The way Dr. Yunus befools the world

by Zahid Al Amin
January 24, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/444/the-way-dr-yunus-befools-the-world

Dr. Muhammed Yunus and his Nobel prize winning Grameen Bank continues to project Jobra village and Sufia Begum as example of their excellent success stories to the international audience. Through such campaign, Dr. Muhammed Yunus has attained tremendous attention of the international community. He is by now known in the entire world as the 'pioneer' of micro credit, for which he got Nobel Peace prize few years back. Dr. Yunus enjoys high esteemed in the international arena and maintains close connections with a number of global leaders. In brief, Dr. Yunus is truly a very high profile individual.

For months, extensive investigation into the so-called success models of Grameen Bank and Dr. Yunus were initiated by Bangladesh's most influential newspaper Weekly Blitz. On the basis of such investigation, series of stories of virtual fraud by this high profile man was unearthed.

Sufia Khatun is the first borrower of loan from Dr. Yunus's Grameen Bank. Her name has already crossed international boundaries of many countries, as Grameen Bank proudly pronounces her name as one of the brilliant success stories of their micro-credit loans. But, many are yet to know the real stories. The stories of deception by Dr. Yunus and his Grameen Bank! They even do not know, how Sufia Begum passed her last days of life and how the members of her family are living in extreme poverty in present days.

Almost one decade back, Sufia Begum died due to extreme poverty and lack of any minimum medical treatment. When documentary films were being made on this woman, she was living as a beggar. People of Jobra village are still remaining as witness of such extreme sorrows of Sufia Begum. Though Dr. Yunus and Grameen Bank claimed to have helped Sufia Begum in erecting her own building, in reality, she used to live in a almost broken hut, where her family members are living till now.

Sufia Begum's daughter Halima [48] and Noor Nahar [45] still lives on begging. Seeing this correspondent both the sisters said that they were left absolutely pauper and have to beg for survival. But on investigation, it was found that, Sufia Begum died in 1998 due to extreme poverty and local people had to collect donations for her funeral and burial. One of her grand daughters died few years back due to poverty.

The house, which is shown by Dr. Yunus and Grameen Bank as Sufia's is actually owned by one Jabel Hussain who lives in Dubai [United Arab Emirates]. Jabel Hussain has instructed his relatives in Bangladesh to sue Dr. Yunus and Grameen bank if his house is ever shown as Sufia's in future.

Jabel Hussain said, "Dr. Yunus is a fraud. How he managed to get the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize? This prize should be immediately withdrawn from this monster".

Dr. Muhammed Yunus gave TK. 20 [US$ 0.30] to Sufia Begum Years back as loan with the condition of returning in time with interest. Sufia Begum returned that money and got second loan of Tk. 500 from Yunus. She was so excited that spread the news in the entire village. This was the beginning of Grammen Bank concept. But, most of the borrowers, who took money from Dr. Yunus, gradually turned poor to poorest as they were compelled to pay regular interests. In Jobra village alone, a large number of villagers have already been turned into pauper by Dr. Yunus and his Grameen Bank.

Uday Kumar Barua, a resident of Jobra village told Shaptahik 2000 that, even a single person in the Jobra village was not benefited by Dr. Yunus. Most of the borrowers turned completely pauper and they even had to sell their homes for paying the loan interest and left the village. Many of them even ended up as baggers.

Even after having Hillary Clinton in one of the Grameen bank's project at Rishi Palli at Moshihati, shrewd Yunus initiated a project named 'Hillary Adarsha' [Hillary Model] and started distributing loans to the locals. Although Hillary Clinton was given assurance of providing soft-term loan to the poor villagers, in reality, they [the villagers] were to pay 30-40 per cent interest.

Commenting on Sufia Begum's family, a neighbor named Muhammed Rokunazzaman told this correspondent that this family is the poorest in the village.

Dr. Yunus continues to keep the virtual ownership of Grameen Bank and all other enterprises established under this umbrella in his own hand. He recently forced Mr. Dipal Chandra Barua, who climbed into the position of Deputy Managing Director of Grameen Bank through his hard work since its inception. Following his forced removal, Dipal Barua told local press that, Dr. Yunus does not want anyone to ride into the top position of the bank, as he loves to maintain this organization as a mere one-man-show.

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