Bangladesh’s interim leader Yunus says reforms will come before elections

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mohammad Yunus Refuses to Call Elections Without Necessary Reforms

Issued on: 08/10/2024 – 10:21

2 min

Bangladesh’s Interim Leader Mohammad Yunus Refuses to Set Election Timeframe

Bangladesh’s interim leader has refused to give a timeframe for elections following the ouster of his autocratic predecessor, saying in an interview published Tuesday that reforms are needed before polls.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was appointed the country’s “chief advisor” after the student-led uprising that toppled ex-premier Sheikh Hasina in August.

The 84-year-old microfinance pioneer is helming a temporary administration, to tackle what he has called the “extremely tough” challenge of restoring democratic institutions.

“None of us are aiming at staying for a prolonged time,” Yunus said of his caretaker government, in an interview published by the Prothom Alo newspaper.

“Reforms are pivotal,” he added. “If you say, hold the election, we are ready to hold the election. But it would be wrong to hold the election first.”

Reforms Needed to Prevent Return to Autocracy

Hasina’s 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. More than 600 people were killed in the weeks leading up to her ouster, according to a preliminary United Nations report which said the figure was likely an underestimate.

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 said he had inherited a “completely broken down” system of public administration that needed a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to autocracy.

“Reforms mean we will not allow a repetition of what happened in the past,” he added.

Ensuring Fair Trials and Media Freedom

Yunus also batted away criticism at the numerous politicians, senior police officers, and other Hasina loyalists arrested on murder charges after her government’s ouster. The arrests have prompted accusations that Yunus’ caretaker government would hold politicised trials of senior figures from Hasina’s regime.

But Yunus said it was his intention that any criminal trials initiated against those arrested would remain free from government interference.

“Once the judicial system is reformed, then the issues will come forward, about who will be placed on trial, how justice will be carried out,” he said.

At least 25 journalists — considered by Hasina’s opponents to be partisans of her government — have been arrested for alleged violence against protesters since her downfall. Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders has condemned those arrests as “systematic judicial harassment.”

But Yunus insisted he wanted media freedom.

“Write as you please,” he told the newspaper. “Criticise. Unless you write, how will we know what is happening or not happening?”

(AFP)

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Based on the information provided in the article, there are no specific targets or indicators mentioned that directly relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The article primarily focuses on the political situation in Bangladesh and the actions of the interim leader, Mohammad Yunus. While the issues discussed in the article, such as the need for reforms and the restoration of democratic institutions, are important for achieving sustainable development, they are not explicitly linked to specific SDGs, targets, or indicators.

Source: france24.com