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The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Yunus expresses hope for presenting the July Charter in Bangladesh next month
The students who led and participated in the July Uprising in Bangladesh have announced plans to issue a July Declaration. - Reuters DHAKA: Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday (June 6) expressed the hope that the government will be able to prepare a comprehensive 'July Charter', based on the consensus of all political parties, and present it to the nation next month. "The students who led and participated in the July Uprising have announced plans to issue a July Declaration. They invited me to be part of it. I suggested that it would be more meaningful if the declaration is issued jointly by all political leaders, representatives of civil society and others," he said in a televised address to the nation in the evening. He emphasised that the July Charter would serve as a unified national commitment, reflecting the shared vision of political forces and the proposals recommended by the reform commissions. "This charter is a promise," he said, adding, "It will include a list of reform proposals, agreed upon by all parties, aimed at building a welfare-oriented state. By signing it, the parties will pledge to implement these reforms." Prof Yunus reiterated the government's commitment to initiating and carrying forward the necessary reforms outlined in the charter. "We are committed to implementing the urgent reforms as per the July Charter," he stated. "We also intend to begin work on other key initiatives, which we hope the elected government will carry forward." Highlighting the significance of national unity and reform, he said they must move forward with resolve and unity. There is no alternative. "Through implementation of the charter, we will present a new, cohesive image of Bangladesh to the world – one that reflects our strength and solidarity as a nation." He also lauded the establishment of the Consensus Commission, calling it a courageous and unprecedented initiative. "No other country has seen such a model. Through this, we have discovered new political depth as a nation," he said. Prof Yunus praised the intensive engagement of all political parties with the commission. "Their group-wise preparations, lengthy and intense discussions aired live on national television-and unwavering efforts to achieve consensus will remain a landmark moment in our political history," he noted. "On behalf of the nation, I thank all political parties for their patience, cooperation, and courtesy. I hope they will soon finalise their remaining work and present a complete July Charter that sets a lasting direction for the country." - The Daily Star/ANN
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bangladesh's caretaker government has woefully misunderstood its mandate
There was a flurry of developments in Bangladesh over the last week. The Chief Advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus first threatened to resign, then relented, and then is reported to have said the country is in a 'war-like situation'. The army has chided the government. Protests from government employees have added to the mounting public discontent, and the Chief Advisor had to conduct marathon meetings with various political parties. The Consensus Commission — formed to oversee what reforms could be implemented quickly — reported a disappointing first round of talks, with many key issues being unresolved. On the face of it, the present mini-crisis in Bangladesh is about one question: Reforms or elections? One side wants to have reforms before the elections, and the other wants to have either elections before reforms or both in parallel. This conflict stems from a deeper concern about what route the state should take in post-revolution Bangladesh, and two camps have formed around this question. This is the split in Bangladesh's polity right now, and this is the question on which political recruitment and defections are occurring. In the Reforms First camp are the government, a group of students — mostly from public universities — some civil society opinion-makers, and a section of middle-class funders and mobilisers. In the Elections ASAP camp are the established Islamist parties, conservative sections of the middle class, and the army. Most other social groups in the country are of secondary importance in this scenario. The Yunus government has misunderstood its mandate, believing itself to be a revolutionary government with a 'mandate to change anything', as his press secretary reportedly said. It lacks a reasonable appreciation of the various interests which converged into the movement against Sheikh Hasina. Businessmen, capitalists and the middle class in general expected a quick upturn in their economic activities, having blamed the Awami League for the stagnation. Other political parties simply wanted to be rid of the Awami League. Islamists, especially, saw it as a chance to remake the state in the way they wanted. Many, including the army, supported the movement simply because it had become too big not to support. The result was a Dhaka-based government of civil society elites entrusted to minimise mid-flight turbulence — an opinion poll conducted in February dispelled any doubt in this regard, with a plump majority saying they expected this government to manage daily affairs. All these groups initially supported the Yunus government to further their own particular interests. A few of these interests have been fulfilled, primarily the desire for a stable Bangladesh with no Awami League. Many others have faced deep disappointment, especially the middle class which hasn't seen its economic desires being met; unforeseen issues such as the collapse of law and order also alienated supporters. Such groups have gradually and steadily withdrawn support from the government. Almost every major newspaper in Bangladesh now considers the Yunus government to be a partial failure, at least. No one says it has been a success. The social base of the July uprising has been thoroughly depleted. The Reforms First camp is correct in wanting to institutionalise its gains. But even now, it does not recognise its lack of social base. One student leader made a joke of himself by threatening a Kronstadt-style revolutionary repression against anti-government protests. He seems unable to think who would be willing to carry out such a show of force. The only significant Reforms First political party is the student-led National Citizens' Party (NCP) — yet to have its own logo or flag, let alone a programme. In its hurry to bring about changes, such as limiting the executive's powers, the Reforms First camp has forgotten that Yunus is only a Chief Advisor, not even a Prime Minister. Even worse, it has tried to bestow the powers of a constituent assembly upon various commissions. When this smooth plan for nibbling at state power without a mandate hit the first roadblock, Yunus lost all his confidence and threw a tantrum. The work of a caretaker government is solely to administer the country till a legitimate government is elected by the people. It is by design transitory — the Yunus government's and the students' mistake was to think that by changing the name to 'interim government', they could change its purpose. The current rulers of Bangladesh fear elections. Their scepticism stems from their view that elections cannot be guaranteed to be fair. They trust their wisdom more than the people's — and in the