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To the Editor...
Letters will only be considered if they carry the writer's full name, address and telephone number (if any). The identity of the writers will be protected. Letters must be limited to 300 words. All letters will be subject to editing.
Thanks to DS
I thank The Daily Star because, unlike the other newspapers, they cared to mention both sides of the story and at the end of the newsitem on the captioned event they added "Traffic congestion at various points in the city continued for about half an hour after the token strike". Well, as I was on the road myself in a car on an urgent errand, I can tell you the traffic tangles continued well past thirty minutes! Now, all I want to say is that, there can be absolutely no "excuse" for blocking roads, whatsoever. We must do away with these types of practices, which are similar to hartals, simply because you really cannot achieve anything but only cause immense suffering to the people who are on the roads (also there being so few roads in our cities!) to get somewhere or do something, urgent or otherwise.
CNR
Chittagong
BB throws spanner
I do not quite agree that Bangladesh Bank try to control everything in a private bank. Banks have definite and defined relationship with its clients, transparently governed by law for compliance of which Bangladesh Bank is the watchdog and it should not cross its boundary. As a depositor to any bank, I wish that my deposits are in safe hands and that the bank performs its obligations to me, by way of providing services and benefits. I demand that Bangladesh Bank, as the regulatory authority for all banks, perform its duty to ensure my rights. As a client I want neat, clean environment in a bank, attended by smart, efficient and competent staff. Frankly, I do not like unhygienic and nasty environment with lots of inefficient and irresponsible staffs as is found randomly in any NCBs. I would rather pay some more to avoid such situations. I don't want to waste my valuable time requesting a third rated staff in NCB. I, therefore, strongly object to Bangladesh Bank's irresponsible attempt to interfere with the functioning of private banks in the name of austerity. The term basic furniture is misleading. Banks' should determine how they should organise their service providing facilities. The ideas and the needs would be different. Consider, if government asks all to wear clothing of basic needs only, no fashion or preference, then what will happen.
The banks are obliged and obligated to operate under law. They have to keep accounts, manage their financial transactions and pay their taxes. After doing all these, with shareholders concurrence, if they buy cars worth Taka ten lakhs or ten million, it should not be a concern of the Bangladesh Bank. Bangladesh Bank should regulate the banks' functions where it is necessary.
I hope, fat and naughty brains in Bangladesh Bank should be stopped to make further damages to the developing private banking sector.
A concerned citizen
On e-mail
It hurts ours pride
With deep sorrow and disgust I am writing to you. I had no other way to express the emotions of many Bangladeshis who are living abroad. I just read the news in your newspaper about the Bangladesh Cricket Manager's URDU interview. I served in the Bangladesh Army. How in this world could he do that? Specially being a member of such an institution like Bangladesh Army. And he totally forgot the incidents of 1952 and 1971.
I know, we should not mix up politics and sports, but this not about mixing up politics and sports. This is about pride of being a Bangladeshi and being able to speak in our own language. If he was uncomfortable in speaking English, he should have done it in Bangla. The whole world does it. When Rashid Latif speaks in Urdu (we know he doesn't speak English). My question to the big shots, "Was he trying to impress his friends (so-called) from PMA?" Towfiq Rahman
Toronto, Canada
Why this undue outcry?
We have been noticing with great regret that few members of the press are trying to make it an issue that our cricket team manager, Lt Col (Retd) A. Latif Khan has given an interview in Pakistan Television in Urdu. We don't know what difference does it make. If he can give an interview in English or in any other language, why not in Urdu. We know lots of multilingual people who are boastful of their qualities. We would have been hurt if he had said something against our country, our history, our culture or our valiant people. But this retired colonel is well known for his leadership quality, his discipline enforcement quality and above all patriotism. We have also noticed that few people were very critical of the cricket authority for choosing him as the team manager. But the recent spectacular performance of the
team after inclusion of the new coach and the new manager should hush them up. We rather should cheer them up for bringing honour for us, something we are waiting for so long.
