Bangladesh interim govt chief unveils reforms plan
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka 11 September, 2024, 20:41
Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urges the people to cooperate with the interim government to accomplish reforms. | BSS photo
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday announced the formation six commissions with appointment of six eminent citizens as their heads considering their experience in the respective fields.
‘We want reforms. It is our sincere request - please don’t go to the spectators’ gallery after bestowing the key responsibility of reform on us. Stay with us. We will do the reform together. It is the responsibility for all,’ he said in a televised address to the nation in the evening.
The chief adviser said six eminent citizens have been appointed to head these commissions. Badiul Alam Majumdar will act as the head of electoral system reform commission while Sarfraz Chowdhury as head of police administration reform commission, Justice Shah Abu Naeem Mominur Rahman as head of judiciary reform commission, Iftekharuzzaman as head of the anti-corruption reform commission, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury as head of public administration reform commission and Shahdeen Malik as head of constitution reform commission.
The names of the other members of these commissions will be fixed through holding discussions with the heads of the commissions, he said.
After this, the government will continue the process of formation of commissions on various other issues, he added.
He expressed his belief that the reform of these institutions will also contribute to establishing a public ownership-based, accountable and welfare-oriented state system.
Yunus called upon all to bring reform to their own world too, saying bringing reform to a nation does not mean only reform of the government.
Yunus, who took the helm of the interim government following the fall of an autocratic regime in a student-people uprising, said the fascist government in Bangladesh has fallen in the face of the historic July uprising of students, workers and masses and the sacrifice of thousands of people.
It has become necessary to complete some national reforms in order to implement the aspirations and prevent the recurrence of fascism or autocratic rule in Bangladesh and introduce a state system based on people’s ownership, welfare-oriented and dedicated to public interest, he said.
The chief adviser said one of the central points of the reform plans is to establish a fair election system and good governance.
Yunus said the government is thinking of reforming the Election Commission and other institutions related to elections to eliminate these fears.
‘In addition, we feel the need for constitutional reforms to ensure the representation and interests of people from all walks of life and to reflect the message of the July mass uprising,’ he said.
Yunus said advisory council members, representatives of the movement of students, workers and masses and representatives of civil society and political parties will be present in the discussions and consultation meetings of the commissions.
Once fully constituted, he hoped, the commissions can begin works from October 1 and the works will be completed within the next three months.
The chief adviser said based on the commission’s report, the government will hold consultations with major political parties at the next stage.
At the final stage, the outline of reform plans will be finalized on the basis of a three-to-seven-day long consultation meeting with students’ community, civil society, representatives of political parties and the government.
It will also give an idea of how this outline will be implemented, he said.
He said the government believes that this event will make the whole nation strong and optimistic in the unity of implementation of the message of the July mass-uprising and aspirations of rebuilding the state.
He said that his government was committed to presenting an outline of democratic Bangladesh for the future generation.
‘We are committed to formulating an outline of a democratic Bangladesh for our children so that we don’t fall into the hands of any dictatorship and we can say we live in a democratic country...so that we all can claim that this country is ours - we’re working towards this goal,’ he told the televised address before the nation this afternoon.
Urging all not to take the law into their own hands, Professor Yunus warned that if anyone takes the law into his or her own hands and creates a chaotic situation in the society, he or she will definitely be brought to justice.
‘We (Bangladesh) are a nation of communal harmony. No one shall do any act that destroys religious harmony,’ he said.
At the onset of his speech, the chief adviser recalled the martyrs and the victims who participated in the student-people revolution against the fascist force.
He reiterated that the families of all the martyrs would be rehabilitated while the government will bear the entire expenditures for the treatment of all injured students, workers and commoners.
A complete list of martyrs and injured has been prepared for the long-term and costly treatment for the injured and looking after the families of the martyrs, he said, adding that updates of this list will be made.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate said the government took an initiative to establish a foundation named ‘July Ganahattya Smriti Foundation’ to preserve the memory of the martyrs of the mass uprising.
‘Now this foundation has been established. This foundation is taking full responsibility of all martyrs’ families and families of victims along with providing best treatment to injured ones. We urge all people of the country and Bangladeshis living abroad to donate to this foundation,’ he said.
About law and order situation, Professor Yunus said his government is sincerely working to improve the law and order in the country.
Many people, he said, have been staging rallies and demonstrations to express their pains they suffered in the last 16 years and seeking its remedy, which created impediment to the movement of people.
‘I promise you that I will not forget your righteous plea. We are committed to giving remedy to all wrongs. We will try best to resolve all problems as much as possible within our responsibility. I again request you to refrain from disrupting your movement. The nation will be grateful to you,’ he said.
Referring to the allegations of workers in RMG and medicine industries, the chief adviser said the institutional structure is almost destroyed, while foreign exchange reserves have hit rock bottom.
‘We are trying to bring life into this economy. We are also getting response to our initiative. If our industrial plants are closed down and get non-operational at this time, the country’s economy will be hit hard. That cannot be expected in anyway,’ he said.
The chief adviser asked the factory owners to resolve their problems in consultation with workers and keep their factories operational, resulting in making the poor economy healthy.
Yunus said all should work together to build a society based on justice, while the criminal cases, except murder cases, filed from July 1 to August 5 to suppress the mass movement have been withdrawn and all those arrested in these cases have been released.
He said the interim government has embarked on major reforms in judiciary since taking of its office.
Appointment of the most qualified person as the Chief Justice has instilled new hope in people’s minds, he said, adding that appointment of Judges of Appellate Division, Attorney General and many important appointments have all been completed.
The false cases filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Digital/Cyber Security Act to harass people are being withdrawn, the chief adviser said.
He said there are many black laws including the Cyber Security Act in Bangladesh and those black laws will be repealed and amended soon.
Professor Yunus said assistance is being provided for the investigation into and trial of the five much-talked-about murders, including the killing of journalist Sagar-Rony, on a priority basis and for settlement these cases at the earliest time.
The government, he said, recently signed an international convention to protect people from enforced disappearance and ‘as a result, we are committed internationally to ending the ‘the culture of disappearance’ established by dictatorship’.
‘We are also forming a separate commission to investigate every case of enforced disappearance during the 15 years of fascist rule,’ he said.
Aynaghor (Mirror house) has been closed and at the same time the story of the suffering and pain of families of the people disappeared by the fascist Hasina government is coming out, the chief adviser said.
‘We have our full eye on the education system to ensure a bright future for our young generation,’ he said.
‘Already, the present flawed curriculum from class I to class XII has been changed. The work of correcting and revising the textbooks is at final stage. This reform work will continue,’ he added.
In the first month, Professor Yunus said, the government started the process of appointing Vice-Chancellors and Pro Vice-Chancellors, who are acceptable to all, in every university.
As a result, an environment has been created to start work with new enthusiasm in all public and private universities, he said.
Claiming that the full freedom of press and expression has already been ensured, the chief adviser said the government is considering formation of a Media Commission so that the media can do their work smoothly.
He said to indentify the fake freedom fighters and skip the names of freedom fighters with age of less than 12.5 years during the liberation war from the list of freedom fighters, the government has taken an initiative to summit leave to appeal before the Supreme Court.
Measures have also been taken to recover the grabbed immovable assets of the Freedom Fighters’ Welfare Trust, he added.
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