Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen has spoken about the current situation in Bangladesh. Regarding the chief adviser to the interim government, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, he said, Dr. Yunus is very competent. I have full confidence in his capabilities.
Expressing concern about the current situation in Bangladesh, he said, Professor Muhammad Yunus is taking some significant steps, but he has a long way to go to resolve the impasse.
Amartya Sen said this in an interview given to Indian news agency PTI. PTI published the interview on Sunday (March 2). PTI said that Amartya Sen gave this interview at his residence in Santiniketan, Birbhum, West Bengal.
In the interview, Amartya Sen said, 'The situation in Bangladesh has deeply affected me because, I hold the Bengali identity very strongly.’
Amartya Sen said, ‘I spent a lot of time in Dhaka and started my schooling there. In addition to Dhaka, I often visited my ancestral home in Manikganj. On my mother’s side, I regularly visited Bikrampur, especially Sonarang. Personally, these places are very important to me. Like many others, I am concerned about how Bangladesh will face its current challenges.’
Amartya Sen, who spent his childhood in Dhaka, started his schooling at St. Gregory School. Later, he studied in Santiniketan, West Bengal.
Amartya Sen shed light on the progress of Bangladesh since independence. He mentioned the increase in per capita income of Bangladesh, the decline in birth rate and the increase in average life expectancy.
Amartya Sen said, Bangladesh has gone through major economic and social changes. There is progress in establishing women’s rights in particular. Both the government and non-governmental organizations like BRAC and Grameen Bank have a role to play here.
Amartya Sen also described the newspapers in Bangladesh as ‘relatively independent’. He noted the development of many newspapers that were also anti-government.
Amartya Sen praised the Bangladesh Army for not trying to establish military rule, as has happened in many countries. He spoke out against banning the Awami League. He argued for this, saying that if it did, the same mistakes that other parties have made against the Awami League would be repeated.
Amartya Sen said, ‘I think that instead of pushing any one group to one side, Bangladesh should make the best use of the country’s tradition of working together. A liberal perspective is needed. I hope that the commitment of the Bengali community to freedom and pluralism will survive. I hope that the upcoming elections will be visibly freer than the way many claim that elections were held in Bangladesh in the past. I am worried about Bangladesh, but I am not hopeless.’
When asked about his assessment of Professor Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, Amartya Sen said, ‘Yunus is an old friend. I know that he is a very capable person and a remarkable person in many ways. He has made strong statements about secularism and democratic commitment of Bangladesh.’
In this context, Amartya Sen also said, ‘If you suddenly become the head of a country, as happened in the case of Yunus, then you must consider the issues of different groups. There are different Islamist parties, now there are also different Hindu factions. I have a lot of confidence in Yunus’s capabilities.’
Amartya Sen strongly condemned the attacks on Hindu minorities and vandalism of temples in Bangladesh. He mentioned that both the government and the people had the responsibility to prevent these violence.
Amartya Sen mentioned that it is important to learn from the past and prevent communal violence.
