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Yunus worried at media 'vilification'
Dhaka, July 19 (bdnews24.com) -- Former managing director of Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus has said he is disappointed and worried by the 'vilification' in the (Bangladesh) media.
"I'm not hurt by the vilification in the press; I'm disappointed and I'm worried. I don't want to see an organisation which has come all this way and brought so much good to the country and brought power to people, come to this. Many people are angry but anger doesn't solve anything," said Yunus in an exclusive interview with The Guradian, a British English daily, on Monday.
"I want to calm things down. If we are prepared, we can do damage control."
Since the crisis broke out early this year, Yunus has been refusing to talk to the Bangladesh media for fear of further inflaming the controversy.
Yunus is adamant that he will not be drawn into speculating as to why the government has forced his recent resignation. He simply says: "I can't see the purpose, I can't see what the country gains, what the government gains."
After Yunus was charged with allegation of siphoning money from Grameen Bank, prime minister Hasina on Dec 5 last year told a press conference that he was 'sucking blood of the poor'.
Earlier, during the army-backed caretaker government tenure, Hasina, criticising Yunus, said "there is no difference between a person who enjoys taking interest on money and one who takes bribe".
The prime minister also observed the microcredit programme of Grameen Bank failed to play its role in eradicating poverty.
Yunus, in his interview, denied the allegation.
Bangladesh Bank on Mar 2 sacked Yunus, who in 2006 became the first-ever Bangladeshi to win a Nobel prize, from the post of managing director of Grameen Bank for his 'unauthorised' reappointment in 1999.
"We never said microfinance was a silver bullet," he insists. "Or why would I bother to create 50 other companies ranging from agriculture to telecommunications?
Job creation is the solution to poverty. Loans should only be given to fund enterprises. They mustn't ever be used for 'consumption smoothing' or how can people pay back the loans? It has to be about income generation," he added.
Dhaka, July 19 (bdnews24.com) -- Former managing director of Grameen Bank Muhammad Yunus has said he is disappointed and worried by the 'vilification' in the (Bangladesh) media.
"I'm not hurt by the vilification in the press; I'm disappointed and I'm worried. I don't want to see an organisation which has come all this way and brought so much good to the country and brought power to people, come to this. Many people are angry but anger doesn't solve anything," said Yunus in an exclusive interview with The Guradian, a British English daily, on Monday.
"I want to calm things down. If we are prepared, we can do damage control."
Since the crisis broke out early this year, Yunus has been refusing to talk to the Bangladesh media for fear of further inflaming the controversy.
Yunus is adamant that he will not be drawn into speculating as to why the government has forced his recent resignation. He simply says: "I can't see the purpose, I can't see what the country gains, what the government gains."
After Yunus was charged with allegation of siphoning money from Grameen Bank, prime minister Hasina on Dec 5 last year told a press conference that he was 'sucking blood of the poor'.
Earlier, during the army-backed caretaker government tenure, Hasina, criticising Yunus, said "there is no difference between a person who enjoys taking interest on money and one who takes bribe".
The prime minister also observed the microcredit programme of Grameen Bank failed to play its role in eradicating poverty.
Yunus, in his interview, denied the allegation.
Bangladesh Bank on Mar 2 sacked Yunus, who in 2006 became the first-ever Bangladeshi to win a Nobel prize, from the post of managing director of Grameen Bank for his 'unauthorised' reappointment in 1999.
"We never said microfinance was a silver bullet," he insists. "Or why would I bother to create 50 other companies ranging from agriculture to telecommunications?
Job creation is the solution to poverty. Loans should only be given to fund enterprises. They mustn't ever be used for 'consumption smoothing' or how can people pay back the loans? It has to be about income generation," he added.
