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First Post
01-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Yunus's obsession with power and support for Islamists are pushing Bangladesh to the brink
Muhammad Yunus likes conflict because he uses it to gain power. Conflict gives him the leeway to pronounce his continuity. He will try to muddy the water to secure as much leverage as he can read more Yunus was supposed to restore normalcy and clear the clutter to initiate the election. Paradoxically, the election does not feature in his political itinerary. Image: AFP The drama of Muhammad Yunus's resignation will not end anytime soon. The octogenarian's love for power is insatiable. He can go to any extent to save his skin and to hold onto power. Bangladeshi Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman's insistence on conducting the election in the fag end of this year or early next year and his resentment over Yunus's unbridled use of power despite being an unelected chief advisor have unearthed a feud between the chief advisor and the army chief. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yunus has jihadis on his side to exercise street veto to ensure continuity. Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) reportedly secures patronage from Yunus and expands its tentacles to safeguard the political status quo. Is the resignation drama a dog-whistling? Yunus may encourage antagonism between opposing forces to underline the persistence of the shaky reality of Bangladesh. The impatient Bangladesh requires no compelling trigger to intensify the ongoing chaos. This will ensure the deferral of the electoral process and insurance for his continuity. Nine months have passed since Yunus took power under the carefully planted and measured mechanism called the students' protest, overthrowing Sheikh Hasina for the alleged death of democracy. This is the most convenient phraseology the Western propaganda machinery uses to inflict regime change. Being an American Trojan horse, Yunus did not deviate from pursuing the standard Western line to seize power. Yunus was supposed to restore normalcy and clear the clutter to initiate the election. Paradoxically, the election does not feature in his political itinerary. He behaves more like an elected entity and carries out crucial decisions, signs, and nullifies deals on a whim or to satisfy his bosses. Waker-Uz-Zaman is right to remind Yunus of his duties. This will surely fall on deaf ears. Yunus will not change his colour. He will toe the line that he is told to do. He has been brought to power with a purpose. Unless he does that, his relevance will dissipate. Waker-Uz-Zaman's resentments or concerns will have ripple effects. It is time to see how he exercises his weight as the Army Chief. Inarguably, he wields power and can act as a counterweight to Yunus's jihadi-led street power. The political travesty undoubtedly takes an interesting turn now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yunus likes conflict because he uses it to gain power. Conflict gives him the leeway to pronounce his continuity. He will try to muddy the water to secure as much leverage as he can. He weaponises clutter to exercise his relevance. Deception is his survival tactic. Bangladesh has become the battleground for the shadow war between China and the US. Yunus goes to China and makes comments on India's landlocked Northeast. He tactically deployed a slip of the tongue to deliver a message and provoke India. This, Yunus thinks, will make the Chinese happy. The Chinese never foreground emotion. They underline only their interest. On the other hand, Yunus serves the US interest because he was reportedly brought to power by the US deep state. With Yunus as a Trojan horse, the US has entered fully into Bangladesh to check the increasing Chinese interest. Rakhine Corridor The bone of contention between Yunus and Waker-Uz-Zaman is the Rakhine Corridor. The former succumbs to the US interest. The latter construes that the Rakhine corridor compromises Bangladeshi sovereignty. This critical issue puts them at loggerheads. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China has penetrated significantly into Myanmar. The latter's chronic political instability has helped Beijing to push its interests. Connecting China to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar is its core strategic objective. This will strengthen China's connectivity architecture and geopolitical footings in the Bay of Bengal region. It will also ease its Malacca dilemma. Rare earth deposits in coastal Myanmar also attract China. The China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) is a Chinese flagship project that includes the ambitious Yunnan-Kyaukphyu oil and gas pipeline, the Kyaukphyu port, and a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Rakhine state. To counter the growing Chinese influence, the US enters the region. There is also reportedly Russian interest in Myanmar. The Russian Su-30 fighter jets in the Junta air force increase the