Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Wednesday told the House that Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus is a true politician and he is trying to put pressure on the government by ‘asking’ the Grameen Bank directors to hold press conference, reports UNB
“He (Yunus) is a respected person. I don’t want to make any comment, but I’m compelled to comment. He is really a politician,” Muhith said criticising the former managing director of Grameen Bank while taking part in an unscheduled debate on the Nobel-winning microfinance institution at Jatiya Sangsad.
Earlier, taking the floor on point of order, senior opposition lawmaker Barrister Moudud Ahmed said: “It will be suicidal if the government breaks up the Grameen Bank into 19 separate entities.”
He also urged the government to reconsider its decision.
The BNP Standing Committee member said if BNP returns to power in the future, they will ensure full independence of the Nobel-winning microfinance institution Grameen Bank by returning all its powers.
He alleged that the government is hurting the rights of women by attempting to take over 51% shares of the bank whose owners are 8.4 million women of the country.
In response, the finance minister said the Grameen Bank is functioning well and is a favourite bank of the government.
He said he would get the Grameen Bank Commission’s report soon and will make a statement then.
The Grameen Bank Commission was formed in May last year to scrutinise the legal status, financial transactions and succession rules of the micro-finance lender which has been dubbed the “bank of the poor”, as well as 48 other organisations that bear the Grameen tag.
The nine directors of the Grameen Bank arranged a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Monday, protesting the government plan to break up the institution into 19 pieces and urged the government to step back from such ‘a suicidal decision.’
Regarding Dr Yunus’s comments that Grameen Phone has no relation with the Grameen Bank, Muhith said, “This statement is untrue. It’s not true.”
He said the operational activities of the Grameen Bank have improved and there has been no decision in the board meeting.
There was nearly an hour’s discussion on Grameen Bank in the House; the leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were present at that time.