Global leaders stand up for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Wajed has somehow developed uneasiness with the man who created the world famous Grameen Bank. Around 40 global leaders have shot off a letter to her over the ill treatment meted out to him by her government, writes Nava Thakuria Once a senior media columnist in Dhaka exclaimed that if one wants to witness how a lone Nobel laureate can be abused in his/her own country come to Bangladesh. He referred to brilliant university teacher of economics-turned revolutionary banker-turned social thinker Professor Muhammad Yunus, who was facing a series of verbal attacks from Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. The daughter of  Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who leads the ruling political party Awami League, has somehow developed uneasiness with the man with impeccable integrity, who created the world famous Grameen Bank of Bangladesh in 1983. The issue came alive as 40 global leaders from the fields of politics, diplomacy, business, arts, and academia recently sent a letter to Bangladesh Premier Hasina regarding her government’s treatment of Nobel peace laureate Prof Yunus. The open letter, even published as a full-page advertisement in Washington Post (7 March 2023), where it is claimed that Prof Yunus has never benefited financially from his involvement in any of Grameen avenues, rather he has devoted himself to the poverty-fighting missions of many organizations and lives modestly in Dhaka. Expressing deep concerns for the octogenarian’s well-being and his ability to contribute to humanitarian advancement in Bangladesh and around the world, the global personalities urged the PM Hasina to take positive steps to support and recognize the great contributions of one of the most notable citizens of the south Asian nation. They also stated that Prof Yunus is among a few people in history who have received the Nobel peace prize, the US Presidential medal of freedom, and the US Congressional gold medal (others being Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King-Jr, Mother Teresa, Elie Wiesel, etc). Prof Yunus pioneered the concept of microcredit and microfinance and founded a commercial bank with a number of differences which challenged many conventional banking policies. Dedicated to the poor, mostly women, Grameen Bank offers loans with no collateral and even enjoys a nearly 100% recovery rate. The unique bank directs their employees to go to the people and unlike other banks, it encourages the women borrowers to own shares. Prof Yunus treated borrowers as the real owners of the bank and himself as an employee. The new-found bank and its creator were jointly awarded the Nobel prize in 2006.