Mahtab Uddin Ahmed

In Bangladesh, we have a special talent for feeding the stable owner, polishing the saddle, praising the horse and then wondering why the rider is still walking barefoot.

We have a tradition. When we cannot solve a problem, we form a committee. When we do not want to solve it, we form an inquiry committee.

We often see discrimination only when it becomes loud, ugly, and reportable. But most discrimination in Bangladesh does not arrive with a microphone

There is an old corporate truth in Bangladesh: everyone admires integrity until it begins to disturb someone important.

The news was so uplifting that one could almost picture an emergency meeting of the “Chor Samity”, “Dakat Association”, “People Looter Forum” and the esteemed “Bank Looters Welfare Council”. Tea was poured. Samosas arrived. A solemn resolution was passed.

One evening in Dhaka, a man shouted “chor, chor” and “dhor, dhor”, and within seconds a crowd appeared with the efficiency of a flash sale.

In many offices, teamwork means eight people joining a meeting, three speaking, two pretending their internet is unstable, one sharing the wrong screen, and the rest saying, “Fully aligned.”

When a company runs into financial trouble, the first casualty is usually logic. The chief executive announces a budget review.

Trump launched the crisis, blamed Iran, blamed Europe, blamed the media, and then asked allies for urgent support. It felt like a bad boss breaking the office printer, shouting at staff, and ending the day with a lecture on teamwork.

Trump seems to treat war like a reality show season finale: loud entry, dramatic lines, and then a tweet-sized promise that everything is under control, while the rest of the world is left counting the bill. Sadly, this is not Hollywood, and countries like Bangladesh end up paying for the popcorn, the petrol and the power cut too.

Numbers rarely lie, even when Trump is in the room. But they do have a habit of whispering truths our profession would rather not discuss over coffee. Bangladesh’s latest audit statistics are doing exactly that.

Three friends from different countries once discussed what made them happiest.

In every office, there’s that “corporate friend” who calls you brother but forwards your email to the boss with “just for visibility.” He borrows your charger, your ideas, and occasionally your lunch. At appraisal time, he suddenly develops selective amnesia about team efforts. Yet at office parties, he hugs you, saying, “We survived together!” “We are one team!” In corporate life, friendships are real, just performance-linked and ego-driven.

Once, leadership meant fixing problems. Today, it means fixing narratives. Roads can wait, facts are negotiable, and applause is a performance metric. The louder the speech, the stronger the leader. Listening is optional, empathy is overrated, and silence is sold as public support.

The CEO and board spent three meetings arguing over his bonus, quoting KPIs and “current market conditions.” The consultant calmly billed for conflict management and facilitation, earning more than the bonus, even though they did not attend the final meeting.

A famous mango seller named Mintu sold the cheapest and juiciest mangoes. One night, the inspector discovered mangoes were being stolen from the government orchard.

Every society has its unwelcome truth tellers. In Bangladesh, we treat them with refined politeness.

If Bangladesh suddenly bans social media for everyone under sixteen, the first shock will not shake the earth. It will shake the nation’s emotions.

There is an old joke in corporate circles: a burglar breaks into a house, finds nothing worth stealing, and leaves a thank-you note for wasting his time.

If digital banking were a cricket match, Bangladesh would still be warming up while Kenya and Ghana are already batting in the Super Over. The idea is simple: if a country wants to take banking to the unbanked, it must go where the unbanked actually live, outside traditional banking halls, far away from the marble floors and token queues. Most African nations figured this out early.