Advisers have discussed interim govt term, but no decision made: Yunus

The interim government will say what its term will be, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said in an interview to Voice of America.
Speaking about the army chief’s recent comment that a transition to democracy should be made within 18 months, Prof Yunus said, “If you want, you can suppose that this is the term of the interim government, but that is not the government’s opinion. The government will have to say what its term will be. Unless the government says so, it cannot be considered the term of the government.
“When you hear it from our mouths, that will be the actual date. The advisory council has discussed the term, but no decision has been made yet,” he said.
Voice of America (VOA) is an international radio broadcasting state media network funded by the United States of America. It produces content in over 48 languages, targeting people outside US borders. The VOA interview with Yunus, conducted in Bangla, took place during his recent visit to the US, and was uploaded on the VOABangla.com website yesterday.
Citing the law and order situation of the country, Yunus explained the government gave magistracy power to the army for a limited time of two months, and hoped that the police can return to serving the people within this time.
“We wanted the police to protect law and order in the country, as is the norm. The police have lost their morale, because when they go in front of people, they have to hear harsh words. Only a few days ago, they killed students. They are staying away from the general public, so we lost this power to enforce law and order that we had. We said that not every member of the police force is guilty, those who are guilty will be identified and punished, the rest will be acceptable to the public. But that process is a long process. Meanwhile, law and order is being disrupted, there is chaos, people are congregating, especially in our garment factories, we saw dissatisfaction among workers. In this context, we thought that if things go on like this, these incidents will start to grow in number. Then the question came up to give the army magistracy,” he said.
Responding to a question about whether students are running the country and if so, how much they are contributing, the chief adviser said, “Power should go to the young people. The old don’t have much to do, the old have only made mistakes so far. So, the young should try to come forward, take responsibility, they can make mistakes and then correct themselves. Their leadership led to such a huge chapter in our country, so there is no reason to mistrust them.
“Not only in Bangladesh, the young should be given power everywhere in the world,” he added.
On the topic of India, Yunus said, “We have clearly told India that we want a good relationship with them. They need it, and we need it too. We are neighbours, and if neighbouring nations don’t have good relationships, it can’t be a good thing for the people.
“Sometimes, some questions come up that fracture the relationship, like border shootings that have killed a young girl, and also a young boy. These cause pain in our hearts. But we don’t think the Indian government does these things intentionally … When things like these happen, we attract their attention, so they can try to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future,” he added.
On the much-discussed topic of bringing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh from India, the chief adviser said it was a legal matter.
“We will certainly try to extradite her, no matter where she is, so we can implement whatever legal decision is made in that regard,” he added.
Answering a question about “visible improvement” to the relationship with Pakistan following the chief adviser’s meeting with its PM on the sidelines of the UNGA, and whether any diplomatic inquiry will be made about Pakistan asking forgiveness for the 1971 genocide, Yunus said it was a separate matter and that he has also met leaders of Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldvies, and spoken to Indian PM Modi on the phone. He was unable to meet the leader of Sri Lanka as they weren’t in New York.
“SAARC is an established truth, we want SAARC to be a powerful institution, and for every country in SAARC to work together,” he said.
The interviewer mentioned the vandalism of Bangabandhu’s Dhanmondi 32 residence and the desecration of many of his statues, and asked Yunus what his government’s position was on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman being recognised as the father of the nation.
In response, the chief adviser told the interviewer that he was speaking of the past. A mass uprising had taken place in the meantime, he said, telling the interviewer that he was speaking as if these events had not taken place at all.
“We first have to consider that the students have said they have pushed a reset button. Everything is gone, the past is gone. Now, we will rebuild in a new way, that is what the people of the country want too. To do that, we have to conduct reforms,” he said.
On whether perpetrators of the killings and attacks post August 5, especially against the police, will be brought to justice, Yunus said, “Whoever has committed a crime anywhere will be brought to justice. Otherwise, justice is not complete. Enacting one kind of justice and not another kind — that is what the mass uprising was against.”
On the recent unrest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Prof Yunus said, “We are worried about law and order across the country. Law and order is our major duty, we were unable to do it, [because] the police have problems. It can’t be that there will be law and order in one place, and not in another… In some places, we have been unable to maintain it, but that doesn’t mean it was our intention. Our intention is to maintain law and order wherever it is needed. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, law and order was disrupted. But it was quickly resolved.”
Asked about the longstanding issues of the CHT, he said, “We just got here. It’s not right to hope that a problem that has been there for so long can be solved in a couple of days. There was a peace accord, it happened after trying for many years. That accord is not being implemented, whether or not a new peace accord must be made, our government won’t be able to accomplish that. Elected governments later on will be able to take that on.”
On whether Bangladesh will recognise the more than one million Rohingyas inside its borders as refugees, Prof Yunus said that international organisations have given them that recognition, and that is why UNHCR is able to work there.
If more Rohingya refugees enter Bangladesh, Yunus said the government will follow international law.
“If they want to come, we will receive them. After that, it is not our problem only, it is the world’s responsibility… Here in the UN, we have held many meetings about the Rohingyas, about what can be done,” he said.
Responding to a question about whether the constitution will be amended under the tenure of the interim government, the chief adviser said, “The whole country is in agreement about amending the constitution. What matters will be addressed, how it will happen, that will be debated. The commission will provide an outline, and an opportunity will be provided across the country to conduct a debate on it so that political parties can participate in that debate. And they can judge and decide if they want to do it now or later. The commission has been formed to create an outline for this. This is a fair matter, a beneficial matter, otherwise the country won’t function under the constitution we have. If we continue with this constitution, the same thing will happen again.”
Asked about the involvement in mainstream politics of the people, parties, or the successors of those who opposed independence during the Liberation War of 1971, the chief adviser said, “Our constitution says everyone has the right to express their opinions, and right to practise politics.
“You may like someone, or dislike someone. If they commit a crime, then they will be punished. The justice system will take care of it. I’m angry at someone, I think of someone as my enemy and I kill them … the state cannot allow that. Then that state is a dysfunctional state. The state must function according to its policies,” he added.