‘We are living in fear’

Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday said he and his colleagues are living in fear because of the "unlawful" takeover of offices at the Grameen Telecom Bhaban by a group of outsiders.

"We are in a difficult situation," Prof Yunus said. "The crisis is deepening."

On February 12, a group of people, claiming to be affiliated with Grameen Bank, barged into the Grameen Telecom Bhaban, and said the current board of Grameen Bank appointed seven directors, including the chairman, for Grameen Kalyan and Grameen Telecom, two social business ventures established by Yunus.

"Some people stormed our offices and declared that they would occupy them. What kind of demand is that?" Yunus said. 

Prof Yunus made the remarks on a talk show hosted by Khaled Muhiuddin of DW Bangla, which was aired live on YouTube.

Yunus, the champion of microcredit and social business models, which are aimed at alleviating poverty and addressing social issues, said he sought help from the police, but did not get any support, while the outsiders occupied the offices of several social business organisations.

"We went to the police and they said that they could not do anything about it. And they did nothing, so where will we go?" he added.

 "In the panic created by the occupiers, employees in the entire office building, including the female staff, felt terrorised. So the problem is worsening, not lessening."

Prof Yunus further pointed out the "fearful state they were in", as people besieged the building amid slogans, making it a "very critical situation".

Responding to a question on what could be the reason for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to dislike him, Prof Yunus said: "She thinks I am the worst thug, a criminal, a usurer and a bribe taker. She just says anything she wants probably because she has a very bad opinion of me."

Yunus also spoke on Grameen Bank's ties with Grameen Telecom, which holds a 34.2 percent stake in Bangladesh's biggest telecom operator Grameenphone.

"Grameen Bank had earlier been authorised to nominate the chairman [for Grameen Telecom and Grameen Kalyan]. After we were removed from Grameen Bank, we thought that it was no longer needed, so it was eliminated. No other changes were made," said Prof Yunus.

Prof Yunus also expressed his resolute commitment to continuing to work for Bangladesh, as he was asked why he was still living in the country when he could live in any part of the world.

"Why should I leave the country? Have I become an evil son of this land or does my condition warrant so? As a son of this country, I will stay here and do what I have been doing for the country, and will continue to do so as long as I live," he said.

Responding to the allegation of money laundering against his institutions, he said he is being labelled as the "biggest problem" in the country.

Prof Yunus, one of today's most trenchant social critics, also touched on his aspirations of building a new world of three zeros – zero carbon emissions, zero resource concentration and zero unemployment. The world of three zeros aims to bring forth a new civilisation from the economic experiments his work has helped to inspire.

In another interview with ZEIT ONLINE, a news outlet based in Germany, Prof Yunus said, "They might put me in jail. Also, I fear that whatever has been built will be destroyed," 

The situation is "very alarming" and "very bleak", he said.

"Our offices have been taken over by strangers. A crowd of about 35 people entered the new building which houses the headquarters of our social business companies and they passed the security guards, jumped over security barriers, and announced to take over the eight companies.

"…They locked the offices with their own locks as they left the building for the night. The next morning they came back, and opened the locks to let in the staff of the companies. With each day, they have become more aggressive."

When asked who is behind the recent attacks, Prof Yunus said, "In Bangladesh everybody knows how these things happen. We are not supposed to name names; it brings heavy consequences."

Referring to the report that Alexei Navalny died in Russia while imprisoned, the German media asked whether Prof Yunus was worried. He replied, "I leave it to my destiny."

Yunus said that many of his friends from abroad invite him to go to their countries. "I have been offered citizenship, resources and research facilities at universities. But I don't want to leave Bangladesh. I always tell them I have been working in Bangladesh all my life. Also, if I go, what happens to the many people I work with? Once I leave, nobody will know what happens to those people who gave their lives to build these amazing institutions for the world."