Mahboob-e-Gaus
On e-mail
Job eludes graduates of some private universities
The news report under the above headline in page 12 of the Daily Star (17 Aug 2003) surprised me by the highly discriminating remarks, both in terms of its headline and contents. Private universities were set up to meet the growing demand for higher education that our few public universities were unable to provide.
The public universities are subsidised by the government, as a result the fees are low. Therefore, students are eager to get admitted in these institutions. The demand is so high that the universities have imposed strict admission requirements. But this does not necessarily
imply that private universities are getting the 'left-overs' or "the intake is not top quality so the end
product cannot be better" as remarked by a teacher.
At present the private universities are alternative to public universities. Many feel encouraged to study there because of the better time frames and better facilities. When an IBA teacher makes remarks like "students who fail to get admitted into public universities usually end up enrolling in private universities, so one should not expect much quality from them", I feel disappointed as I am a DU graduate myself. I welcome investment in private sectors for education. Most of the leading educational institutions of Dhaka city are private.
The private universities must be doing good, otherwise teachers from public universities wouldn't have taken lien from their jobs and joined these universities as faculty members or other positions or as part-time teachers.
As far as jobs (which are always elusive) are concerned, the few
students that pass out from IBA cannot be the yardsticks for excellence. They are no doubt good, but private university graduates are not far behind. With a modern curriculum, modern facilities and proper guidance, even average students are able to do well.
In public universities, with long years of session jams and politicised academic atmosphere, the "best" that go in may not necessarily come out the "best". So, even if intake is top quality, end product may not be top. I am surprised at the 'grey' (discriminating) journalism that the Daily Star has shown in such a news report.
A highly prestigious newspaper like the Daily Star should always be supportive of good investment. Investment in private sector in education is the need of the time. With proper regulations, private universities perhaps may very soon out-perform public universities. Such discouraging write-ups only show a very narrow outlook of things.
Jahangir Alam
Head/Dept. of English, Sunshine Grammar School and College, Chittagong
"Proposal to beef up press wings . . ."
I am happy to learn that the government has finally decided to shelve the proposal of opening press wings in our foreign missions. I am not aware of the government's reason for this decision but have my own reason to be pleased with the news. To my mind such press wings are not of any value for the people of Bangladesh.
I take this opportunity to share with your readers my own observations on the subject. During the first half of the nineties I travelled several times to Washington DC. I visited the Bangladesh Embassy twice during that time. Once I went there to get my passport renewed and got it in 48 hours, an unheard of event in our country. And again I went there to meet the then press attache and told him that the Bangladeshi flag on the front of the Islamic Centre at the Massachusetts Avenue, where most of Embassies were located, was discoloured and faded.
All other flags of the Islamic countries looked new and bright. And the pitiable condition of our national flag was very easy to notice. On asking the press attache about the plight of the national flag I was told that he was very busy to notice the discoloured flag and change it.
In my next visit, however, a new flag was found hoisted on the pole. At the National Geographic Museum the video had a picture of about a dozen of emaciated Bangladeshi people of all ages of both sexes in tattered clothes, each holding a sanki ( earthen plate) waiting at a desolate open space obviously waiting for gruel to be served. At the embassy there was a room marked as a library. On entering the "library (?)" I found there four chairs and a centre table along with a dump of empty cartons. There was also a book shelf with a couple of old books of no apparent use for them. There was also an old copy of the Daily Ittefaq.
The Embassy issued regular news bulletins. Browsing through the pages of different issues it appeared that it had no other purpose than informing people about the arrivals, holding meetings with the US government functionaries and departures of the PM, ministers and official delegations. There was
no information about the good work by the government and nongovernment agencies. At that time Professor Eunus's Grameen Bank caught the worldwide attention. Similar was the case with BRAC. These news were not found to be of any worth for the press wing. If these are not important events and issues for the press wing I will whole heartedly support the concern of Professor Abdul Mannan,( DS Aug 18) as expressed in his letter to the Editor column.
Syed Waliullah Dhaka
Faithfulness!
