‘People’s will, not mine’: Yunus on leading Bangladesh’s political transition
Prof Yunus humbly describes his role, less as a leader, and more as a guardian of a “democratic process long denied.”
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has said that his entry into the centre of Bangladesh's political transformation was never about him but the people.
"It's not me. It's the people who want this change. I am just helping them to go the way they want," Prof Yunus told Malaysian news agency Bernama in an interview at the end of his three-day official visit to Malaysia.
Invited by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prof Yunus visited Malaysia from 11 to 13 August.
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During the conversation with Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj, International News Service Editor Voon Miaw Ping, and Assistant Editor of Bernama Economic Service Kisho Kumari Sucedaram, the chief adviser explained how circumstances left him with little choice.
"I don't impose anything of my own. I just wait to see what the will of the people is, and then I facilitate it," he said.
Prof Yunus humbly describes his role, less as a leader, and more as a guardian of a "democratic process long denied." Yet, he acknowledges the immense challenges ahead.
He also acknowledged the challenges facing the transition. "There are many difficulties. Many people want to disrupt this, as the political elements that were ousted from Bangladesh are attempting to destabilise the entire system," he said.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate highlighted the frustration of a generation deprived of their right to vote.
"Many first-time voters who came of age over the past decade and a half had never cast a ballot before. Some people had been waiting for 10 years, and some even 15," he explained.
"Imagine being 18 years old, excited to vote, but your chance never came because elections were never truly held. Now, they will be casting their vote for the first time in 15 years," Prof Yunus said.
