You'll get exposed, if deceive poor: PM

You'll get exposed, if deceive poor: PM


Dhaka: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said one has to answer at some point, if one goes on sucking the blood of the poor. She made the comments regarding allegations against Muhammad Yunus of 'siphoning foreign aid from Grameen Bank to another fund'.

"Bangladesh has set many examples. Deceiving people by siphoning their money is another such example. This is nothing but sucking out money from the people after giving them loans. No improvement of the poor has taken place. They were just used as pawns to get more aids," the prime minister commented while speaking at an opinion exchange meeting with reporters at her official residence Ganabhaban on Sunday.

"The people of Bangladesh have been used as guinea pigs. I have never supported that. And now I protest.

Naimul Islam, editor of Amader Shomoy, said, "Initially the government had 60 percent share of the Grameen Bank which now have came down to 25 percent. It seems like Yunus wanted to empty the government exchequer, if possible. The government, however, did not let that happen."

He also asked whether the government will investigate into the allegation raised against Dr Yunus and Grameen Bank.

Responding to the query, the prime minister said, "Grameen Bank had been grabbed in such a manner as if it was a private property. This should also be investigated. Poor people are becoming destitute. They have been tricked by sweet nothings. Finally, things are coming out in the open."

Hasina likened Khaleda Zia's 'love' for her cantonment house with Yunus' 'love' for his Grameen Bank and said, "Grameen Bank is a public property. But it is being privatised out of 'love'. Yunus Sahib has fallen in love with Grameen Bank."

"One cannot but get caught if played with the money of the poor," she added.

Norway's national TV NRK aired a documentary on November 30 titled "Fanget i Mikrogjeld" or "Caught in Micro debt", based on which bdnews24.com ran a report on December 1.

According to the documentary, Nobel laureate Yunus transferred the money to Grameen Kalyan, which was in no way involved with microcredit operations.

Responding to the allegations, Grameen Bank claimed there was no wrongdoing in the agreement between the bank and Grameen Kalyan under which it received Tk 3,917 million from the bank.

"Decisions were taken by the Grameen Bank Board, with due deliberation, good faith, and with good intentions to benefit the poor," the rejoinder said.

Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif on Dec termed Muhammad Yunus as 'corrupt' and said Yunus had no right to ruin Bangladesh's abroad. While the Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam expressed his worries over the issue.

On the same day at another function, Finance minister A M A Muhith said he sees no 'fault' in the diversion of Tk 7 billion aid from Grameen Bank to another company if the bank's claim of 'understanding' in this regard with the Norwegian government was true.

When the prime minister's attention was attracted to the differing comments made by her party stalwarts, Sheikh Hasina replied, "We want Bangladesh's image to brighten abroad. The finance minister also wanted the same while he made the comments."
(Source:Daily Independent)