US Senators urge Hasina to treat Yunus with respect

Expressing concern over the dismissal of Muhammad Yunus as head of the pioneering Grameen Bank that he founded nearly three decades ago, six influential US Senators have asked Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to treat the Nobel laureate with dignity and respect.

"We strongly encourage you to work with Professor Yunus to find an amicable solution to this unfortunate situation — one that treats him with the dignity he deserves while preserving the effectiveness and operational integrity of Grameen Bank for the millions of Bangladeshis who depend on it, as well as for your nation's reputation as the home of the microcredit movement," six Senators wrote in a letter to Sheikh Hasina.

The letter signed by Senators Richard Durbin, Sherrod Brown, Michael Bennet, John Boozman, Rush Holt and Michael Enzi, was sent to Hasina on Monday and released to the press yesterday.

Writing to express serious concern over the Government of Bangladesh's recent dismissal of Yunus as Managing Director of Grameen Bank, the Senators said with Professor Yunus at the helm, Grameen Bank has played a leading role in a global movement to lift millions of the world's poorest people out of poverty using the innovative microcredit concept that he pioneered.

"The bank's world renowned success in that effort has helped millions of Bangladeshis rise from poverty and has brought recognition to Professor Yunus, Grameen Bank, and Bangladesh," they said.

"We are troubled by what appears to have been a months-long effort on the part of the Bangladeshi government to discredit Professor Yunus and remove him as Managing Director while increasing government influence at Grameen Bank," the Senators wrote.

"These efforts raise concerns about the government's motivations and the impact such efforts may have on the strong and important US-Bangladesh relationship.

Additionally, the potential for these actions to have a destabilising effect on Grameen puts the effectiveness and long-term integrity of the bank and its critical programs at great risk," they said.

"Quite simply, it would be very disappointing to see Bangladesh’s thriving civil society, microfinance sector, and international reputation negatively affected by actions that stand to damage the integrity of Grameen Bank," the Senators wrote.

Durbin has long supported Dr Yunus and his work at the Grameen Bank.

Last year, Durbin sponsored a resolution to award Dr Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the US.

"Dr Yunus has given hope to millions through his Grameen Bank. For more than thirty years, his theory of microenterprise has become a phenomenon – touching the lives of more than 100 million people around the world.

It is hard to think of any single idea in our lifetime which has lifted so many people out of the deepest depths of poverty," Durbin said in a statement.