The Walmart of moral bankruptcy?
This is the story of a simple man who became a global icon. His life is an example of how greatness can arise from humble beginnings. It is the story of a man who had a simple idea that germinated into a reformation of banking for the poor. Loved and hailed the world over as a leader and a visionary. An undisputed global landmark and asset for Bangladesh.
“Visionary” is an often abused word, yet in his case, it is not an exaggeration. His work exemplifies an idea that has had a positive global impact.
His is the story of a role model for those who desperately need one in modern day Bangladesh and, dare I say, the world at large. It is a shame therefore that we haven’t honoured him at all.
In a Macbethian tragedy, political leaders have not found the fortitude to listen to his wisdom and use it for the betterment of our impoverished nation. People need leaders. They need new ideas. They need an example of a person who can change the world with a simple idea so they can believe that they can do it themselves. We need simple and practical ideas to solve real problems. He has popularised so many wonderful solutions to issues we face today that it is tragic that no one with any real power in Bangladesh ever seems to listen to him.
You would think the country would be up in arms against the unfair and counterproductive treatment of this man who highlights positively the name of Bangladesh every single day of his life. I am sure by now you know who I am talking about. It is an active shame on our part, because we all know deep inside that what is happening isn’t right.
Dr Muhammad Yunus deserves better for all he has done. The least we can do is give his work the minimum respect that it deserves. What example is what the powers that be are doing today, setting to our society?
Work hard. Work diligently. Be a good citizen. Serve your nation and your people for life. Be recognised the world over benefiting your country’s reputation. Then one fine day when you wake up, we will launch a campaign to discredit you and dismantle what you have built all your life.
It makes no sense. It’s unjust. It’s unfair. There is no other way to put it. I have been lectured on the legality of this all and I can argue otherwise, but seldom if at all, have I been told that all these attacks were morally justifiable. That it was necessary.
Do not shrug off your own responsibility in all this. For all the universal love this man has garnered, the upper echelons of our society never really truly loved him. As far back as I can remember, there have been persistent bad mouthing of this man in educated and well off circles. Naive person that I am I never have been able to fathom why.
However today it makes sense to me that collectively a lot of people are envious of his achievements and often use random, unsubstantiated claims against him and his accomplishment. So to me it’s clear that envy and schadenfreude play a role in fuelling the elitist hate of this man.
We derive pleasure from pulling him down. He disturbs the status quo. He does simple things and solves problems that others have not attempted to or at all have succeeded in doing so, and that disturbs them. He rattles traditionalism and established norms. He emancipates women from their traditional shackles.
That scares our politicians, religious bigots and sexist upper class. So they avoid embracing him even when it is clear that it would be beneficial for everyone to do so. They attempt to hinder his work, malign his reputation and to destroy the organisation he built, a Nobel prize-winning organisation at that.
The open attacks are often peppered with surreptitious ones which are laced with envy, are childish and embarrassing, for example when a Bangladeshi minister recently proclaimed to the media that Grameen Bank was no one’s personal property.
Yes, honourable minister, we know. Thanks for a lesson in the obvious. Neither is it justifiably yours to run. It belongs to the people who can see through this attempt. The government may have invested in the bank’s development but they put their bet on Dr Yunus’ vision when they did so and not on some random Tom, Dick or Harry, whom you hope to choose to run this prestigious organisation.
Minus the man who founded Grameen Bank, his direction and his ideas, the logical investment decision for the government would be for it to pull out funds from the bank if it is the people’s money that concerns them so much.
There is far more investment wisdom in exiting with your stake than in taking over an organisation that doesn’t have the very people who made it great in the first place. Oh, wait, apologies, that isn’t your intention, is it?
So, in the absence of our own government and prominent social voices failing to protect Dr Yunus and Grameen, it is uniquely disconcerting when foreign representatives, of which there are many, like US Congressman Holt, end up filling that void and have had put pressure on the government to back off, in what can only be seen to be the most demeaning way to do so, by talking down to us and issuing threats of future cooperation.
Could this saga have been avoided? Yes. Could we have benefited from a more symbiotic relationship with the man himself? Yes. Are we harming Bangladesh by not doing so? Yes. Isn’t it unfair and unjust to bring a legendary figure like him down for no good reason? Yes. Then why aren’t we all up in arms to stop this?
The truth is, no one cares deeply enough because we truly have become the Walmart of moral bankruptcy, having perfected the art of silently watching from the sidelines as our future as a nation is being tossed up in the air.
We are ignoring and attacking Dr Yunus, one of our own, for no reason. We do so at our own peril, risking further damage to Bangladesh’s already poor image worldwide.
Originally published at www.dhakatribune.com on June 30, 2013.
