Interim govt taught young people to crave power: Hossain Zillur
The former caretaker government adviser says bureaucratic compromises, weak guidance for young leaders and abandoned reforms undermined the interim government's post-July mandate.
Highlights
- Hossain Zillur identifies three major interim government failures
- He accuses Yunus government of misguiding young leaders
- Bureaucratic compromises undermined the July uprising's reform agenda
- Reform commissions' recommendations were effectively ignored, he says
- Young people gradually developed an attraction towards power
Former caretaker government adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman has identified bringing bureaucrats into key positions, misguiding young people and abandoning the reform agenda as three major failures of the Yunus government, saying it ultimately taught young people to crave power.
"The Yunus government guided young people in the wrong direction. It taught them the craving for power," Hossain Zillur said.
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He made the remarks at a discussion held at a hotel in the capital today (1 August), organised by SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence, an international anti-corruption research consortium run by the UK's SOAS University of London, reports Prothom Alo.
Hossain Zillur said the government failed by bringing bureaucrats into key positions, providing young people with misguided direction and abandoning its own reform agenda.
One of its key failures, he said, was turning young people towards a desire for power.
"The Yunus government guided young people in the wrong direction. It taught them the craving for power," Hossain Zillur said.
The former adviser said the Yunus government failed to provide young people with proper guidance, leaving significant gaps in discipline and the development of long-term leadership.
He said young people gradually developed a certain attraction towards power.
He also said a tendency had emerged in society to regard education as less important.
The former adviser said the interim government's compromises with the bureaucracy obstructed calls for state reform that emerged from the July uprising.
He said the government failed to understand when bold and fundamental reform measures were needed.
"From the beginning, they chose a conservative and safe path. Instead of dismantling the old bureaucratic structure, they placed similar bureaucrats in important positions. As a result, the previous system effectively remained in place instead of bringing the desired changes," he said.
Hossain Zillur said the interim government spoke about prioritising reforms but lacked sincerity in pursuing them.
As a result, he said, it failed to fully utilise the opportunity for reform that had emerged.
"The Yunus government introduced the word 'reform'. Yet they did not pay any attention to the recommendations made by the reform commissions they themselves formed. They threw them into the dustbin. They played a 'reform game'," Hossain Zillur said.
During the event, SOAS University professors Mushtaq Khan and Pallavi Roy presented two papers at the event on the One-Eleven period and the July uprising.
Bangladesh was placed under a state of emergency in 2007 amid a political crisis. Hossain Zillur Rahman served as an adviser to the caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, which remained in office for two years.
Nearly two decades later, an uprising led by young people ended the Awami League's rule in 2024, after which an interim government was formed under Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The government left office after holding the general election in February this year, around a year and a half after taking charge, through which the BNP came to power.
