A few weeks ago, I watched with horror as political unrest unfolded in Bangladesh. It started with college students protesting job reservations for families of our 1971 war heroes, but escalated over poverty, the economic situation, and the dictatorial rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

More than 500 people were killed and numerous others were injured. As with Bangladesh’s War of Independence, the youth stepped up to make change … and to sacrifice. I cried when I heard Hasina resigned and fled the country. Grameen Bank pioneer and Nobel Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is helming an interim government right now.

Joy Bangla! We have hope again.

While processing this news from home, I’ve felt hopeless observing events unfold in Amherst over the Jones Library expansion/renovation project: people spreading misinformation; attending meetings solely to criticize the project; calling for the resignation of the library director and board of trustees; abusing the information request process to harass the library director; speaking disrespectfully toward everyone from the director and trustees to the architects during public comment; insisting on the expensive preservation of existing millwork while bemoaning the overall cost of the library project; questioning the motives of project supporters and the capital campaign.

The first-world privilege on display here (we can’t agree that a better library is undeniable public good?) is in jarring juxtaposition to the truly existential issues faced by so many around the world.

A small group has circulated a petition to stop the project for reasons that often do not cohere. Project opponents have insisted that we meet the highest possible green standards — which, of course, we all want — but they don’t want to fund it. They continue to insist on the purest approach to historic preservation, but they don’t want to pay for that, either. So what is the goal here? To complete the best possible project we can afford, or to once again use the perfect as the enemy of the good?

I come from a culture committed to preserving history, but I strongly believe in compromise to improve public services. Even with all the architectural and landscape value engineering, the redesigned Jones will be a net-zero ready building!

Project opponents claim that minimal/urgent repairs (HVAC, atrium roof, fire system) will cost just $5 to $6 million. Wishful thinking, folks. That is not feasible, especially with the need to abate asbestos, meet new energy codes, make the south elevator accessible, and inflation. In fact, unofficial estimates put the number for repairs/Plan B closer to $20 million, without any guarantee that all the existing woodwork will be preserved.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will not fund repairs. The trustees have committed $1.8 million toward repairs. How will Amherst pay for the rest?

Are the people quoting these low numbers thinking about the diverse population the updated library will serve the most? Families with limited access to technology and other resources; kids whose parents can’t afford private camps in the summer; those without access to heat/AC in extreme weather; our neighbors in wheelchairs?

Really, would you rather pay millions to preserve existing paneling or to help Amherst residents benefit from improved library services? Why not expand and renovate our library so we have a safe space for all teens to hang out; a fun children’s room with clear sight lines; an area specifically for ESL classes (think about immigrant families fleeing dictatorships to build a life in our community); a wheelchair-accessible building; a dedicated space for our Civil War tablets; gender-inclusive restrooms.

Amherst: Why are we allowing the same vocal minority to block every project? When community engagement is twisted to empower those seeking to stop expansion of essential services (schools, libraries, housing), it’s time for sensible people to push back. Why can’t our town collaborate on investing in better services without every effort becoming an uphill battle?

Those of us who have experienced life in parts of the world where unaccountable minority interests continually undercut public services know how damaging such selfishness can be. Let’s bring back hope to our community. Do right by future generations. We owe it to them!

Farah Ameen of Amherst is a Bangladeshi American freelance editor and writer and an elected Jones Library trustee.