Desk Report:
The chief advisor to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, has said that Bangladesh will never return to the path of dictatorship. The country’s democracy will never be threatened again. He said this in his speech at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday night.
Dr. Yunus said that the country’s democracy and reform activities will move forward sustainably on the basis of a consensus formed regardless of party affiliation. No force can hinder the process of rebuilding a just state structure achieved through the sacrifices of the people.
The chief advisor reminded that Bangladesh was born in 1971 through a bloody struggle demanding equality, human dignity and social justice. But in the last five decades, those rights have been repeatedly obstructed and the people have had to sacrifice themselves repeatedly to re-establish those rights.
Dr. Yunus said that the youth defeated the dictatorship in the ‘July Mass Uprising’ last year. That coup opened a new path to building a society free from discrimination and based on justice, and the people have entrusted that responsibility to them.
On the challenge of rebuilding the collapsed state structure, Dr. Yunus said that although it is possible to implement reforms through executive orders, his government has chosen the difficult path—an inclusive and sustainable process. For this, 11 independent reform commissions have been formed in various important sectors including the judiciary, governance, elections, public administration, law and order, anti-corruption, and women’s rights.
The chief advisor further said that a National Consensus Commission was formed with more than 30 political parties and alliances to create a political consensus to implement the recommendations of these commissions. As a result, all parties made their time-bound commitment to reform activities through the ‘July Declaration’ in July last year.
Dr. Yunus said that due to this commitment, no matter which party gets the support of the people in the next election, there will be no uncertainty in the implementation of reforms.
