Political Quotes

“last week Senators Enzi, Murphy and I introduced a resolution on the political tensions in Bangladesh as that country prepares for a national election on January 5. Since then, Senators Boxer, Boozman, Shaheen, Kaine, Blunt, and Menendez have also cosponsored and yesterday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously in support of the measure. The resolution calls for peaceful political dialogue between the country's various political factions in the hopes that the election will go forward in a credible and peaceful manner. With so much else going on in the world from Ukraine to Iran, one might wonder why focus on elections in Bangladesh? My interest is in part due to the role of Nobel Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional Gold Medal winner Professor Mohammad Yunus, whom many may know from his pioneering work to help the world's poor through microfinance programs. Professor Yunus has done so much to help the poor of Bangladesh and the world, particularly poor women, that former Senator Bob Bennett and I, as well as Congressman Rush Holt, led an effort several years ago to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. That bill passed both chambers of Congress in 2010, and earlier this year we gave him this award in the Capitol Rotunda. It was a deeply moving event.…”