S M Masud Rana

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus sought supports from the United States to rebuild Bangladesh, carry out vital reforms and bring back stolen assets. He sought the assistance when a high-powered US delegation met him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka yesterday.

The Chief Adviser described the challenges that the interim government is facing and said 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,” he said, as he spoke about the student-led revolution, which has ushered in a new era of hope in Bangladesh.

He gave an outline of the reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government and said six commissions have been set up barely weeks after his government took over in an effort to prevent vote rigging and reform judiciary, police, civil administration and the country’s anti-graft agency and to amend the constitution.

Prof Yunus 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 mentioned, while describing the challenges.

The US delegation, led by Brent Nieman, the assistant secretary of the US Treasury Department, praised Prof Yunus’s leadership and said Washington DC would be happy to support his reform agenda.

US officials 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 to join 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, Md. Jashim Uddin, foreign secretary, and Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division were present too.