DYPALL Steering Group member Bilal Ata Aktas interviews interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus

Bilal Ata Aktas, a member of the DYPALL Network Steering Group, the main body responsible for the guidance and governance of our Network, and the chief coordinator of Le Monde diplomatique kurdî back then, recently had the opportunity to interview the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner and interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus. The interview provides a unique insight into Yunus’ perspectives on many significant topics, from his visionary microcredit system, which has transformed the lives of millions of people around the world, to his views on inclusive policies that aim to empower marginalised communities. 

Yunus also reflects on his political stance, which unexpectedly evolved into a new and unforeseen role as a political leader, guiding Bangladesh through a period of profound transition. 

“We encourage young people to be more active and creative.” – Muhammad Yunus

About a month ago, through a friend, I received an offer to meet the Nobel Peace Prize winner (2006) and founder of the microcredit system, Muhammad Yunus. I mentioned that I might conduct an interview with him. The friend who made this offer was not in Paris at that time and was working for Mr. Yunus’ team. A week after this conversation, in a turn of events no one could have predicted, Mr. Yunus became the interim Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

For the Kurdish community, Muhammad Yunus may be a relatively unfamiliar name. However, the microcredit system he established in the 1980s has lifted millions of people out of poverty. Particularly many women took advantage of this opportunity, using microcredit to establish small businesses. This system provided small, interest-free loans to women to start businesses or fulfil their commercial needs.

Yunus was born in 1940 in Bangladesh. After completing his primary and secondary education, he went to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship. He earned a doctorate in economics and began working as an academic at Middle Tennessee State University. During Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971, he actively supported the independence movement from the USA and returned to his country after the war. In response to the famine of 1974, he focused on poverty alleviation and founded Grameen Bank (which means Village Bank in Bengali), marking the beginning of his complex political journey.

Ahead of her new post, which began on August 8, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee to India after 15 years in power due to widespread student protests. The final straw for her arbitrary, corrupt, and authoritarian rule was a law of a quota system that allocated 30% of government jobs to the families of those who fought in the 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. 

Around 400 people lost their lives in the protests over three weeks. Following Sheikh Hasina’s departure, the Bangladesh army and young activists agreed that 84-year-old

Muhammad Yunus would serve as the interim president of Bangladesh until the next Elections.

His presidency is now seen as a significant symbolic victory for the people of Bangladesh. However, he faces the daunting challenge of leading a divided country and addressing

widespread poverty. It was a pleasure to meet and speak with him in such a momentous atmosphere. We arranged our meeting and set off early in the morning. He was in France as a guest of the Paris municipality during the Olympics (July 26 – August 11), where a field was named in his honour. His schedule was packed, and we only had 15 minutes to talk.

Thank you very much for accepting this. How did you find Paris?

I really liked it; I’m happy to be in the capital of the world. 

You said that the 2024 Paris Olympics are an important step for inclusive Olympic Games.

Yes, it’s very nice to see that the Olympics are becoming more inclusive. I had the chance to discuss these matters with Madame Hidalgo. It seems to be a new turning point.

But some say that it’s also a social disaster in many ways. There are a lot of restrictions, tickets have doubled, many students were kicked out of their dormitories, homeless people were sent out of the city, etc. Do you think it’s also for the poor?

Well, I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but it’s a good start. Of course, there will be some shortcomings, but the idea of integrating these policies into an event of this scale is very important. And I can see that the Paris Olympics are making efforts in this direction. When I say this, I’m speaking about what they can do, not what I do. This event is a significant step forward.

Let’s talk about the microcredit initiative you started. It has helped many poor people lift themselves out of poverty. How do you think it has helped youngsters, women, and disadvantaged groups? 

It has especially helped those groups because they lacked access to large businesses due to limited resources. I’m happy that it has allowed many of them to create their own businesses. We encourage them to be more active and creative. They should have the same opportunities as their peers elsewhere, so I’m pleased that it has been beneficial. We need to listen to them more.

You also have a political background. You created a party back in 2007, which was short-lived. Do you think about entering politics again? 

That was a long time ago. It was a chapter that has closed, and now I’m focused on other things. So many students are being killed. The media should focus on this and reflect what’s happening in Bangladesh in a fair way.

But you’re still seen as a political figure and highly influential in political spheres. 

Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m a politician. If that were the case, then everyone would be a politician.

There are also some accusations against you that the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, is using. What do you think about them?

They are all aimed at oppressing me and creating a safe zone for herself. Everyone knows they are politically motivated because she is afraid of the truth being told. She currently uses extreme violence against students and is responsible for killing many of them.

By Bilal Ata Aktas, August 2024 in Paris

Here is the article published on Le Monde diplomatique kurdî: https://ku.mondediplo.com/2024/08/hevpeyvina-taybet-ligel-serokwezire-bangladese-muhammad-yunus