Gandhi TODAY
Congratulates The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2006
Dr. Muhammad Yunus

The Nobel Lecture by Dr. Muhammad Yunus
(Oslo, December 10, 2006)
Peace should be understood in a human way in a broad social, political and economic way.
Peace is threatened by unjust economic, social and political order, absence of democracy,
environmental degradation and absence of human rights.

Poverty is the absence of all human rights.

We get what we want, or what we don't refuse.
If we firmly believe that poverty is unacceptable to us, and that
it should not belong to a civilized society, we would have built
appropriate institutions and policies to create a poverty-free world.

The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony 2006
VIDEO from Oslo City Hall, Norway »

Nobelpriset 2006 - fredsprisutdelningen
SVT 2 sönd. 10 dec. kl. 12.50-14.30
INBJUDNA TILL OSLO
Mohammad Sabur och Ingeborg Sevastik, Östhammar,
driver projektet A Step for Development.
Mohammad Sabur kom till Sverige som politisk flykting i början av 1990-talet
och är i dag ersättare i riksdagen för vänsterpartiet.
Ingeborg Sevastik har regelbundet besökt Bangladesh i elva år
och är vice ordförande i FARR, Flyktinggruppernas och asylkommittéernas riksråd.
Några av hennes artiklar:
Kvinnomakt i Gazipur
(Internationalen, 30 nov. 2004)
Besök i en secondary school i Savar-distriktet i Bangladesh
(Sydasien, 29 sept. 2003)
Dr. Yunus besöker SIDA och Stockholm
(Vänsterpartiet Östhammar, jan. 2001)


Articles in English
SHOULD I JOIN POLITICS?
Letter from Prof. Yunus
(The Daily Star, Feb. 11, 2007)
My personal letter to you
Dear citizen,
I am writing this letter to you with the hope of receiving a personal reply from you.
You might have noticed in what situation many people requested me to join politics and why I had to consider it with utmost importance.
I, like you, witnessed where our political culture has brought the country and how it attempted to destroy the country's future possibilities.
The way the present caretaker government is trying to create an acceptable atmosphere by carrying out necessary reforms
has made me optimistic along with all citizens of the country.
In this situation, I feel it with my heart that I should, showing due respect to the people's expectation of me,
participate in the mission of taking the nation to the height it deserves. »

MUHAMMAD YUNUS CRITICAL OF POLITICS FOR MONEY
(Kerala Next, Jan. 18, 2007)
Crisis-wracked Bangladesh's politicians are concerned only about making money, says Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
"It's about power, power to make money. There is no ideological thing, simply who gets the bigger booty,"
Yunus said of the struggle between the main political parties to wrest control of the government.
"Nothing gets done unless you pay the bribe. It's a part of life. It's not the law or the rule anymore, it's how you are paying,"
he said, stressing that he was speaking of people on "both sides, not one side," of the divide. »

JALIL CENSURES YUNUS FOR COMMENTS AGAINST POLITICIANS
(UNB, Dhaka Jan. 19, 2007)
Terming as unfortunate the sweeping criticism against politicians by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus,
Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil today said his warlike attitude against the politicians made us worried.
On his return from Kolkata, Jalil told a press conference at the party’s Dhanmondi office that as a Nobel peace prize winner
Yunus’ remarks against the politicians made his position controversial and put him under question. »


BANGLADESH NOBEL LAUREATE SUED FOR DEFAMATION
(Narinjara, Jan. 23, 2007)
New Bangladesh Nobel laureate, Professor Muhammad Yunus, is being sued for defamation
by a politician for Yunus's recent remarks about Bangladesh's politicians, reports a Bangladesh newspaper.
Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus said in a recent interview with Agency France-Press that Bangladeshi politicians
work for money only, and do not pursue any ideology. »


DR. YUNUS' COMMENT AND POLITICIANS' COUNTERATTACK
Letters to Editor (The Daily Star, Jan. 22, 2007)
...Surprisingly, for the first time, Abdul Jalil and Mannan Bhuiyan, representing the two corrupt and rival political dynasties,
the AL and BNP respectively, have found a common ground to grind their axes in public.
Some "leftists" and "former leftists" have also joined the bandwagon to demolish Dr. Yunus.
The Workers' Party is the latest to join the foray. Taking Yunus to task for calling a spade a spade,
the WP reminded him that politicians had achieved whatever Bangladesh can be proud of, including its independence.
Somebody should tell these narcissist politicians that as a father has no right to kill his children,
so politicians responsible for the freedom of Bangladesh have no right whatsoever to rob and destroy the country.... »


NOBEL WINNER CRITICISES 'TERRIBLE' BUSH
(AFP, Jan. 21, 2007)
US President George W Bush is a terrible leader who has done tremendous damage worldwide,
Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said in an interview published overnight.
"Bush is a terrible leader, not only for the United States but for the entire world,"
Yunus, a 66-year-old micro-credit pioneer and "banker to the poor", told El Mundo newspaper.
"He has led the world on a dangerous path and it will take a
lot of time to take it back on the right one," he was quoted as saying. »


Artiklar på svenska
INGEN FRED UTAN RÄTTVISA
TVÅ PROCENT av världens mest rika äger 85 procent av världens tillgångar.
När kortsiktiga vinstintressen går före den medmänskliga omsorgen är det storskaliga krig som gäller.
Nobels fredskommitté har med årets val av fredspristagare vidgat fredsbegreppet
på ett betydelsefullt sätt som Gandhi högt skulle ha uppskattat.»


ETT HOPP FÖR VÄRLDENS FATTIGA
"Vi bangladeshier i Sverige, som befinner oss på sextontusen mils avstånd,
vill av hela vårt hjärta gratulera. Valet av Mohammad Yunus ger hopp, mod och inspiration
för svaga och fattiga i samhället att kämpa vidare." »


ATT FÖRVANDLA FATTIGDOM TILL FRED
Mohammad Yunus och Grameen Banks mikrokrediter har genomgått samma stadier
som alla konstruktiva idéer. Något som även Gandhi observerade:
"Först blir du nonchalerad, sedan utskrattad, sedan bekämpad. Därefter uppnår du respekt."

Årets fredspris är därför också ett pris för mod och uthållighet. »


DR. YUNUS RESA UT I VERKLIGHETEN
Lisbeth Linderborg (Sydsvenskan, 8 dec. 2006)
"I en tid som alltmer kommit att domineras av aktienyheter och börsnoteringar
är hans fokus på den onödiga fattigdomen av största betydelse för mänskligheten."


TVÅ SKILDA VÄRLDAR
Ensidig vinstmaximering står mot det sociala företagandet
Peter Franke (Värmlands Folkblad, 19 dec 2006)
Den karismatiske Yunus besök i Sverige har fått marknadsliberalerna att gå i spinn.
På ledarsidor och bland direktörer hyllas Yunus och Grameen Bank
som ett bevis på kapitalismens förträfflighet. Det är en mycket enögd och inskränkt förenkling.
Muhammad Yunus är tvärtom stenhård i kritiken mot den endimensionella kapitalism
som har vinstmaximering som enda mål. Det systemet har inte befriat världen från fattigdom,
det har i stället bidragit till att öka klyftorna, skövla naturtillgångarna och förstöra miljön. »


Creating a Poverty-Free World
ASHOKA DVDs (3 min. 13 sec.)