Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday sought support from the United States to rebuild the country, carry out vital reforms and bring back stolen assets.
The Chief Adviser sought the assistance when a high-powered US delegation met him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner outlined the challenges facing the interim government, saying his administration has moved quickly to ‘reset, reform, and restart’ the economy, initiate reforms in financial sectors and fix institutions such as the judiciary and police.
“It is a very important time for us and a significant moment in our history,” the Chief Adviser said, as he spoke about the student-led movement, which has ushered in a new era of hope in Bangladesh.
In an immediate reaction, the US embassy in Dhaka in a statement said that as Bangladesh looks to chart a more equitable and inclusive future, the US stands ready to support those efforts.
“Our delegation met the Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, affirming our dedication to fostering inclusive economic growth, institution building, and development to benefit the people of Bangladesh,” said the US embassy after the event.
This is for the first time, any US delegation is visiting Dhaka following the formation of an interim government led by Professor Yunus after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government amid a mass upsurge. Portraying an outline of the
reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government, the Chief Adviser said six commissions have been set up barely weeks after his government took over in an effort to prevent vote rigging, reform the judiciary, police, civil administration, the country's anti-graft agency, and amend the Constitution.
He said his government was committed to getting back the stolen assets siphoned off by corrupt individuals linked with the previous autocratic regime.
“We were in an ocean of corruption,” the Chief Adviser said while describing the challenges the government is facing to tackle graft.
The Chief Adviser also presented an artbook on graffities of Bangladesh to the visiting US delegation. He commissioned the artbook immediately after he was sworn in as the head of the interim government.
The book carries photos of some of the finest art works drawn during the student-led revolution in July-August by students and young people on the walls of Dhaka and other cities and towns.
The Chief Adviser spoke about the historic significance of the graffities, which depicted emotions, hope, and aspirations of the students and youths who participated in the protests against the fascist Sheikh Hasina regime defying brute forces.
“I will request you to look at the walls of Dhaka. These graffities still exist. They were sketched not just after the revolution. Students defied the government forces to draw graffiti during the protests in July,” the Chief Adviser told US delegates.
Dhaka became the Graffiti Capital of the world after young painters turned its walls into powerful canvas. They have written slogans and poetry to deliver powerful messages.
The messages reflect the spirit of the revolution and the aspirations for a discrimination-free Bangladesh.
The Chief Adviser recalled how students used their artworks to deliver messages with the support of people from all walks of life.
“They did not have the money to buy paint and brushes. People came forward to support them,” he told US delegates.
The US delegation, led by Brent Nieman, the assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department, praised Professor Yunus’s leadership and said Washington DC would be happy to support his reform agenda.
US officials have said they were eager to offer technical and financial assistance for reforms being carried out by the interim government.
During the hour-long talks, financial and economic reforms, investment, labour issues, the Rohingya crisis, and the Chief Adviser’s upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly were also discussed.
Donald Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State, Brendan Lynch, Assistant US Trade Representative, Anjali Kaur, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Jerrod Mason, a Director of the US Treasury Department, represented the US in the meeting.
Lutfey Siddiqi, the special envoy of the Chief Adviser on international affairs, Lamiya Morshed, senior secretary and the head of SDG affairs, Jashim Uddin, foreign secretary, and Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division, also attended the meeting.
