Comments on: Who Has Muhammad Yunus’ Back?

By: Yunus, Grameen & Bangladesh: What Are the Facts? «

Yunus, Grameen & Bangladesh: What Are the Facts? « — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:32:51 +0000

[...] Who Has Muhammad Yunus’ Back? [...]

By: Center for Financial Inclusion

Center for Financial Inclusion — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:54:09 +0000

Dear Mr. Shoemaker,

Thank you for sharing your perspective, and thank you for reading. More on Dr. Yunus’ case will be appearing on this blog soon.

Best regards,

Center Staff

By: Cristian Shoemaker

Cristian Shoemaker — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:39:04 +0000

While noting with respect the achievements of Dr. Yunus and Grameen, there is a lesson here. Mixing one’s interest in participating in politics, while actively serving in a leadership role for a financial institution, especially one with 8 million clients, is unwise. Although in an ideal world that would not be the case, it is in the world we live in. Unfortunately it is difficult to reach for honey and not get stung.

By: Center for Financial Inclusion

Center for Financial Inclusion — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:13:17 +0000

Dear Mr. Burgess,

Your point is well taken and we appreciate that you took the time to share your perspective. We intend to keep careful track of Dr. Yunus’ case as it develops. There is no way that this appalling situation can receive too much scrutiny, and much remains to be done by the microfinance community to respond.

Best regards,
Center Staff

By: Center for Financial Inclusion

Center for Financial Inclusion — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:09:49 +0000

Dear Mr. Sprung,

Thank you for reading and contributing your thoughts. We appreciate it, and we hope you’ll visit this blog again to learn more about the attack on Dr. Yunus and the industry response.

Best regards,
Center Staff

By: Peter Burgess

Peter Burgess — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 06:55:28 +0000

I am pretty disgusted at political leadership in general, but the situation in Bangladesh is bad news and worth paying attention to. If political performance was anything like as good as the Muhammad Yunus and Grameen performance, the world would be a much better place. I am about the same age as Dr. Yunus, and the age issue is coming up. As I get older I am realizing that issues that are arising are many times because younger people do not have a good history of experience … and in some ways worse than it used to be because of so much silo specialization and reliance on academic research rather than operational experience. Anyway … wish Dr. Yunus well.

By: Andrew Sprung

Andrew Sprung — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:04:42 +0000

It’s astounding that the Bangladeshi government does not even attempt to cloak its hostility in even a marginally credible pretext. Grameen’s interest rates are too high? They’re among the lowest in the industry. A slanted documentary charged wrongdoing? The allegedly wronged Norwegian government found none. Finally, the Bank of Bangladesh is shocked, shocked to discover that Mr. Yunus is over 60 years old (he’s 70).

The wrong is not just to Mr. Yunus. The Grameen Bank he found is a flagship institution for the microfinance industry. An arbitrary change of management could be a blow it its viability — and so to the well-being of its millions of clients. That is the real shame.