***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.***

"Rural Budget and Development

Strategy"

Sir, 1 would like to draw attention to an article entitled "Rural Budget and Development Strategy" by Abdul Bayes published in your daily on August 2. 1997. The article is a byproduct of author's larger study entitled Irrigation and Development: Experiences from Rural Bangladesh. The study was sponsored by CHRD, Jahangir-nagar University under linkage programme between the Jaha-ngirnagar University and the Morgan State University. USA.

The study was supposed to interview 1000 households with a budget over Tk 11 lakh. But the author covered only 425 households. The facts and figures quoted are not In line with the original report submitted to the committee under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor in December last year. He has manipulated several information to make it attractive to the readers. As an economist, I think he is misleading the audience by manipulating the figures. He has shown many changes in the findings by considering the two survey time points — 1995 and 1982. Prof Bayes conducted the survey in 1995 which he correctly mentioned. Surprisingly, he used the survey of Dr Mahboob Hossain for comparison which he claimed that it was conducted in 1982.

In fact it is not true. In draft report presented to the committee, he mentioned that Dr Hossain's study was conducted in 1987 (on page 4 and several places in the report). In the report. in order to make the findings comparable and plausible, Prof Bayes sometimes used 1987 and at most instances also used 1988 (Table 4-6 , page 74; Table 4-12, page 82). In the text, similar mistake was done. In the main report, he mentioned that the survey was conducted

In 1987.

The total sample size he mentioned for the BIDS survey is also wrong. The sample size covered by the BIDS survey was 1245 households (page 5. first part of his report). Prof Bayes mentioned in his article that BIDS covered 640 households which is roughly half of what he has mentioned in his article. Prof Bayes also mentioned that the he has covered 425 households with a budget of over Tk 11 lakh, and mentioned in the article that BIDS study covered 16 villages.

In his report, Prof Bayes mentioned that in the BIDS study there were 64 unions and two villages were purposively selected from each union (pages 4 and 5). Prof Bayes mentioned that BIDS ultimately covered 62 villages and 1245 households spread over whole of Bangladesh (his report, page 5). The question is: why did he manipulate the figures? Is It to show major changes between the two surveys? If he shows 1982 instead of 1987 and compares his findings with the 1995 survey, then what these manipulated results would do? Is it ethical? Is it professionally expected that he also provides a number of policy prescriptions on the basis of his findings?

What are the implications of the findings over Rural Budget and Development Strategy? In the report, page 34 Table 3.1. Prof Bayes compared the 1995 survey with that of the 1987 BIDS survey and shown per capita income as Tk 10170 and Tk 7283 respectively. In the present article he mentioned that per capita Income for the two surveys were US$240 and US$123 respectively. The latter figures suggest that per capita income has almost doublea between 1997 and 1982 (1987) while his report (Table 3.1 page 34), suggests per capita income Increased only by about 40 per cent between 1995 and 1987.

The Inconsistency In the In-

formation of his article is sharply evident if one compares the expenditure patterns. Here one would see that there is not much difference — 56 per cent and 67 per cent. Here ne com-Bared his findings with 1991-92

ES survey although in the article. he mentioned it as 1982 survey (Table 2.8 page 23). All the figures mentioned in his article are manipulated and to show the impact he has compared the information with 1982 survey which is simply imaginary i.e no survey was conducted in 1982 of the nature he mentioned. However. In the report he compared his findings with that of 1987 survey. Sometimes, he compared his survey findings with the 1991-92 survtys but in the article he used 1982 for comparison.

The other information shown in the text are also manipulated and designed hypothetically to show the impacts. As a past member of CHRD, I am very much familiar with the design, methodology and findings of the study. It is unfortunate that the author deliberately manipulated survey findings and published that in your paper. 1 would expect that the author would clarify the findings and the two surveys’ time point which is important to justify the findings of his article.

Dr M Kabtr

9/D, Shamoli, Road No 1.

, Dhaka

The love for wealth

Sir, The recent news about Fidel Castro's wealth was grim but not astonishing. Dictators both from are known to be fond of three Ws.

And he is no exception. The bearded never-changing, olive-fatigued hero of Cuba, according to a survey by the New York's Forbes magazine, is worth an estimated £81.3m. well ahead of many rich elite of the world. It is alleged that Castro controls at least 10 per cent of the ailing Cuban economy. Investments in a string of palaces and hotels and has underground deals with Columbian drug cartels.

