"All sorts of things and weather

Must be taken in together, To make up a year

And a sphere."

--Emerson

BANGLADESH'S stepping into the year 2000 had brought forth in its wake new expectations and new promises. The signs of how far the country has moved or is moving forward towards their fulfilment are yet to be discernible. If the major events of the year are dispassionately analysed it would appear that outcomewise it was just like another year, a year of mixed achievements. In many cases inspite of resolutions the problems confronting

the country have rather aggravated and newer issues cropped up with snowballing effect. The long-running political stand-off between the ruling Awami League and the combined opposition led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) persisted. Amidst continuing boycott of the opposition Parliament largely remained nonfunctioning, law and order situation deteriorated and reached the nadir despite the enforcement of the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA), an unprecedented flash flood badly battered the south-western part of the country and forex reserve reached an all time low while dwindling investment, both foreign and domestic, sends red

signal to the import-based fragile economy. In foreign relations, however, Bangladesh's spectacular gains are that for the second time it occupied its seat as a nonpermanent member in the United Nations Security Council and President Clinton as the first US President undertook a brief visit to Dhaka and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a return official visit. To the jubilation of the cricket-loving masses Bangladesh got its much-vaunted test playing status.

Virtually throughout the year the conflict between the Executive and the higher Judiciary centering the appeal on the death reference of Bangladesh's founding President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case had been the talk of the country. The conflict persisted from the beginning of the year when judges felt embarrassed to hear the appeal to the end when the High Court division of the Supreme Court gave a split verdict . Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's remark in course of an interview with BBC Bangla Service that criminals get shelter of the judiciary agitated the highest professional body of the lawyers who filed a contempt case against her and the High Court asked the PM to be cautious in passing such sweeping remarks against the judiciary .

Judiciary also attracted public attention due to resignation of two High Court judges. For the first time in the annals of Bangladesh a judge had to tender his resignation centring a tape scandal in which he alleged to have telephonic conversation with former President and Jatiya Party Chief H M Ershad over the issue of bail in a corruption case. The other judge (Justice Kazi Shafi Uddin Ahmed) resigned in protest against superseding him and elevating his juniors to the Appellate Division blaming the incidence as 'an example of politicisation of the judiciary'. The Judiciary also came into conflict with the country's print media and contempt cases were filed against several national dailies for what has been termed as 'contemptuous reporting'. Concerns were voiced from both

home and abroad against the trend of putting newsmen on the dock for what they did in course of discharging their professional duties honestly. Feuds between the Chief Election Commissioner and three Election Commissioners came out in the open over apparently the flimsy issue of appointment of a foreign computer consultant. With the general elections projected in less than a year's time this in-house quarrel in the EC came as a disturbing piece of news to many

.

The stand-off between the ruling Awami League and the four-party combined opposition led by the BNP still persists and there is no sign of its immediate resolution. Opposition's boycott of parliament also continued throughout the year as in the past .For retaining their membership the opposition lawmakers, however by way of formality, joined the parliament session for a brief period. BNP lawmaker Major (Retired) Akhtaruzzaman's one-man revolt against the party decision of boycotting Parliament made the party jittery .BNP is also apparently in the throes of an identity crisis and certain remarks by some members of its think-tank raised controversies and greatly embarrassed the high command. Ershad's conviction and confinement in jail in a graft case appears to have marginalised the Jatiya Party making it leaderless. The Jamaat-e-Islami is also walking on a tight rope after the formal retirement of its Amir Professor Gholam Azam. Print media's highlighting of the excerpts of the Hamoodur Rahman Commission's Report on the atrocities perpetrated by the marauding Pakistani occupation forces during Bangladesh's War of Liberation renewed the demand for the trial of the war criminals.

