PM badly advised

Prof Yunus tells BBC

Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would not have criticised him and the Grameen Bank if she had enough information about them.
Last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused microcredit organisations of sucking the blood of poor, apparently pointing the finger at Grameen Bank.
But in an interview with the BBC's Lesley Curwen, Yunus said, “I would say she has been badly advised. She did not have proper information. If she had, she would not have that idea about Grameen Bank.”
The microcredit pioneer wished if he had the time with her to explain and show her what Grameen Bank actually is, the situation would have been completely different since the prime minister is an intelligent person.
The founder of Grameen Bank said he wished he could have a very smooth and pleasant transition. “That is what I was looking for, as it is a huge organisation with 8.3 million people [clients] nationwide and 25,000 staff.”
He said nobody wants to do anything that rocks and shakes Grameen Bank, which he has been running for the last 34 years.
Yunus said the sudden resignation could make people very nervous. “This is a bank not like other banks. This is a bank which is based on trust. Everything is done on the basis of trust.”
Yunus said the accusation of being a blood sucker created a lot of tension in the country, as the government is very cautious in dealing with Grameen Bank.
He also shrugged off claims that Grameen Bank charges exorbitantly high interest. “The review committee [formed to report on Grameen Bank activities] came with the conclusion that we have the lowest interest among all microfinance institutions in Bangladesh,” he said.