Students want Nobel Prize winner Yunus as Prime Minister
Chaos Days in Bangladesh: Army chief promises to form a transitional government quickly after Prime Minister Hasina's escape. Protesting students are skeptical. They would like to see Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus in power.
After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and escape, one of the organizers of the student protests in Bangladesh has suggested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as the head of a transitional government. Nahid Islam, an organizer of a protest movement, stated in a social media post that the leaders of the student protests have spoken with Yunus, who has agreed to take on the role of head of government in the current situation.
"Any government other than the one we propose will not be accepted," Islam said in a Facebook video with three other organizers. The protesters will announce further names for the government, he explained, and reiterated that it would be difficult for the current leadership to ignore their demands.
Nobel laureate Yunus shunned by Hasina
Since Hasina's escape, President Mohammad Shahabuddin and Army Chief General Waker-Us-Zaman have been pushing for the formation of a transitional government and have promised to meet with the leaders of the student protests. However, Islam reiterated that the protesters will not accept a government "supported or led by the military."
The student protesters have now proposed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus, who was subjected to corruption allegations under Hasina's rule. Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work with the Grameen Bank, providing microloans to people without income security and helping them out of poverty. He dismissed the corruption allegations as acts of revenge.
The protests were sparked by the planned introduction of a quota system in public jobs, which would reserve half of all positions for the descendants of soldiers, women, and people from poorer regions. The weeks-long demonstrations and storming of the government seat have already resulted in more than 56 deaths.
Following Prime Minister Hasina's departure, Nahid Islam suggested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as the head of the proposed transitional government, to which Yunus agreed. Despite this, Islam reaffirmed that the students would not accept a government "supported or led by the military."
