Yunus removed from Grameen Bank

[Al-zakir]

He is humanist thats why he dint join AL in the 70s

It's also true now and that is why La-Hasina went after him like mad dog. This actually good for Dr. Yonous. He is still respected by all while La-Hasina's leftover popularity going down the drain.

 

[Md Akmal]

I am thinking otherwise. Ershad had some credibility among Bangladeshi and Islamic nationalist unit he join AL during last election. His popularity doomed and you can see the result from last local election.

Dr. Yonus can think about joining BNP and BNP should pursue him to join them since he got some credibility in international arena.

Dr. Younus should strengthen Bangladeshi nationalist to teach a hard lesson to La-Hasina.

@ Let him first form a new political party so that he can lure some other prominent figures may be even from AL and other parties and than join with the main oppossion party and make super sonic "Moha Jote" against your's most beloved La-Hasina. By the way Al-Zakir why you add La before Hasina's name ? I am not understanding. Definitely it is "Arbi" word.

@ I can forsee, in future Bangladeshi Nationalism will be more strong. I read on the article that even Obama has said that if Sk Hasina remove Dr Yonus from GB he will not meet with her. You are in USA could you please confirm it ?

@ Ak-Zaker, what do you think by whose advice Sk Hasina removed Dr Yunus from GB ? Is it from the Indian side ? May be for that reason Vinod is very sad and sheding crocodile tears for Dr Yunus.

 

[saleen_s7]

This shows what type of an organisation India decides to aid. India aiding Awami league is equivalent to America aiding Mubarek and Gaddafi. I admire India's development in many stages and I wish them the best of luck, but when they side with a specific political party, and specially with a one as gruesome as this one, its very disappointing.

 

[lonelyone]

Yahoo! Great news for nationalists! Even as we sit back and do nothing the AL keeps shooting itself in the foot.

I have said before I do not support microcredit because I do not believe in it, but that is a separate matter.

Now Yunus should re-kindle his Nagorik Shakti party. I'm waiting on one foot to join it as soon as it is announced (if it is announced). I don't know if Dr Yunus has the courage, after kissing up to the feminist lobby all these years, I seriously fear he has lost his balls and will quietly go into retirement. But if he forms a new party, I'll support it actively.

The problem will be with some short-sighted religious people, they will not vote for Yunus since his empire is based on interest. Then again, if he joins the BNP the seculars will abandon him, and they have a powerful media.

In the end it will be really tough for Dr Yunus in politics. It will be the biggest gain for the BNP/Jamat. Because Yunus will split the votes of the intellectuals, with the young ones voting for Yunus and the older ones voting for AL. But BNP supporters will vote BNP/Jamat, since Yunus deals with interest, which is forbidden for Muslims. So Nagorik Shakti will split the secular vote while the nationalist/religious vote will be intact, leading to a BNP victory.

Another unlikely scenario is that Yunus joins with the BNP. In that case he will lose all credibility with the seculars, and the religious ones will not want to vote for him either. So he will be a loser either way.

The third and most likely alternative is that he will not join politics at all and quietly go into retirement and carry on his other businesses.

The biggest mistake Yunus made was dealing with Interest, in a 90% Muslim country, and that too, charging 30%. That will now come back to haunt him.

 

[Al-zakir]

By the way Al-Zakir why you add La before Hasina's name ?[/B][/I] I am not understanding. Definitely it is "Arbi" word.

The word "La" mean no in Arabic and you know the meaning of Hasina. So therefore simply No-Hasina.

This women neither possess hasin soorat nor seerat. If you get my drifts.

 

[Skies]

Past:

"Change We Need"

- Barack Obama

Present:

"Change We Need"

- Bangladeshis




But that should be different from Awami League at least.

 

[integra]

^^^Future is in cricket

Well this was a good move by AL, they should feel the aftershock of nationalists pretty soon. Yunus met with lawyer Kamal Hosain today, lets see what happens.
Anyways though I doubt if he'll ever be interested to look after his country(politically),
I'll become an active member of his followers if he does.

 

[integra]

Micro-credit borrowers baffled
Prof Muhammad Yunus' removal from the post of Grameen Bank's managing director surprised many of its borrowers, who dubbed him the pathfinder in elevating them from poverty.

Ayesha Khatun of Noorpur in Pabna took a Tk 130,000 loan from Grameen Bank on November 10, 2009 to help her son run a computer business.

