"ETV, law and our emotion"

This refers to Mr. Faruque Hasan's letter "ETV, law and our emotion" (May 3). The writer successfully identified the separation of emotion and the consequence of performing illegal act. In this situation the illegal act is alleged to be performed by the committee who issued the license, which should be labelled as lack of transparency.

It is good news that legal system of Bangladesh has learnt to be neutral and penalise any party for its illegal act but we do not see any illegal act performed by ETV in acquiring the license. The license issuing committee should be penalised for the non-transparency if it is indeed proved (at the Appellate court) that they broke rules in their selection procedure.

We as a nation should learn side by side to compensate for any of our wrong doings. So if our law finds that ETV was issued license in an illegal fashion, we (or our government who issued that license) should take full responsibility for causing unnecessary hassles, and compensate ETV by providing it with an authenticated

license and reasonable amount of financial compensation for damaging its image.

And that's when we can say, yes we have put our emotion aside and punished the real culprit which is off course ourselves.

AM Yusuf

San Jose, California, USA

Between yourself and me

I must say I completely agree with K A S Murshid in regards to getting rid of the royal houses of Bengal. Again I would agree with his comments on H M Ershad. I have also been tempted to imagine that a Musharaff may be what we need.

However, being in complete agreement with his prognosis, I don't agree with his remedy.

I don't like the idea of legislation to prevent a PM from standing more than twice. Not that I want more of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, not at all, it's just that I don't believe in legislating our way out of every bind. The solution as I see it would be in a break up of BNP and AL along their family lines. Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina with their courtiers split up

into separate parties, while the more sensible members of both go off on their own. I think then most people would vote for the alternative rather than these two leaders and their kin. Beowulf

Dhaka

School rivalry

With nostalgia I have read the series of letters on Sunbeams vs. South Breeze issue. Rather than discouraging such competitiveness and pride, we should applaud it. Such rivalries are healthy and bring out our impassioned articulation and sporty competition.

This is in stark contrast to the rivalries generated in politics, business and religion when the worst demagoguery, random violence and limitless corruption are the choice weapons. Even so far away in time and distance, I am proud to call myself a rival to my school's traditional opponents in Dhanmondi and Mohammadpur. Occasionally, in some 'deshi' gathering or at random I run into some such folks, and trust me the disagreements are as lively as if we were debating congressional elections.

School ties, all humour aside, is

important. For us expatriates, they are another mystical bond to the innocent times when we were more concerned about rivalry between Greenherald and Maple Leaf than the Cold War.

Whenever I see the name of my alma mater crop up in some school sport update in your paper or elsewhere, I am reminded of those halcyon days. Some special teachers, some special friends, the Meena Bazaars, the bunking of classes, the heartbreaks of unrequited teenage love, all these things cloud the mind. I wish I could tell some of my teachers how I sorry I am about being a brat and how much I appreciate the trouble they went through to teach us.

ES

Missouri, USA

Wastage of foreign exchange

This is in reply to AMA's letter (May 4), arguing for protectionism and some pseudo punishment for having, in his opinion, too much disposable income. I am not going to counter with the usual rigmarole about economics and the market.

Nor am I going to discuss the issue that it is my choice and my money I am spending. And if I make the annual per capita income in a day, well that's my credit.

My only comment is if he found these fancy (which I totally don't think they are) stores empty of buyers, why is he worried? If no one buys these things the stores cannot run and will have to close. But I think he's wrong, people seem to love these shops and they are usually very crowded, at least the ones in Rifle Square and in Uttara that I frequent.

I happen to like being able to have the choice of buying Diet Coke to drink with my Oreos and not having to carry Smoked Salmon home every time I go abroad.

Dorji

Dhaka

SSA deal

In typical Bangladeshi fashion the Secretaries committee on the private container terminal, rather than being forceful and definite, has given "options". Typical bureaucratic rambling as we well deserve for letting the government interfere in what should be purely a market

decision.

On another issue, I wish the media would investigate the persistent rumours of corruption of very senior AL and BNP members involved in the SSA deal. I do not wish it because I am naïve enough to imagine that there is the remotest possibility of justice in Bangladesh.

But there is a very useful law known as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") of 1977, enacted in the US. The Congress enacted the law in light of the revelations of questionable payments by US companies. Those questionable payments were either illegal political contributions or payments to foreign officials, which bordered on bribery.

If the media were able to expose the connections of senior politicians to land sales or contracts with SSA, the company could be subject to investigation by the Dept. of Justice.

I sincerely believe that we need a private container terminal in order to survive but I also don't want these politicians to get away with it.

Biggles

Dhaka

‘Yaba' the deadly drug

A couple of days ago a letter on

'Yaba'--a deadly drug was published in your daily. The writer focused on the adverse affects of this drug. The users of 'Yaba' remain overactive throughout the night in an abnormal state ignoring work or studies and they loose weight due to loss of appetite. Regular use of 'Yaba' is bound to cause serious side effect.

Like 'Yaba' other chemicals such as mandrix, sonarii, phyensydle, pathadrine, heroine etc have become popular with the young people. Much has been written on the negative impact of these drugs but a very little has been done to control its widespread use.

It is time to take measures at national level to control drug addiction. At the same time parents should also be more cautious about their children.

H N Kabir

Dhaka

Mir Zafar

This is in reply to Mr Faruque Hasan's letter (May 4) regarding traitors.

I agree that BNP shouldn't have been so gleeful when the Transparency Int. report came out, nor should AL have been smirking when

the FEER report was published.

What I disagree with Mr Faruque is him calling these people traitors. I may hold views that in your opinion or in everyone's opinion are false and biased. And I may choose to publicise my false and biased opinions in any arena where for even more malicious reasons I am given a hearing. In response you should criticise my arguments for their errors. But I cannot be pilloried for holding views, which are false and malicious in your opinion. Keep in mind I am arguing for the right to hold and disseminate opinions however spiteful they may be, I am not defending any acts of violence.

It is my right to believe in what I wish. And it is your right to argue against my beliefs. But no man can claim to have the right to accuse me of being a traitor just because he happens to disagree with me no matter how vehemently he believes in the integrity of his views. This just leads to oppression and censorship and stoning to death for blasphemy is not much further down this road. Tintin Dhaka