Finance Minister AMA Muhith today said that he would retire by December this year.

“I now know for sure I am going to retire in December this year”, Muhith said in a regional conference of Agrani Bank at the Le Meridian Hotel in Dhaka this noon.

The minister’s came up with his desire days after Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury criticised two ministers including Muhith and advised them to go into retirement.

Muhith also came down hard on Badruddoza and urged him to quit politics.

“Mr Badruddoza does not have any notion of such retirement.  I would like to give him an advice -- a point comes in our life when retiring is good for us,” Muhith said.

Muhith said he read a media report that Badruddoza said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and he [Muhith] have done a lot for the country. Now, if they cannot be sent into retirement they should be transferred to some other less important ministries, Muhith cited the report.

"Since then, I was thinking that today (Saturday) my speech would be on retirement, " the finance minister said.

About his charge as finance minister of the government, Muhith said, “It’s not right to be in charge for such a long time. If one is in-charge for long, a slump comes which is not good for people and the country."