Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, gave an interview to Voice of America Bangla last Friday (September 27) after delivering his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA. The interview for Voice of America was conducted by Anis Ahmed. The interview is presented below.
Question:
On August 8, a month and a half after you took office, we noticed that magistracy powers had been given to commissioned officers of the army. Why was this deemed necessary?
Dr. Yunus:
We were trying to maintain law and order in the country through the police. That is the norm. However, the morale of the police had fallen because when they interacted with the public, they were met with harsh words. Just a few days ago, they had acted against the students. So, they were avoiding direct contact with the people, and the force lost its strength as a result of this diminished morale. What we did was to identify and punish those within the police who were guilty of wrongdoing while ensuring that the rest of the force remained acceptable to the public. But this is a long process, not something that happens overnight. Meanwhile, law and order were deteriorating with various disturbances, gatherings, and even labor unrest, particularly in the garment factories. We realized that if we let this continue, the situation could escalate. That’s when the question arose about giving the army magistracy powers. We approached them, and they agreed. They said, “We are here, but no one takes us seriously because we don’t have any power. If we had some authority, maybe people would take us seriously.” So, we granted the army magistracy powers, but only for a limited period of two months. That’s how this came about.
Question:
So, you hope that within the next two months, the police will regain the capacity to serve the public?
Dr. Yunus:
I hope they can. They too see that they are unable to fulfill their responsibilities and that the army has had to step in. It’s not a comfortable situation for them either, seeing someone else doing their job. The Ansar force had also been tried in between, but that didn’t work either. So, we’re trying to solve it this way.
Question:
We know that students led the recent mass uprising in Bangladesh. Your government also has student representation. However, it is also true that students are trying to assert control over various institutions. Are students now running the country? How much of a role are they playing?
Dr. Yunus:
They should be in charge. Power should go to the youth. The older generation has messed everything up until now. So, it should be the young people who take responsibility. They will make mistakes, but they will also correct them. After all, it was under their leadership that this massive movement took place. So, I see no reason not to trust them.
Question:
So, can we say that students are running the country?
Dr. Yunus:
I’m not saying they are running the country. I’m saying they should be. I have always advocated for leaving the country in the hands of the youth, even before taking on this responsibility. They should shape their own future. Whatever we create for them won’t be right. That’s why I believe, not just in Bangladesh but globally, it’s better to hand over responsibilities to the youth.
Question:
So far, we haven’t heard a clear timeline from your government regarding the interim administration’s tenure. You’ve given two speeches to the nation, but we’re still unclear. Army Chief General Waqar-Uz-Zaman has mentioned that elections could take place within 18 months. Should we assume that your interim government’s tenure is 18 months?
Dr. Yunus:
You can assume that if you like, but that’s not the government’s opinion. The government hasn’t given any official stance on this yet. When the government determines the timeline, it will announce it. Until the government says so, the duration isn’t set.
Question:
But when you say “government,” you mean your administration…
Dr. Yunus:
Yes, we will have to announce it. The date will be when you hear it from us.
Question:
So, the advisory council hasn’t made any decisions on this yet?
Dr. Yunus:
We have discussed it, but no decision has been made yet.
