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TO THE EDITOR
Death of a General
Isn't it sad that we could not show proper respect by keeping the National Flag half mast honouring the death of the soldier who led the joint forces of Indian army and the Mukti Bahini to free our dear motherland from the clutches of the Pakistani occupation forces?
By not doing so, we have again proved how ungrateful we could be! Fahim Hussain,Dhaka
What a pity!
A couple of days ago I found an article in the newspapers that the Prime Minister had pledged to help a woman abandoned by her husband. The woman had given an advertisement in the newspaper to sell her eyes to mitigate her financial crisis.
Can we imagine her condition? No, we can't. It is a reality that Bangladesh is still a poverty-stricken country. We can't claim that the situation has changed a great deal by pointing at the luxurious shopping malls in the capital and the density of the crowd gathering there. We're far away from achieving Sonar Bangla.
Ashek Ahmmed
CSE, KUET
Banking situation
Now that the financial highlights of the banks are coming out in newspapers, we find that they are making huge profits while mere survival has become very difficult for small/medium businesses and industries. So, can't we say that banks are making "windfall" gains at the cost of such trading and manufacturing concerns by charging higher interest spreads/rates, taking exorbitant service charges/commissions, etc.?
CNR
Chittagong
Friday as working day This is in response to Mr. Adenine Siddiky's reaction to my comments. Let us go by the "whims and wishes" of the World (North America Chelsea Football Club was founded by H.A. Mear in the year 1905, and fifty years later, back in 1955 it won the title of league champions. In the last session Chelsea showed skills and talent on the ground but was unable to win any titles.
Then came Jose Mourinho, the new manager. He had a wonderful squad with goalkeepers like Peter Cech, Carlo Cudicini, strong defence and Europe!). Suppose, Friday is a full working day in Bangladesh. When the Bangladeshis are going to work, my "forward looking" brothers in North America are heading for the bed - it's Thursday night. On Monday morning, when it is time to head for the office in Dhaka, it is dinner time in Ottawa ! Four days are lost !
MZ Islam
Dhaka
Don't forget Bangladesh
Our people are hard working and intelligent, but because of lack of opportunities this resource is being wasted. Where are our most intelligent people living now? The answer will be in foreign countries [Bidesh]. Even when I look at my intelligent and brilliant friends, besides a few, most are gone, or looking for a way to get out. My father Dr. Abdul Awal, Professor in NSU, was a senior scientist in America. He came back to Bangladesh leaving a very high paid job only for his love for this country.
My only reason here to use his name is to tell my dear friends all over the world not to forget Bangladesh.
Ubaidullah awal on e-mail
Teachers
Teachers are honoured all over the world. Being an instructor, trainer and friend he plays a vital role in building up our personality which is also determined by environment, culture and experience.
My grandfather was a high school teacher, I witnessed how people respected him. We should not move away from the age-old norm of respecting our teachers.
Roney
On-email
The sweetest word
A few days ago I read a letter written by Sadat Shahriar and its heading was "Mother, the sweetest word".
What a nice writing! Well done Sadat! Hope you will write again. with players like William Gallas and John Terry, and world class midfield with Jole, Damien Duff, Arien Rodden, and of course Frank Lampard. It also had great strikers like Drogba and Gudjohnsen but had some problems when Kezman was scoring little, unexpected!
After all, this team was one of the hot favourites in UEFA Champions League, but disappointed its fans when it Thank you very much!
S. Hossain, US
CCC election
We have witnessed another City Corporation election (CCC polls) with hope and anxiety. Sarwar Kamal
Dept. of philosophy, CU
One eyed BTV?
No matter whatever the ruling party is, it must not influence the role of the state run channel --BTV. Sometimes BTV makes me stunned, I watch and keep pondering for a long time whether BTV has any choice of its own or not. Especially, I request you to watch BTV news. I could not find anything except propaganda of the candidate of the ruling party whenever I watched the BTV news. Just ridiculous! unfortunately lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals. But all the sadness was washed away when Chelsea were crowned the champions in the English Premier League.
For Chelsea, it may be the beginning of their era and we may see them winning more titles.
Tahsin Hyder
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
To select a candidate through election, it is necessary to react with proper understanding and norms of political behaviour. Election to local bodies help people get familiar with the democratic process. Sarwar Kamal
Dept. of philosophy, CU
One eyed BTV?
No matter whatever the ruling party is, it must not influence the role of the state run channel --BTV. Sometimes BTV makes me stunned, I watch and keep pondering for a long time whether BTV has any choice of its own or not. Especially, I request you to watch BTV news. I could not find anything except propaganda of the candidate of the ruling party whenever I watched the BTV news. Just ridiculous! unfortunately lost to Liverpool in the semi-finals. But all the sadness was washed away when Chelsea were crowned the champions in the English Premier League.
For Chelsea, it may be the beginning of their era and we may see them winning more titles.
