Happy Birthday

FINANCIAL Express, a valued addition to our world of newspapers, entered its second year of publication yesterday. We extend our heartiest congratulations to the editors, staff and the publishers of the Express. There is no doubt that this paper has added a new dimension to journalism in Bangladesh. There are many reasons to celebrate the first anniversary of this paper. Conventional wisdom had it that the market was too small for a financial paper to survive.

To counter this popular Impression a lot of courage. Imagi nation and/ persuasive power were needed. Both Mr Reazuddin Ahmed, the chief editor, and Mr Moazzem Hossain, the editor, of the paper had all of those qualities In plenty. Reaz-uddin Ahmed is a veteran journalist, whose years of experience in economic reporting. In the Bangladesh Observer and also his association with the Financial Times of London, equipped him well for the task. His role In journalist unions, and long stints in their leadership positions gave him fame and prestige that helped him with this new venture.

Mr Moazzem's dedication to the profession, and unwavering commitment to economic journalism made a critical, and perhaps the most vital, cony-lbutlon towards making the Financial Express what it is today. He was the first journalist, as far as I know, who specialised in the field of economic and financial reporting, and showed us all how important business journalism was. I admire his single-minded pursuit of his profession which has helped to elevate business journalism to a hitherto unknown height and prestige. I think I echo the sentiment of many journalists, and a large number of readers, when I express my deep appreciation to the staff, the manage-, jment and the owners of the Financial Express rfor giving us such a valuable paper. Hearty Congratulations.

Reagan Gets Alzheimer's

THE ne^s of Ronald Reagan suffering from Alzheimer's- Disease made me feel very sad. The picture of the former President of the most powerful country in the world, gradually becoming mentally incapacitated due to memory loss and impairment of judgment, reminded me of the frailty of life and of the transient nature of most things we fight so hard for.

His handwritten note was remarkable for the deep love it expressed for his wife. Nancy, and for the concern he expressed for his family. He wrote: "Unfortunately." as the Alzheimer's Disease progresses, the family often bears a heavy burden. I only wish that there was some way 1 could spare Nancy from this painful experience.” These lines reveal a tremendous sensitivity on the part of Reagan, and speaks volumes about his human qualities.

A special tragedy of the Alzheimer's setting in is that it is so predictable. It is one thing to suddenly get a heart attack and become paralysed, meet with some other misfortune and become incapacitated. But in this case, you know that gradually you are going to become a totally dependent person, needing others even for your most basic functions. That is indeed quite frightening. In case of the Alzheimer's a patient is expected to live eight to 10 years after diagnosis. Imagine, the once most powerful man in the world becoming totally worthless.

News of Reagan getting the Alzheimer s made a special impression on me perhaps because I lived in the US during his presidency, and saw him at his dazzling best. Dazzle Is perhaps the best description of his tenure — which was full of pomp and glamour. He is supposed to have perfected the use of Images and impressions rather than of fact and substance. as means of running his presidency . Though his tenure was perhaps the most ideo-Hogical of all post-war US presidents, yet It was mostly rhetoric, imagery, selling of dreams and fears that his time mainly consisted of.

I have personal reasons to remember his ideological onslaught because the United Nations came under the most severe attack during his presidency. It was at that time that the US withdrew from UNESCO, the organisation I worked for The rhetorics of the “Evil Empire was at Its height and to the American public, the UN as a whole, and UNESCO in particular was made out to be integral part of IL

Anyway, that is not what 1 would like to dia-cbas today Coming back to Reagan's handwritten note, what struck me to be so remarkable Is that the letter was so refreshingly devoid of any seif pity In tact, the letter hardly referred to himself. and was almost entirely focused on his wife and his family This is brave stuff

There is another admirable aspect of this handwritten note, and one from which there Is a lot to learn fot us. And that is. going public with such a horrible personal fact In our cul lure whenever a tragedy befalls us. the first tendency is to hide. Thus, when a child is bom with some physical or mental handicap, the family's first instinct Is to hide it from the relatives and especially, outsiders. This effort is stretched to such extents that parents go Into a denial mode and try Co pretend as tf nothing is wrong. This further aggravates the situation for the victim. This phenomenon is ^also observed when an adult family member

develops some grave illness or something. Though it is changing, divorce is also something that families still try to desperately hide.

