Prof Yunus on principle agrees to head Bangladesh's interim government

By Nava Thakuria

Guwahati: The lone Nobel laureate of Bangladesh, who has more visibility than any President and Prime Minister of the South Asian nation across the globe, agreed on principle to accept the responsibility to lead the interim government in Dhaka.

The decision became necessary after PM Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country following a month-long uprising led by the student community in association with millions of common Bangladeshi citizens.

“Finally Bangladesh becomes free from an occupational force. It’s like the second liberation after 1971. Let’s celebrate,” this is how the banker-turned-social thinker reacted to this writer.

Speaking from Paris, where he is now pursuing an honorary engagement with the International Olympic Committee, Prof Yunus admitted he had no idea about any formal proposal to assign him as the chief adviser of the caretaker government of Bangladesh for the next few months.

Mentionable is that the leaders of agitating students have already emphasized that Prof Yunus should be made the interim government chief as he enjoys a larger acceptability among the Bangladeshi nationals, including those living outside the country.

They also claimed that the octogenarian motivator of social business agreed to take responsibility considering the current situation in Bangladesh, which needs peace and normalcy as early as possible.

However, Prof Yunus rejected the news of joining active politics.

His involvement in the neutral government will have a minor space for a limited period, said the soft-spoken gentleman, adding that his primary aim will be bringing back Bangladesh to a developed, progressive and peaceful nation. Prof Yunus hopes that it will be possible now as ‘an occupation force, a dictator and a general’ has left the country. He appreciated the young people for making it happen.

Meanwhile, Bangla President Muhammed Sahabuddin discussed with the representatives of various political parties and the agitating student community and ordered the release of opposition Bangladesh National Party chief Khaleda Zia who was under house arrest by the Hasina government.

Even Prof Yunus faced a number of fictitious legal charges and he was almost jailed for ‘manipulating’ a large amount of money meant for Grameen Telecom employees’ welfare.

Lately, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged calm and restraint by all sides emphasizing the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition. Expressing full solidarity with the Bangla people, he underscored the need for a full, independent, impartial and transparent investigation into all acts of violence. The secretary-general deplored the loss of life during protests in the country.