weekend solving some fun problems with you! In the meantime, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns you may have – I want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. See you soon! 

Maitri Shah

Crisis Director, The Bangladesh Mass Uprising, 1990