Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today said holding the national elections at the earliest possible is at the top of his government’s agenda.
“I have assured our people that, once our mandate is fulfilled in the conduct of elections as well as the required reform is done, we shall hold a free, fair and participatory election,” he said.
The chief adviser made the remarks while speaking at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
Highlighting the aspects of the July uprising in Bangladesh, he said in 1971, hundreds of thousands of ordinary women and men, children and youth made supreme sacrifice in a nine-month long genocide, fighting against a brutal military.
“Our people aspired for an inclusive, just and free society where every ordinary person could materialise his or her dreams.
“Sadly, in the course of past fifteen years, our people, especially youth, progressively saw their spaces and rights curtailed. They witnessed deep erosion of almost every State institution and civic rights trampled,” Prof Yunus said.
He said the common mass brought an end to the brutal authoritarian regime, at the expense of lives of close to 2,000 innocent people, mostly youth, including 118 children.
“The people of Bangladesh witnessed a rebirth in her history,” he added.
The chief adviser said the student leaders, who led the uprising and freed the country from the corrupt and autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina, appealed to him to lead the country during this crucial juncture of the country’s history.
“I agreed to take the responsibility, for the sake of our people,” he added.
He said the interim government is pledged-bound to undertake robust and far-reaching reforms to restore economic stability and sustained growth.
“We are committed to good governance, combating corruption and bringing order to every sphere of economy. These are at the core of the reforms we have planned,” Prof Yunus said.
The interim government constituted six Commissions to recommend reforms to the judiciary, the electoral system, public administration, police, the anti-corruption office, and the constitution to ensure public ownership, accountability and welfare of the people, he said.
The chief adviser said the commissions have already submitted their recommendations, which are under active consideration of the government.
“We have formed a seven-member ‘Jatiya Oaikyamot (Consensus) Commission’ headed by me and comprising the chiefs of all the six Commissions to consider and adopt the recommendations submitted by the individual commissions,” he said.
Prof Yunus said the interim government has also formed four additional commissions recently to make policy recommendations on media, health, labor and women’s rights.
“As we rebuild Bangladesh, we will continue to work steadfastly to ensure the constitutional rights of every citizen of the country whether they are women or members of ethnic and religious minorities,” he said.
Thai Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Summit Paetongtarn Shinawatra, BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey and distinguished heads of delegations from the BIMSTEC member states were present on the occasion.
