The interim government is committed to ensuring a transition to inclusive and pluralistic democracy and creating an environment in which free, fair and participatory elections can be held, its Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said today.
“Our task is now to carry out vital reforms in our electoral system, judiciary, local government, media, economy and education,” he said in a speech delivered during the “3rd Voice of Global South Summit 2024” hosted by India.
Prof Yunus, along with heads of state from different countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Fiji, Oman, and Vietnam, joined the summit virtually.
He invited all the heads of the state joined the summit to visit Dhaka soon.
“Otherwise, you may miss something important,” he said.
Mentioning much of Dhaka has turned into the graffiti capital of the world, Prof Yunus said young students and children aged as young as 12-13 have been painting the walls of the 400-year-old city with images of a “new, democratic, environment-friendly Bangladesh”.
There is no central planning or guidance for that. No budget support from anybody. It is just an outpouring of their emotions and commitment to the goals of the “Second Revolution”, he went on to say.
He said, “We must place the youth and students, who constitute a significant portion of the Global South’s population, at the heart of our strategies. Two thirds of our population are youth. They are the most powerful segment of the society. They are different. They are committed to creating a new world. They are capable. They are technologically far ahead of the previous generation. They can make all impossible possible.”
Prof Yunus said, “Our education system and financial system are built only for creating job seekers and providing jobs for them. We have to redesign our system.”
“My life-long experience has been that our financial system is created to promote wealth concentration. We have to redesign our financial system to make sure wealth is shared by all. It should not be a one-way path for wealth. We must ensure financial services for all people, particularly women and youth,” he added.
He said that in 1952, the Bangladeshi students sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue. It inspired struggles for the right to speak in mother language all over the world.
“Some seven decades later our students-led Second Revolution is inspiring youth throughout the global south to raise their voice for democracy, human rights, dignity, equality and shared prosperity,” he added. Prof Yunus also said, “I am honoured to be the oldest ‘young person’ to take part in this revolution and help.”
