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To The Editor
Road accidents
Road accident! A dreadful word. This tragic word is often uttered in our country. Many road accidents are taking place on various routes. The number is increasing drastically. Every year many people die in road accidents.
The authorities concerned should address the issue with a sense of urgency.
Zahid Mollik
EM Golden life Insurance, Tangail
Perilous journeys
The future of the country will be covered with darkness, if the scholars, think-tanks, and inventors are not patronised and honoured. Why the brilliant people are going abroad?
I got extremely hurt at the loss of life of thousands of people and assets worth millions of taka on account of launch disasters. I started research work for solving the problems of maritime accidents with my little knowledge of the past.
The reasons behind launch mishaps are not unknown. The decision makers should try to eliminate them with effective measures, instead of trying to shift the blame to others.
Ali Uzzaman Talukder
Samsuzzoha Market, Bangla Motor
Purpose of life
There are two purposes of our lives on this planet. One is the "Jururat" (necessity) and the other is the Moksod (aim and objective) of our lives.
''Jarurat" means eating, drinking, going to the toilet, having sex with your legally married partner, producing babies, bringing them up, marrying them off at a right and ripe age, getting grand-sons and granddaughters, become a grand-pa and grand-ma, and then at long last meet Death, the inevitable. In this respect both the Muslims and the non-Muslims have the same pattern of life.
But, in respect of "Aim and objective of life" (Moksod-E-Jindegee) ours is quite different from that of others.
"Our Moksod-e-Jindegee" is to earn a legal and rightful Residentship of Jannat, which can only be attained, by earning the pleasure (Rezamondi) of Allah. And to earn " that" we have to follow His commands in our day-to-day life and imitate the most purified life-style (Hayatut Toyeeba) of Hazrat Muhammad (Sm.)
Moinaddin Chowdhury
7, Chali-Bandar, Sylhet
Politics of hartal
Your editorial on "Anti-hartal pact: National Interest demands it" published on 13 March 2005 and the write-up of Mr. Elahi, on the same topic published on 18 and 21 March 2005, identify the main causes of hartal as follows: The opposition is not allowed any democratic space in which to express dissent. The opposition resorts to hartal when it is out of power. And both the major political parties argue that hartal is a political right guaranteed by our constitution. If you analyse the subject properly none of these merits a call for hartal. All political parties are supposed to be efficient in managing the first two points and if they are unable to do so they should learn from their failure and be prepared for the next opportunity. That is the positive attitude and complaining on the basis of the first two points is a negative attitude and calling or rather imposing hartal is a
discredit for the party concerned, specially because the party leaders do not take responsibility for the damage caused by their activists. Ailing citizens who may require medical attention on emergency basis should also be taken into consideration while calling hartal.
With particular reference to the third point that "hartal is a political right guaranteed by our constitution", I wish to emphasise the fact that since 1991 democratic governance has been re-established and so this right cannot be exercised by the political parties unless the situation changes to an autocratic form of government. In fact under the democratic and parliamentary form of government, the constitutional right of all elected political parties is to participate equally, under all duress and strain, with the
elected party that forms the government, for proper check and balance -a duty conferred upon them by citizens through their votes. Through your paper I also wish to draw the attention of all other editors that if together with The Daily Star a public consensus is conducted, the verdict of the citizens will be the same as the opinion expressed by me. Your editorial suggests alternatives to hartal and if the parties are wise that should be their only choice but that should be in addition to their presence in parliament.
But again the most important factor is that the party leadership should take responsibility for the damage caused by their overzeal-ous party members. It is my request that The Daily Star take the initiative
for organising a seminar on this important topic.
Badrul Islam
Uttara 1230
Dhaka
On debate
Recently, I came to learn from a DS report (Mar 18) that The Daily Star organised a debate for school children in collaboration with the Viqarunnessa School. I would like to thank you for this effort.
The most successful man is the one who is able to express his thoughts clearly, convincingly and attractively. In order to achieve success a man must know what to talk about. But this can't be learnt in classroom. It has to be mastered by constant practice-- a debating club offers this opportunity.
Students should become mem-
bers of debating societies to learn the art of debating. Debating helps them use their power of thinking and imagination. It also gives them an opportunity to develop their sense of humour and wit.
So all the educational institutions should have active debating societies. It is considered to be an important training ground for students.
Md. Toufiqur Rahman
Rothkhola, Kishoreganj
China and Taiwan
"We should be particularly careful of Taiwan authorities trying to use so-called constitutional or legal means through referendum or constitutional re-engineering to back up their secessionist attempt with so-called legality," reads the draft text
of China's new anti-secession law. In other words, China doesn't think the elected officials of Taiwan should use their positions to carry out the will of the people.
What a telling statement, coming from a government that filters out any information it doesn't want its people to know about and does everything else it can to control their thoughts. The passage hints at what the world can expect from China in the years to come. To an increasing extent even those outside China's historic borders - in America, Europe, Taiwan and elsewhere -must also begin to let the way they think, even about democracy and legality, be defined by un-elected leaders of China who operate largely outside of the law. Except for Taiwan, which has a vibrant and contentious democracy, a prospering free enterprise economy and a president of exceptional probity and authenticity, the governments of the world are cravenly kowtowing to China so as not to risk their chance at the Chinese market. Even the few tiny island nations of the Caribbean and banana republics of Central America that in the past have recognised Taiwan are now turning instead to China and its "One China" dictates. It would seem One China has won the day. The alternative for Taiwan is to be invaded. Let's not here dissect the fiction of the One China idea, show it up to be the lie that it obviously is. Rather let us entertain the notion to see if Taiwan can find a way to live with it, if this is what must be.
