Maina wa Njuguna
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will head a new transitional government up until elections are held. A consensus was reached about Mr. Yunus temporary premiership following a meeting between student protest leaders, military chiefs, civic and business leaders.
An economist and banker by profession, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people, particularly women. The Nobel Peace Prize committee credited Yunus and his Grameen Bank “for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.” – AP.
After 15 years of authoritarian, and iron fisted leadership, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is no longer at the helm of Bangladesh political space.
This is her second time fleeing to India. 1975, her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of modern Bangladesh was massacred together with most of the family.
Inspite her leadership in transformation of the country’s economy at the hey day at the helm, she started to tighten her grip on power. It is widely reported that she used Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary to rig elections, make opposition leaders dissappear, and instill fear to the populous.
She controlled all levels of government including the judiciary and mainstream media companies that maintained a positive narrative about herself and quite the opposite for her dissenters.
At the heart of students’ weeks long protests are job quotas. Extreme inequality and poverty have emboldened unemployed students to demand an end to job quotas and major reforms to address their problems.
The quotas are about one-third of government jobs reserved for the descendants of those who participated in the country’s 1971 liberation movement.
The country’s economy inspite of inequalities and protests has transformed for the better. Bangladesh used to be one of the poorest countries in the world. That is no more, thanks to the average 6.25 growth over the last two decades. The country is on track 👣 be be removed from the United Nations List of Least Developed Nations by 2026.
