Interim govt committed to holding free, fair polls: Yunus

Chief Adviser to the interim government Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus has said that his government is committed to ensuring a transition to inclusive and pluralistic democracy and create an environment in which free, fair and participatory elections can be held.

The Chief Adviser was virtually addressing the Inaugural Leaders' Session of 3rd Voice of Global South Summit 2024 hosted by India on Saturday.

He said the youth are different, they are capable and they are technologically far ahead of the previous generation.

He said the youth and students should be placed at the heart of strategies in the Global South as they are committed to creating a new world.

“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,” he said.

“They can make all impossible possible. They are entrepreneurial. Jobs they want, not because they enjoy it but because there is nothing else available, just because they are prepared by an education system in all our countries to get ready for jobs. Their creative capacities are forgotten. Yet, all human beings are born as creative beings. They are natural entrepreneurs,” he said.

But, Prof Yunus said, the education and financial systems are built only for creating job seekers and providing jobs for them, so the systems should be redesigned.

The chief adviser said Bangladesh witnessed a 'Second Revolution' on August 5, 2024 through a mass uprising spearheaded by its valiant students and joined by the masses, while the current interim government was sworn in on August 8.

Prof Yunus, also Nobel Peace Laureate, said the theme of this Summit as well as for this inaugural leaders' session 'An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future' is very timely and appropriate. “The global south must work together to ensure Sustainable Future for our Mother Earth.”

“We can start with a vision of building a world of three zeroes -- zero net carbon emissions, zero wealth concentration, and zero unemployment. If we give an important place for social businesses, that is businesses which are created solely for fixing social and environmental problems, we can set our path to create a world of three zeros,” he added.

Inviting all to visit Dhaka soon so that they do not miss something important, he said much of Dhaka has turned into the graffiti capital of the world, while young students and children aged as young as 12-13 have been painting the walls of this 400-year-old city with images of a New Democratic environment- friendly Bangladesh.

Mentioning that there is no central planning or guidance for that and no budget support from anybody, Prof Yunus said it is just an outpouring of their emotions and commitment to the goals of the Second Revolution.

“They approach the shopkeepers to buy paints and brushes for them. They make up their own subject and own messages. Messages they are painting will thrill anybody. Anybody can read in them what the youth are dreaming of. It is our job to make their dreams come true,” he said.

Recalling the 52 language movement, the chief adviser said in 1952, the Bangladeshi students sacrificed their lives for their mother tongue and it inspired struggles for the right to speak in mother language all over the world.

At the onset of his speech, Prof Yunus extended his heartfelt felicitations to the people of India for the country's 78th Independence Day, which was celebrated on August 15 in 1947.