By Voon Miaw Ping and Noor Bakhtiar Ahmad
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Chief Adviser to the Government of Bangladesh, Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus, reaffirmed he has no intention to enter active politics or contest in the country’s upcoming general elections set for February next year.
“No, I’m not the person who has any chance of joining politics,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate told Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in an exclusive interview during his official visit to Malaysia earlier this week.
In a conversation on a wide range of issues with Bernama’s Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, Editor of International News Service Voon Miaw Ping, and Assistant Editor of Economic News Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram, Yunus reflected on the responsibility entrusted to him in the efforts to restore and rebuild Bangladesh.
He said his immediate focus revolves around steering the interim administration to bring about its reform agenda.
The world-renowned economist and social entrepreneur was hand-picked by Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin to lead the transitional government on Aug 8, 2024, in the aftermath of the youth-led uprising that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ended her 15-year authoritarian rule.
“We have come a long way within a year. We just completed our first year in August, and we have achieved a lot,” Yunus said.
Among the key progresses, he said, was the formation of the Consensus Building Commission, which is based on the findings of the 11 reform commissions.
Its work on election reforms is expected to conclude with a final report by the end of the month, marking a major step towards building a more inclusive, participatory, and credible electoral system.
“We are coming to its conclusion. Maybe at the end of the month, we’ll have a Consensus Building Commission’s report ready,” he said.
The Consensus Building Commission was also tasked with securing agreement on sensitive constitutional and political issues, such as whether the parliament should be unicameral or bicameral.
“Because in the issues related to politics, you need a consensus. Whether the parliament will be unicameral or bicameral, there is a big debate on this issue,” he said.
The Commission engaged directly with political parties to understand their positions and encourage open discussions with proceedings televised nationwide for transparency, he added.
With the country now restored to the right path, Yunus said Bangladesh is now ready for February’s election.
It will be the first credible election in many years, he said, after three previous polls under Hasina were marred by allegations of fraud, controversies and suppression of voters.
“For the first time after many years, they will have an election, because all elections in the past were just fake elections.
“Nobody went to the polling booth. People don’t know what took place in the polling booth,” he said.
He added that the upcoming general election would also be significant for millions of voters who have long been deprived and denied the opportunity to cast their ballots during Hasina’s rule.
Bangladesh has an estimated 126.1 million registered voters, including 4.5 million new voters.
-- BERNAMA
