Former Bangladeshi president who praised the enterprising spirit of Thailand, writes Jitsiree Thongnoi
The plan of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus ‘ visit to Thailand on April 3 through 4 was dictated by back-to-back meetings, both formal and informal, while engaging with political and business leaders in Bangkok.
However, when he gave the 84-year-old an exclusive meeting hours before his scheduled departure from Thailand next week, he however appeared cheerful and optimistic about his current job of leading and aiding in the creation of a fresh Bangladesh.
In August 2024, Prof. Yunus took the position of chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, which he had done in response to youth-led presentations that had toppled the Hasina government. This was a turning point for critics who referred to as” Bangladesh’s second independence.”
According to Prof. Yunus, a sweeping national reform is taking place in the court, banks, and other industries under the” July Charter,” a paper that is still being drafted and making reference to the July 2024 trend.
The younger people who contributed to this development have a responsibility to create a fresh Bangladesh. Corruption, abuse, and horrors were prevalent in the ancient Bangladesh. And we want to shift away from that in favor of the principle of law and human rights.”
” We established a number of income to provide feedback on how we must change the program. Therefore, by December, there will be an election, or [if the transformation takes longer, ] it might be in June 2026.
Thailand gave Bangladesh the Bimstec chair for the next two decades next week.
Prof. Yunus assured that Bangladesh will continue to uphold the constitutional right of all of its people, including those who belong to ethnic and religious immigrants.
He also demanded that Bimstec take more bold and proactive steps to encourage security in the Rakhine State and make it possible for the Rohingyas to return to their homes.
CHANGE THE Program
Prof. Yunus ‘ labor has always been about altering the system, starting with Grameen Bank, an organization he founded in 1983 in Bangladesh in 1983.
The banks system operates on the idea that the more you already have, the more I’ll give you, but that if you don’t already have something, I didn’t give you anything at all.
I said,” That’s bad. It ought to be the opposite.” Thus, this is how the concept of microlending came about.
The Nobel Laureate has no ancestry in Thailand. In cooperation with local businesses and academic institutions, he co-founded Yunus Thailand, a foundation that promotes microfinance and cultural business mobility.
At the end of this time, Grameen Bank is preparing to open a branch in Thailand.
Prof. Yunus thinks that Grameen Bank could provide an alternative to casual debt problems and loan fish in Thailand.
” People are drawn to product fish by their despair, but once you enter, you can never leave.”
The battle against borrowing fish started with Graceen Bank. People repay their personal passions with microlending. The more you pay up, the more money you receive.
He also thinks that Thai people have the same enterprising spirit as everyone else and only need funding. In the southwestern province of Satun, Yunus Thailand has assisted in the development of a seaweed solution for 50 women entrepreneurs.
The emphasis is on keeping women in the community, as Grameen Bank has done for years in lots of nations around the world.
People “have the will and resolve to change their lives.” When you give them the chance, they may work diligently to prevent this possibility from vanishing.
” Thai people are innovative, we don’t have to train them,” he said,” but if you don’t have access to money, your brain sleeps.”