I do believe it. Everything is connected. The khasloth and chorithro that
abounds in our politics seeps into every aspect and corner of our
nation. Why not cricket?
We are a nation of girly boys posing as men.
Just look at the tv adverts - the male models think they are prettier
than the female models. Our men skip and dance with gay abandon.
I knew we were in trouble the moment that pretty girl called Ferdous was
in the advert flying our flag.
The shrews have castrated the bengali male.
--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, shahid <pankouri@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Believe it or not -this might impact Bangladesh Cricket team's
performance................
>
>
>
>
>
> Yunus departs as the Empire strikes back
>
> BDNEWS24 / March 3, 2011
>
>
>
> Muhammad Yunus. Photo: Reuters
> It is over for Prof. Yunus at Grameen. Bangladesh Bank has done the
papers and his removal is done too. He has been ousted by the government
supported by all those who have been baying for his blood for years.
This victory will be considered one against Yunus, Grameen Bank and
microcredit to boot. It culminates in a triumph of a three-decade-old
campaign initiated first by Marxists and Mollahs both seeing credit as a
haram, secular or religious. The World Bank had opposed Yunus at that
time as well. They were joined over time by a large group of private
bankers and those fond of government control amongst others but
increasingly by politicians who saw in bringing down Yunus an
opportunity to assert their supremacy.
> Forty years after 1971, unable to offer anything concrete to the poor,
the political empire in the end did strike back sending a message that
innovation and initiatives must take a backseat to bureaucratic niceties
and official procedures. It is not just the bureaucrats within the
government who shall chortle in happiness but within the bank too along
several foreign agencies who would much like Bangladeshi development
agencies happy to be told what to do. In Grameen Bank itself several
small-minded people, hurt because Yunus ignored them once, now can run
Grameen forgetting that the man who has the vision to initiate something
like Grameen and make it a global brand is fundamentally different than
the men who carry out orders no matter how well. But over time, mediocre
people often do win and so the day belongs to them now.
> * * *
> Once the word, `siphoning' was used by the Norwegian video on GB –
a deliberately misleading product which was embraced greedily by many
Bangladeshis because it was made by a Caucasian Westerner, the case was
virtually sealed for Yunus. For Bangladeshis, inadequate understanding
of English turned `siphoning' into a personal criminal act by Yunus, or
was it deliberate by BD media as well? What followed was a build up of
the `Get Yunus' movement which received a huge boost at the hands of the
government led by Sheikh Hasina and her political minions. Since it
couldn't be proven that Yunus had stolen money, it was necessary to go
after administrative and management issues which every organisation has,
to bring him down. Since what was wanted was his humiliation and
departure, it was possible to demonise Yunus with a co-operating
government helping on.
> * * *
> Yet the end of the removal process is comical, with the Bangladesh
Bank saying that Yunus had passed the retirement age and so must go. Age
was pitted against competence and that too for a man who had established
a global institution. I quote what the Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur
Rahman himself had said on microfinance which was reported in Daily Star
March 1, 2010, "The rural and urban poor benefit from the microfinance
regulations, with reliable access to microfinance on fair and equitable
terms. In Bangladesh, MFIs accounted for financial services to around 24
percent of the adult population, against around 44 percent and 10
percent served by banks and cooperatives respectively in 2008." He also
added that the high interest rates were a serious matter "albeit more
from populist political authorities rather than from the actual
borrowers"
> So Yunus was too old to serve though there is no problem with his
operations or his outfit according to the BB Governor himself.
> * * *
> For those who have any confusion, microcredit is a supervised loan
giving programme where the money is given without collaterals to group
members. It is simply a loan system and the loans are given for economic
activity. However, the poor have other needs as well so microcredit
supplies credit needs particularly in the rural areas for many things
such as marriages, house building etc. Microcredit in one form or other
has always existed but Bangladeshi NGOs turned it into a structured
service replacing the traditional money lenders.
> Those who have any idea can take a micro loan and do business to
become better off though the number of how many does do vary. Some
become better economically than before and some can protect themselves
from becoming poorer the next year which is common in our rural economy.
Many fail to pay the loan and the rules of loan collections apply which
applies in case of all banks. Grameen is a bank so it functions like
one.
> * * *
> Because microcredit helped many to escape high poverty, it was
presented particularly by Yunus as a poverty alleviation model. This is
not entirely accurate. It's more correct to say that it is one of the
tools of any poverty alleviation effort and not a total self sufficient
package. However, Bangladeshi economists have always been balanced in
their assessment saying it was part of a big package while recognising
its contribution. Dr. H Zillur Rahman wrote in 2004 about the role of
microcredit:
> "In Bangladesh, the most visible changes have been in reducing the
everyday uncertainties of food, livelihoods and shelter for the rural
poor. Household incomes have been supplemented and critically extended.
With access to liquidity, the ability to cope with crisis and shocks in
everyday lives has been strengthened. Spill-over effects on housing,
health-care and education have followed."
> "Poverty remains but the experience of poverty is today on a
qualitatively different plane. Certainly micro-credit has not been the
only factor at work here but whether in terms of researched knowledge or
casual observation, one would be hard put to deny its critical
contribution" He has echoed the same thoughts in 2011.
> But then are we really interested in evidential reasoning when it
comes to this issue?
> * * *
> Several of my journalist friends have said that Yunus supported the
Fakhruddin government so Hasina is after him and Yunus deserves it all
as he became cosy with the military-backed caretaker regime and went
against politicians. Yunus had also started a political party which was
seen as a challenge to the mainstream though it fizzled out due to lack
of support.
> It would have been wonderful if Yunus' party had worked out because
after 40 years it should be obvious that our politicians –AL, BNP
and the army– can't deliver much. Which government initiative has
even tackled poverty alleviation seriously? A government which can't
even provide TB treatment medicines to the affected and has to depend on
NGOs to do so is hardly capable of handling any major challenges of
poverty.
> * * *
> As we travel towards post-modernity in underdevelopment this conflict
is inevitable as governments and politicians fund themselves less and
less able to cope and manage new situations. Since efficiency can no
longer be produced by the governments, striking down those it sees as
challengers is necessary for surviving longer. By humiliating Yunus, a
message on behalf of the ruling elite has been sent out to all to toe
the line.
> —————————-
> Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and researcher.
>
------------------------------------
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
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