Also included in the long list of kings, queens and dictators on the Forbes' survey the names of dictator Saddam Hussain weighing at £2.9 billion; Imelda Marcos s fabulous wardrobe

and Romanian ex-dictator and his wife late Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu who used to dine off gold plates with their dog sleeping in a centrally-heated villa, the recently-ousted Mobutu Sase Seko of Zaire with £6 billion In the piggy' banks and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe who recently married his former secretary with extravagant tastes — the wedding alone cost £ 2 million.

Many others are In the list and we wonder If the list refers to some of our South Aslan countries. Many may not know that the Nowab of Dir State In Pakistan had 54 pairs of world famous dogs, a German doctor and a large AC building which were revealed to us when I was sent by the commanding general to collect 10+1 (one for me) pairs of dogs for the bosses in the'60s.

Col (rtd) Mirza Shafi

House # 82F, Road If 5. Banant Dhaka 1213

Sagging power cult

Sir, We are fond of power, and too fond of using it. and extraordinarily Jolly about misusing it; in fact giving away many meterless connections — the small pleasure of life cannot, and should not, be measured!

But when it comes to the installation of electric power stations on an urgent basis, whether floating or static, powerful vested Interests put a spanner between the spokes, especially before or after signing of the tender agreement. The newspapers regularly put out such son or moral stories.

Philosophically, power lies in not using it. It is the charged potentiality of the status, not the actual discharge of power The capacity must be high, and the discharge rate low. Morally, our power insulation factor is not so powerful, hence the power leakages, not only to the earth, but to other earthlings and siblings (democratic dispensation?). disrupting the balance of mini-powers, causing the flow of sparks at unusual places, at unusual times.

Our buses may be rickety, and our drivers are not so powerful. but how many can resist playing footsie with the accelerator when the head Is In the clouds? The resounding crash

Is loud and powerful, contributing a micro unit to population control In an unusual way. Who is not aware of the Bengali proverb: boshte dtley shute chay (an invitation to sit encourages looking forward hopefully Tor

A Hasnain Dhaka

The 'Black' week

Sir. What a week? In a short time of 5 days we lost two of the most-loved women in the world. The first shock came when Diana — the Princes of Wales died in a car crash. As the world prepared for her funeral we were faced with the news of Mother Teresa's death. Both of these women had touched all of us. maybe not directly with their hands but with their outstanding love for humanity. They both crossed all barrier of class, religion, nationality, color or name an Irrationality that divides us all in our world of greed, insincerity and corruption. Both of tnem represented beauty, charily, love, and faith and most important were streetwise.

While one was bracketed with glamour and the other simplicity, both of them was attached with a vital chord of their belief in helping the down trodden. While the two represented the two hemispheres their love for the helpless brought them together and found affection from the millions from the world over. Mother Teresa and Diana will be alive in our thoughts. Hopefully our sorrows will turn to firm determination to make a difference in our surrounding that these two outstanding ladies achieved In their short lifetime.

Akku Chowdhury Dhaka

Competition in banking

Sir, "Today. France is regarded as "Overbanked with tne result that margins in lending business are extremely nar row due to tough competition within the sector Some banks are effectively pursuing dumping practices and central bank governor Jean Claude Trichet even had to remind that It la

forbidden to grant loans at a loss. In order to gain market shares, banks are also cutting their tariffs much to the joy of their customers Another significant factor is the competition situation Is not the same for all bank, because saving and co-operative bans continue to enjoy certain privileges. The state-owned big banks which have been driven close to bankruptcy as a result of management errors and an obsession for expansion are also only exposed to competition to a certain extent, for the state still guarantees the survival of these institutions. Probably the best known example here is Credit Lyonnais, whose rescue cost France taxpayer more than FRr 50 billion "

The above para about French banlung scenario is taken from the periodical Swiss Bank written on the basis of finding of French senate entitled "Banks: we are concerned about your soundness." France Is one of the leading highly developed country in the world. which can locate problems In their banking sector in time and trying to cure it.

There is no reason to compare our banking scenario with them. But recently in our country also an unhealthy competition has set in with some new banks trying step in and also old banks trying recover their earlier losses. A wild competition could not help to survive banks in a society like France. Result of activities started in 1984 came to surface only in 1996. as the aforesaid report noted. So our authorities must keep watch on our banking, because our banking situation is already In a very shaky position. as we observe from the reports published in the national dallies Outcome of today's cutthroat competition will be seen some 5 or 7 years later, so there must be some step right now to save any unwanted situation in future Here, I am not in a post tion to suggest a remedy, but I again quote from the proposal of French Senate Committee : "Harmonising the banking business practices by eliminating competition distortions which are no longer Justified tn a standard context "

AH Khan 77/A East Nastrabad. Chittagong