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NOBEL LAUREATE MUHAMMAD Yunus has taken the oath of office as head of Bangladesh’s interim government after an uprising prompted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee to India.
The key tasks for Yunus now are restoring peace in Bangladesh and preparing for new elections following weeks of violence in which student activists led an uprising against what was considered Hasina’s increasingly autocratic 15-year rule.
Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus for his role as chief adviser, which is the equivalent to a prime minister, in presence of foreign diplomats, civil society members, top businessmen and members of the former opposition party at the presidential palace in Dhaka.
No representatives of Hasina’s party were present.
Sixteen other people have been included in the interim cabinet with members drawn mainly from civil society and including two of the student protest leaders.
Hasina quit on Monday after several chaotic weeks that began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that critics said favoured people with connections to her party.
But the demonstrations soon grew into a bigger challenge for Hasina’s 15-year rule as more than 300 people including students were killed amid spiralling violence.
Yunus, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets, was in the French capital for the 2024 Olympics when he was chosen for the interim role, and returned home earlier on Thursday to tight security at the airport in Dhaka.
In his first comments after his arrival, he told a news briefing that his priority would be to restore order.
“Bangladesh is a family. We have to unite it,” Yunus said, flanked by student leaders. “It has immense possibility.”
Yesterday in Paris, Yunus had called for calm and an end to all partisan violence.
Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who acts as an adviser to his mother, vowed on Wednesday that his family and the Awami League party would continue to be engaged in Bangladesh’s politics — a reversal from what he had said earlier in the week after Hasina stepped down.
The president had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the path for the interim administration.
Yesterday, a tribunal in Dhaka acquitted Yunus in a labour law violation case involving a telecommunication company he founded, in which he was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail. He had been released on bail in the case.
Yunus has been a longtime opponent of Hasina, who had called him a “bloodsucker” allegedly for using force to extract loan repayments from rural poor, mainly women. Yunus has denied the allegations.
The chaos on Bangladesh’s streets continued after Hasina’s resignation on Monday. Dozens of police officers were killed, prompting police to stop working across the country. They threatened not to return unless their safety is ensured. The looting of firearms also was reported in local media.
The unrest began in mid-July with protests over the quota system, but grew into a broader challenge over an administration that was marked by human rights abuses, corruption, allegations of rigged elections and a brutal crackdown on her opponents.
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Parents creating mental issues where there are none. Life sometimes throws a curve ball. Stay positive. Adapt. Invent. Deal with it.
@Wood Jackson: There are massive problems for children. Being stuck at home and banned for all social activities for 3 months, has made so many confident happy children nervous and afraid to leave their parents. Same for older people.
@Wood Jackson: totally agree, parents need to think outside the box, I know too many parents that they are covering up “I can’t deal with the kids” with ” I’m concerned about what it will do, please open everything”.
I’ve done stuff with my kids that we never ever had a chance before, so much great times we have had. In our house it will be the impact on family life that will change for the worse when things get more normal.
@Wood Jackson: its very tough for children who have no siblings or friends and not getting attention from parents who are working all day from home.
Thankfully playgrounds are back open now, so hopefully things will turn around for these kids now.
@Wood Jackson: These kind of flippant stiff upper lip comments are why this country has such a problem with suicide. You have no idea what those kids are going through yet you imply, the parents, who know their children the best are ‘creating mental health issues’ What exactly do you think a parent would gain from that ?
@Wood Jackson: How you think an event, that’s touched nearly every country in the world, killed almost half a million people, stopped any form of normal life for months, not allowed embracing of loved-ones or interacting with friends, can not have a mental effect on people (incl. kids) and just needs some positivity is beyond me.
I think that attitude only futures contributes to the stigma of talking about mental health. I’d be one of the first to say kids are resilient and most will bounce back quickly when/if normality resumes but I think you’re frankly wrong in not allowing space for parents to be worried about the effect on their kids or in not believing this can have an effect on kids (“Where there are none”)
I think talking to kids regularly about how they are doing, recognising that’s it’s ok to feel down, annoyed, frustrated etc. can help encourage good conversations and avoid any bigger mental health issues down the road
@RJ: lucky you. Not everyone has been in the position where they can.
