There has been growing global attention being paid to the persecution of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, especially since his farcical trial began on August 22. Now the Economist, long known for its trenchant and in-depth of Bangladesh, has weighed in—following up an important article in late 2022.
These two articles, plus a recent one in the Financial Times, clearly contradict the false narrative that human rights abuses and the treatment of Professor Yunus in Bangladesh are not newsworthy. To the extent these important developments have not been covered by some international media, it mainly due to the difficulty they have had securing visas to visit and report on Bangladesh.
The new Economist article, titled “Bangladesh is lurching towards repressive one-party rule,” is scathing yet truthful. It begins: “To foreign donors, development wonks and some of the world’s poorest people, Muhammad Yunus is a hero. The Bangladeshi economist, social entrepreneur and founder of Grameen Bank pioneered the use of microloans and other services for those too marginalised to access conventional banking systems. In 2006 Mr Yunus won the Nobel peace prize for his work in grassroots development—empowering the most impecunious. The model he helped pioneer did much to improve economic, social and health conditions in Bangladesh. It has since spread across continents. Yet to Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the prime minister who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 (and once before), Mr Yunus is diabolical. With a general election due in January, she salts campaign speeches with attacks on him.”
It continues, “Sheikh Hasina appears to find it unbearable that anyone might oppose or outshine her. The 75-year-old leader, whose father was Bangladesh’s first president, talks as if she will be in charge for ever. The coming election may seal Bangladesh’s descent into a one-party state.
“Sheikh Hasina’s sense of entitlement to Bangladesh is rooted in tragic loss… Yet the personality cult she has built for her assassinated father—and by extension herself—is pernicious. Those who join this cult are assisting a regime thick with cronyism and corruption. In return for backing the government, favoured tycoons win banking licences and other plums. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s years of strong economic performance look imperilled. Its economic growth is far too reliant on one sector, clothing, as well as on remittances from Bangladeshis toiling overseas.
“This amounts to a dreadful threat to Bangladesh’s progress.”
Expect more commentary about this crisis in the days ahead.