Muhammad Yunus — 'the blue eyed boy of Washington' New Age 17/3/11
TWO responses were published on March 12 after my comments on the original article `Dr Muhammad Yunus—the blue eyed boy of Washington' by KBM Mahmoud. There seems to be an agenda to assist in the character assassination of Dr Yunus as a punishment for daring to declare an interest in politics, which is a democratic right. Up until then, the Awami League never challenged him about anything as either the ruling or the main opposition party. The past and present AL governments have had full representation on the board of directors of the Grameen Bank. Of course, these directors had the blessing of the ruling party. Murmurs about high interest rates came, but from outside the party. Even during its last term in power, the Awami League did nothing about interest rates at the Grameen Bank and did not accuse Yunus of anything. Even now, after two years in power, it has not moved to adjust the interest rates. None of this was touched upon in the article or the letters. This is the culture of silence in our politics where supporters of a party can never imagine saying a word against their party for any reason on any occasion.
The `non-borrower' in his letter holds the press more accountable than the government for the activities of Grameen. There are cases where borrowers lost much after borrowing from the Grameen Bank. But that is also the case with borrowers from any other bank. The Grameen Bank disbursed unsecured loans of more than Tk 400 billion to over six million borrowers in more than three decades. The `non-borrower' seems to be very concerned about one destitute woman. It's not like the Awami League ever took up her cause. From the pinnacle of power in the ruling party have come accusations of embezzlement and fraud. In our infamously corrupt country, there are hardly any convictions under the law for fraud. It is unfortunate that the only person of significance against whom the ruling party will try to build a case is our Nobel laureate. History has been unkind to us, but it seems, in the future, history will also laugh at us. The `non-borrower' of course could never ask for an investigation into the activities of certain businessmen who bankroll our political establishment. He could never dream of wanting to know about the real business activities of the ruling families.
As for the letter of Md Mujibul Alam Khan, I would like to say that Dr Yunus is absolutely correct to demand an honourable exit. Nobody should be fired dishonourably without proven due cause or just because they are too old. The income, promotion and posting of the average public servant in our country is always held hostage by politically motivated and morally corrupt operatives of the ruling party of the day. Fortunately, Yunus is in a stronger position than the average public servant.
Dr Yunus is right to want the job of chairman to protect the Grameen Bank. The current chairman of Grameen Bank seems to be a political lackey of the Awami League. Recently, he sent, to hundreds of important people and organisations worldwide, an email which is nothing less than the assassination of character of Dr Yunus and the Grameen Bank.
Md Mujibul Alam Khan accuses Dr Yunus of shrewd political activity over the last 40 years, but does not cite a single example. In Bangladesh, slur and slander comfortably pose as argument. Grameen has survived because Dr Yunus survived the dirty politics of Bangladesh. His survival is to his credit.
It is easy to portray Dr Yunus as the darling of Washington. But in truth, he is the darling of the world, which is unbearable for our small-minded politicians, any of whom would swim across the oceans to Washington for a congressional medal of honour. Mujibul Alam thanks the prime minister for unmasking a vast American conspiracy. Surely then the prime minister should move for a parliamentary debate on this conspiracy.
Even as I write, activists of the Chhatra League are burning the banners of citizens exercising their democratic right to peacefully protest against the sacking of Dr Yunus. Democracy cannot include thuggery, harassment, nepotism, extortion and blind loyalty. The political parties cannot translate their politics to the next generation. The next generation will not be defined by the sons of our prime ministers. The people in the next generation will exercise their democratic rights and resist the mafias that have laid waste to the ethics of our great political parties. The politics between our rotten political establishment and the bright future of the next generation seems to have just begun.
Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait
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