latter's air power to carry out precise strikes at rebel strongholds. The US also pushes its interests to thwart the Chinese hegemony in the region. Since Bangladesh shares a border with the Rakhine state, the US finds the passageway to enter Myanmar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US insists that Bangladesh should allow the aid and supplies, including military, medical, and other essentials, to the insurgents in Chin and Rakhine states for their fight against the military junta. The Arakan Army has succeeded in securing territories under its control in Rakhine province. The US emphasises supply routes to strengthen the Arakan Army. The Cox Bazar airport has also become important because of its proximity to Rakhine state. It can be used if the junta intensifies the air attacks on the insurgents. These developments disturb China and its ambitious Yunnan-Kyaukphyu connectivity. Bangladesh's economy depends largely on China. Its military equipment is imported from Beijing. Yunus finds himself between Scylla and Charybdis. He can upset neither China nor the US. He finds himself in the curious middle. China has increasingly come closer to the Junta because of the US support for the Arakan Army. The grey zone war has already begun between the US and China in Myanmar. In the great power rivalry in Myanmar, India may support the Arakan Army to safeguard its interests because of its $484 million land-and-sea Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Corridor (KMMTTC). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yunus tiptoes dangerously to secure a place in the middle. Can he really steady his shaky political career in Bangladesh? He has become increasingly unpopular in Bangladesh. His authoritarianism has crossed all conceivable limits. If the Arakan Army and other rebel outfits in Chin and Rakhine states succeed in their fight against the military junta, can there be risks to Bangladesh's sovereignty? They allude to something gravely problematic. The Arakan Army has reportedly gained control of Myanmar's key border points along Bangladesh. Waker-Uz-Zaman understands the volatility of the region and the possible intensification of conflict. Bangladesh is not economically sound to wage any war, small, medium, or large. In case of hostility between Bangladesh and the Arakan Army, the situation of the former may exacerbate beyond repair. Since Yunus entered Bangladesh politics, he has messed up everything. Moreover, his political inexperience, love for power, and weird experimentations will further push Bangladesh to the brink of disaster. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jajati K Pattnaik is an Associate Professor at the Centre for West Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Chandan K Panda is an Assistant Professor at Rajiv Gandhi University (A Central University), Itanagar. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Sydney Morning Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sydney University staff resisting controversial antisemitism rules
University of Sydney academics will hold a meeting this week attempting to thwart the adoption of a definition of antisemitism that aims to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus which some staff say unreasonably constricts criticism of Israel. It comes a week after a student meeting to discuss the definition ended in the audience turning their backs on a Jewish speaker while another student effectively called for Israel to cease to exist. The University of Sydney has been the centre of student protests against Israel since the October 7 attacks – playing host to a sprawling pro-Palestinian encampment of university students and activists as well as long-time supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir – an organisation banned in Germany and Turkey and labelled a terrorist group in Britain. After pressure to act on antisemitism, the university spent $441,789 on an external review, which proposed new civility rules which asked students to explain exactly what they meant when using contentious phrases. Additionally, it adopted the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism, along with more than 30 other institutions, which states criticism of Israel is not in itself antisemitic. 'However, criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel's actions.' An email invitation about the meeting on Thursday held by Staff for Palestine says: 'This definition, which has been imposed on the university community unilaterally, treats criticism of Israel and of Zionism as likely to be antisemitic.' 'The definition constitutes a serious obstacle to staff and students' intellectual freedom, and to our ability to campaign for an end to the genocide in Gaza, for the academic boycott of Israeli institutions, and for justice for everyone in the Middle East regardless of their faith, background or ethnicity. 'Our position is that no one kind of racism should be treated as more serious than others, including by being the object of standalone definitions.'
