Yunus government in Dhaka must shun retributory politics

The caretaker government needs to rethink its priorities if it wants Bangladesh to have a healthy electoral democracy

Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has shown very few signs of effectively tackling major problems confronting the country, intends to approach Interpol to issue red notices to arrest and bring back former premier Sheikh Hasina and other members of her administration. On Sunday, activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami thwarted the first rally planned by Hasina’s Awami League party. The caretaker establishment is also seeking to impose a ban on the Awami League. Meanwhile, the Awami League has approached the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing Yunus and others in the interim establishment of crimes against humanity, including genocide and oppression of minorities and Awami League activists.

Activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami thwarted the first rally planned by deposed PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party (Photo by Abdul Goni / AFP) (AFP)

As the interim administration completes three months in office, people in Bangladesh remain concerned about the high cost of living, law and order, and the return of Islamist forces that were suppressed under Hasina. The world community has its concerns about violence against minority communities, especially Hindus who make up eight per cent of the country’s population.

The Yunus-led setup needs to rethink its priorities if it wants Bangladesh to have a healthy electoral democracy, especially at a time when members of the caretaker administration appear to be working at cross-purposes. An election without the Awami League will be a sham — it will be the same kind of controlled democracy Hasina imposed on Bangladesh to prevent her rivals from participating in electoral politics.

Yunus, an unelected caretaker, should provide a healing touch by facilitating reconciliation rather than letting radical colleagues, some of them with dubious antecedents, dictate the politics of revenge. He should pave the way for holding an election without prolonging the life of the interim setup. At the same time, Yunus should not let political chaos return to Bangladesh, harming relations with neighbours and derailing the positive economic path the country had been pursuing.