Bangladesh seen heading toward political crisis

DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Nearly 80 hours after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh amid violent protests that resulted in more than 300 fatalities, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in to lead the country's interim government.

At 84, Yunus took the oath of office during a ceremony held Thursday night at the presidential palace in Dhaka. The event was attended by political leaders, civil society figures, military generals, and diplomats, and was set against the backdrop of continuing unrest in the country. Analysts say Yunus faces a challenging path ahead, as the nation may be on the brink of deeper political crisis.

The 17-member Cabinet, referred to as "advisers," includes two key coordinators from the student-led movement, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, and prominent human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan, previously imprisoned under Hasina’s government for documenting rights violations.

The Cabinet also includes economists, NGO activists, academics, and a retired military officer. The planned duration of the interim government has not been announced.

Earlier that day, arriving at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, the microfinance pioneer delivered an emotional speech to reporters as he prepared to take up his new duties. Yunus expressed his hope to restore peace and rebuild Bangladesh following the uprising that ended Hasina's 15-year, increasingly autocratic reign.

"Law and order have been disrupted; people are attacking each other, setting homes and property on fire, looting, and burning offices. They are attacking Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Ahmadis," Yunus told the reporters. The Ahmadis are a messianic Islamic movement that began in the 19th century.

"We must protect them and restore order, as violence and chaos are major enemies of progress," he added.

Political analysts, however, say a major challenge will be governing with a Cabinet that, despite emerging from a "mass revolution," lacks a democratically obtained mandate.

Political crisis ahead?

Dhaka-based political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman expressed concerns that political parties, which have been sidelined from power for an extended period, may not provide the interim government with enough time to execute the "nation-rebuilding" envisioned by the new Cabinet.

He said that under Hasina’s leadership, her Awami League political party had "debilitated every state mechanism."

"From the police to the media, the bureaucracy is thoroughly corrupted; even the election commission is completely ineffective. Therefore, to restore effectiveness, the interim government will need to undertake extensive efforts, which will require a significant amount of time," Rahman told VOA.

The current crisis presents an opportunity to put Bangladesh back on the path of genuine democracy and move beyond the hyperpartisan, winner-take-all electoral dynamics that have caused so much damage over the past three decades, said Thomas Kean, International Crisis Group senior consultant.

"It needs to embark on the long task of rebuilding democracy in Bangladesh, which has been so badly eroded in recent years," Kean said in a statement.

While political parties have welcomed the movement that ousted the Hasina regime and the appointment of Yunus as the head of the interim government, they appear reluctant to allow much time for this new administration to establish itself.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a leading figure in Bangladesh's major political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told VOA, "We fully support this government, which is endorsed by the country's youth and students who drove this change. I am very hopeful for their success. However, we expect that they will fulfill their constitutional duty to conduct a free and fair election within 90 days."

As the country shifted to the interim government, the BNP held a rally in Dhaka Wednesday. The rally was led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who was recently released from house arrest after receiving a presidential pardon and addressed the party activists in a prerecorded video message.

This action by BNP is perceived by many as an indication of impatience and a desperate bid for power. "The wound from this movement is still fresh, and there is no government and law and order, how can you hold a rally under such condition? This impatience from them will send the country towards a deeper crisis in this crucial time," Rahman said.

Skepticism on military’s role

In Bangladesh, marked by a tumultuous history of military coups and countercoups, there is significant skepticism regarding the military’s current role, which it claims is merely to steward the current political turmoil and oversee the transition of power.

"I don’t trust the military to run this country," Hasan Robayet, a 38-year-old poet and civil society member, told VOA. "We have seen the outcomes of past military rule. The military should not dictate terms to this government. This revolution was won by the students and the masses; they should hold full control of the government."

The military declared an emergency in January 2007 after widespread political unrest and installed a military-backed caretaker government for two years, following which Hasina and her Awami League secured a decisive victory in the elections.

A general close to the army leadership told VOA that the current chief, Waker-Uz-Zaman, is not inclined to pursue a full military takeover. Instead, he aims to support the interim government from the sidelines, facilitating a smooth transition and the swift handover of power to a democratically elected government, the general said.

Bangladesh experienced military rule from 1975 to 1990, beginning with the assassination of its founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This period included multiple coups, particularly starting in 1977 under General Ziaur Rahman, who shifted the nation from a single-party socialist state to a multiparty system, though the military retained significant influence.

Following General Zia's assassination in 1981, General Hussain Muhammad Ershad assumed the presidency in 1983. The military regime in Bangladesh ended in 1990 following a massive public uprising for democratic reforms, led by opposition parties and a strong student movement that staged strikes and protests nationwide, and compelled Ershad to resign in December 1990.

Despite all challenges, Nahid Islam, the coordinator of the movement and now an adviser in the interim government, has vowed to fulfill the promises made to the people during the mass uprising.

"We have come to government to fulfill the promises that led to this mass uprising, promises for which hundreds of our brothers and sisters were injured or killed. We are committed to fulfilling these promises as soon as possible," he told VOA after being sworn in.