Muhammad Yunus has reasons to be bitter about Hasina and her Awami League. Earlier this year, a Bangladeshi labour court had sentenced him and three of his colleagues to six months in prison on for violating the country’s labour laws.
In a dramatic briefing to foreign diplomats on Sunday, Bangladesh’s Interim Government Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, launched a scathing critique of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, accusing it of systematically dismantling the nation’s institutions in a bid to retain power.
Speaking at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka, Yunus described Hasina’s tenure as a “dictatorship” that has severely undermined the country’s judiciary and other key institutions. This briefing marks the first of its kind since the inception of the interim government, which took office following Hasina’s abrupt departure from Bangladesh on August 5.
Yunus, who assumed his role at the behest of student activists, paid tribute to the students and others who sacrificed significantly during recent protests. “The judiciary has been broken,” Yunus asserted, highlighting what he sees as the extensive damage done to Bangladesh’s democratic frameworks under Hasina’s rule.
The interim administration, according to analysts, aims to restore democratic processes and organize a free and fair election. However, the current situation in Bangladesh is described as unprecedented. The abrupt removal of Hasina has led to significant upheaval, with key figures from her government resigning under pressure from ongoing student-led protests.
Recently, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, along with six of the seven justices from the Appellate Division, were forced to step down. Additionally, prominent officials, including the heads of the central bank, police, and military intelligence, as well as independent regulatory bodies and university vice-chancellors, have resigned.
Restoring law and order
Rezaul Karim Rony, editor of Bangladesh’s Joban magazine, commented on the situation, stating, “These resignations and purges were absolutely necessary. It’s important to understand that all these individuals were appointed by an autocratic regime and were beneficiaries of it.” Rony further emphasized that the removal of Hasina was the outcome of a widespread student-led revolution, describing the nation’s reaction as a “happy shock.”
Despite the initial euphoria, Rony warned that the interim government would soon face substantial challenges from the remnants of the previous regime. He expressed a belief that a fully elected political government would be better positioned to tackle these issues than the current interim administration.
Sharmeen Murshid, one of the 17 advisors to Yunus with a rank equivalent to that of a cabinet minister, echoed the sentiment that it is premature to discuss election timelines. “We have more pressing issues to address right now, such as restoring law and order,” Murshid said.
The recent fall of Hasina’s government has also heightened public scrutiny of the police force, which has been accused of widespread corruption. Over 25 police officers have been killed in the unrest, and at least 30 police stations have been set ablaze. Police, including those handling traffic, were largely absent from the streets until the interim government began reforming the force on Tuesday.
Murshid underscored that the revolution spearheaded by students demands comprehensive reform to prevent any future political regime from becoming autocratic. “If that requires time, we would urge all political parties and the public to be patient,” she said.
Awami League reorganizing
Political dynamics have shifted dramatically since Hasina’s departure. The opposition parties, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, which were heavily repressed under Hasina’s rule, have pledged cooperation with the interim government. In contrast, the Awami League, which Hasina led, is reportedly attempting to destabilize the country.
Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Hasina’s son, has been vocal in media outlets and social media from his base in the US, asserting that his mother has not officially resigned and remains the legitimate prime minister. His statements have included calls for Awami League supporters to regroup and prepare for a counter-revolution, while also urging BNP leaders to push for early elections.
In response, there have been reports of Awami League supporters staging demonstrations and assaults in Hasina’s home district of Gopalganj, and unrest among the Hindu minority, traditionally aligned with the Awami League. While some Indian media outlets have reported violence against Hindus, local media have clarified that only two deaths — one police officer and one Awami League leader — occurred in these incidents. There have also been attempts by Awami League activists to incite sectarian tensions, though these have been intercepted.
Analyst Shayan S Khan observed that the Awami League appears to be reorganizing despite early indications of dissolution. He noted, “At the moment, they are even more vocal than the BNP in calling for early elections.” Khan added that while the interim government has signaled a preference for reform over setting an election date, it will eventually need to establish a timeline for its governance to match the scale of its reform agenda.
As Bangladesh navigates this period of intense transition, the interim government faces the dual challenge of stabilizing the country while laying the groundwork for a more democratic future.
Convicted and under investigation
Muhammad Yunus has reasons to be bitter about Hasina and her Awami League. Earlier this year, a Bangladeshi labour court had sentenced him and three of his colleagues to six months in prison on for violating the country’s labour laws. Yunus and his three colleagues from Grameen Telecom, one of the firms he founded, were accused of violating labour laws when they failed to create a workers’ welfare fund in the company.
Sheikh Merina Sultana, head of Dhaka’s Third Labour Court, delivered the verdict. The court also fined Yunus 30,000 takas ($272).
The court recorded evidence in the case filed by labour officials of the government in the space of four months. Yunus’s lawyers allege that the case’s proceedings were completed in a tearing haste.
The 83-year-old Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist and civil society leader, who said he would appeal the decision told reporters, “I have been punished for a sin I did not commit. If you want to call it justice, you can.”
The court gave the founder of the Grameen Bank and his colleagues 30 days to appeal the verdict and sentence. It simultaneously granted them bail as well.
Taking note of the government’s reletless actions against the Nobel laureate, 40 world leaders and Nobel laureates had written appealed to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over her government’s treatment of Yunus. They said that he had been unfairly attacked and repeatedly harassed.
Sucking poors’ blood?
Muhammad Yunus was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding Grameen Bank and the pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. He showed the worth of lending to entrepreneurs from the poorest sections of Bangaldeshi society who were cast aside by the conventional banking system.
But Yunus also earned the ire of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who accused him of “sucking blood” from the poor. Prime Minster Hasina made several scathing verbal attacks against him.
He was removed from the post of managing director in 2011 in a row over his retirement age. This, his supporters say, was done at the behest of the government.
Muhammad Yunus has been embroiled in a longstanding row with the government. He is battling at least 168 cases, including alleged tax evasion and misappropriation of profits. The latest decision acrues from his role as chairman of Grameen Telecom, a nonprofit company.
Embezzlement charges
Earlier this year, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had approved a chargesheet against Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus and 13 others in a graft case. This is the latest addition to the legal troubles directed at Dr Yunus.
The Commission cleared the way to submit the chargesheet against them after deputy director of ACC Md Gulshan Anwar filed the case with its Dhaka-1 integrated district office against Yunus and 12 others for allegedly embezzling Taka 250 million (25 crore) from the company on 30 May 2023.
The charge against Dr Yunus is that he presided over Grameen Telecom’s 108th board meeting that paved the way for the company to open a bank account in a branch of the Dhaka Bank Limited. But, investigations revealed that the account was indeed opened a day prior to the meeting and that the decision of the meeting was only covering up the lapse.
The ACC says that over Taka 260 million (26 crore) was transferred to the account on different occasions, as per ‘fake settlement agreements’ and decision of the board. But, before even distributing the share of the company’s profit to the workers, and letting them know, Dr Yunus, in collusion with others embezzled about Taka 250 million (25 crore) from the fund.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