@Wood Jackson: Jebus ur clueless
@Wood Jackson: My son is a single child of 7 years. He hasn’t seen his classmates nor his best friends who is 1 year younger since the lockdown. They weren’t allowed at first and later if they would play at thst age 2m apart. You can’t have an eye on that the full time.
When homeschooling started my partner did that with him but this isn’t social interaction on an equal level, I also took him daily in the park for fitness challenges after work and spent my free days with him doing boardgames or what the 2km around town. However, I’m not 7 and my needs are different than his.
I could imagine that the lockdown time could be nice for children with siblings and parents who don’t work and can spent time with children but reality is that not every child is so lucky.
My child has changed for sure and is now glued to screens while he was otherwise far more active.
We plan now playdates with at least 1 child again and the parents again. Screw that kind of life.
@Wood Jackson: I take it you’re not a parent then ??
My kids are quite happy sitting around on their arses all day playing video games and screaming/fighting while me and my wife try to work. It’s our mental health I’m worried about!
@John Shea Hen: Lol, very true.
@John Shea Hen: I hear ya!
I think it depends on the home situation. If parents are stressed, kids will be stressed. For many kids home life wasn’t a happy place before lockdown; lockdown made it worse. My kids were most stressed when I was attempting to homeschool without a spare laptop, work from home, cook, clean and break up fights…often all at the same time…having to stay up late or get up early in the morning to catch up on work. When I let “standards slip” let them play, use their imaginations, use “nanny Mctv”, stay in their pjs all day, get take aways, do bare minimum of homeschool, leave the house messy…they were happier, I was less stressed, they were less stressed…my kids have never been more content. Kids have to learn that life is not easy or go your way
There are kids who miss months or years of school and socialising because of illness all the time. Their mental health isn’t affected long term because of this. Kids are resilient. It’s parents making an issue when there is none. 3 months out of a lifetime is nothing. They’ll be fine.
My kid absolutely loved it but got back to socializing and interacting very easily.
@Emma Dobbyn: your kids aren’t all kids. Have a bit of empathy. The idea that this isn’t an issue for some families is ridiculous. I teach 18 autistic students and this has had a terrible impact on some of them and their families.
@Graham Manning: I have plenty of empathy and I completely understand how difficult it must be for families who have children with additional needs. However the article said that 70% of parents were concerned, 70% of the children in the country do not have addition needs. If we were speaking about a subset of children my opinion would be different.
@Emma Dobbyn: “parents making an issue where there is none”??? 70%? Fair enough but it’s far from just those with SEN and certainly not none.
@Emma Dobbyn: I don’t think that’s a very good comparison. Children who miss school for months or years at a time through illness is setting the bar really low. It also doesn’t factor in how children need to stay back a year if they miss too much school.
The big problem here that nobody seems to accept is that there may be no vaccine for the virus in the medium term. It might take years and years. So what is the solution to children’s schooling needs in this scenario? They are due back after already missing 6 months of school. What if there is a big 2nd spike of the virus this autumn? Do we force another lockdown and children miss more school? What about a 3rd and 4th wave?
Maybe try being better parents then?
The message we hear since March is ‘fear through national media. Such media also implying kids were a danger for spreading the virus.
I feel sorry for the kids.
Get a grip.
Children are free to interact with other children at present , this should help socially and emotionally for the vast majority of children . Some children with additional needs require far more support. These children usually qualify for “ July Provision.” The DES have made a pig’s ear of it , vague guidelines at the last minute, as per usual .
IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW THE BIASED MEDIA HAS BRAINWASHED PEOPLE INTO BELIEVING THE SNOWFLAKES AND THEIR SOCIALIST IDEALS.
@Jim: HEY JIM, QUIT WITH THE BLOODY CAPS LOCK PLEASE!!!!
@Jim:
Did you have a bad lockdown, Jim?
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