In a letter to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus today, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation said the global community was relieved over the end to the violence that erupted in Bangladesh recently.
“The recent political unrest in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a clear expression of your people’s hunger for an inclusive, corruption-free, democratic government,” the letter read.
The letter signed by Cecilia L Lazaro, chairperson of the foundation, and Susanna B Afan, its president, was shared by the chief adviser’s press wing.
Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1984.
Quoting President Ramon Magsaysay, the letter emphasised the importance of governance rooted in serving the masses.
“I believe that government starts at the bottom and moves upward, for government exists for the welfare of the masses of the nation… I believe that the [highest leader in the state] should set the example of a big heart, an honest mind, sound instincts, the virtue of healthy impatience, and an abiding love for the common man,” it continued.
The foundation expressed hope that the new chapter in Bangladesh’s history will be marked by “stability and not uncertainty; by equity, not inequality.”
It urged leadership that upholds the fundamental rights of all citizens, not just a select few.
The foundation offered its sincerest wishes of hope to the interim government and the people of Bangladesh.