The Age
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
The Sydney University staff resisting controversial antisemitism rules
University of Sydney academics will hold a meeting this week attempting to thwart the adoption of a definition of antisemitism that aims to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus which some staff say unreasonably constricts criticism of Israel. It comes a week after a student meeting to discuss the definition ended in the audience turning their backs on a Jewish speaker while another student effectively called for Israel to cease to exist. The University of Sydney has been the centre of student protests against Israel since the October 7 attacks – playing host to a sprawling pro-Palestinian encampment of university students, activists as well as long-time supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir – an organisation banned in Germany and Turkey and labelled a terrorist group in the United Kingdom. After pressure to act on antisemitism, the Sydney University spent $441,789 on an external review, which proposed new civility rules which asked students to explain exactly what they meant when using contentious phrases. Additionally, it adopted the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism, along with more than 30 other institutions, which states criticism of Israel is not in itself antisemitic. 'However, criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel's actions.' An email invitation about the meeting on Thursday held by Staff for Palestine says: 'This definition, which has been imposed on the university community unilaterally, treats criticism of Israel and of Zionism as likely to be antisemitic.' 'The definition constitutes a serious obstacle to staff and students' intellectual freedom, and to our ability to campaign for an end to the genocide in Gaza, for the academic boycott of Israeli institutions, and for justice for everyone in the Middle East regardless of their faith, background or ethnicity. 'Our position is that no one kind of racism should be treated as more serious than others, including by being the object of standalone definitions.'
Sydney Morning Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney University staff resisting controversial antisemitism rules
University of Sydney academics will hold a meeting this week attempting to thwart the adoption of a definition of antisemitism that aims to protect Jewish and Israeli students on campus which some staff say unreasonably constricts criticism of Israel. It comes a week after a student meeting to discuss the definition ended in the audience turning their backs on a Jewish speaker while another student effectively called for Israel to cease to exist. The University of Sydney has been the centre of student protests against Israel since the October 7 attacks – playing host to a sprawling pro-Palestinian encampment of university students, activists as well as long-time supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir – an organisation banned in Germany and Turkey and labelled a terrorist group in the United Kingdom. After pressure to act on antisemitism, the Sydney University spent $441,789 on an external review, which proposed new civility rules which asked students to explain exactly what they meant when using contentious phrases. Additionally, it adopted the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism, along with more than 30 other institutions, which states criticism of Israel is not in itself antisemitic. 'However, criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel's actions.' An email invitation about the meeting on Thursday held by Staff for Palestine says: 'This definition, which has been imposed on the university community unilaterally, treats criticism of Israel and of Zionism as likely to be antisemitic.' 'The definition constitutes a serious obstacle to staff and students' intellectual freedom, and to our ability to campaign for an end to the genocide in Gaza, for the academic boycott of Israeli institutions, and for justice for everyone in the Middle East regardless of their faith, background or ethnicity. 'Our position is that no one kind of racism should be treated as more serious than others, including by being the object of standalone definitions.'
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Muhammad Yunus-Bangladesh Army Chief Tensions On The Boil
In today's episode of India Global, Tensions between Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus have reached a boiling point. What began as a routine law and order meeting has exposed a fierce battle, not just over governance, but the soul of the state. Sources confirm General Zaman's U.S. trip was abruptly cancelled amid fears of Islamist mobilisation near his residence, fueled, allegedly, by Yunus' backers. One man in the shadows: Lieutenant General Mohammad Faizur Rahman, accused of pro-ISI ties and seen as Yunus's insider within the military ranks. The army's not backing down. A major raid in the capital busted an armed criminal gang, part of a broader push by the military to reclaim public confidence. Meanwhile, Yunus faces charges of stalling democratic elections and promoting Islamist-linked figures like Mohammad Azaz, once a top Hizb ut-Tahrir leader. The interim government's credibility is crumbling fast, and the army is watching. NDTV's Gaurie Dwivedi speaks with Senior Bangladeshi Journalist Muktadir Rashid and International Affairs Expert Prof Swaran Singh to discuss this and more. Show Full
