DHAKA: Jubilant and hopeful Bangladeshis on Friday welcomed their new interim government, led by Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus and including prominent lawyers, academics and student movement leaders who 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 harsh, autocratic regime is gone,” Yunus said in a televised address after he swore in President Mohammed Shahabuddin 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 a “chief adviser” and the titles of his cabinet members will also be advisers, not ministers.
They include Naheed Islam and Asif Mahmood, key leaders of Students Against Discrimination, the group that led the protests that ousted Hasina, and civil servants such as former attorney general Hassan Arif, former foreign minister Tuheed Hussain and Salehuddin Ahmed, an economist and former governor of the country's central bank.
There is also Adilur Rahman Khan, a prominent human rights activist, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an international environmental award-winner, and Asif Nazrul, a public intellectual, writer and professor of law at Dhaka University.
When the new administration took office, Bangladeshis welcomed the nominations with enthusiasm and hope for the future of their country.
“After our complete anarchy and the very serious insurgency we experienced very recently, this is a new dynamic,” Gautam Barua, an academic and researcher, told Arab News.
“I have high hopes, high, high hopes for this interim government … I think they will bring great change.”
He was glad to see that famous lawyers and economists will be driving.
“I believe that this cabinet has the best in the country … They are recognized around the world and they are recognized domestically, at the national level,” Barua said.
“The current economy of the country needs a boost… Under the last government, it went down quite sharply. So, I believe they can do it. They can turn the wheel of the economy.”
There was also pride in being in government with famous intellectuals and technocrats.
“I think they can bring us a positive change,” said Mahfuz Qaiser, a student from Dhaka. “Dr. Yunus is a very famous person. He is a Nobel laureate. Bangladesh's first Nobel laureate.”
Yunus, an economics professor, social entrepreneur and banker, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his pioneering work in microfinance, which helped reduce poverty in Bangladesh and gained wide acceptance worldwide.
“He will help us build this nation again,” said Janatul Ferdus Mawa, who is pursuing a degree in media studies and participated in the recent protests.
“I think whatever is happening now is good for us because we are learning something. One thing we learned from this protest is that if we come together, we can build this nation again.”
Bangladesh's political transition, which ended Hasina's 15-year rule, followed nationwide protests that began in early July against a quota system for government jobs that was widely criticized for favoring individuals 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 blackout, the Supreme Court eventually overturned most of the quotas, but the ruling was followed by a crackdown on protesters.
The arrests of 11,000 protesters, mostly students, sparked new demonstrations last week, culminating 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 Professor Dr. Yunus. I think everyone is looking forward to his work, his progress, his vision. He said there are three zeros: zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon. So, I think he will work on these three issues,” Dr Rawnak Khan, who teaches anthropology at Dhaka University, told Arabic News.
“Our institutional infrastructure, the whole situation, needs to be improved. The government should ensure transparency, accountability. My expectations from this government are very high. Not just mine; I think everyone has, because it is headed by Professor Yunus, and it depends on his ability to navigate the complex political landscape of Bangladesh.”
