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A tribute to Saleheen

By S M Ali
A croas-aectton of people tn this country, not to mention Juat the banking community, mourn the death of Mushfeq us Saleheen who passed away tn a London hospital on Friday It was th* end of a d 1st In gufshed career in banking, spanning nearly four decades, marked by dedication, financial discipline and commitment to public duty
When the news of his death reached here on Saturday, there was hardly anyone in the banking community or In the business world who did not feel a sense of personal loss over the demise of Saleheen A friend who worked with him as his deputy .In one of our leading banks here, soon after liberation, describes the late banker as a legend' whose many qualities of head and heart Included his incredible capacity to remain totally composed and unruffled under pressure It is said that the day his mother passed sway, he choired an Important meeting In the bank. Instead of putting It off which his officers had advised him to do, and conducted the business, keeping the sense of bereavement to himself Such was his commitment to duty, his friend says, which manifested Itself through his chequered career
Saleheen. a graduate of the Presidency College. Calcutta, started his banking career with the Dhaka branch of the former Imperial Bank of India in 1950, an ideal Institution to help In the shaping of the life of a young officer along the right lines, with all the cm-phaals on financial discipline, values and standards Many of his contemporaries also got their training in that old colonial style building at Sadarghat Almost all of them eventually rose to the highest positions In various banks In the then East Pakistan and later in Bangladesh. Saleheen was not just one of them. I Ie was one of the best
After liberation in 197). he was the Officer on Special Duty, looking after the establishment of the Bangladesh Bank, virtually as Its first Governor. During hts short but eventful career at the central
bank, he was responsible for taking a number of crucial decisions. like naming our currency as Taka, which made life easter for hts successors
From the Bangladesh Bank, he moved to other banks, bringing with him hto capacity for hard work, his attention to details and his Innovative spirit. In one of these Jobs he was assigned by the Government to form the country s first investment company, known as the International Finance and Investment Company Ltd. later converted Into IRC Bank Ltd. which is regarded by many as the most significant contribution made by Saleheen Io the development of banking In Bangladesh.
Yet, despite his almost round-the-clock Involvement In banking, Saleheen found time for social activities, mainly through the Lions Chib, even In sponsoring sports
In mourning the death of Saleheen, many would be wondering If the new generation of bankers would know anything about the working style of the older ones, those who entered the profession tn the fifties, and worked their way up, about the sense of discipline and dedication they practised and. finally, about the way — often subtle but sometimes blunt — they refused to bow to political pressure or to listen to signals from high circles. One only hopes that the legacy of Saleheen will be revived one day. not Just to honour the man but to give a new fife to the banking system in the country.