An Open Letter to Sheikh Hasina, Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Regarding Professor Yunus and Grameen Bank
Prime
Minister’s Office Address:
Old
Sangsad Bhaban, Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215, Bangladesh
Email: info@pmo.gov.bd
Telephone:
8802-8151159
Fax: 8802-8113244
14 August 2012
Honorable Prime Minister:
Any news of success, achievement or progress in Bangladesh makes the hearts of all Non-Resident Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi descendants living abroad fill with pride and joy. We have come a long way from being branded as a “basket case” to where we are today. You and your Government deserve a lot of credit for this transformation, and we sincerely thank you for that. Your dedication in empowering women, countering terrorism, and making an all-out effort to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals for Bangladesh has been acknowledged worldwide.However, we would like to urge you, with due respect, to do even more for the country.
We are deeply troubled by the manner in which the removal of Professor Yunus from the Grameen Bank was carried out. We are also distressed by the Government’s initiatives to extend its role in the governance of the Grameen Bank. We notice with concern that these measures are tarnishing our reputation and image in the world community. We believe the issues concerning Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank should be resolved through open discussion and compromise befitting the practices of a true democratic and civil society.
Professor
Yunus, who pioneered the microcredit and microfinance model for the
benefit of economically deprived population, has brought great honour and
fame to Bangladesh. He is admired by the world’s political, business, and
civic leaders. We do not view Professor Yunus as a threat, politically or
otherwise, to any political or non-political entity. He is a decent,
honourable and patriotic son of the soil, who considers the interest of
the country more important than his own.
We believe you can make use of Professor Yunus’s world stature to draw benefits for the people of Bangladesh. In our view, any attempt to denigrate him or tarnish his image or belittle his contributions will be counter-productive. We submit to you that you authorise to form a small committee of non-partisan civic leaders who could liaise between you and your administration and Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank. The mission of this committee would be to find ways to settle all the outstanding issues in a dispassionate, professional manner through open discussions and in a spirit of compromise, and to give Professor Yunus a say in the manner in which the governance of the Grameen Bank is to continue.
Signed by:
1. Dr.
Hasanat Husain MBE, Convenor, Voice For Justice World Forum
2.
Dr. Mosleh-Uddin Ahmed,
Voice For Justice, New Jersey Chapter, USA
4. Dr.
Hasan Zillur Rahim, Co-ordinator, Voice For Justice World Forum
5. Dr.
Tajul Islam Hashmi, Convenor, Voice For Justice, Tennessee Chapter, USA
6. Dr.
Shamsul Islam Choudhury, Voice For Justice, Chicago Chappter, USA
7. Mr. Sadiqur Rahman, Voice For Justice, London Chapter, UK
8. Mr. Hasan Mahmud, VFJ Convenor, Toronto, Canada
9. Mr.
Enam Choudhury, Convenor, Voice For Justice, Stockholm, Sweden
10. Dr.
Abdur Rahman, Convenor, Voice For Justice, Ireland Chapter, Ireland
11. Mr. Ezajur Rahman, Convenor Voice For Justice, Kuwait
12. Ms. Dilruba Z. Ara, VFJ Convenor, Lunde, Sweden
13. Mrs. Ishita Shams, VFJ Toronto, Canada
14. Mr. A. Latif JP, Convenor, Voice For Justice, Birmingham, UK
15. Mr. Monowar Bodruddoza, Chairman AJAD, VFJ London, UK
16. Mr. Gulzar Ahmad, VFJ Convenor, Vienna, Austria
17. Barrister Nazir Ahmed, Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy, UK
18. Dr. Khalid Asadullah, VFJ Convenor, Sidcup, Kent, UK
19. Dr. Sajedur Rahman, Voice For Justice, Sydney Chapter, Australia
20. Ms. Rehnuma Sajjad, Voice For Justice, Cambridge, UK
21. Dr. Reaz Talukder, Voice For Justice, Manchester, UK
22.
Dr. Abdur Rahman Chowdhury, VFJ Falls Church, USA
23. Dr. Shaheed
Hussain, Hydro-Geologist (Retd), International Atomic Energy Agency,
Vienna, Austria
24. Mr. A. F. M. Shafiqul Hafiz, Chairman (Retd), Johor Land Berhad, Jalan, Malaysia
25. Mr. Waliur Rahman, Surrey, Vancouver, Canada
26. Dr. Rafi Ahmad, Head of Laser Technology Dept (Retd), Shrivenham Military College, Swindon, UK
27. Dr. M. A. Jabbar, Associate Prof (Retd), Singapore National Univeristy, Singapore
28. Dr. Bani Amin, Sr. Lecturer (Retd), University of Sunderland, UK
29. Professor Salim Rashid, PhD, IIT Ahmadabad,
Gujarat, India
30. Dr. Matin Ahmed, Convenor, VFJ, San Francisco, USA
31.