"I simply could not believe my ears when I heard that Prof Yunus has been removed today from his position in the bank," said a dumbfounded Ayesha, who paid back three quarters of her loan over the last one year and hopes to fully repay in six months' time.

"He [Prof Yunus] was the one who arranged loans for the poor like us without any collateral. His sudden departure is very sad news for us," Ayesha said sighing.

She appealed to the government to reconsider the decision saying the Grameen Bank has empowered the rural poor. "We never expect it [Grameen Bank] to fall into the hands of inefficient people," she said.

Bhupendra Nath Roy and his wife Radha Rani Roy, members of Azimpur Grameen Bank branch of Biral upazila in Dinajpur, got an education loan of Tk 75,000 for their only son Poresh Chandra Roy. Poresh is now studying at Bangladesh Textile University in Dhaka.

The couple heard the news of Yunus' removal from Grameen Bank from The Daily Star correspondent.

"We have been hearing propaganda against him but his removal from the post is unfortunate whatever the reason may be,” commented Bhupendra, headmaster of Azimpur High School, a remote village school of Dinajpur.

"Dr Yunus has been a pioneer in building a healthy rural economy which helped numerous rural poor in overcoming poverty. The microcredit programme helped people to stand on their own feet," Bhupendra added.

Rehana Begum, 40, wife of Akhtar Hossain of Tultulipara in Rajshahi's Puthia upazila has been borrowing from Grameen Bank since the bank set up its office at Pochamaria union in the early '90s.

She purchased two calves with a loan of Tk 16,000 from the bank last year and she already paid off half the money in 22 instalments. She took another loan of Tk 10,700 yesterday.

“I am protected from the rural loan sharks as the bank began lending us,” Rehana said.

Asked to comment on Yunus' removal from the bank, she said, “He is a Nobel laureate, he should have stepped carefully." In the same breath she said the government should deal with Yunus respectfully as he brought honour for the country.

Shahina Haque, wife of Tozammel Haque of Arani of Bagha upazila in Rajshahi, said the bank is a lot better than the lenders in her village. She, however, refrained from commenting on Yunus' removal.

“He is a very big man. How can I comment on him?”

 

[Skies]

The only reason for not liking Dr. Yunus to me is because he is not starting politics yet to bring a huge change (which is assumed) in BD, though many Bangladeshis are very interested about him or at least a new face in our politics. I must say he should give a try in politics just because people want change.

There should be a dedicated fan page on FB, where people will suggest him what ideology the people expect if he forms any party. Moreover he would be able to guess his popularity via social networks or his personal site. But, since, USA and India still can not choice any party apart from Democratic, Republican, Congress, and BJP yet, can we come out from BNP and AL?

I think, most of rural and uneducated Bangladeshis are the biggest problem for dirty our political situation, because our incompetent and ineligible politicians are elected just because of their votes. We may need another 10 years to come out of dirty politics if BD can run independently.

Last time I did not cast my vote, even I was a new voter, just because of our max unaware people would not let me choice anyone apart from BNP or AL. So I doubt, even you or your friends and family and educated people choose Yunus but due to maximum illiterate people you may fail to elect Yunus. Cos, we all know what type of politicians our maximum people elected till now!

If he forms any party, I would expect that he will not do politics using any seven-one or secular issues, or won't be any stooge of India, but bring such a change which would make people hopeful about their country. And our brilliant people will start to come back in BD to do something for Bangladesh.

 

[desioptimist]

Yunus should have moved on to build other institutions and left the bank to be run by an able successor. But people usually get attached to their creation. Bit like Verghese Kurien to Amul.

 

[Mutee]

Great economist and a not a very wide decision on part of the bank I wud say very sad news

 

[fallstuff]

Grameen bank founder Muhammad Yunus survives attempt to oust him

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen bank in Bangadesh. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel prize winning founder of the Grameen bank in Bangladesh, has survived an attempt to oust him from the institution he founded to lend small sums to the poor almost 30 years ago.

Supporters of Yunus say the bid was the culmination of a campaign by the Bangladeshi government to secure control of the bank, which is seen as the global pioneer of microcredit.

Yunus has taken a strong and vocal stand against corruption in his home country. The Grameen bank lends to at least eight million people, making it a valuable political resource.