The only way I can see that this can be done is if we reframe the tenet in a way that's truthful to the situation between the two nations today. If the people of Taiwan are to be coerced by the world into letting China define the terms of their thinking, then let's at least not deprive the situation entirely of logic. Clearly, if there is to be one China, it should be ruled by the democratic government in Taipei, not the totalitarian one in Beijing. If there is to be one system it should be the advanced one based on law, constitutionality and sound business, banking and copyright practice - the one currently prospering in Taipei, not the archaic lawless hodgepodge of warlords reigning in Beijing, whose main interest is in making themselves rich, no matter the cost to the working classes, the farmers, or the nation as a whole. William R. Stimson
Taiwan
We can do many things
As a country of 34 years, with a history and culture of thousands of years- Bangladesh is now at the crossroads of moving forward or getting mired in intolerance, injustice and corruption. There is no denying the fact that we Bangladeshis can excel and prove our talent in a well structured, tolerant and corruption free environment.
Recent incidents involving religious extremism along with social corruption have put our nation in a delicate position. If we are not prudent and look at the bigger picture - we, as a society, will pay the price in anarchy, social injustice and depravity.
Being an avid reader of The Daily Star, I find it ironic that we spend a great deal of our time criticising other nations. It is good to have opinion about world politics but we have to come to the realisation that, due to our failure in growth, develop-
ment and respect for human value, the voice of 120 million people rarely matters in the world arena. We don't have a strong economy to make any difference, nor do we have the moral authority to criticise others. We try to identify ourselves with the Arab/Muslim world - knowing that none of those countries care about our progress and justice in society. Moreover, none of those countries are of any standard to follow.
We don't value human life or rights. We have a veiled class system between the economically advantaged and disadvantaged. We rarely provide adequate benefits for the children - be it in health care or education. Our professionals are corrupt to the point that it has become the norm. We cannot protest any injustice without violence. We don't ensure equal rights for women or the less privileged.
It is time that we control our own destiny by encouraging honesty and hard work. We have to reward honest and hardworking people who do business ethically. We have to stop student politics forever. We have to ensure that our teachers are not corrupt. They are there to teach and students are there to learn. No less and no more.
We have to produce tolerant and educated people to talk about religion- as our religion itself requires such an approach. A vast majority of our people derive their moral and social values directly from intolerant, close minded religious teachers. They are their only
source of learning . These religious teachers are making our society intolerant.
Lastly, we have to value individuals, regardless of their religion, economic condition. We need to be tolerant about the diversity in culture or religion. We have to remember that no matter how loud we shout, the opinion of 120 million people will not make any difference to the world--unless we become an example of tolerance, progress and honesty.
M. Hassan
3801 Rolling Hills
TX, USA
Barbaric acts of BSF
As it appeared in The Daily Star on March 14, 2005 quoting Adhikar, a human rights NGO, the Border Security Force (BSF) of India killed 377 Bangladeshis in the last five years i.e. every five days one Bangladeshi is killed. Besides 466 people were injured, 467 people arrested, 191 kidnapped, 39 including 8 children are missing and 5 women were raped by the BSF during the period.
Such a miserable border situation is inconceivable in this age, even in a border between two enemy countries. It is very regrettable that while the country's opposition political parties, human rights activists and those in the media are vocal, locally as well as internationally, about the crossfire killing issue, where only listed criminals are being killed by law-enforcing agencies, none of them is vocal about the said inhuman
and barbarian activities of the BSF.
Would the BSF have dared to commit such atrocious activities against China or Pakistan? Of course, not, because they would apprehend similar or more violent reaction from the other side. Our country is small and our military power is not comparable with India's. Had our political parties, civil society and human rights activists been vocal on the heinous, barbarian and aggressive activities of the BSF, these sorrowful incidents could have been stopped and the lives of hundreds of innocent Bangladeshis spared.
A.K.M. Fakhrul Alam
Siddeswari, Dhaka
Woman's power - her wisdom
A woman can lead her society, her country and the world at large, the way she runs her home with little care and concern. But, it is a sad state of affair, that women today, like today's men, are demoralised, faith shaken. Their integrity and accountability is lost, values and duties mingled. They are impatient, revengeful .
Today, humanity is suffering due to the outcome of women's failure to perform in the best spirit of womanhood. The question that arises is: who can save us from ourselves? To whom can we turn to for help to raise this degrading society from the plunge and filth?
We, the women, the right women, the concerned women, the women with wisdom - are the only hope.
A wise woman is she who takes sensible decisions based on her knowledge and experience. She upholds moral and ethical values. She protects her environment and protests against crime and injustice. She guides her children and stops them from doing wrong. She is patient and tolerant. She is concerned about everything around her.
Therefore, if she is required to lead the country, she would run it as she runs her home with careful planning and balance between spending and earning, between leniency and strictness, between just and unjust. She would look at the public sector with the same eyes that she turns towards the work of the domestic helper. If it did not perform, she would want to know why and take measures to ensure things were set right.
She would bring into daily life, the same values she carries and upholds at home. She would look at public aspirations and their daily needs with the same eyes, she turns towards the needs of her family.
Let us, women, come forward and seek to educate ourselves in the art of governance with faith, wisdom and discipline.
"The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
Zeenat Islam, On e-mail