Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently disclosed that she could have remained in power if she had “surrendered” the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and “allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal,” according to media reports.
Hasina, who traveled to India on August 5 amid violent protests in Bangladesh, revealed the contents of a speech she had prepared but never delivered. The 76-year-old leader explained that she chose to resign to avoid witnessing a “procession of dead bodies.”
The details of this undelivered speech highlight her reasons for stepping down. Protesters reached Hasina’s residence, preventing her from delivering the speech and forcing her to flee the country.
Hasina expressed her deep sorrow in her speech over the targeting of her party, the Awami League. She assured that she “will return to Bangladesh soon” and that she prays for the future of her country.
“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies,” she stated in her undelivered speech. “They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it. I resigned from Premiership. If I had surrendered Saint Martin Island’s sovereignty and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal, I could have remained in power. I implore the people of my land to resist radical manipulation.”
She further elaborated in her undelivered remarks, saying, “If I had remained in the country, more lives would have been lost and more resources would have been destroyed. I made the extremely difficult decision to exit. I became your leader because you chose me; you were my strength.”
Hasina claimed in May that “conspiracies” were brewing to topple her government. She also mentioned a “white man’s” plot to create a new “Christian country” out of Bangladesh. Hasina asserted that she would not have faced challenges to her position as prime minister if she had allowed a specific country to establish an airbase in Bangladesh.
The protests in Bangladesh initially began over job quotas but quickly escalated into a broader movement against Hasina’s leadership, ultimately leading to her resignation. Since mid-July, more than 400 people have lost their lives in the protests.
On Thursday, Hasina’s departure to India led to the appointment of Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus as the head of the interim government. Yunus assured us that the new regime would not only restore peace in the country but also ensure the protection of Hindus and other minorities.
Massive student protests demanding a revamp of the judiciary forced Bangladesh’s Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan and five other top judges to resign on Saturday.
