DHAKA: Jubilant and hopeful Bangladeshis on Friday welcomed their new caretaker government headed by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, led by prominent lawyers, academics and leaders of the student movement that toppled the previous regime.
The new government was sworn in at the presidential palace in Dhaka on Thursday night, three days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and fled to neighboring India after weeks of nationwide protests and a deadly crackdown on protesters.
“The brutal and autocratic regime is gone,” Younes said in a televised speech after being sworn in by President Mohammad Shahabeddin along with more than a dozen members of his interim government.
He pledged that “democracy, justice, human rights and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation.”
The 84-year-old economics professor will lead the country as a “senior adviser” and the titles of advisers to his cabinet members and nine ministers.
They include Naheed Islam and Asif Mahmood, senior leaders of Students Against Discrimination, the group that led the protests that led to Hasina's ouster, and civil servants such as Hasan Aref, a former attorney general, Tawheed Hussain, a former foreign minister, and Salehuddin Ahmed, an economist. and a former head of the country's central bank
Also present are prominent human rights activist Adil Rahman Khan, international award-winning environmental lawyer Syeda Rezwana Hassan, and public intellectual, writer and law professor at Dhaka University Asif Nazrul.
With the new government in place, Bangladeshis were eager for candidates and hopeful for the future of their country.
“This is a new dynamic after the complete chaos and very serious uprising we experienced recently,” Gautam Barwa, an academic and researcher, told Arab News.
“I'm very, very, very hopeful for this interim government… I think they're going to make a beautiful change.”
He was happy to see famous lawyers and economists at the helm.
“This cabinet, in my opinion, has the best fines in the country… They are recognized internationally, and they are recognized domestically, nationally,” Barwa said.
“The current economy of the country needs a degree… It has fallen drastically under the regime of the previous government. Therefore, I believe that they cannot solve it. “They can turn the wheel of the economy.”
It also prided itself on having a government full of famous intellectuals and technocrats.
“I think they can make a positive change for us,” said Mahfouz Qaisar, a student in Dhaka. “Dr. Younes is a very famous person. He is a Nobel Prize winner. First Nobel laureate in Bangladesh.
A professor of economics, Yunus is a social entrepreneur and a banker who received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering microfinance activities that helped alleviate poverty in Bangladesh and are widely recognized around the world.
“He will help us rebuild this country,” said Gent Alfredos Mawa, who studies media studies and participated in the recent protests.
“I think whatever is happening right now is good for us because we are learning something. One thing we learned from this protest is that if we are together, we can rebuild this nation.”
The political transition in Bangladesh, ending Hasina's 15-year rule, came after nationwide protests that began in early July against a government job quota system widely criticized for favoring those with ties to the ruling party.
The protests soon turned violent as security forces clashed with demonstrators, killing at least 300 people.
After deadly clashes and a week-long communications blackout, the Supreme Court eventually overturned most of the quotas, but the ruling was accompanied by a crackdown on protesters.
The arrest of 11,000 protesters, mostly students, sparked new protests last week and culminated in a civil disobedience movement that forced Hasina to resign on Monday.
A day later, the president dissolved parliament, paving the way for an interim administration that will now preside over new elections.
“There are a lot of expectations from this government because it is led by Nobel laureate Professor Dr. Yunus. I think everyone is looking forward to his work, his progress, his prospects. He said there are three zeros: zero poverty, Zero unemployment and zero carbon. So, I think he will work on these three issues.
Our institutional infrastructure, the whole situation – we have to build it. The government must ensure transparency and accountability. My expectations from this government are very high. Not only mine; I think it all depends on Prof. Yunus heading it and his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of Bangladesh.