This is in response to the letter written by Mr. Ali Ahmed Mabrur on August 8, regarding the movie Fire. The letter has already been tracked by Mr. Yahya from USA and he gave a very logical answer. Thanks to him. Now I would like to ask Mr. Ali what does he think about the brothels in the countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and so on where most of our people went for their jobs. If the wives could move towards homosexuality by watching just a movie and become unfaithful to their husbands then what about the husbands working abroad? Don't you think that they have better scopes to go for and that can be questioned anytime? What about their faithfulness? If you are not worried about them please don't be so for the wives. You have already humiliated them a lot. Or you better be worried about both.
And lastly if this movie is a conspiracy against our culture and tradition what about the nasty Bengali movies of our country? How much do they represent our culture? Tabassum Rahman
Dhaka
Maglev train
Recent news items on Maglev train and some letters to the editor have inspired me to write a few words about the issue and share my knowledge with others. It is seen from the news items that Public Expenditure Review Commission (PERC) submitted a report on this issue to the Finance Minister who did not accept the same 'formally'. What then, did he accept it informally? Earlier, Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda held a press conference in collaboration with only one of the three firms stated to have been found acceptable to him, which has given rise to lack of transparency in the whole process.
Why not the other two firms were also allowed to be present there? During the press conference some wrong data like the cost of 250 km Maglev system from Dhaka to Chittagong would be US$ 500 million, the running time would be 1 hour and the fare would be taka 1 per km were put forward. Information collected from Internet sources are, however, quite different from the sweet words that Mr. Huda wanted the apparently ignorant public to swallow. It is observed that the only Maglev train outside laboratory test track is a 30-kilometer track from Shanghai city centre to the Airport at an installation cost of US$40 million per km, one-way fare of 60 Yuan which when converted into our currency comes to taka 15 per km and running time of 8 minutes. Based on this standard, the total cost for 250 km of Dhaka to Chittagong Maglev system would be US$ 10,000 million (only 20 times higher than Mr. Huda's estimate!) and the one-way fare would be about Taka 4000/- only! Running time will of course depend on many
factors including number of stoppages en route but certainly much more than one hour. Will this train find any passenger at such high fare even if running time is one hour?
We must bear in mind that even if Maglev Technology is a high-tech one and probably the technology of 21st century, this is not yet a proven technology and no country in the world except China, not even Germany where this technology has been developed, has gone for the same. This gives rise to a pertinent question why is he so much craving for Maglev Train instead of taking steps to rescue Bangladesh Railway from its present deplorable condition? A thing may be good, but that does not mean that we should adopt it without considering its suitability, viability and priority aspects. Shall we always continue to work as a guinea pig for others? Why not the German entrepreneur use the technology in its own
country first and then invite others to do the same?
Mr. Huda recently told the UNB that it was pre-mature for PERC to
raise this matter. Shall he be reminded that 'prevention is always better than cure'? He also said that the Commission has no minimum idea about this technology and the Finance Minister did the right thing by not accepting their report. How could he make this observation before going through the report? It is interesting to note that although the Finance Minister did not accept the report formally, contrary to Mr. Huda's observation, he commented that it was nothing but 'madness' as a concept, not to mention the financial aspects of it.
However, if it is correct that the commission prepared the report without having minimum idea about the subject, it may be taken to task. But if it is otherwise, government should give due consideration to their findings and recommendations.
Anisul Huq
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
***
It seems that logic has prevailed, and plans for the Dhaka-Chittagong magnetic train have been scrapped.
Since there are functioning road, air and conventional rail links between the two cities, such a project would never have been worthwhile.
Perhaps now the government can concentrate on improving the transport situation in Dhaka city, where there is no quick or easy way to get anywhere at the moment. Flyovers will not help this situation; they will just move the traffic jams from one intersection to another.
The solution is to build an elevated train or subway, and thus get people off the roads. The subway line should cover the entire distance from Tongi to Narayanganj, since the whole stretch has now become a single city. If built along the path of current rail lines, the land adjacent to which is already owned by Bangladesh Railway, the project can be constructed with minimum disruption to everyday life in the city. Zeeshan Hasan
Dhanmondi RA, Dhaka