The overall law and order situation has further deteriorated and there have been widespread allegations of misuse of the Public Safety Act that it is being applied more against the opposition activists than against the ruling party cadres and goons who in their freewheeling manner are creating anarchy

and vandalism .For the first time the World Bank presented a report on the rampant corruption in Bangladesh for the Paris meeting of the Development Partners in April 2000. The World Economic Forum and the Transparency International, Bangladesh also pointed accusing fingers at the draining out huge amount of funds from the state exchequer through corrupt means. The London-based Amnesty International published a sensational report on police brutalities in Bangladesh and the apathy and indifference of the successive governments towards this gross violation of human rights by the members of the law enforcing agencies. There were at least two major incidents of blaze in garments factories in which scores were killed in stampede. The initial public outcry against such recurring tragedies and the apathy and negligence of the authorities have however died down. So also the motor launch disasters in which last year over two hundred passengers perished.

The unprecedented flash floods in the southwestern part of the country due to onrush of waters from the adjoining areas in the Indian state of West Bengal caused havoc. The loss is yet to be recouped. Low forex

reserve caused grave concern to the economy and despite some corrective measures by the apex bank the situation cannot be said to have become satisfactory. Excepting the agriculture sector, the performance of other sectors failed to meet the targets set before them. Flow of foreign direct investment has literally nosedived. In the arena of education mass copying in the public examinations caused widespread consternation among the saner elements. Before the dust of it could settle down came the textbook scandal. About twenty-five million school children are apprehended to be deprived of timely delivery of their textbooks. In Bangladesh the government delivers textbooks to primary and secondary level students.

Increasing number of women have become vociferous about

their demand for thirty-three per cent representation in Parliament through direct election instead of thirty reserved seats the time limit of which will expire in 2001. Three years after the signing of the Peace Accord with the insurgents in the Chittagong Hill Tracts their leader Shantu Larma has publicly blamed the government for what he termed as 'breach of trust and the terms of the accord' and threatened that he along with his followers might think of returning to their old days (of insurgency) if this continues unabated. The government, however, forcefully claimed that there had been no breach of trust and terms of the accord and that the accord is being fully and honestly implemented.

In the matters of foreign relations Bangladesh made some remarkable gains. The President of the world's lone superpower Bill Clinton visited Bangladesh in March. It was the first visit by a US President. Subsequently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a return visit to Washington and had a summit meeting with Clinton. US investment in Bangladesh's natural gas sector has substantially increased (from 20 million to eight billion dollars) the debate on the export of gas to India was the at the centre-stage assuming a political overtone .Bangladesh's participation in the UN peace keeping missions was greatly lauded and being unanimously elected to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member, Bangladesh formally started its second stint at the UNSC at the beginning of the year. Bangladesh's Prime Minister participated at the UN Millennium Summit in September. There were some high-profile visits by foreign dignitaries among which Japanese Prime Minister Yashiro Mori's trip to Dhaka deserves mention . Japan is the largest donor for Bangladesh and Mori was incidentally the second Japanese Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh after a gap of sixteen years.

But Bangladesh's relations with Pakistan took a sudden u-turn and it all started with Pakistan's Chief Executive General

Pervez Musharraf's abrupt volte face in meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina he apparently irritated by her condemnation of military rules and the General's unsolicited advice to Bangladesh 'to bury its past'. Highly derogatory and inflammatory remark by a senior Pakistani diplomat based in Dhaka (Deputy High Commissioner Irfan Raja ) against Bangladesh's War of Liberation brought forth indignation among all strata of the society . The concerned diplomat was subsequently declared a persona non grata, first such drastic action on the part of Bangladesh, and was expelled from the country.

Bangladesh's bitterness over its huge trade imbalance with India (over one billion dollar in favour of India) persisted and there had also been some border skirmishes between the two

countries' security forces. Bangladesh had a new Chief of Army Staff inducted at the fag end of the year. In the sporting arena Bangladesh has reasons for jubilation. It got the test status in cricket and made its debut as a test playing nation with an inaugural match with India.

Standing at the threshold of 2001 Bangladeshis will naturally be thinking how the New Year will fare for the country. In all probability it will be a litmus test for the survival of democracy in Bangladesh. The year 2001 is the election year and much will depend on how fairly and peacefully the hustings are conducted. Foreign and local observers as well as development partners are already apprehensive of the outcome.