Almost a hundred days after being sworn in as head of the interim government, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Muhammad Yunus, received the world at Jamuna State Guest House, his official residence in Dhaka, which once hosted foreign dignitaries. The palace of deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in power for 15 years, was ransacked after she fled to India on August 5, when she was dethroned by a mass student movement.
You took office as head of government three months ago. What state did you find your country in?
The country was in shock. The police had killed hundreds of young people in the streets. There was also excitement. The regime, which had controlled the country with an iron fist for more than fifteen years, had just collapsed.
The students persuaded me to lead the interim government. We did not know each other and began our work in an uncertain environment. All we knew was that we had the opportunity to shape a new country.
The students said they wanted to reset the clock: leave the past behind to create the world of their dreams, a “new Bangladesh.” The entire country united around this idea. The students’ expectations are at their maximum, they would like to take giant steps, we must make them understand that we are advancing in small steps.
Does the administration formed by Sheikh Hasina leave him the means to act?
At first there was hostility. The administration collapsed because thousands of employees remained devoted to the old regime. You never know who you are dealing with. This generates great mistrust. We are facing great chaos. Many officials have simply disappeared and some even left the country for fear of reprisals. There are empty positions throughout the government and we need to hire competent people to fill them.
The police are not yet fully back to work. Some people are still afraid to go out on the streets because they think the public will yell at them, spit on them… But little by little order is being established and the interim government has left its mark.
Dhaka has become the daily scene of political rallies and demonstrations…
Everyone has demands. Bureaucrats want promotions, arguing that they were denied because they were unsympathetic to the old regime. Textile workers demand wage increases. So we have to work with all this.
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