The government’s move to spilt the Grameen Bank was a ‘heinous kind of attempt’ to destroy the self-reliant organisation, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said on Monday.
‘The government say they are going to take it over. They will split it into 19 pieces. How dare they say that? What kind of government is it?’ Yunus threw the question addressing the monthly luncheon meeting of American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.
The Noble laureate said that if the Grameen Bank was split, it would be destruction of the most prestigious and most efficient organisation owned especially by poor women and built by their money.
He said, ‘We are in a hostile environment in last two-and-a-half years.’
AmCham president Aftab ul Islam and executive director A Gafur also spoke.
Yunus also highlighted the concept of social business and shared his experience of social business in Scotland, England, and Sweden.
He said the idea of social business is finding a permanent solution of problems, instead of temporary solution. ‘The social business is a problem solving enterprise. The challenge for us is to get ideas to solve problems,’ he said.
Yunus also urged the audiences to come up with ideas on social business. ‘You have lot of ideas. Send them to us, we will find investors or entrepreneurs, if you don’t have investment. We are the match marker,’ he said.
Regarding Rana Plaza collapse, he said it was
a trauma for the nation. ‘It is our national duty to
solve the problem. We cannot walk away from it,’ he said.
He also asked foreign brands not to walk away from Bangladesh. ‘You are businessmen and businessmen don’t walk away, they take the challenge and solve the problem,’ he said.
‘Come back to Bangladesh, solve the problem and make the country’s garment sector best in the world. We will work together,’ he added.
-With New Age input