Sources close to the bank said opponents of 70-year-old Yunus attempted to push through a decision to oust him on grounds of his age at a meeting of the bank's executive committee earlier today in Dhaka. It was defeated.

Bangladesh's finance minister recently said Yunus should stand down following alleged irregularities in operations.

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith called Yunus a "man of high standing and respect" but "now old". The minister, who is 77, said: "We need to redefine the bank's role and bring it under closer regulation."

Other government comments were even more direct. At the end of last year, the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, accused Yunus of treating Grameen as his personal property and claimed the group was "sucking blood from the poor".

The attacks on Yunus come at a time when microlending – once hailed as a model that would change the lives of hundreds of millions – faces increasing political hostility.

In India, politicians have accused bankers of profiteering from the poor and, in some places, banned further lending or recovery of debts.


link:

Grameen bank founder Muhammad Yunus survives attempt to oust him | Global development | guardian.co.uk

 

[Al-zakir]

Yunus a victim of vengeance: BNP


Thu, Mar 3rd, 2011 6:42 pm BdST

Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Dhaka, Mar 3 (bdnews24.com) — BNP has termed the removal of Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank a 'vengeance' of the government.

Senior BNP leaders made the remarks on Thursday, a day after the Nobel laureate was relieved of his duties as managing director of the microfinance bank, which he had been holding since 1983.

Bangladesh Bank in an order on Wednesday removed Yunus.

BNP senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: "No one could escape the government's retribution… even world famous Noble Peace award winner Prof Yunus has been dishonoured."

Addressing a gathering of pro-BNP professionals who formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club, opposition chief whip Jainal Abdin Farooque demanded withdrawal of the central bank order.

Echoing Fakhrul's sentiment, Farooque said: "The politics of vengeance has begun again in the country. Mahmudur Rahman was sent to jail for publishing facts and then [Muhammad] Yunus had been removed."

Combined Professionals Council organised the human chain demanding the release of Bengali daily Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman.

Addressing another human chain against the postponement of time-scale and selection grade of teachers and staff, former education minister Osman Faruk claimed the government chose the path of vengeance to hide its mountain-high failures.

"Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was also not left out of the vendetta. He has been removed in a very harsh way," he added.

bdnews24.com/sm/pks/mr/1815h

 

[Al-zakir]

Moriarty voices concern


Thu, Mar 3rd, 2011 3:12 pm BdST

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Dhaka, Mar 3 (bdnews24.com) — The US has expressed its 'deep concern' over the process through which Grameen Bank managing director Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel peace laureate, has been removed from his position.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with the finance minister on Thursday, the US ambassador to Bangladesh James F Moriarty said, "My government is deeply troubled that the process has [been] followed."



"[An] amicable compromise can be reached to overcome the problem. He is one of the respected persons of Bangladesh. He is a Nobel laureate," he added.

The ambassador, however, refused to comment on whether the matter will have any impact on the relationship between the US and Bangladesh.

bdnews24.com/rb/ost/mr/1500h

 

[Md Akmal]

Yunus files writ petition against his removal

Dhaka, Mar 3 (bdnews24.com) — A writ petition against Muhammad Yunus' removal as managing director of Grameen Bank (GB) has been filed at the High Court on Thursday, his lawyers said.

Ramzan Ali, a lawyer at the chamber of his counsel Dr Kamal Hossain, confirmed reporters that the writ was filed around 11:15am.

Yunus filed the writ personally, he said, adding that the hearing on the petition might be held in the afternoon.

Earlier, sources close to Yunus had indicated that the Grameen Bank founder would be going for a legal battle against his removal.

Yunus went to Kamal Hossain's chamber around 10am on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, immediately after he received the central bank's removal letter, Yunus saw Kamal Hossain at his chamber.

There he told reporters, "It is a legal affair and I have come to discuss it."

Bangladesh Bank claimed that re-appointment of Muhammad Yunus as managing director of Grameen Bank was not done with prior approval from the central bank.

However, claiming that GB had been properly following recruitment rules, Grameen Bank general manager (information and media) Jannat-E-Quanine had told a press conference on Wednesday, "According to the bank's legal experts, founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is continuing in his office."

But the GB chairman later told bdnews24.com, "Recruitment of managing director is done by the board of directors. But Bangladesh Bank's approval is necessary in this regard. The directive was not followed in his last reappointment."

bdnews24.com/sn/mi/ach/ec/1215h