name of a fair election, they end up delaying elections, sometimes forever. Their deficiency of trust in the self-healing properties of democracy ends up making dictators out of them. Delaying elections, as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the army sense correctly, is equivalent to enacting a protracted caretaker coup. A coup is not necessarily an ouster, it can be merely a takeover smoothly done from the inside. We usually expect the 'politically incorrect' to conduct coups because that's what we are used to. Yunus's, however, has the novelty of being a 'politically correct' coup. His government has tried to keep its attempt wrapped in politically correct speech; the truth has nonetheless slipped out from some of its less sharp sections, such as when the Home Advisor claimed that the 'people' want the caretaker government to continue for five years. There is almost no chance of this coup succeeding. To be a dictator is not Yunus's calling. He has neither the charisma nor the knack for it. He has neither time on his side nor an efficient authoritarian apparatus. The Reforms First camp would simply have to relent to the growing pressure of the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami, the critical middle class and the army. In due course, they might begin to appreciate how Sheikh Hasina was far more successful in her dictatorial ventures than they were. The best-case scenario for this government's legacy is to conduct an election and successfully transition to a promised Islamic democracy. Giving the army the opportunity to conduct elections would be good neither for the elections or the army. Whichever way the transition takes place, the revolution will be remembered for throwing the baby out with the bathwater — secular Bangla nationalism along with Sheikh Hasina. Mathew teaches politics and international relations at the School of Liberal Arts and Management Studies, P P Savani University, Surat. Ramachandran is a research scholar at the Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad
NDTV
26-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Bangladesh Consensus Commission Fails To Find Agreement On Democratic Reforms
Dhaka: Bangladesh's National Consensus Commission, tasked by the caretaker government to lead critical democratic reforms after a mass uprising last year, said Monday that political parties had failed to reach agreement. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has previously said he inherited a "completely broken down" system of public administration. Yunus has said it required a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to authoritarian rule. He set up six commissions to do that work, overseen by the Consensus Commission, which he heads. Ali Riaz, the commission's vice president, said that despite marathon efforts they had not reached a deal. "It wasn't possible to reach a consensus on several significant constitutional issues," Riaz told reporters in Dhaka, saying talks stretched over 45 sessions. "We have been discussing 166 recommendations with 38 political parties and alliances." Riaz, a political science professor at Illinois State University, said the teams would not give up. "We are going to begin a second round of talks," he said, adding that the country's statistics bureau would "conduct a household survey to gauge public opinion". The commission plans to include 46,000 families in the survey. Contentious issues include whether a prime minister can serve more than two terms, and the process for selecting the president. The procedure for appointing the chief of the interim government, and the duration of its tenure, has also divided parties, Riaz said. Parties also debated recommendations to change the terms of the constitution from "secularism" to "pluralism". Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation, with Hindus accounting for less than a tenth of the population. "Although most parties rejected the idea of pluralism, they recommended incorporating some form of protection for minorities," he said. NO RIFT Yunus warned on Saturday that political power struggles risked jeopardising gains that have been made, carrying out two days of talks with more than 20 political party leaders. Hasina's rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. Her government was also accused of politicising courts and the civil service, as well as staging lopsided elections to dismantle democratic checks on its power. Yunus has said polls could be held as early as December but that holding them later -- with the deadline of June 2026 -- would give the government more time for reform. On Saturday, Yunus met with the key Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), seen as the election front-runners, who are pushing hard for polls to be held by December. The military insisted at a press conference on Monday that there was no division with Yunus. It was the first address to the media since army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman gave an address to officers on May 21. He said that elections should be held by December, aligning with BNP demands, according to Bangladeshi media and military sources. "There is no rift between the government and the Bangladesh Army," Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Shafiqul Islam told reporters. "We share a cordial relationship and are working together for the sake of the country." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Bangladesh consensus commission fails to find agreement
DHAKA: Bangladesh's National Consensus Commission, tasked by the caretaker government to lead critical democratic reforms after a mass uprising last year, said Monday that political parties had failed to reach agreement. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led revolt in August 2024, ending her iron-fisted rule of 15 years. Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has previously said he inherited a 'completely broken down' system of public administration. Yunus has said it required a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to authoritarian rule. He set up six commissions to do that work, overseen by the Consensus Commission, which he heads. BD's Yunus seeks unity with fresh political talks Ali Riaz, the commission's vice president, said that despite marathon efforts they had not reached a deal. 'It wasn't possible to reach a consensus on several significant constitutional issues,' Riaz told reporters in Dhaka, saying talks stretched over 45 sessions. 'We have been discussing 166 recommendations with 38 political parties and alliances.' Riaz, a political science professor at Illinois State University, said the teams would not give up. 'We are going to begin a second round of talks,' he said, adding that the country's statistics bureau would 'conduct a household survey to gauge public opinion'. The commission plans to include 46,000 families in the survey. Contentious issues include whether a prime minister can serve more than two terms, and the process for selecting the president. The procedure for appointing the chief of the interim government, and the duration of its tenure, has also divided parties, Riaz said. Parties also debated recommendations to change the terms of the constitution from 'secularism' to 'pluralism'. Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority nation, with Hindus accounting for less than a tenth of the population. 'Although most parties rejected the idea of pluralism, they recommended incorporating some form of protection for minorities,' he said.
