AMA Muhith no more

Former finance minister and Awami League advisory council member Abul Maal Abdul Muhith died early Saturday at United Hospital in the capital.
The colourful life of bureaucrat turned politician came to an end at the age of 88. He left behind wife, two sons, a daughter and a host of relatives, friends and admirers to mourn his demise.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at 10am on Saturday at Azad Mosque in the city's Gulshan area and the second one at the Dhaka University mosque.
His body was kept at the Central Shaheed Minar near the Dhaka University campus at 12pm for the people to pay their last tribute to the veteran politician.

He will be buried on Sunday at his family graveyard at his ancestral home, Raynagar, in Sylhet district.
AMA Muhith tested positive for coronavirus in July last year. He was taken to hospitals multiple times as his physical condition deteriorated.
President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Speaker of the Parliament Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury mourned his death. They sent separate condolence messages immediately after his demise.
On January 6, 2009, Muhith took oath as the finance minister of Bangladesh. Since 2009, he placed national annual budgets in the parliament for 10 successive years.
He retired from politics after serving as the finance minister of Sheikh Hasina's government from 2009 to 2018.
Muhith was born on 25 January, 1934, to a Bengali Muslim political family in Sylhet. His father, Abu Ahmad Abdul Hafiz, was a judge.
His mother, Syeda Shahar Banu, was one of the leading women participants in the historic Language Movement of early 50s.
He was the third child in a family of fourteen children, and his younger brother is Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, the incumbent foreign minister of Bangladesh.
Muhith's wife Syeda Sabia is a designer. Their daughter, Samina Muhith, is a banker and an expert in the field of monetary policy. Their eldest son, Shahed Muhith, is an architect, and youngest son, Samir Muhith, is a teacher.
Muhith joined civil service in 1956 after a bright academic life.
He held important positions in the public service and was the first diplomat of the Pakistan embassy in Washington who defected to Bangladesh during the War of Liberation in 1971.
He also played a vital role in drawing up global support for Bangladesh. In 2016, he was conferred with Swadhinata Puroskar (Independence Award), the highest civilian award, for his contributions to the Liberation War.
Muhith joined Awami League in 2001.
During his tenure as the finance minister, Bangladesh witnessed a sound macroeconomic management with a significant increase in budget size, steady growth, and inflation in control.
He was one of the driving forces behind taking up of mega projects in the country.
Muhith was appointed as the secretary of planning in January 1972 and secretary of the External Resources Division of the Finance and Planning Ministry in May 1977. He was finance and planning minister from March 1982 to December 1983.
He was a pioneer of the Bangladesh Environment Movement and was also the founder and president of BAPA established in 2000.
Also a gifted writer, Muhith published 35 books on different subjects including Liberation War, economic development, history, public administration and politics.
He passed the matriculation exams from Sylhet Government Pilot High School in 1949 and secured first place in his Intermediate examinations in 1951 from Sylhet MC College. He stood first class first in BA (Hons) in English Literature in 1953 from the University of Dhaka and passed his Masters with credit from the same university in 1955.
While in service to the government, he studied at the University of Oxford from 1957 to 1958. He completed a Master of Public Administration at the Harvard University in 1964.
He went for self-retirement in 1981 from his service and then he started the second innings of his career as a specialist in economics and development at Ford Foundation and in the (IFAD). He worked as a specialist in different institutions of the World Bank and the United Nations (UN) after serving as finance and planning minister of Bangladesh in 1982-83.
Muhith has been a recognised figure in the World Bank, IMF, IDB and in different organisations of the UN. He was the Visiting Fellow of Princeton University in 1984 and 1985.
He was awarded the highest civil award, Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award), in 2016 for his contributions to the Liberation War and distinguished record in public service.
In her condolence message, Prime Minister Hasina prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.
President Abdul Hamid also expressed deep sorrow at the death of the former finance minister and prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also expressed deep shock at the death of his brother AMA Muhith, who was also a freedom fighter.
He fondly remembered Muhith's extraordinary personality, human qualities, patriotism and contributions to the welfare of the country and the people.
In separate messages incumbent Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam also expressed deep condolences over the demise of Muhith.
Mustafa Kamal said that with the death of Muhith, the nation has lost a true patriot. He prayed for the peace of his departed soul and conveyed sympathy to the bereaved family members.
Besides, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin also expressed deep shock at the death of the veteran economist.
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