Yunus’ press wing clarifies ‘pressing reset button’ remark

The press wing of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday issued a clarification regarding his use of the phrase “pressing reset button,” which he has referenced in several speeches and interviews. 

The explanation said, "When Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus spoke of pressing the reset button, he was referring to starting afresh from the corrupt political system that has damaged Bangladesh’s key institutions, brought the economy to the brink, and stripped tens of millions of their rights to vote and civil liberties. He did not imply erasing Bangladesh’s proud history."

It continued by explaining that “pressing the reset button” means resetting the software, not the hardware. "The 1971 Liberation War created the hardware of Bangladesh," the statement emphasised.

The press wing addressed misunderstandings that have arisen from Professor Yunus' recent interview with Voice of America. 

It clarified that when Professor Yunus arrived in Dhaka on August 8 to assume his role as Chief Adviser of the interim government, he had referred to the July-August student-led mass uprising as the country’s "Second Liberation," with the first being the War of Independence in 1971.

The statement also highlighted Professor Yunus' role in Bangladesh’s early years. As an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Yunus formed the Bangladesh Citizens Committee after the country gained independence. 

This committee launched a campaign across the United States to urge the US government to recognise Bangladesh. Additionally, Professor Yunus published the Bangladesh Newsletter to inform the world about the atrocities committed by the Pakistani army during the 1971 genocide, added the clarification.