‘It didn’t imply erasing country’s proud history’

When Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus spoke about pressing the reset button, it did not imply erasing Bangladesh's proud history, according to a statement issued by his press wing yesterday.

The chief adviser was instead advocating for a fresh start from the corrupt politics that have undermined Bangladesh's key institutions, pushed the economy to the brink of collapse, and stripped tens of millions of citizens of their voting rights and civil liberties, the statement said.

"When you press the reset button, you reset the software to start all over again. It doesn't change the hardware. The 1971 Liberation War created the hardware of Bangladesh."

However, some have misinterpreted Yunus' recent interview with the Voice of America, misunderstanding his call for reforms as a dismissal of the country's historical significance.

Upon his arrival in Dhaka on August 8 to assume the role of the chief adviser to the interim government, Yunus described the mass uprising in July-Augustas the "Second Independence", with the first being Bangladesh's triumphant Liberation War.

Prior to the war, Yunus served as an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University. After Bangladesh's independence was declared, he formed the Bangladesh Citizens Committee and spearheaded a US-wide campaign to persuade the US government to recognise Bangladesh.

He also published the Bangladesh Newsletter to raise global awareness about the genocide committed by the Pakistani army.