On Tuesday, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus was appointed as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government by President Mohammed Shahabuddin. This appointment comes a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following deadly protests over a controversial job quota system.
Decision Amid Political Upheaval
The decision was made during a meeting between President Shahabuddin and the chiefs of the three armed services, along with a 13-member delegation from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, at Bangabhaban. The President’s Press Secretary, Md. Joynal Abedin, stated, “The President named Dr. Yunus as the chief adviser of the interim government” after a four-hour-long meeting.
The President mentioned that the names of other advisers for the interim cabinet would be announced after consultations with various political parties. According to the state-run BSS news agency, the President expressed a desire to include at least one veteran from the 1971 Liberation War as an adviser.
Meeting Attendees and Yunus’ Response
The meeting was attended by Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral M Nazmul Hassan, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Dhaka University Law Department Professor Asif Nazrul, and International Relations Department Professor Tanzim Uddin Khan.
Mohammad Yunus, 84, who is currently out of the country, welcomed the removal of Sheikh Hasina’s regime, describing it as the “second liberation” of Bangladesh. Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his anti-poverty work through the Grameen Bank, has been involved in a long-standing dispute with Hasina’s government. Authorities initiated a series of investigations against him after she came to power in 2008.
Background and Controversy
In 2011, Bangladesh authorities launched a review of the Grameen Bank’s activities and removed Yunus from his position as its founding managing director, citing violations of government retirement regulations. Yunus faced numerous legal challenges, and in January, he was sentenced to six months in jail for alleged labor law violations.
There is speculation that Hasina became angered when Yunus announced plans to form a political party in 2007, during a period when the country was under a military-backed government and Hasina was imprisoned. Although Yunus did not proceed with the plan, he criticized Bangladeshi politicians at the time, accusing them of being solely interested in money.
The appointment of Yunus as interim government chief marks a significant shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape, following widespread protests and a controversial resignation.