DHAKA: Jubilant and hopeful Bangladeshis on Friday welcomed their new interim government headed by Nobel laureate in economics Muhammad Yunus and staffed by renowned lawyers, academics and leaders of the student movement that toppled the previous regime.
The new administration 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 following weeks of nationwide demonstrations and a deadly crackdown on protesters.
“The brutal, autocratic regime is gone,” Yunus said in a televised address after President Mohammed Shahabuddin was sworn in along with more than a dozen members of his interim government.
He promised 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 “chief adviser” and the titles of his cabinet members will also be advisers, not ministers.
They include Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, leaders of Students Against Discrimination, the group that led the protests that ousted Hasina, and civil servants such as former Attorney General AF Hassan Ariff, former Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain and Salehuddin Ahmed, an economist and former the governor of the country's central bank.
Also present are Adilur Rahman Khan, a prominent human rights activist, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an internationally awarded environmental lawyer, and Asif Nazrul, a public intellectual, writer and professor of law at Dhaka University.
When the new administration took office, Bangladeshis were excited about the nominations and hopeful for the future of their country.
“After our total anarchy and the very serious insurgency we experienced recently, this is a new dynamic,” Gautam Barua, an academic and researcher, told Arab News.
“I have high hopes, very, high hopes for this interim government… I think they will bring about a beautiful change.
He was glad to see that famous lawyers and economists would be at the helm.
“I think this cabinet has the best of this country… They are recognized globally and they are recognized domestically and nationally,” Barua said.
“The current economy of the country needs a cut… It has fallen quite drastically under the regime of the last government. So I believe they can do it. They can turn the wheel of the economy.”
There was also pride in a government full of celebrity intellectuals and technocrats.
“I think they can bring us a positive change,” said Mahfuz Kaiser, a student from Dhaka. “Dr. Yunus is a very famous person. He is a Nobel laureate. The first Nobel laureate in Bangladesh.”
Economics Professor Yunus is a social entrepreneur and banker who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work in microfinance, which helped alleviate poverty in Bangladesh and was widely adopted around the world.
“He will help us rebuild this nation,” said Jannatul Ferdous Mawa, who studies media studies and took part in the recent protests.
“I think whatever is happening is good for us because we are learning something. We learned one thing from this protest: that if we come together, we can rebuild this nation.”
Bangladesh's political transition, which ends 15 years of Hasina's rule, comes after nationwide protests that began in early July against a quota system for government jobs that was widely criticized for favoring those with ties to the ruling party.
The demonstrations soon turned violent as security forces clashed with protesters, 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 followed by a crackdown on protesters.
The arrest of 11,000 rally participants, mostly students, sparked new demonstrations last week that culminated in a civil disobedience movement that forced Hasina to resign on Monday.
A day later, the president dissolved parliament, clearing the way for an interim administration that will now preside over new elections.
“There are a lot of expectations from this government because this government is headed by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. Yunus.” I think everyone looks forward to his work, his progress, his visions. He said there are three zeros: zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon. So I think he will work on these three issues,” said Dr. Arab News. Rawnak Khan, who teaches anthropology at the University of Dhaka.
“Our institutional infrastructure, the whole situation – we have to build it. The government must ensure transparency, accountability. My expectations from this government are very high. Not just mine; I think everyone, because it is led by prof. Yunus, and it depends on his ability to navigate the complex political scene of Bangladesh.”
