[Muhammad Yunus] Nobel winner may enter politics

from The BBC

The Bangladeshi Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has announced that he may form his own political party.

Mr Yunus said he was disillusioned with the two main political parties, and may launch a nationwide movement to find "honest" parliamentary candidates.

He said he may have a role in resolving the country's political stand-off.

Mr Yunus was speaking before leaving for South Korea, where he is to receive another peace prize for his role in developing small loans to the poor.

'Political crisis'

"The country needs different politics," Mr Yunus said.

"If we hold elections and there are no quality candidates, there will be no solution.

"I still put the stress on the movement for quality candidates... If necessary, I will form a political party."

The former economics professor said people were looking for a way out of the present political crisis.

"I'm not saying I can do it. But someone has to try. People are looking for options about how we can get out of this crisis ... this political stand-off.

"So if I can play any role in this regard, I will," he said.

'Banker to the Poor'

Mr Yunus and the Grameen Bank he founded were awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their efforts to lift millions of poor people out of poverty - earning him the nickname "Banker to the Poor".

His microfinance model has been copied in over 100 countries from the US to Uganda.

But Mr Yunus rejected calls for him to lead an independent caretaker administration that will supervise general elections in January, after the government steps down later this month.

"I won't accept an offer to become the chief of a caretaker authority," he said.

Mr Yunus was speaking as a deadlock between the government and opposition over election reforms threatens to jeopardise the polls.

The two sides are due to meet again on Monday in the next round of talks aimed at resolving their differences.

The main opposition Awami League and its 13 leftist allies have threatened to boycott the polls unless the governing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) replaces key officials of the interim administration who they accuse of being pro-government.

The BNP is due to hand over power to the interim administration on October 27.

On Monday, Mr Yunus made a strong appeal to Bangladesh's politicians for unity, saying the world's eyes were now on them.

"The whole world is looking at us after the Nobel prize. It's now a perfect time for the two major parties to reach a consensus so we have smooth elections," he said.