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Response poor, says Yunus

Haroon Habib

Muhammad Yunus

DHAKA: After a three-month experiment, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has abandoned his political mission, admitting failure to get proper response from the people he wanted in his political team. The Grameen Bank founder, who received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, said he now realised he would not be successful even after a long wait in the difficult domain of politics.

"People gave me inspiration to enter politics. But when I contacted them, I did not get much response," said Dr. Yunus, who in his third letter to the people on Thursday formally retracted from floating his party Nagarik Shakti (Citizens' Power), which he projected as "an alternative to the corrupt and dysfunctional politics".

He apologised to the people for pulling out. "I took the decision to step aside before forming the party not to frustrate you further." He would fully support a new party that provided an alternative taking advantage of the "rare opportunities" offered by the state of emergency and resultant reforms. A staunch critique of the old guards in politics, the micro-credit pioneer said he took the decision to join politics with a dream of national unity, peace, non-communality, rapid economic growth, and creating a new political trend free of corruption and confrontation. However, some critics said his approach was individualistic and without any basic ideology.

Dr. Yunus's decision to join politics raised hope among a section in the changed political scenario, while the major political leaders gave him a cautious welcome. Some saw his venture as an effort to float the "King's Party." Now leaders of the major parties have welcomed the "wise decision" of Dr. Yunus as they are passing through a difficult phase under the military-backed interim government.

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