Dr. Faruque Azam, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, USA
32.
Dr. Ahmed Badruzzaman, PhD, San Ramon, California,
USA
33.
Dr. Mustaque Ahmed, PhD, Wilton, Connecticut, USA
34.
Dr. Mohammed A. Awwal, PhD, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey,
USA
35.
Mr. Afzal Khan, Dayton, New Jersey, USA
36.
Mr. Syed Ashraf, Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA
37.
Dr. Quazi T. Islam, PhD, Hopewell, Virginia, USA
38.
Dr. Dewan Khan, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
39.
Dr. Farrukh Mohsen, PhD , Cranbury, New Jersey, USA
40.
Mr. Zahural Islam, Freehold, New Jersey, USA
41.
Dr. Moshiur Rahman, PhD, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
42.
Mr. Fakir Zia Ahmed, Monroe, New Jersey, USA
43.
Dr. Meah Shahabuddin, PhD, Middletown, New Jersey,
USA
44.
Mr. Bulal Dewan Rahman, Ewing, New Jersey, USA
45.
Mr. Khondker Alam Ahmed, Dayton, New Jersey, USA
46.
Mr. Wasif Sattar, Monroe, New Jersey, USA
47.
Ms. Naznin Hossain, Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA
48.
Ms. Amena Hai, Marlboro, New Jersey USA
49.
Mr. Nurullah Hajra, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
50.
Dr. Esha Khoshnu, West Orange, New Jersey, USA
51.
Dr. Subarna Khan, PhD, Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA
52.
Mr. Saadi Khan, Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA
53.
Mohammad Ali Chisty, Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA
54.
Syed H. Mahmud, East Windsor, New Jersey, USA
55.
Lazima Mahmud, East Windsor, New Jersey, USA
56.
Professor Swapan Gayen, PhD, CUNY, New York, USA
57.
Mr. Souvik Sarker, Manalapan, New Jersey, USA
58.
Mrs. Sujata Saha, Manalapan, New Jersey, USA
59.
Dr. Monowar Hossain, PhD, Middletown, New Jersey, USA
60.
Dr. Abdul Hai PhD, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
61.
Ms. Mahmuda Amin, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
62.
Professor Mahmud Hassan, PhD, Rutgers U, New Jersey, USA
63.
Mr. Ghulam Suhrawardi, Colts Neck, New Jersey, USA
64.
Mr. Al Mamun, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
65.
Mr. Mohammad Amanullah, Edison, New Jersey, USA
66. Dr. Iffat Hussain, PhD, South Brunswick, New
Jersey, USA
67.
Dr.
Romel Khan, PhD, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
68.
Mr.
Wahid Shams, East Windsor, New Jersey, USA
69.
Ms.
Selina A. Khan, World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
71.
Professor
Munir Quddus, PhD, Dean, Prairie View A&M Univ., Texas,
USA
72.
Ms.
Mehbuba Rahman, Marlboro, New Jersey, USA
73.
Professor
Mir Maqsud Ali, PhD, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
USA
74.
Mr.
Mir Chowdhury, Wayne, New Jersey, USA
75.
Ms.
Aziza Haque, Old Bridge, New Jersey, USA
76.
Mr.
Najmul Haque, Old Bridge, New Jersey, USA
77.
Ms.
Rezina Billah, Edison, New Jersey, USA
78.
Dr.
Motasim Billah, PhD, Edison, New Jersey, USA
79.
Mr.
Robbie Mowla, Farmingdale, New Jersey, USA
80.
Mr.
Dewan Shamsul Arefin, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
81.
Mr.
Zafar Billah, Franklin Park, New Jersey, USA
82.
Dr.
Lani Siddique, Upper Saucon Township, Pennsylvania, USA
83.
Ms.
Nasreen Suhrawardi, Colts Neck, New Jersey, USA
84.
Ms.
Anjuman A. Begum, Mahwah, New Jersey
USA
85.
Mr.
Amjad Hussain, Cream Ridge, New Jersey, USA
86.
Dr.
Khurshid Hossain, PhD, Middletown, New Jersey, USA
87. A KM Kawser, VFJ, Frankfurt,
Germany
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Related Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/opinion/sunday/kristof-women-hurting-women.html?ref=opinion
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-government-smear-campaign-against-dr-muhammad-yunus
http://www.grameencreativelab.com/sites/default/files/ocd/the-times-op-ed-richard-branson.pdf
Attack on Grameen Bank by the Government of Bangladesh
http://thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=42790