Dhaka, Bangladesh Global: Interim government’s chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus says he will return to his regular work after the next parliamentary elections, clarifying that he has no political ambition.
"I was actually taken away from my job. I was forced into this work. I was doing my job and enjoying it. That’s why I was in Paris. I was dragged out of Paris to do something else. So, I will be happy to go back to my job that I always did and enjoyed all my life. I go back to that team and that movement that I tried to generate around the world,” he told The Economist in an interview on December 20.
The Economist picked Bangladesh as “Country of the Year” for toppling an autocrat and charting a new course. The transition has been encouraging with a technocratic government led by Nobel Laureate Yunus and backed by students, the army, business and civil society.
The interim government says it will organise a free, fair and participatory election after necessary reforms. Dr Yunus has hinted at elections by late 2025 or mid-2026.
When The Economist’s foreign editor, Patrick Foulis, asked about the risk of militancy in Bangladesh, Yunus said there was no scope for Islamic extremism to raise its head in the new Bangladesh. He said the youth of Bangladesh are very neutral when it comes to religion.
“I can assure you that’s not taking place at all. These are very enthusiastic young people and are very neutral about their religion. They want to create a new Bangladesh. These youth can change the whole world. It is not just about changing one country or another. What Bangladesh has done is an example of how powerful the young generation is,” he said.
“Let’s pay attention to the young people, particularly to young girls. They played a very important role in the Bangladeshi uprising. We should pay attention to the young girls and young boys and make sure that they can fulfil their dreams. They have the opportunity and have the capacity to do that.
“Three of the young people who led the uprising are in my cabinet. They are doing an excellent job. They are capable. These young people are not the youth of the previous centuries. They are the youth of this century. They are as capable as anyone else," he said.
Bangladesh Global/JS
Stay tuned for latest news and updates bangladeshglobal.com Log in to get breaking news and hot topics of the day:www.bangladeshglobal.com
