WIKILEAKS EXPOSEYunus wanted Khaleda, Hasina exiled

The Nobel laureate jokingly suggested in April of 2007 that the two leading ladies "maybe sent to work for the UN?"

Dhaka, Sep 19 (bdnews24.com)—Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus broached the idea of ridding Bangladeshi politics of Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia as early as April of 2007.

According to a secret US embassy cable sent on April 16, 2007, Yunus told Geeta Pasi, the deputy head of mission, on April 8 during the military-backed caretaker government, "two ladies" had to be removed from politics.

The Nobel laureate then jokingly, as the cable notes within parentheses, made a suggestion for the disposal of the two leading ladies: "maybe sent to work for the UN?"

The cable, numbered 07DHAKA623, noted that during a meeting with Pasi, Staff Advisor Manpreet Singh Anand of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and another US embassy official, the former Grameen Bank managing director spoke of his preparations to launch his own political party.

"He asserted the government enjoyed strong public support and said the people had plenty of patience and would wait 'as long as it takes' to reform the political system," says the note sent off from Dhaka undersigned by the US ambassador Patricia Butenis.

One of the 2,000 US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks on Aug 30 this year, this cable begins by stating that Yunus was all praise for the military-stewarded caretaker government that was barely into its third month amid a state of emergency.

'Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Mohammad Yunus offered praise of the caretaker government', begins the cable.

The cable notes that although Yunus acknowledged government's mistakes like "mass demolitions of illegal structures which hurt many Grameen Bank clients", he thought the "government had learned from these missteps".

Yunus reportedly said that the government had done a good job on the whole. He said it had an ambitious reform and anti-corruption programme. The cables states: "Be patient with this government," he said. "Its agenda is beautiful."

"The only thing that would jeopardise the popularity of the government would be if the ladies returned to politics," Yunus is quoted as telling the diplomats.

He also told the trio that his party would be officially launched after "the government lifted its ban on political activities" hoping that its core message "would resonate with women and youth".

But Yunus did realise that he was already under attack from media, which made the decision to enter politics difficult. The cable adds, again within parentheses: "They are already going after me," he told us, alluding to media attacks on Grameen Bank and him personally.

However, according to the cable Yunus had brushed off the idea of a national unity government, which he said "would be tantamount to a coup". He then told the US officials: "I won't participate in that."

Yunus was also strongly against army involvement in government. The cable reads, "If the army makes a move to get more involved in government,

[Yunus] urged the diplomatic community to 'hit them as hard as you can' to warn them off that course."

As regards running the government Yunus reportedly said, "I want to earn my way to power from the people."

bdnews24.com/ta/bd/2254h