By Aunul Islam
Aunul Islam, read for his PhD at Imperial College, London. He graduated from The University of Manchester. He is a Quality Assurance Specialist in Higher Education and a Technology Consultant. He is an ex-civil servant of the UK government. A keen gardener, he finds solace through nature in this dysfunctional world order.
Figure 1 Legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar as Sagina Mahato
Figure 2: Prof Yunus, who leads the Interim government of Bangladesh
The political drama continues to unfold after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, in August 2024. It has been more than seven months since that epochal event. I have tried to understand and fathom the various twists and turns that are taking place.
At the helm of the interim government is Prof. Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner (Unlike prizes in science, literature, etc, which are very much technically vetted, the Peace prize has its own controversy as it is influenced by political manoeuvring, particularly by the USA). According to Yunus, the students put him there to lead the nation and were supported by various advisers with different portfolios. Having seen much news, podcasts, political analyses, and – at the core- several interviews given by Prof. Yunus himself, my mind cast back to a decades-old Bengali Film, based on a true story, entitled “Sagina Mahato” (1970). At the core of the narrative lies the story of how a factory worker, from North Bengal, Sagina Mahato, is manipulated by powerful, behind-the-scenes actors (represented by Amal) into becoming a labour leader and ends up as an apparent traitor to the cause of his comrades.
At this juncture, my analysis of the present political scenario in Bangladesh will be based on the two characters, Sagina Mahato and Prof. Yunus. One can understand how Sagina Mahato, a labour worker, who had no education and political knowledge and acumen, can easily be led to his personal and political doom. I fail to understand why Prof. Yunus should be in such a position, which, in my opinion, is spiralling into an abyss.
Several issues stand out. First, the rise of Islamic radicalism in Bangladesh is being tolerated by the Yunus regime, as the New York Times claims in a recent piece. Second, he continues to blame the ousted Hasina regime for the fragile law and order situation in the country, but how long can the Hasina regime be the scapegoat for the ills of today? Third, he has been evasive about holding elections, other than suggesting that they will be held sometime between December 2025 and June 2026. This ambivalent approach has perturbed even his well-wishers, such as Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of the prominent Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star. Is the ambivalence merely a way for Prof. Yunus to cling to power by stealth? As Anam says:
“As his lifelong admirer and sincere well-wisher, I think that an undue extension of his tenure would mire Prof Yunus into unnecessary and, for him, undignified controversies”.
Sagina Mahato’s failure had led to affecting the lives of a few thousand workers, whereas the missteps by Prof. Yunus will affect a whole nation of approximately 18 million people. It is unfathomable why he should do so. I leave it to experts in social theories of human character and leadership to fully understand him.
I can only leave a final thought by sharing two quotes:
“If you don’t know how to lead, why put us in this death trap”? – An unknown soldier.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” — Turkish proverb.
Reflections on development and governance 