Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday (Nov 17) said the Election Commission (EC) will be formed soon while an election roadmap will be announced after competing reforms in electoral system. "Once the electoral reforms are decided, you will get the election roadmap very soon," he said while addressing the nation this evening on the completion of 100 days of the interim government.
The address was broadcast on Bangladesh Television and BTV World.
Noting that there is a question in everyone's mind that when the elections will be held, Prof Yunus said the government has started taking necessary steps to hold the elections. "The Election Commission will be formed in a few days. Since then, all the responsibility of arranging the polls will fall on them (EC)," he said.
The Chief Adviser said the EC can take necessary tasks, including updating the voter list, which are directly related to a free polls.
Prof Yunus said apart from dealing with the daily affairs of the state, the government has to think about the reconstruction of the future Bangladesh. "You all know that our most important task is to hand over the power to an elected government by holding a free and fair election. We continue our regular communication with political parties and are taking their opinions on various issues," he said.
Mentioning that their opinions are being reflected to a large extent in the decision-making of the government, the chief adviser said each of their opinions is being actively taken into account in the ongoing reform process.
"We hope that the reform commissions will be able to submit their recommendations to the government within stipulated timeframe - December-January. We will continue to discuss their proposals with political parties. We will finalise the reform proposals on the basis of consensus of all," he said.
For the first time, he said, the government is working so that Bangladeshi expatriates can exercise their voting rights through postal ballots. "But, we do not think that our duty to arrange an election will end once the Election Commission is formed. Reform in the state system is one of the pledges of our government. You gave us this mandate," he said.
Prof Yunus said the six reform commissions formed earlier have already progressed much with their activities and the updates of their works were seen in different media.
Noting that several reform commissions have formed digital platforms, he requested the people to express their opinions enthusiastically on the platforms.
Mentioning that the people are the owner of the country, the chief adviser said the recommendations of the Election Reform Commission are very important in conducting elections.
"Go to their platform. Express your opinion. Tell what you want and how do you want," he added. "Feel free to give your views about the election. Express all's thoughts. My request - tell about reforms too. Don't skip the reforms," he said.
Prof Yunus further said: "Talk about elections along with reforms in elections and other areas. Reforms are the long-term life force of a nation. Reforms will give the nation, especially our youth, the opportunity to create a new world. Do not deprive the nation."
The Electoral Act should be amended on the basis of the recommendations of the Constitution Reform Commission, he said, adding that in parallel, the process of updating the voter list will continue.
"I am not sure how much time we will get to implement the reform proposals. But I promise you, we will arrange your desired elections after completing some necessary reforms if you give us the opportunity. Until then, I request you to be patient. We would like to create an electoral system that will be followed for ages," the Chief Adviser said.
As a result, the country will be saved from political crisis, he said, seeking the necessary time for this. He said the interim government was created to bring politics into the policy framework, and out of an intense desire to create a new environment for politics. "Do not deprive the nation of fulfilling this desire," he urged all.
Prof Yunus said the election train (journey) has started and it will not stop. "But we have a lot of work to do on this journey. When this train will reach the last station will depend on how soon we can set up the rail tracts for it and that will be through the consensus of the political parties," he said.
In the meantime, talks will continue on the proposals of other reform commissions and additional time may be needed to build consensus on more important reforms beyond elections, the Chief Adviser said. He said the government will continue to ask the people, especially the political parties, what reforms they want before the elections.
Some reforms may take place during the election period and the polls may also be delayed by several months for reforms, Prof Yunus said.
Noting that the interim government will leave power one day, he requested all regardless of party, gender and religion, and the young and the old, the students, the businessmen, the workers and the farmers to remain firm about the historical opportunity that has been created for the nation. "I hope you will accept my request," Prof Yunus added.
At the onset of his speech, the Chief Adviser recalled the martyrs who were killed in the liberation war and those who sacrificed their lives in the student-led mass uprising against the fascism in the last July-August. He also paid tributes to those who were wounded, crippled, blinded, fought against the fascist forces and all those who stood against brutal dictatorship in this revolution.
About the responsibility of the interim government, the 2006 Noble Laureate said the government passed its first 100 days and all know it took responsibility in a difficult situation. “When the head of the fascist government fled after an unprecedented mass uprising of the students-workers-mass, the country become temporarily without a government. An alarming situation was created when the police administration was completely inactive at this time,” he said.
“We all are rebuilding this country together, which was destroyed by dictatorship. After the July-August Revolution, we got a country where chaos was everywhere,” he added.
Prof Yunus said he had long meetings with the heads of international aid agencies, the World Bank, IMF and UNDP, among others.
They also expressed their willingness to help Bangladesh in a new and comprehensive manner, he said, adding that in a meeting, the Foreign Minister of China assured Bangladesh of all possible support.
“100 days ago, the financial mess we started from is now a thing of the past. In the 100 days, the country’s economy has come to a strong position,” he said.
The Chief Adviser said the friendly countries pledged to provide a huge amount of aid for Bangladesh.
Once this assistance starts flowing in, the country’s economy will become a very strong and attractive, he said, adding that foreign investors will also be encouraged to come up with their investments.
Prof Yunus said the government has already started discussions with investors. “We have now reached the status of a respected and admired country in the United Nations Assembly. Due to this, the defeated forces have failed to draw attention to them despite using various strategies,” he added.
Despite various limitations, he said the government is committed to making the country’s economy solid, the future journey of the country smooth and ensuring civic rights of all. Citing data of the Transparency International Bangladesh, the chief adviser said the ousted government and its allies siphoned off US$ 12-15 billion abroad per year during its regime. He said the government has taken steps to bring back the laundered money and once it becomes successful to this end, the pace of the economy will accelerate.
Prof Yunus said the interim government has sought cooperation of different international agencies in bringing back the stolen money. Prof Yunus urged the Bangladeshi expatriates to invest in the country’s private sector as this sector is playing the pivotal role in Bangladesh's economic development and youth employment.
About reforms in judiciary, the chief adviser said over 1,000 prosecutors were appointed in different districts of the country to speed up the trial of cases, while 23 new judges have already been appointed to the High Court.
All possible efforts are being made to make the judiciary free from corruption, he said.
Noting that the Supreme Judicial Council has been reinstated to take action against judges if necessary, Prof Yunus said, the government is trying to protect not only the judiciary, but all sectors of the country from widespread corruption.
He said the work of restructuring the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is almost at the final stage.
A list of 150 influential persons accused of corruption and money laundering charges has been prepared and investigations are going on against 79 people on graft charge, the chief adviser said. He said the provision to whiten undeclared assets- black money- by paying income tax at the rate of 15 percent has been abolished.
In government services, Prof Yunus said, 19,084 officers-employees at various levels have been promoted, while 13,429 have been transferred and punitive actions have been taken against 12,636 to speed up government activities.
Public Service Commission (PSC) has been reconstituted, while a decision has been taken in principle to repeal the infamous Cyber Security Act, he said.
All cases filed under this act have been withdrawn, he said, adding that 133 laws and regulations were prepared and amended and 353 important policy decisions were taken.
According to the demands of the students, the age limit for entry in government job has already been raised to 32, the chief adviser said. He said new Hajj package was announced reducing the cost of Hajj by more than Taka one lakh. Besides, he said, the government has taken a decision that no one will be sent to Hajj this year at government cost.
Noting that initiatives have been taken to make new Bangladesh an environment-friendly one, Prof Yunus said the use of plastic water bottles has been restricted at Bangladesh Secretariat and initiatives have already been taken to stop the use of polythene shopping bags in super shops.
He said the government has taken initiatives to check river pollution.
