Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus said today that people are not getting the benefit of the rule of law.
He was speaking to reporters in front of the Dhaka Metropolitan Senior Special Judge's Court today after it accepted the charges pressed against him and 13 others in a case filed over misappropriation of about Tk 25.22 crore of Grameen Telecom Workers' Profit Participation Fund.
Speaking about social business, he said "… If we follow the path, we'll get that freedom [from misfortune]. We are moving forward in that way. But we're being obstructed at every step."
When asked why they were being obstructed, Prof Yunus replied, "You can judge that. What can we explain?"
"If you turn the pages of newspapers and make a list [incidents], I will tell you. There's no problem, you will see those," he said when asked where there is absence of rule of law.
"I hand over the sack of newspapers to you. There's no point in giving such lectures!"
Asked about the misfortunes of the country, he said, "You are writing every day about that; why are you asking me? The misfortune is that the way people want to live, they can't do that, there is a thing called rule of law… we are not getting that anywhere. You are writing every day about that, we are learning from you."
Yunus, a pioneer of microcredit and social business, said, "We do it for the good of people. That is why, the leaders at home and abroadas well as the workers want to know, understand and they want to apply it [social business] in the country. So, I go to different countries. It is not for my pleasure that I go to various countries, but because of their interest in implementing it [social business]."
"I sometimes feel sad that the whole world wants to learn from Bangladesh, and instead of feeling proud about it, we are acting like we have committed a sin. There was no reason to feel that way. We want the people of the country to be happy that we can be proud as a nation."
"There has been talk of capitalism in the world, there has been talk of communism and it is still happening. We're not preaching any such doctrine! I'm just saying, you can do it [social business] if you wish. If you do, it will be good for the world," he said.
When asked about whether he was getting justice, he replied, "The trial has not started yet."
