A Consummate Gentleman
I felt great sadness last night as I deleted the name Sir Fazle Hasan Abed from my Christmas Greetings list.
What an Ambassador for Bangladesh… what an Ambassador for humanity… what a consummate gentleman… what a hero. Of the 160-million population in Bangladesh I doubt if there is another businessman who could come even close matching his rare and fine qualities.
During the two decades of I visiting Bangladesh I never once sighted a controversial report of any description that shadowed his impeccable good name. He was the quiet hero who everyone admired and he avoided the spotlight that so many seek, as if it were cancerous.
His name was synonymous with honourable business practices, humility and humanity. He was honoured with numerous national and international awards for his achievements, none of which he intentionally pursued, but were bestowed in recognition of his admirable works.
He was the silent achiever who transformed the lives of countless people through quality education and by other means.
Just shaking his hand will be remembered as a great honour by many, and rightly so.
His departure is sad, an enormous loss to Bangladesh and the 11 other countries he serviced, but his illustrious name and noble works will live on in the hearts of people eternally.
If only Bangladesh had more people like him… if only the world had more people like him. I fell so honoured to have shaken his hand.
Sir Frank Peters
Gulshan
Dhaka
