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At a most critical time of the nation's history, the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, has taken over the de facto cabinet left vacant by the deposed Awami League government. It has got the onerous job of pulling the civil administration, military administration, police service, judiciary, election commission, anti-corruption commission, banking, business sector and the media out of the quagmire. Its economy left shattered also needs to be resuscitated.
The interim government has to address such urgent issues as fast as possible to bring the country back on the right track. Both short-term and long-term programmes are required for this. Already the government has already initiated such programmes to steady the ship. In his second address to the nation, Chief Advisor Dr Yunus has announced six reform commissions --- on election, police, judiciary, anti-corruption, public administration, and constitution --- to undertake the reform programmes. Reforms will be carried out based on the suggestions of the commissions and that will certainly take time. This is because the future of the country depends on reform to the system of governance.
But it seems different groups are not ready to give the government any time to carry out the reforms and fix the problems. People from various professional groups and sections are trying to wage movements to press home their demands. Village police, Ansar VDP, nursing students, polytechnic students, medical assistants and readymade garment workers are taking to the streets. What a group of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees for the year 2024 and Ansar VDP members did went beyond any tolerable limit. Ansar VDP members tried to force into the Secretary and launched an offensive on the members of Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which spearheaded the oust-government movement and dislodged the tyrant government.
There is no denying that many people were deprived of their rights and justice during the previous government because of its nepotism, political and regional favoritism and corruption and that they deserve justice. But why have they been so impatient? Why cannot they wait for some more time when they dared not raise the issues during the previous regime?
What is happening lately in the readymade garment sector is simply alarming. Timely disbursement and rationalisation of wages in the RMG sector is a longstanding issue. But the pattern of the movement and the resulting unrest indicate that the protests are not merely aimed at realising the stated demands. The unrest and the movements might be orchestrated by forces out to disrupt industrial production and destabilise society aimed at discrediting the interim government.
Chief Advisor Dr Yunus, in his first televised address to the nation, urged all to keep patient and give the government a reasonable time for reforms for a better Bangladesh. But his call has fallen on deaf ears. Brining the country back on the right track and establishing good governance cannot be a task only for the government, it is an issue calling for action from every citizen from their respective positions. The people should stay alert to any acts of sabotage or the ones unapproved by the law of the land, no matter who the perpetrators may be. Such acts have to be foiled. This nation failed to reap fruits of the victories achieved at great costs in the past. That must not happen now. The sacrifice of about 800 lives and injuries to many more have made it incumbent upon the nation to be faithful to their blood and build a country of their dream.