A man of Reagan's stature in our society would have not have made public such a tragic personal development. This is something 1 admire about the West. I think people in the West are. in many instances, far more frank and straightforward about facts. We go into a tremendous charade for what is known as 'face saving'. The reason given for Reagan going public about his Alzheimer's is to raise public awareness about the disease, and to increase public acceptability of Its victims. We know how prejudice and misinformation make us treat patients of many not so well known diseases rather shabbily. I think we caq do a lot ’about raising public awareness about many such diseases. I wish the former President all the best.

This Time Huda Really Spoke a Bit Too Much

NAZMUL Huda left his ministership as he lived it, speaking a bit too much. He had a way of expressing whpt he thought, which seldom brought the result he wanted. His exit is the most dramatic proof of that. He plunged into one controversy after another dragging his party into unnecessary confrontation with the opposition. He mistook his brashness for plain speaking. He seems to specialise in opposition bashing, and reserved some of his most pungent remarks for the Awaml League. Most of his remarks helped to deteriorate the ruling party's relations with the opposition. His party colleagues would privately express embarrassment and wonder how he could get away with such remarks unless he had the blessings of the PM. In fact, the impression among journalists were that PM actually appreciated his vicious attacks on the AL, because no other BNP leader was doing so.

There Is the "why," the "how" and the "what" of the former minister's interview that needs to be understood. So far It is the 'why' and 'how' of It that got most of our1 attention. We already know how the interview was given, later withdrawn and then published In another paper. But it is the 'why1 of it that still seems to elude us. Since the 'interview-that never-was' became the Interview that did him in. the . question that has been on everybody’s lips is why did Nazmul Huda do it. He says that he wanted to prevent confrontation with the opposition. Coming from somebody who relished them, this explanation does not go very far. Adding to the mystery is the manner in which he did it. The idea did not come suddenly into his mind. He had thought about it f6r a while. Yet he did" not even informally discuss it with any of his party colleagues, leave alone place it before them officially.

What really intrigues us all is that he allowed it to be published even after his leader. Begum Khaleda Zia made it known to him that she didn't want it to be made public. So why Is this open and direct defiance oP his own leader? Nazmul Huda was considered to be a powerful member of the cabinet. He currently holds the chairmanship of Dhaka district BNP. and many other important party posts. What brought Ulis radical change of heart in a man who was considered to be among the hard-liners against the opposition demands.

The thing that had received the least of attention so far is what he said, for which he had to go. Nazmul Huda is right when he says that the current state of deadlock in negotiations will lead us to a suicidal confrontaUon. He is also right when he says that the responsibility Iles largely with the government and the ruling party to devise an amicable way out of the Im-passc. If Nazmul Huda's formula is not acceptable to the BNP. then what are the ruling party's ideas for extricating the country out of this deadlock? Is it because, as Salam Talukdar said, "prestige issue." Are we to Jeopardise the country's political future. Just because of ego problem?

As is clear from the InlUal reaction of the opposition. Huda's formula Is largely acceptable to them. So the question is why is It not acceptable to the ruling party, especially when it came from a BNP insider like the former Information Minister?

The new Idea in Huda a plan is that It ensures BNP's full term, and if the Opposition accepts it. then we can look forward to a peaceful run up to the elections. Where It radically challenges the BNP position Is in conducting the next election Instead of unknown caretaker leadership, he suggests the judiciary, which in our country enjoys an aura of respectability and trust, not enjoyed by another institution

Md. Nasim s point in well taken here, when he doubts the wisdom of Involving the Judiciary in politics 1 think the remark deserves a lot of serious thinking.

For all his opposition bashing and mistreatment of the newspapers that he did not like, there Is one fact for which he deserves to be given full marks — for bringing BBC and CNN to BTV. His action has given us direct access to international TV news to an extent unimaginable till just the other day. In a sense he appeared to be a man of two worlds. For the CNN and BBC he was all open But for the BTV he was all-close