The Nobel winner tasked with leading a nation out of chaos.
Biswanath Bhattacharya
August 8, 2024, 09:07:02
Mohamed Yunus, the noble laureate, will take charge of Bangladesh at 2000 hours today, August 8th, 2024.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been chosen to lead Bangladesh's interim government after the country's former prime minister, Sheik Hasina, resigned and fled the country following weeks of violent unrest. Though he was accused of financial fraudulence, the Students' Union, Jamat, and the BNP chose him. He attracted the ire of the former prime minister after announcing plans in 2007 to set up his own “Citizen Power” party.
Ms. Hasina notoriously accused Mr Yunus of “sucking blood from the poor”, and in 2011 her government removed him as head of Grameen Bank. In 2013, he faced a state-backed smear campaign that accused him of being un-Islamic and promoting homosexuality after he signed a joint statement criticizing the prosecution of gay people in Uganda.
Mr Yunus has also faced charges based on allegations that he received money without government permission and more recent allegations that he embezzled money from one of his company’s workers’ benefits funds. This is his Chequered past
A well-known critic of Ms. Hasina, Mr. Yunus, called the day of Ms. Hasina's departure Bangladesh's "second liberation day".
* In June 2024, the opposition parties, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), allied with the Students' Union and the Islamist party Jamat-e-Islami and demanded Ms Hasina's resignation and the formation of a neutral caretaker government to oversee the next general election.
* The government refused to accept the demands and cracked down on the protesters, resulting in violent clashes, deaths, injuries, and arrests.
* The situation escalated when the army intervened and sided with the opposition, forcing Ms Hasina to step down and flee the country on August 5th , 2024.
* The opposition alliance then nominated Mr. Yunus as the head of the interim government, with the support of the army, civil society, and the international community.
* CANNIBALISM AND TALIBANIST HAVE GRIPPED THE COUNTRY OF BANGLADESH. NO HINDUS FEEL SAFE THERE. THEIR PROPERTY IS BEING RANSACKED, AND THEY ARE CROSSING THE BORDER IN THOUSANDS.
* THE LATEST LYNCHING OF THE DEATH OF SHANTO KHAN AND HIS FATHER, SELIM KHAN, WHO MADE THE MOVIE ON SHEIK MUJIBUR REHAMAN, AMPLY MANIFESTS THAT BANGLADESH IS DOOMED AND WILL TAKE YEARS TO REVIVE.
* The potential return of radical Islamist forces could threaten Bangladesh’s secular governance.
* Disruption in Export Flow: Bangladesh's textile sector, which significantly contributes to its export revenue, faces major disruptions. The ongoing unrest has led to a breakdown in supply chains, affecting the movement of consignments and production schedules.
* Mr Yunus has pledged to restore stability and order in the country and to hold free and fair elections within a year.
* He has also promised to tackle the issues of poverty, inequality, and climate change, which he has been advocating for through his social business model.
* However, he faces several challenges and risks, such as:
* He has no prior political experience and may lack the skills and support to manage Bangladesh's complex and volatile situation.
* He may face resistance and opposition from some factions within the alliance that nominated him, especially the hardline Islamists, who may have different agendas and interests.
* He may also face threats and attacks from Ms Hasina's loyalists in her party, the Awami League, who may not accept his legitimacy and authority.
* May God be with Md Yunus!!!
* May God give sanity to the fundamentalist force that is ransacking the country!
(Tripurainfo)