The Prime Minister has again called upon all to forget differences and work unitedly at this hour of national emergency. President Shahabuddin Ahmed has also given a call to face the challenge unitedly. In fact, there can be no two opinions about the need of unity now with two-thirds of the country under full fathom five and one-third of population directly affected by the abnormal and unusual flood-waters. Before long the deluge is going to affect all in the land and directly too. And not only Bangladesh's present, its future too is also going to be very adversely influenced by the effects of this unprecedented flooding. When would we need an all-in truly national endeavour if not now? No politicking with the floods, warns the Prime Minister. Yes, we say, now is the time for all good people to run up to the breaches — physical, economic and social and plug them before much is irrecoverably lost.

Now, how will this unity be effective? The BNP has been conducting their own relief work all by themselves. If they decide to join the government's planning and relief efforts, now will they be accommodated and given share in the work and leadership load? Will their Joining the government s toil bolster the thrust against flood sufferings and losses beyond what the two parties could do separately? The Prime Minister's call for a united front against the flood disaster should have been preceded by a lot of home-work.

The united approach should mean pushing to the fore the BNP MPs in their respective constituencies in the matter of relief and rehabilitation leadership. If the government fulfils this minimum need for active and fruitful co-operation, it will have won the battle for unity by one fell stroke. A united front for disaster mitigation will not exhaust its usefulness with an eventual mopping of the relief operations. Housing and farming rehabilitation will take much time and much more funds than required by relief work. But the biggest operation would have to be in the field of reconstructing the communications — this time with provision for such abnormal floods never again breaching the road and rail connections. This will call for still more time and money. And hundreds of bunds and embankments will have to be made breach-proof too. Let the unity extend up to this.

This nation must do a lot of re-thinking. The dynamics of the yearly floods must be well understood. The physical planning of the country must undergo vigorous scrutiny and new approaches be developed and old blunders rectified. It will be a long long story — extending beyond the remaining years of the present government's tenure. We strongly recommend that a united front be forged to take on the flood related problems well into the future.