Staff Reporter:
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday said the present interim government is committed to present a democratic Bangladesh for the future generation.
“We are committed to formulating an outline of a democratic Bangladesh for our children so that we don’t fall into the hands of any dictatorship and we can say we live in a democratic country…so that we all can claim that this country is ours – we’re working towards this goal,” he told the televised address before the nation this afternoon.
Urging all not to take the law into their own hands, Prof Yunus warned that if anyone takes the law into his or her own hands and creates a chaotic situation in the society, he or she will definitely be brought to justice.
“We are a nation of communal harmony. No one shall do any act that destroys religious harmony,” he said.
At the onset of his speech, the chief adviser recalled the martyrs and the victims who participated in the student-people revolution against the fascist force.
He reiterated that the families of all the martyrs would be rehabilitated while the government will bear the entire expenditures for the treatment of all injured students, workers and commoners.
A complete list of martyrs and injured has been prepared for the long-term and costly treatment for the injured and looking after the families of the martyrs, he said, adding that updates of this list will be made.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate said the government took an initiative to establish a foundation named ‘July Ganahattya Smriti Foundation’ to preserve the memory of the martyrs of the mass uprising.
“Now this foundation has been established. This foundation is taking full responsibility of all martyrs’ families and families of victims along with providing best treatment to injured ones. We urge all people of the country and Bangladeshis living abroad to donate to this foundation,” he said.
About law and order situation, Prof Yunus said his government is sincerely working to improve the law and order in the country.
Many people, he said, have been staging rallies and demonstrations to express their pains they suffered in the last 16 years and seeking its remedy, which created impediment to the movement of people.
“I promise you that I will not forget your righteous plea. We are committed to giving remedy to all wrongs. We will try best to resolve all problems as much as possible within our responsibility. I again request you to refrain from disrupting your movement. The nation will be grateful to you,” he said.
Referring to the allegations of workers in RMG and medicine industries, the chief adviser said the insti-tutional structure is almost destroyed, while foreign exchange reserves have hit rock bottom.
“We are trying to bring life into this economy. We are also getting response to our initiative. If our in-dustrial plants are closed down and get non-operational at this time, the country’s economy will be hit hard. That cannot be expected in anyway,” he said.
The chief adviser asked the factory owners to resolve their problems in consultation with workers and keep their factories operational, resulting in making the poor economy healthy.
