"Banker to the Poor" gives up on political mission

The Banker to the Poor abandons his grand ambition of creating a new political party in Bangladesh. He had envisioned a party that would be completely different in its outlook and structure, away from the daily violence and corruptions entrenched in every political layer of this impoverished nation. Professor Yunus who had won Nobel Prize in Peace for 2006 and achieved huge attentions from around the world including bringing tremendous pride and joys to hundreds of millions of Bangladeshis, poor or rich, had made a few pragmatic suggestions last year in the middle of Bangladeshi political instability and unstoppable violence "calling on the leaders of the two major political parties to sign a peace accord and form a coalition government whatever the election results. Yunus presented a draft proposal, according to which the losing party in the election would still get one third of the posts in the cabinet. The tenure of the coalition government would be one year and it would be charged with devising a long-term solution to the political crisis."

Like many other "decent ideas" in Bangladesh, his prudent vision for a politically stable Bangladesh weren't heed at that moment of political turbulence. Building a political party is quite a different matter than building a revolutionary financial institution like Grameen Bank that Professor Yunus had founded with his bold leadership and winning strategies. It takes certain amount of temperament and "cunning" political cognition that honorable economist like Professor Yunus possibly could have found unpleasant to the least, and repugnant to the most. It would be advantageous for the economic and social progresses in Bangladesh if Professor Yunus and respected scholars like him could still play pivotal roles, like a master strategist or visionary theorist whose politically and socially inventive ideas gets practical implementation by the seasoned realists in the field of chaotic democracy.

Regards,
Sohel

Link to the Daily Star article:
Prof Yunus gives up on political mission