Prof Yunus should be made Chairman
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Emdadul Haque
At last, Professor Muhammad Yunus has resigned from Grameen Bank to avert further conflict with the government. The deputy managing director of the bank Nurjahan Begum will function as the acting managing director until the appointment of a new MD. What is more shocking is that Finance Minister AMA Muhith has ruled out the possibility of appointing Prof Yunus as the chairman of the bank, which was advocated by different quarters. It sounds silly when Muhith says, "Grameen Bank is completely a government bank, as it was established through a government ordinance." Can a simple ordinance determine the ownership of a bank 96.50 per cent stakes of which belong to the 8.3 million borrowers of the bank. The retirement age should never be a matter of conflict for a personality like Prof Yunus considering his contribution to poverty eradication both locally and globally. The sudden removal of Prof Yunus has raised eyebrows of different quarters and may annoy powerful countries like the US and France. US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert O. Blake visited Dhaka in late March. He called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and urged her to compromise on the Prof Yunus issue. Blake expressed concerns about the way the matter of Prof Yunus was handled by the government. He told the prime minister that Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate Prof Yunus were held in high esteem in America. In a letter, 26 members of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh, which works towards strengthening and deepening the US-Bangladesh relationship, said they were "troubled" by Prof Yunus' removal from Grameen Bank. They urged the prime minister to resolve the matter with Prof Yunus through a compromise. Martin Hirsch, special envoy of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, also came to Dhaka and handed over Sarkozy's letter to the prime minister. When newsmen asked, Hirsch said he had come to Dhaka to request the prime minister to attend the G20 summit and to ascertain the nature of the relationship between the government and Prof Yunus. He said when he visited Dhaka 18 months ago, he found the government and organisations like Grameen Bank and Brac working together to fight poverty. He found it difficult to understand what happened in the meantime as the government took negative decision against Prof Yunus. Bangladesh can be benefited a lot if she can become a member of the powerful G20 group. But the government's handling of the Prof Yunus affair is likely to annoy France and other western countries. So, Dhaka is most probably going to miss this great opportunity. Prof Yunus has nothing to lose. Bangladesh will be bitterly criticised across the globe for such a decision against the Noble laureate. Meanwhile, the probe committee on Grameen Bank has submitted its report. Did Prof Yunus indulge in any corrupt practices for personal gain? If yes, then it may be justified to remove him from the bank. Bangladesh will lag behind by at least by 20 years if the government finally decides not to appoint Prof Yunus chairman of Grameen Bank. It is apprehended that the US, France and other western countries which maintain friendly relationships with Bangladesh will behave otherwise after the government's wrong decision regarding Prof Yunus despite earnest request by those powerful countries to find out an amicable solution. Thus, Prof Yunus should be appointed the chairman of Grameen Bank for at least one year for a smooth and orderly transition at the bank. .................................................. The writer can be reached at ehaque63@gmail.com
At last, Professor Muhammad Yunus has resigned from Grameen Bank to avert further conflict with the government. The deputy managing director of the bank Nurjahan Begum will function as the acting managing director until the appointment of a new MD. What is more shocking is that Finance Minister AMA Muhith has ruled out the possibility of appointing Prof Yunus as the chairman of the bank, which was advocated by different quarters. It sounds silly when Muhith says, "Grameen Bank is completely a government bank, as it was established through a government ordinance." Can a simple ordinance determine the ownership of a bank 96.50 per cent stakes of which belong to the 8.3 million borrowers of the bank. The retirement age should never be a matter of conflict for a personality like Prof Yunus considering his contribution to poverty eradication both locally and globally. The sudden removal of Prof Yunus has raised eyebrows of different quarters and may annoy powerful countries like the US and France. US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert O. Blake visited Dhaka in late March. He called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and urged her to compromise on the Prof Yunus issue. Blake expressed concerns about the way the matter of Prof Yunus was handled by the government. He told the prime minister that Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate Prof Yunus were held in high esteem in America. In a letter, 26 members of the Congressional Caucus on Bangladesh, which works towards strengthening and deepening the US-Bangladesh relationship, said they were "troubled" by Prof Yunus' removal from Grameen Bank. They urged the prime minister to resolve the matter with Prof Yunus through a compromise. Martin Hirsch, special envoy of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, also came to Dhaka and handed over Sarkozy's letter to the prime minister. When newsmen asked, Hirsch said he had come to Dhaka to request the prime minister to attend the G20 summit and to ascertain the nature of the relationship between the government and Prof Yunus. He said when he visited Dhaka 18 months ago, he found the government and organisations like Grameen Bank and Brac working together to fight poverty. He found it difficult to understand what happened in the meantime as the government took negative decision against Prof Yunus. Bangladesh can be benefited a lot if she can become a member of the powerful G20 group. But the government's handling of the Prof Yunus affair is likely to annoy France and other western countries. So, Dhaka is most probably going to miss this great opportunity. Prof Yunus has nothing to lose. Bangladesh will be bitterly criticised across the globe for such a decision against the Noble laureate. Meanwhile, the probe committee on Grameen Bank has submitted its report. Did Prof Yunus indulge in any corrupt practices for personal gain? If yes, then it may be justified to remove him from the bank. Bangladesh will lag behind by at least by 20 years if the government finally decides not to appoint Prof Yunus chairman of Grameen Bank. It is apprehended that the US, France and other western countries which maintain friendly relationships with Bangladesh will behave otherwise after the government's wrong decision regarding Prof Yunus despite earnest request by those powerful countries to find out an amicable solution. Thus, Prof Yunus should be appointed the chairman of Grameen Bank for at least one year for a smooth and orderly transition at the bank. .................................................. The writer can be reached at ehaque63@gmail.com