Interim govt prioritises health, education over ‘grandiose infrastructure’

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today called on the international community to continue and deepen engagements with Bangladesh in meeting people’s quest for democracy, rule of law, equality, and prosperity.

In his speech during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist stressed for Bangladesh to emerge as a “just and inclusive democratic society”.

Prof Yunus, who took charge after fall of the previous Awami League government in face of a student-led mass uprising, said after taking to the office the interim government has initiated reforms in certain prioritised sectors in order to restore people’s trust and confidence, and to ensure that the “tragic past” never recurs in future Bangladesh.

He said as the new government took to the office, to its utter shock and dismay, it discovered how endemic corruption left a “functioning democracy” in ruins.

It discovered “how key institutions were ruthlessly politicised, how public coffers were reduced to rubble, how oligarchs took over business, how ‘chosen few’ concentrated wealth in their hands and amassed and laundered wealth out of Bangladesh,” he added.

“In all, justice, ethics and morality, almost at every level, reached a low.”

On the reform measures, he mentioned, the interim government launched independent commissions to reform electoral system, constitution, judicial system, civil administration, law and order sectors.

A few more commissions are on the cards to reform other sectors, including press and media, he added.

He said in order to create a conducive environment for business, the government has rolled out extensive reforms in banking and financial sectors, affirming not to let any foreign business interest to be affected.

“Beyond rhetoric and numbers, we aim to establish effective safeguard mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of these reforms and create an enabling environment towards conduct of free, fair and participatory elections,” he added.

Prof Yunus said the government is committed to promote and protect the fundamental rights — for people to speak in freedom, to assemble without fear or inhibition, to vote whosoever they choose, to uphold the independence of the judiciary and freedom of press, including in the cyber domain.

He said the government prioritises allocation in education and health sectors over grandiose infrastructure development in order to ensure that child of a farmer or worker can scale the highest in the society.

It also aims at ensuring good governance, across all sectors, he added.

“A key priority for us is also to make all in public positions and institutions to account for their decisions and actions,” he further said.

Prof Yunus said Bangladesh is open to nurture friendly relations with all countries based on mutual respect, upholding dignity, pride and shared interests.

“I wish to assure that our government shall adhere to all international, regional and bilateral instruments that Bangladesh is party to,” he said, adding, Bangladesh will continue to remain an active proponent of multilateralism, with the UN at the core.