Without the protection of the rule of law, business advancement, whether domestic or foreign, becomes a matter of political identity, the right connections and, where appropriate, the deployment of material incentives. Our low FDI inflows compared to other Asian countries stems from potential investors’ concerns over the arbitrary functioning of our institutions.
Without the support of rule-based institutions, civil society remains in danger, living their lives at the mercy of official institutions that hold their financial lifelines in their hands. There are no objective criteria to determine the fate of CSOs which will depend on their equation with the powers that be and their relations with the concerned authorities.
In such a non-institutional universe an attack on the rights of a person of global stature like Muhammad Yunus means that anyone, political opposition, friendless businessmen, CSOs, outspoken individuals will remain an endangered species. In such circumstances we should be mindful that when the bell tolls for someone like Professor Yunus, one day the bell may toll for any one of us.
