Election without reforms will not be able to take country ahead: Yunus

Reforms without consensus or elections without reforms will not be able to take the government ahead, commented chief advisor of the interim government Muhammad Yunus. He said, "We need a consensus on the matter of reforms. One cannot do without the other. Reforms without consensus or elections without reforms will not be able to take the government ahead."

The chief advisor was speaking in the morning today, Friday, at a national dialogue arranged by Forum for Bangladesh Studies at the Krishibid Institute auditorium in the capital. He addressed the event virtually. The slogan of the dialogue was 'Unity, reforms and election."

Saying that the reforms and preparations for the election would proceed hand in hand, the chief advisor said, "Election preparations are basically the task of the election commission. The citizens will not have to give time to this. But all citizens must take part in the reform process. Voters will certainly participate and those who will be voters in the future will also joint wholeheartedly in the task of reforms."

The chief advisor expressed his hope that the 15 commissions formed regarding reforms would submit their reports in January. He said, "The responsibility of each commission is to identify major alternatives and to select and alternative from those to recommend for the nation. They will draw up recommendations on the respective sectors with input from various quarters regarding the future, making it easier for the citizens to form their opinions."

The chief advisor went on to say, "It is not as if you or I are bound to accept whatever is recommended by the commissions. That is why at the final level a national consensus commission has been created." He said, "I feel that the voter age should be set at 17. I do not know what the reform commission will recommend. But if the people of the country agree with whatever the reform commission recommends, I will accept that to reach a consensus."

The reform committees will come up with many recommendations, said the chief advisor, adding, "We are at a stage now that whatever recommendations come in, we will speedily reach a consensus and carry out the reforms. We want to do what is needed to proceed towards the election."

The chief advisor said that the sacrifice of the July martyrs will not bear any meaning if a justice-based society is not created. He said that fascism had detached Bangladesh from all ideological aims and pitched it into darkness. He said, "We are working to take our dear Bangladesh back on the track of equality, human dignity and justice."

Regarding the trial of the July mass uprising killings, he said, "Our students and people tackled the killers of children and brutal murderers with firm courage. Such cruelty against humanity must certain be brought to justice."
Saying that the July uprising had lent courage to the dreams of the people, he added the silent Bangladesh had once again got back the strength to speak out. This strong voice is once against active in creating a unity."

Unity is strength, the chief advisor reiterated, saying, "The July uprising has strengthened us to a historic degree. Over the past five months this unity has become even stronger. The forces against the mass uprising are steadily endeavouring to create a rift among us, but that has made our unity even stronger." He said, "It is this unity that has made us able to render the impossible possible. This is our best opportunity. We must build up our economy. We must build up an economy that ensures non-discrimination in resources and opportunities for all. The political and state will be in a position where the minority-majority identity will be meaningless. Everyone will have one identity, I am a citizen of Bangladesh and the state is bound to provide me with my rights. I will have no need to have any other identity before the state and the other citizens. There will be no scope for master-servant relations with anyone, inside the country or outside."

Half a century after the country's independence, the July uprising created an opportunity to rebuild the country, he said, adding, "If we are unwilling to take up this opportunity, or if we miss it, no future generation in Bangladesh will forgive us. The main target of today's dialogue is for everyone to say in unison that we will not relinquish this opportunity. Together we will make best use of every single moment of this opportunity.