**Letters for publication in these columns should be addressed to the Editor and legibly written or typed with double space. For reasons of space, short letters are preferred, and all are subject to editing and cuts. Pseudonyms are accepted. However, all communications must bear the writer's real name, signature and address.

"Aposh-heen"

Sir. 1 was pleased to see former ambassador Abdul Momen’s opinion (Aposh-heen) regarding my article "In Fool’s Paradise?’’, published respectively on December 22 and December 11. for his cpmpli-ment on my writing style and for reminding me for the Nth time the government’s stafid on the current deepening political erisis.

I was most disappointed about his opinion, because he failed to understand the very spirit of the writeup, which pleaded for an end to partisan bickering for the sake of democracy and forward march of Bangladesh as my father is among the three million martyrs of the 1971 Independence war.

My comment on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s 'Aposh-, heen' or uncompromising stand was used because the government party has been harping on it eternally and a responsible reporter (on the basis of opinion survey) was likely to draw attention to the fact that sometimes compromising "for the love of one's country" could achieve more in the long run.

instead of sticking to one's point at any cost — which could be disastrous. Reporters try to give the' real picture and they do qot like paying 'Yes. Minister.''

A partisan man would not give positive ideas to his rivals and at least, then I should have added that strikes were not the only cause of our economic ordeal, but according to donors as well as some western diploma ts/goyeimnient's "indecisiveness and slow progress of project Implementations" were also hurting our fiscal plans at a time when the givers were changing their ald/investment priorities-

Most of all. partisan bickering over almost all issues (press included) is in .fact hurting us because it clouds or distorts the actual facts and sometimes our leaders are misled. So. what rtf-ally matters is in what content the reader reads an article and those who got the spirit. Including some "hard-core" supporters of the premier, appreciated it.

To conclude. I would like to say that Mr Momen has every freedom to choose which colour he wants to see, but I hope a senior bureaucrat like him is fi-

nally convinced about what the article aimed at. I would have been more happy if he had not been so partisan himself, as he had no complaints on what I wrote about opposition leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Isn’t it wise to practice what one preaches?

Nadeem Qadir Special Correspondent. Agence France-Presse (AFP). Dhaka

Aricha Ghat incident

Sir. So far 1 knew. The Dally Star always serves investigative and actual reports. But, it is unfortunate that the news item published In the front page, column 8, under the heading "Clashes paralyse ferry services at Aricha" on December 8. 1994 was not as such. The news was not served properly from UNB.

Incidentally or you can say luckily, on that day, I got introduced with one of the officers from your esteemed paper. He and myself were in the same bus of Naogaon. Perhaps, on that day. most of the passenger of northern and southern districts thanked him for his bold step in solving the problem with the authorities concerned. I" would request him to write the real facts of the Aricha Ghat incident. which virtually started at 1 am of Dec 4, with quarrel among two persons, a BIWTC

stall’ member and a truck driver, according to the reports. And if you publish the real fact, certainly we will have more faith in The Dally Star. My questions are: (a) What was the role of the BIWTC authorities? (b) What was the role of truck drivers' association of Aricha? (c) What was the role of security personnel of Shibaloy thana? (d) What was the role of TNQ of Shibaloy thana? (e) What was the role of DC or concerned authorities of Manikganj district? (f) What was the condition of telephone of Shibaloy thana and the card phone of T&T Board at Aricha? (g) What was the role of truck trade unionists of Dhaka? (h) Why were we stranded about 21 hours for a simple incident?

Afamunur Rashid Babu Tajermore. Naogaon

Hartal days

Sir. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Mr A A G Kabir for his constructive suggestions to the opposition political parties regarding hartal', through your esteemed daily of 19-12-94 (letter "An appeal"). The observance of hartal is a legal right of the opposition political parties to protest against any wrong administration by the party in power. But all care should be taken, while chalking out such programme of hartal, so that the common public do not suffer much, and at the

same time, our trade with foreign countries also not disturbed.

In this respect, the suggestion made by Mr A A G Kabir for selecting Saturdays and Sundays for hartal, if so needed. I think, should be taken up for serious consideration.

MA Lals

74 East Rajabazar. Dhaka

Resignation en masse

Sir. The decision of the parliamentarians belonging to the parties demanding the next general election under a caretaker government seems to me to be a precocious childish game betraying a shallow political foresight.\ I still believe that they will not do so on 28 Dec if there remained an iota of political intelligence In their respective parties. They should know It for certain that PM Khaleda Zia may be pushed to the fringe, but a caretaker government will not follow.

They may not like the election under a coalition government headed by Khaleda Zia. but they must be ready when the constitution will start moving on Its august wheels following their demise as members of the parliament after 28 Dec, 1994, to partici pate in an election conducted by those who will no longer remain glued to the display of

uncanny acrobatics put up by so-called ■politicians'. "Independence ' doesn't mean , an opportunity for the Idiots to quarrel among themselvesl"

Mohamed Abdul Mutalib Annesha College. Dhanmondl R/A. Dhaka

Price rise during Ramadan

Sir, I almost forgot that the days of holy Ramadan is the annual opportunity of the traders to do their "killing'. Reminders have started to come. First, the news of a meeting where the traders assure the commerce minister that prices would remain stable during Ramadan. Immediately afterwards a trade body Inserts an ad in several newspapers warning that soon they would Increase the price as they have no control over international market' for thA raw materials. Their plea is to reduce taxes on the imported raw materials.

We may expect some more advertisements like that in the near future. Not very difficult to find convincing reasons to Increase prices at-any time.

The authorities will do well to create conditions for Import of most Items during this period to counter such opportunism.