Dhaka | Bangladesh's interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Sunday accused deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina of destroying every institution of the country in her efforts to stay in power as he promised to hold a “free, fair and participatory” election as soon as his government completes the "mandate" of carrying out "vital reforms."
Hasina, 76, resigned and fled to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs.
After Hasina's ouster, 84-year-old Yunus took oath as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.
"In their efforts to stay in power, Sheikh Hasina's dictatorship destroyed every institution of the country. The judiciary was broken. Democratic rights were suppressed through a brutal decade-and-a-half-long crackdown,” Yunus said.
His comments came as he briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka for the first time since the interim government's inception.
Yunus said his government would stage "free, fair and participatory" elections soon but the voting would be held "as soon as we can complete our mandate to carry out vital reforms in our election commission, judiciary, civil administration, security forces and media".
Yunus said he took over a country which was "in many ways a complete mess" following the "brutal dictatorship" of Hasina.
He emphasized on required reforms in the Election Commission, judiciary, civil administration, security forces and media.
The chief adviser said elections were rigged blatantly and generations of young people grew up without exercising their voting rights.
"Banks were robbed with full political patronisation. And the state coffer was plundered by abusing power,” Yunus said, adding that they will also make sincere efforts to promote national reconciliation.
Yunus said they will undertake robust and far-reaching economic reforms to restore macroeconomic stability and sustained growth, with priority attached to good governance and combating corruption and mismanagement.
"The top priority of the Interim Government would be to bring the law and order situation under control...The armed forces will continue to serve in aid of civil power as long as the situation warrants," he said.
“We will be close to normalcy within a short period, with the unwavering support of our people and patriotic armed forces,” Yunus said.
The police force has also resumed its operations. The armed forces will continue to serve in aid of civil power as long as the situation warrants.
"Our government remains pledge-bound to ensure the safety and security of all religious and ethnic groups,” he said.
Bangladesh saw a spike in violence against members of Hindu communities following the fall of the Hasina-led government.
He said they have also made it a priority to ensure justice and accountability for all the killings and violence committed during the recent mass uprising.
He said they will uphold and promote all their international legal obligations, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
"Our government will adhere to all international, regional and bilateral instruments it is a party to. Bangladesh shall continue to remain an active proponent of multilateralism, with the UN at the core," Yunus said.
"Our government will nurture friendly relations with all countries in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding and shared interests," he said.
He called upon their trade and investment partners to maintain their trust in Bangladesh for economic prosperity.
“Bangladesh stands at the crossroads of a new beginning. Our valiant students and people deserve a lasting transformation of our nation. It is a difficult journey and we need your help along the way. We need to fulfil their aspirations. The sooner the better,” he said, adding that they have to create opportunities to build a poverty-free and prosperous new Bangladesh.
Yunus, who is known widely in the international arena, particularly for his experiment of poor men’s banking, addressed the foreign diplomats at a hotel in Dhaka where he expected the international community to stand by his government and people as "we chart a new democratic future".
"We believe all our friends and partners in the international community will stand by our government and people as we chart a new democratic future,” he said.
Yunus paid deep respect and homage to all those valiant students and innocent people who made the supreme sacrifice.
“Students of no other countries in our recent memory had to pay so much a price for expressing their democratic aspirations, dreaming a discrimination-free, equitable and environmentally-friendly nation where human rights of every citizen are fully protected,” he said.
On the Rohingya issue, he said the interim government will continue to support the million-plus Rohingya people sheltered in Bangladesh.
"We need sustained efforts of the international community for Rohingya humanitarian operations and their eventual repatriation to their homeland, Myanmar, with safety, dignity and full rights," Yunus said.
He said the interim government looks forward to maintaining and enhancing Bangladesh’s contributions to the UN peacekeeping operations.
"We have also made it a priority to ensure justice and accountability for all the killings and violence committed during the recent mass uprising," he said, adding that his government welcomed the UN rights office's move to send a UN-led fact-finding mission.
"We want an impartial and internationally credible investigation into the massacre and subsequent due judicial processes. We will provide whatever support the UN investigators need," he said.
