KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has extended his heartfelt congratulations to Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on his appointment as Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government.
The Prime Minister praised Yunus's extensive experience, which he believes will guide Bangladesh with wisdom and integrity.
"As a new dawn rises over Bangladesh, bringing forth a renewal driven by the vigour and vision of its youth, I am reminded of the immortal words of the great Bengali painter-poet-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore: "Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action; Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake."
"At this pivotal moment in history, I wish the people of Bangladesh every success and the brightest of futures," he said in a social media post.
Muhammad Yunus has been appointed to lead, following mass protests that forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee.
The appointment came quickly after student leaders called on the 84-year-old Yunus – credited with lifting millions out of poverty in the South Asian country – to lead.
The decision was made in a meeting with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, the heads of the army, navy and air force, and student leaders.
Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, resigned on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Dhaka demanding she stand down.
Monday's events were the culmination of more than a month of unrest, which began as protests against a plan for quotas in government jobs but morphed into an anti-Hasina movement.
Hasina, who was accused of rigging January elections and widespread human rights abuses, deployed security forces to quash the protests.
Hundreds of people were killed in the crackdown, but the military turned against Hasina on the weekend and she was forced to flee on a helicopter to neighbouring India.