Recently, two of the most respected public figures in Bangladesh—one a newspaper publisher, the other a retired diplomat—voiced support and admiration for Professor Yunus in his role as Chief Adviser (or Interim Prime Minister) of Bangladesh in advance of the two month anniversary on October 8 of the new government coming to power as a result of a people’s uprising in July and early August. In doing so, they reflected the wide support Professor Yunus enjoys throughout the country, and across the world.
Mahfuz Anam—the editor and publisher of the Daily Star, a leading Bangladeshi English-language daily— wrote mainly about Professor Yunus’ triumphant trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, which he addressed as a head of government. Anam wrote this in his recent article titled “Chief Adviser Yunus’s UNGA Trip a Critical Turning Point”: “To have a Nobel laureate as the head of government is quite in contrast to our past leaders, some of whom were military dictators or power-hungry politicians. Professor Yunus brings in a new and fresh sense of dignity not only to Bangladesh, but to the leadership of the developing world in general. The last such leader was Nelson Mandela.”
Anam addressed relations with India, a top priority of this or any Bangladeshi government, with some wise words that reject the groundless claims that the student-led “Monsoon Revolution” that brought Professor Yunus to power was somehow the work of Western powers to stymie India: “The collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government profoundly shocked India. It has not yet been able to fully assess what to make of the changes and understand its profundity. As reported by its media, from the outset, India got carried away with the view that foreign hands were behind the July uprising and that it was either the CIA or Pakistan’s ISI or both that were behind what occurred. This prevented the Indian policymakers from understanding and then accepting the reality that the government that it was patronizing in Bangladesh and whose election manipulation it knowingly overlooked had really lost its footing and had suffered a total loss of public support.
“To attribute the whole July uprising as nothing but the work of outsiders and to not see the massive mass participation and obvious popularity of the transformation amounted to India totally not seeing the ground reality and missing out on any realistic assessment of what had happened. This, in my view, has prevented Indian policymakers from making a fact-based reality check.”
He concluded, “Compared to where we were, what Professor Yunus has achieved in the international arena so far is a miracle.”
Ashraf ud Doula—the retired and widely respected diplomat who was the Bangladeshi ambassador to Japan, Australia and other nations—focused in a recent article on how the government led by Professor Yunus performed on the home front. He began by evaluating the cabinet that had to be so hastily assembled after the sudden fall of the prior regime: “Though most of the cabinet members came from the NGO world and apparently lacked administrative experience, their unblemished records and ethical standards offered a silver lining. Their integrity and honesty had a positive psychological effect on their ministries and the broader society. The two student leaders who have been inducted into the cabinet, until now haven’t made any missteps, which, I believe, is a positive sign.”
He continued, “While it is too soon to claim remarkable achievements, the IG’s sincerity and commitment to guiding the nation toward a better path cannot be denied. In his two national addresses, the Chief Adviser clearly outlined the government’s objectives, including fundamental reforms to vital state institutions. Dr. Yunus has also made it clear that he has no desire to remain in power beyond fulfilling his mandate to rebuild the nation.”
He added, “Signs of progress are already visible, particularly in the banking and financial sectors. The government has taken steps to recover funds laundered by Hasina, her family, and her corrupt oligarchs. The surge in remittances from expatriates reflects growing trust in the new government.”
Asraf concluded his assessment at the two-month mark with these words, “As the head of the IG [Interim Government], Dr. Yunus has taken on the immense responsibility of guiding the nation not for personal gain, but out of patriotism. He has staked his global reputation to rescue a nation on the brink of collapse. In Dr. Yunus, we have not only an honest leader but also a man whose global goodwill brings benefits to Bangladesh. His reception at the UN exemplifies this. Dr. Yunus was a brilliant star on the global stage, holding over 50 meetings in four days, including with President Biden, heads of UN agencies, and leaders of financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank… With Dr. Yunus at the helm, I am optimistic that the IG will complete its reform agenda and pave the way for a new, democratically elected government. In the meantime, I urge my fellow countrymen to be patient for a few more months and observe the direction the country takes.”
So let’s use the two-month anniversary to celebrate the early achievements of the government led by Professor Yunus, and to thank these two statesmen for commenting on them so eloquently. They captured the sense of pride and optimism so common in Bangladesh today due to a new style of leadership and early progress on fundamental and badly-needed reforms.
