Sheikh Hasina Wajid ‘destroyed almost all institutions’ & ‘the economy was shattered’: Muhammad Younus

DHAKA, Sep 12 (SABAH): Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus took over as interim leader of Bangladesh last month after violent political unrest that led to an unceremonious end to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s 15-year rule.

In an interview with “DW”, the Nobel Peace Prize winner addressed an array of issues, including the domestic political situation, Bangladesh’s relations with India and the influx of the Rohingya into the country.

The 84-year-old leader, who holds the official position of chief adviser in the interim government, said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid “destroyed almost all institutions” and “the economy was shattered.”

“You do not know where to begin because everything has to be restarted in a different way,” he said, adding that his interim administration wants to “establish citizens’ rights, human rights, democracy and everything that goes with a good governance.”

He also hinted at amending the constitution. “We should be focusing on the major issues of constitution and build a consensus. We cannot do anything without a consensus because our strength comes from the consensus. If we can establish the consensus, we go ahead and do that.”

But Yunus refused to give an exact date for the next election, saying that it will be held “as soon as possible.”

“That is our mandate. We want to come to the election and have a decent election, beautiful election, and celebrate the victory of a particular party or whatever party which comes in, and hand over the power to the newly elected government. So this should be as brief as possible. We cannot give you date and time right now.”

During the interview, Muhammad Yunus also accused Hasina’s administration of corruption, which he said shattered the nation’s economy. “Money siphoned off from Bangladesh, through government channels to bank channels and so on. Contracts were signed not for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of a family or family members, and something like that. So, those ugly things that you see when a government goes in the wrong direction, things happen, terrible things happen in the economy and so on.”

Bangladesh’s $450-billion (€412-billion) economy has struggled since the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly when it comes to creating enough, decent-paying jobs for its vast youth population.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has also sharply increased the cost of fuel and food imports, causing the South Asian nation’s foreign exchange reserves to shrink.

Dhaka was forced to seek financial support from the IMF last year in the form of a $4.7-billion bailout.

Muhammad Yunus’ interim administration is currently urging international lenders to offer it $5 billion in financial aid to stabilize its dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

On the question of Bangladesh’s relations with India, which shared close ties with Hasina’s administration, Yunus said Dhaka has no option but to maintain good ties with New Delhi.

“Bangladesh must have the best of relationship with India, out of its own necessity and out of its own acquaintances, and the similarity of the things that we do together. We share each other’s history. So there is no escape route for Bangladesh to do something else,” he said.

After the student protests turned into a mass uprising against her, Hasina fled to India in a military helicopter.

New Delhi has not provided details on Hasina’s location, though she is believed to be sheltering in a safe house.

Yunus’ interim government in Dhaka has already revoked Hasina’s diplomatic passport, and more and more voices in Bangladesh, including its top prosecutors, are demanding her extradition.

Former diplomats and academics consulted by DW say New Delhi is likely to resist pressure from Dhaka to deliver Hasina for trial.

Speaking to “DW”, Muhammad Yunus also pointed to other bilateral problems, such as river water sharing and the cross-border movement of people. He said his administration will work together with New Delhi to resolve these issues. “We have to work together and there are international ways of solving that. We will follow that path and make a very happy solution.”

He also briefly touched upon Dhaka’s policy toward the Rohingya people. “The Rohingya are trickling in as trouble begins in Rakhine,” he said, referring to the armed conflict in Myanmar’s western province that shares a long border with Bangladesh.

Dhaka says at least 18,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed over in recent months to escape the escalating violence in Rakhine.

“The Rohingya are trying to find a way to escape, that they’re coming towards Bangladesh. We can’t stop them, we can’t push them back. Pushing them back means we are pushing them to death. I don’t think any country can do that. So we welcome people who come, let them come in,” he said. However, he stressed that the situation is challenging for Bangladesh.

“It creates problem for us, problem for us, because we already have nearly a million Rohingyas living in the country, we don’t know what is the future of that,” Yunus said

“Then on top of it, we have 200-300 people almost every day coming in. This number builds up very quickly, so this is an additional burden. So, we are worried about it. We are trying to draw attention of the international community on how to handle this. We do not have a solution right now, but we kept the door open.”