We always knew it was going to be a struggle to reset the political culture in Bangladesh while the Interim Government was in power. There have been quite a few successes, particularly in terms of giving the citizens of the country reason to expect a more dignified and solution oriented posture from their leaders. But the drama in Dhaka over the last ten days has suggested how far there is left to go.
The catalyst for the recent uneasiness was an unfortunate speech given by the Army Chief of Staff. While praising Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and making other valid points at times, he unwisely opined on the timing of the election and the mandate of the Interim Government. Furthermore, he made a mountain out of a molehill by stating his objections to the so-called “Humanitarian Corridor” that had been discussed at a very preliminary level in international circles as a possible way of getting badly-needed aid to those facing famine conditions in Myanmar.
This opened the door for even more disruptive rallies by various political parties and pressure groups—protests that are only possible due to the greatly widened space for civil society that the Interim Government has opened and continues to respect. But these efforts to advance partisan and group interests began to make it difficult for the government—and many others—to work to advance the national interest. The nation was drifting towards ungovernability.
At one point during a cabinet meeting, Chief Adviser Yunus apparently mentioned that because he was facing these unnecessary but very real obstacles, he was considering resigning.
This led to a series of pleas from civil society leaders for him to stay in his role until the national elections scheduled for late this year or early next year. For instance, Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, a highly respected civil society leader, wrote this in a poignant editorial: “Every beat of my patriotic heart, every spark of my nation building energy, every iota of my common sense, every conclusion of my rational thinking compels me to most ardently, passionately and humbly appeal to Prof. Yunus not to resign from the position of holding the helm of the nation at this crucial time. He may have all the frustrations in the world but his sense of responsibility as the head of the government must outweigh every other emotion, consideration and conclusion. We know and believe that he loves Bangladesh, in which case, resignation is not his option but holding the helm is. Leading the country firmly, effectively and decisively till the next election is his only option and something for which people and this country will remain forever grateful to him.” The editorial also appeared in Bengali.
In one of his more prolific and important Facebook posts, Dhaka Courier Editor Shayan S. Khan provided the following analysis: “I didn’t take the resignation rumors as seriously as some people did, even if Dr. Yunus may have said it out of frustration. The truth is there is no other option for the country right now. Outside [Awami League] circles brainwashed by Hasina, only he commands the kind of respect necessary to steer the nation back from the brink of where Hasina took it. The developments in the UK [regarding] Salman F. Rahman’s stolen millions are a case in point. Getting another country’s crime agency to act on your allegations, investigation, with no extradition treaty or mutual legal cooperation agreement in place, and that too a Western country where legal requirements are more stringent, would never have happened under any other government.
“Even regular, elected governments, don’t draw this kind of scrutiny, with such a sense of finality to it, till you’ve viewed their performance over a year or two years [and] compared it with their promises… The people taking potshots at it are doing no one any favors.”
The Dhaka Courier editor’s point about what Professor Yunus can accomplish given his global standing, unique among Bangladeshis, was well received and is particularly relevant given the Chief Adviser’s upcoming trip to Japan, where he will hold a summit with the Prime Minister of the nation with third largest economy in the world.
Another important article in Bangla Outlook was titled, “Yunus is the last man standing between order and ruin.” Omar Faris, the author, begins, “For the first time in decades, Bangladesh is not ruled by a party boss, or an army strongman, or the scion of a political dynasty. This moment, historic and fragile, carries the weight of a nation’s last good chance to change its destiny.”
He continued by describing Professor Yunus’ leadership style and the stakes for the nation:
“What began as a mandate to rebuild is now turning into a game of factional brinkmanship. And Dr Yunus–visionary though he may be–is no political streetfighter. He does not traffic in patronage. He does not command loyalty through fear. His strength lies in moral authority, and that is not a language the parties understand anymore. If he falls—if this experiment collapses—the consequences will not be subtle. The democratic project in Bangladesh won’t just be delayed. It will be discredited, perhaps for a generation. The next regime will rule not with legitimacy but with vengeance. And the memory of this moment, of what might have been, will become yet another scar in a nation already dense with them.”
Finally, he talked about the important reset that is taking place in Bangladeshi foreign relations: “Now, as a non-partisan interim leadership tries to restore the republic’s self-determination, [opponents] shriek about ‘foreign hijacking.’ Please. Spare us the pantomime. What we are witnessing is probably an essential realignment. The Yunus administration is making quiet moves that signal Bangladesh is no longer content to be anyone’s regional pawn… It’s the language of sovereignty spoken fluently: diversified alliances, deliberate diplomacy, national interest over nostalgic loyalty.”
In the meantime, Professor Yunus held meetings with the major political parties and with his cabinet. The adviser who oversees the planning ministry said definitively that the Interim Government would remain through elections. He declared, “[Yunus] is definitely staying.” He added that none of the advisers were leaving, as “the responsibility entrusted to us is a significant one; we cannot abandon this duty.”
And in a show of solidarity and support, representatives from the U.S. embassy paid a visit to the Chief Adviser recently, demonstrating the continued strength in American-Bangladeshi relations. We must hope that those Bangladeshis fighting for narrow partisan and group interests will recalibrate to put the national interest first, as a growing number of civil society leaders, with support from foreign allies, are already doing.
