Upon arriving at Dhaka’s international airport in Dhaka on July 8, Professor Yunus gave brief remarks in front of assembled dignitaries that were broadcast live on national television. Below is an English translation of the remarks that were delivered in Bengali.
Assalamualaikum. Today is a day of glory for us. The revolution through which Bangladesh has earned its new victory day, we have to put that forward and move forward with more strength.
I wholeheartedly appreciate and admire the young generation, who have made this possible. They are standing right beside me. They have saved this country and given it a new life. And may the Bangladesh that we got today through this rebirth, can move forward very fast. This is our oath and we want to keep it. We want to move forward. We remember Abu Sayed today, the image of whom resides in the heart of all the Bangladeshi people. No one can forget that.
What an unbelievably brave boy! Standing in front of guns! No youth accepted defeat after they saw his bravery. They moved forward and said shoot as much as you can, but we will stand our ground. For them, the movement spread across Bangladesh. For them, Bangladesh achieved its independence for the second time. We must preserve this freedom and every home must benefit from it. Otherwise, this freedom will be meaningless. To benefit from this freedom is our oath and our sole promise. We have to do it, we have to reach every home. People must know that the meaning of a free Bangladesh is the change in themselves, their opportunities, and their children’s future. Everyone must understand this.
And to make today’s young generation understand that the country is in their hands, and they have to build it as they desire. They were able to free us, they will be able to build the nation as they desire. And the whole world will learn how the youth can take the responsibility of the country into their hands and change it as they see fit. I always advise others to give up the old ways of thinking; we cannot be free with a backward mentality. This is not only relevant for Bangladesh but it is a universal truth. The power and creativity of the youth need to be used. It should not be limited to textbooks only. Power and creativity should be expressed. They have the power to build. Today our job is to clean up all the infrastructure for the students.
There is something called government in Bangladesh, but the citizens didn’t have any faith left in it. They think of it as a machinery of oppression and suppression. Whenever the government gets the chance, it only exploits. This is the image of the government in Bangladesh. But it is not the right image. The citizens must be proud of their government, they must believe that their government will help and protect them and will be available for them in times of need. But the government never did any of it for them.
The government we will form will protect the citizens, and they will have faith in their government. The citizens will not be forced to do it, rather they will do it willingly and they will think of the representatives of the government as their own. They will know that this person will protect them. We must bring this faith back in the citizens. Then the citizens will work with us, they are afraid to do so now.
Bangladesh is one big family and we want to march forward together. We want to clear all the doubts and conflicts. We want to help those who have followed the wrong path so that they can find the right one. We have to work together. On our way here, I heard that there is a breakdown in law and order. People are attacking each other, burning down properties and looting them, attacking offices, and attacking minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, etc. All of these are a part of a conspiracy, these are not done by us. Our job is to protect them. We must protect everyone. They are our brothers and sisters, we must protect them and bring back discipline. Chaos and violence are the enemies of development and progress.
They are the enemies of the new journey that we have begun. We must make them realize it. It should be gained through discussions or legal actions. But we should not be violent and must not take the law into our hands. And our law enforcement forces must be trustworthy too. They must not be prone to corruption. We must restore trust. Restoring law and order is our priority. We cannot take steps towards development until law and order are restored. All of you have put your faith in me, the students have invited me and I’ve responded to their invitation. I have a request to the people of this country.
If all of you trust me and have faith in me, then please make sure that nobody in the country gets attacked. This is our priority. If I cannot ensure this and if all of you don’t listen to me, then my presence has no effect here. Then please bid me farewell. I’ll be busy with my own work. If you think that you need me, then please prove to me that you listen to me. If you don’t listen to me, I’m not needed here. My first request is that please save the country from chaos and violence so that we can follow the path that our students have shown us. Bangladesh has the potential to become a very beautiful country. We have ruined its potential but now we have to bring it back.
They will prepare the seedbed. It will be done by them and we will follow their actions. Following their suggestions, we will step forward. I request all the government officials, Army, Navy, and Air Force Chiefs that we are a family and there must not be any clash between us.
