‘Interim govt to implement some reforms, others for political govt’
NN Online:
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has announced that after discussions on reform proposals from six commissions, political parties will sign the July Charter and the interim government would implement some of the proposed reforms, with the rest to be carried out by the next political government.
He made this announcement while President of US-based human rights group “Right to Freedom” Ambassador William B Milam and Executive Director American diplomat Jon Danilowicz called on him at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday.
During the hour-long meeting, Prof Yunus told the diplomats that political parties would sign a July Charter after the conclusion of the dialogue on the reforms recommended by the six commissions.
“The July Charter will guide us,” he said, adding that the interim government would implement parts of the recommendations made in the July Charter and the rest will be implemented by next political governments.
Ambassador Milam, who served as US envoy in Bangladesh in the early 1990s, lauded the interim government’s reform initiatives, saying the July uprising has offered big opportunities to carry out sweeping reforms and establish a true democracy in Bangladesh.
Jon Danilowicz, also a former deputy ambassador of the US embassy in Dhaka, said Bangladesh needs positive narratives and serious efforts to tackle the menace of fake news and disinformation.
They updated the chief adviser about the work of the right to freedom and their plan to expand its activities in Bangladesh as part of its efforts to assist the country in its democratic transition.
Prof Yunus appreciated the work of the non-profit group and also the efforts by the two diplomats to support human rights and democratic values in Bangladesh.
They also discussed the current Bangladesh-US relations, the Rohingya crisis, and the impact of dwindling aid for the much-persecuted Myanmar refugees, recovering billions of dollars stolen during the previous regime, the chief adviser’s attempt to revive the SAARC and possible dates for the upcoming elections.
The chief adviser said the elections would be held either in December, provided the political parties agreed to fewer reforms ahead of the vote, or by June next year.