Introduction
Pickthall House applauds and welcomes the appointment of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize winning economist, as Chief Advisor (effectively interim prime ministership) in Bangladesh on 8 August 2024.
The Events
This is welcome news after the spate of protests, culminating in riots and revolutionary activity, that began in Dhaka in early July after university students began protesting against the institution of quotas in civil service jobs (a third of which were earmarked for relatives of veterans of the Bangladeshi Independence War of 1971).
After a host of increasing escalations by both the police, government and the protestors that has left 1000 people dead, and the military’s refusal to step in, Sheikh Hasina (daughter of Mujibur Rahman, who led the independence movement) abdicated her government and fled the country.
The natural power vacuum left many people worried that the country, which has recently been modernising and developing rapidly, might fall into the familiar trap of military authoritarianism that plagues so many developing nations, particularly after the military under General Waker-Uz-Zaman, stepped in to reassert order. Fortunately, however, the military expressed a commitment to democracy and after discussions held between various civic stakeholders including student protestors, the military themselves and other officials, Professor Yunus, the Nobel Prize winning founder of Grameen Bank, was nominated for Office. He has been asked to lead an interim government for 2 or 3 years before elections can be held once again to allow the democracy to express itself.
The Foreign Office under Lammy has responded well to this appointment, welcoming Professor Yunus as Chief Adviser of the interim government and stressing the need for peace and democracy.
Pickthall House’s View
Pickthall House understands the need for political commitments early in state formation to maintain integrity amongst the nascent and fragile leadership (i.e. patrimonial quotas) but nevertheless, we strongly believe that in order for a country to truly grow and develop independent, resilient and competent institutions, it is critical to shelve and prune away opportunities for collusion, nepotism and corruption. We maintain the importance of fairness, the prioritisation of competence, and alignment on national values, rather than kinship, as the basis for successful government.
Pickthall House believes that Britain ought to continue to welcome the new government, work closely with them and deepen ties. Both nations stand much to gain, naturally. To start with Britain in particular, Bangladesh is a huge market (140 million people, equivalent to that of Russia!), is rapidly developing and looking for allies; Britain already has a competitive foothold here over China and the US, rare in the rest of the developing world, and one that Britain ought to press and maintain, particularly given the growing isolationism brewing on the American Right and China’s domestic credit issues. Further, Professor Yunus is often credited with helping millions escape poverty using pioneering microcredit, is internationally respected, and is likely to push the political climate in Bangladesh further towards Democracy and Liberty, core British values.All in all, Pickthall House believes that Britain, which has historically had warm relations with the country, is the largest FDI contributor (over China and the US even), and has a large Sylheti-diaspora community, is well positioned to offer partnership with the new government, and help to steward them in the long, but glorious, road to socio-political prosperity.
