***Bangladesh is one of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)... The IMF said, "The gap between the rich and poor has become widest ever, the poor living on a dollar or less per day had remained stubbornly high in the range of 1.2 to 1.3 billion accounting for the one fifth of the world's population."***

THIS is the age of summits and conference and meetings and talks. Like many others, the Okinawa meet was a summit of pomp and grandeur. The host Japan spent 750 million US dollars for the three-day summit of the heads of governments of Britain. Canada. France, Germany, Italy. Russia and the United States the other G-8 members besides Japan. Sharply reacting to the outcome of the conference. Ann Pettifor. Director of the Jubilee 2000, an international movement to cancel Third World debt, said, 'This will be known as the squandered summit." On the other hand, the G-8 leaders declared, "We must tackle the root of causes of conflict and poverty." They are only eight. They are anxious to solve the problems of the rest of 180 states. It should have been the sole responsibility of the Third World leaders to find out the causes of poverty and sort out solutions. And it is the people to Judge the successes and failures of their leaders.

The leaders of the rich nations are now concerned about conflicts and poverty. Are they afraid of conflicts and poverty? Conflicts and poverty. In one way or the other, are inter-related. The leaders of the G-8 nations must have realized that conflicts and any kind of extremism are generated from injustice/exploltation and subjugation. The heart-beat of the oppressed must be taken

into consideration logically and sympathetically. The oppressed people have no other alternative than to revolt. So. their voice of protest must be heard.

The G-8 leaders have discussed many "thorny global problems such as the early launch of a new WTO round." They stressed on "financial and corporate sector reforms, improvement of governance and transparency and strengthening social safety nets." The communique Issued after the summit said, We must engage in a new partnership with non-G8 countries, particularly developing countries, international organisations and civil society, including the private sector and non-governmental organisations."

The big eight economic powers admitted that "only nine countries had so far qualified for a year-old promise to cancel the 100 billion dollars of debt held by the poor countries." The G-8 leaders promised to try to raise that number to 20 by the end of this year.

The campaigner to cancel the Third World debt said that the G-8 leaders "have squandered a historic opportunity to cancel

unpayable debts of the poorest countries. Their failure to act on this issue was the defining moment of this summit." Will the richest countries do anything meaningful and tangible for the betterment of the people of Asia, Africa and Latin America? Will they understand the sorrows and miseries and pains of the poor of the Third World countries? The campaigners do not think so.

Bangladesh is one of the heavily Indebted poor countries (HIPC). Foreign aid and confessional lending to developing countries have failed to produce positive results and may even have been counter-productive, allowing governments to divert scarce resources into unproductive areas. (Semi-annual World Economic Outlook published by the IMF on April 12, 2000). The IMF said, "The gap between the rich and poor has become widest ever, the poor living on a dollar or less per day had remained stubbornly high in the range of 1.2 to 1.3 billion accounting for the one fifth of the world's population." The IMF itself pointed out that the tendency of recipient countries to spend on prestigious white elephant projects was another reason for accumulation of recurring

debt burdens. These countries have been casualties of the process of globalization, it noted.

An African leader in the 1960's said that we are poor because they are rich. Not only the imperialists and neoImperialists but also we are responsible for our own ruination. Our national leaders have no vision and wisdom nor the ability to set up the infrastructure to increase the country's main assets agriculture, livestock, poultry, fishery, human skill etc. We have brought about our own destruction. For example, hilsa, once a great asset and our national fish, is now being 'imported' into the country from Thailand and Burma. Because of indiscriminate catch of Jalka, immature hilsa, the production of this fish has declined. The Daily Star in an editorial on June, 6. 2000 sated: "Bangladesh is the source of seventy per cent Hilsa in the region and we can earn around Taka 600 crore annually if the catching of Jalka is stopped." But will it ever be stopped?

The government is totally dependent on foreign aid, though the leaders ceaselessly speak about self-reliance. Industrial sector has been passing through

a deplorable condition. No government has so far done anything tangible for orderly development of economic life of the masses. The people have been disillusioned by empty promises of the leaders. All the major parties have been playing vocal role in the political life of the country. Most of the people do not think that j they have a future. In the 1950‘s and 60 s young people were looking for a meaning to their future and their working life Jobs in government, autonomous or private establishments. But in 1990's, not to speak of the rural poor, the university graduates are anxious they may not even enter the professions. Frustrations are widespread. They see no light at the end of the tunnel. Many educated youths are addicted to drugs. Out of frustration stemming from poverty they commit crimes. Terrorism and corruption have ruined the society.

Over the decades, many interrelated factors have contributed to the current deplorable situation: lack of efficient political leadership and administration, lack of good governance, lack of economic development, lack of employment opportunities and lack of standard education.

The most of the political leadership has been semifuedal and petty-bourgeois in character which neither understands nor takes any interest in the agriculture and Industrial development - No potential party or leader can be credited with a feasible longterm economic agenda. A consistent commitment to a systematic economic development programme is absent

Many universities and colleges are plagued by shortage of efficient teachers. Congenial academic atmosphere is not prevailing at any educational institution. Militant campuses are continually witnessing bloodshed or clash. Every year new students aspiring for higher education are facing a catastrophic situation. Meritorious students are fleeing the country to have higher education abroad. Teachers are engaged in petty campus politics with little or no interest in writing scholarly articles, theses and books. Diligence and ingenuity have given way to laziness and self-indulgence.

All these are the causes of conflict and poverty. The yearnings of mankind have always been a world free from conflict and poverty. But it is not possible to free the world from conflict without eliminating poverty and deprivation.

The writer is the News Editor of BSS.