One of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’s most talked-about theories is the “three zeros” concept. Ironically, the interim government under his leadership seems to have implemented it by demonstrating complete failure – zero reform, zero justice and zero neutrality – throughout the past ten months. That seems to be its only “success”.
However, during these ten months, the fortunes of the chief adviser and his council have changed dramatically. Prof Yunus received a waiver of over Tk600 crore in income tax. All his legal cases were magically withdrawn. The government’s share in Grameen Bank has declined. Institutions linked to his interests have received university charters and recruiting agency licenses. It is a rare record for a head of government to gain so much personal benefit within such a short time.
He has travelled abroad frequently – setting a record of 11 foreign trips in just 10 months. Meanwhile, the doors of the world are gradually closing to Bangladesh. Vietnam is not issuing visas, nor is Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Even Thai visas are now hard to obtain. Europe has closed its doors too.
Following the chief adviser’s example, others in the government also appear preoccupied with personal gain. Massive corruption by the personal staff of advisers has sparked nationwide outrage.
Yet, no action has been taken against anyone. Serious allegations of corruption and nepotism have been made against senior officials, including the governor of the Bangladesh Bank, but the government has not initiated any impartial investigation. Corruption has not decreased – it has taken on new forms. Tk25,000 crore has vanished from the stock market. There has been no investigation or trial. The finance adviser seems more like the IMF’s representative than someone working for Bangladesh. His role appears limited to following IMF prescriptions. People are increasingly annoyed by the controversial remarks and actions of the advisers.
Some members of the National Consensus Commission are not even Bangladeshi citizens. These foreign nationals are acting as arbiters of the people’s fate. There is also controversy surrounding the citizenship of the national security adviser.
The interim government declared three main objectives – the July massacre trial, reform and elections. But we have seen no visible progress in the trial. Doubts are growing over whether the trial of the July massacre, including the case against Sheikh Hasina, will ever conclude. The entire process seems like a farce. By naming hundreds of accused, the significance of the case is being diluted. Innocent people are being harassed with false cases, while the real perpetrators remain untouched. Case trading has become rampant. People are filing cases at will, using them as tools of blackmail.
The second agenda – reform – has also become a charade. Various reform commissions have been formed, but most appear to serve vested interests. Take the Media Reform Commission, for instance. It was created with a specific group in mind – to serve and protect their interests. As a result, the so-called media reforms are unrealistic, unnecessary and now widely rejected. So, for whose benefit was this waste of time and money?
State reform has become biased. It seems the interim government designed the state reform drama specifically to favour a certain political party – more precisely, the National Citizen’s Party (NCP). Everyone knows that only the National Parliament has the authority to amend the Constitution. Yet debates on a new Constitution and Constituent Assembly are being used as delaying tactics, deliberately turning people away from reform. Prof Yunus himself said he was accountable to the students. But, over these ten months, he has listened only to them and not to the broader public. Consequently, this government has completely lost its neutrality and is now seen as a patron of the NCP. Everything is happening according to NCP’s preferences. This has inevitably created a conflict between the interests of a small group and the aspirations of the broader public. State reform has collapsed. The debate around women’s reform has already divided the nation and hurt religious sentiments. In short, no reforms have been visibly implemented. All these have created a chaotic situation. The reforms appear to be nothing more than a strategy to delay elections.
Now, let us come to the issue of elections. The interim government is clearly stalling. All previous caretaker governments held free and fair elections within 90 days. They also implemented necessary reforms within that time. Why is this government taking so long? The answer is now clear: elections are being delayed to benefit a specific group. The chief adviser himself has not kept his promises. Initially, he said elections would be held by December. Then it was pushed to June. He also said that the July Charter would be prepared after reforms, and only then would elections take place. That process should not take more than three months. Yet ten months have passed. Until the NCP is fully prepared and secure in the electoral field, this drama over the election date will continue. Everyone sees through this now. Hence, the government has lost its credibility. Unilaterally announcing an April election has only deepened the crisis.
Apart from the NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami, no one supports this announcement. Does the chief adviser intend to hold a one-sided election by displeasing the vast majority of the people?
Meanwhile, incidents of theft, robbery and rape continue to rise. Law and order has not improved – it is deteriorating by the day. The people feel unsafe. The government had said it would cancel anti-national deals with India. Yet in ten months, not a single deal has been scrapped. On the contrary, India has cancelled multiple agreements with Bangladesh. The suspension of land route transshipment has already had negative economic consequences. The government has completely failed to control inflation. Prices are continuously rising, and with the implementation of the new budget, inflation may spiral even further.
The government has also failed to safeguard the country’s sovereignty. Another 2,50,000 Rohingyas have entered through the Myanmar border. India continues to push people into Bangladesh, and the government remains silent. The chief adviser said the Rohingyas would return after Eid. That has not happened. Instead, the so-called “corridor” issue has created a new crisis. Under names like humanitarian corridors, relief channels, or transport routes, attempts are being made to mislead the public. Whatever name it goes by, it is against the national interest. Still, the government persists in these efforts, keeping the people in the dark.
New investments have dried up. Industries are collapsing, and many factories have shut down. Lack of security, energy crises and harassment of business owners through false murder charges have rendered the economy dysfunctional. Large-scale industries – the lifeline of our economy – have had their bank accounts frozen and are being harassed by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The high-profile investment conferences promising foreign investment have yielded zero results.
The advisers now seem even more irresponsible in speech than the Awami League. The home adviser once claimed that former President Abdul Hamid had fled the country and would be brought back with Interpol’s help. When Hamid returned, it was said there was no warrant against him. Such irresponsible statements are common among the advisers.
Amid this crisis, we see a glimmer of hope – the upcoming one-on-one meeting between acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman and Prof Muhammad Yunus tomorrow. We hope this meeting will help Prof Yunus understand the reality of the country.
People are not doing well, business has come to a halt, and citizens are waiting with hope for an elected government. The sooner Prof Yunus realises these facts, the better it will be for the country. Holding elections swiftly and restoring a stable governance system is now a national imperative.
This government has become ineffective and obsolete. There is no more time to waste. Every day and every month matters. The longer the delay, the worse the situation will get. Instability will grow, and that may open the door for the return of fascism. Surely, we do not want that. That is why the nation expects that this meeting between the chief adviser and the acting BNP chairman will bring good news and relief. People are desperate to escape this suffocating environment, and this meeting might just offer a path forward.
Bd-pratidin English/ANI
