I will help make the dreams of students come true with Bangladesh: Dr. Yunus

Dr. Yunus said, the most important thing is the security situation.

More than 400 people have been killed in the violence surrounding the movement. Hundreds of police stations were burnt. All the policemen disappeared. The police union announced a strike. In this situation, the students control the traffic.

Professor Yunus said law and order is first, so that people can live or work in peace.

The first glimpse of progress was seen on Monday as policemen returned to the streets. This is a first step. But security is not the only issue—that’s not the case at all.

Professor Yunus said that after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, the government was completely ‘winded’.

After 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, what was left was chaos, total chaos, the interim government’s chief adviser said.

Dr. Yunus also said that even what the government has done, whatever it has done, does not make any sense. They had no idea what administration was.

Professor Yunus emphasized that there is actually a lot of hope in the face of chaos.

“We are here for them, as a fresh new face for the country… because finally, at the moment, the monster is gone,” said the interim government’s chief adviser. So it’s a matter of motivation.’

According to Professor Yunus, reform is the key.

The general demand of the students was to reform the quota system in government jobs. The first movement started from this demand.

But the security forces carried out a brutal and deadly crackdown, which later culminated in demands for Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.

Pointing to freedom of speech, Professor Yunus said reforms are very necessary.

Freedom of speech was severely restricted during Sheikh Hasina’s government. The prisons are full of people who tried to speak against him.

Professor Yunus himself complained that he was a victim of suppression of freedom of speech.

Professor Yunus is an outspoken critic of Sheikh Hasina’s government. He is acclaimed as a proponent of microcredit. But the former prime minister considered him a public enemy. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment in one case. Professor Yunus termed this case as politically motivated.

But more revolutionary ideas are coming.

Each ministry will have a student representative. They are being given this post in recognition of their role in the downfall of the government.

Meanwhile, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmood have been appointed in the cabinet. They led the anti-government movement.

Then there is the matter of judicial reform. The Chief Justice has already resigned under the pressure of the students.

Professor Yunus argues that the judiciary has failed to act independently; Rather, it is alleged, they acted on the orders of ‘some higher authority’.

The chief advisor of the interim government said, terminologically, he was the chief justice. But actually he was an executioner.

Professor Yunus admits that decisions will be made that not everyone will agree with. However, he hopes that the previous decision will be better than the previous one.

Dr. Yunus said, ‘Whatever my work experience…I am not saying, I can run a government. I am saying that I have little experience of running some organization. I will use that experience as much as I can. There will be people who like it, people who dislike it. But we have to do the work.’