Tahsin Hyder
Dhanmondi, Dhaka BTV was supposed to represent the people of our country, their hopes, choices, needs, likes and dislikes. You will see BTV has adopted a new slogan, "Desh o manusher kota bole(?)". Does BTV really speak for the common people?
Cantara Wali Ruhi, DU
Bangla Motor crossing
Enough has been written here and there including your columns but nothing has been done so far. No new underpass or overbridge has yet shown up in the busy crossroads.
There was a sigh of relief (a bit) when the crossing (Bangla Motor) got the service of traffic lights; but would you believe (if not, come and see by yourself) the not-so-wide road cannot be crossed if a young man doesn't run before the light changes, forget about the school children and women. And to the detriment of the road-users, traffic on the main road doesn't stop right away (reducing further the time for crossing), in spite of the fact that the crossing is attended by no fewer than four traffic policemen. Thanks to the smart controllers of signal lights and lethargic police force.
I believe the earlier the authorities wake up the better; we cannot afford to sacrifice more lives only for crossing a road section. I want to stress the importance of an underpass in this critical and important crossing for hundreds and thousands of school children and garment workers who use this crossing every day and night.
And by the way, the idea of an overbridge, if there is any, should be abandoned and the under-pass preferred, for it's most suitable for the children, women and elderly and also very convenient during the rainy season.
A F Rahman on e-mail
State of ACC
Going by newspaper reports, a retired colonel seems to be the focal point of All Confused Condition (ACC) that reigns in ACC till date! One feels the ACC will remain in a permanent state of confusion, to the satisfaction of the corrupt. Despite notification by the establishment ministry issued on 26th April; this gentleman carries on, and on top of that has made himself a Director of ACC.
It goes to show how impotent is our governance.
A confused citizen
Should I be proud?
It's been four years that I have returned to Dhaka after spending almost a decade in England, as I wanted to spend time with my father. However, my dear father passed away two years back and since then my kids have been pressing me to return to the UK.
I am not a political person nor have I any intention to pass comments concerning prevailing law and order scenario. However, perhaps I can comment on the modalities of day-to-day affairs like commuting to work and lack of green fields. Either my wife or I have to drop the kids to school, as we cannot even trust our driver to do so. Mind you it's not easy to sit back in the car when the car behind you kept hooting for nothing. Changing of lanes, are there any, has become a habit and, unfortunately a lot of drivers who are also owners, do not seem to follow proper rules. It would seem more logical to expect some sort of decency and common sense from these lots after all they are educated, aren't they?
The absence of parks has daunted us since we have returned as my kids were used to playing in green fields. We grew up in this country where most houses had big green in the front side, which was kept for a bit of gardening as well as allowing kids to wander around. This has become unthinkable in present days, as we have already shifted from two-storied houses or a single story bungalow house to high rising block-of-flats. My purpose is not to blame anyone, let alone any government present or past. I just want to feel more proud and assured that we can do it here as well. I mean we went abroad, had got higher degrees, worked in bluechip multinationals side by side with Europeans or Americans, didn't we? Why cannot we do it here? I'm sure the positive 'can do mindset' is strong enough to push us forward. We appeared to have accepted the unacceptable these days, as we do not disapprove or condemn unsocial, unethical and immoral practices anymore.
Muhammad H. Kafi
Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1209
Tea
I really don't understand why everyone goes gaga over tea. I don't want to hurt the feeling of millions of tea lovers of this country, but to me, by getting over-excited about tea, we are just showing our unfaltering loyalty to our colonial masters who first gave it free! Once we got addicted they made us pay for the drink and get money from us.
We have got our very own green coconut (dab) which is far more nutritious than the addictive tea. Let us free ourselves from the chain of slavery and learn to appreciate our very own dab.
Saif, Dhaka
A positive approach
Every day people from different areas suffer from unexpected traffic problems, some are artificial and some are because of ignorance. In Dhanmondi every month (almost) there are markets being built and they are growing like mushrooms. One of them is situated at Road 7A, which does not have a proper parking place for the customers, as a result people park their cars in the middle of the road, creating obnoxious traffic problem. These cars occupy half of the road. Last night when I was stuck there, I saw some police sergeants fining those cars parked illegitimately. I really appreciated the steps taken by the authorities. These people park their cars, wherever they like, without caring about the nuisance they are creating. I also witnessed in Road 9 some officers were busy fining the errant cars.
I earnestly believe those fined cars will hardly do the same mistake if they are punished properly.
It is a good step and our hats off to the authorities.
Badal Hasib
Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1209
University teachers
I would like to know from you : Is there any section or clause or provision in our constitution that has given autocratic powers to our teachers of public universities ? Or is there any ordinance in our country to give immunity to the teachers that they can do whatever they like ? That is, they can't be asked about their responsibilities ! Or they can't be challenged in the court. I would like to know to whom they are responsible for their duties. They are not taking a minimum number of classes in different courses in programmes in public universities.
Most often they are not regular in the class and that ultimately creates session-jam. Rather, they are taking classes in different private universities, depriving the students of public universities. And most often students are compelled to sit for exams with incomplete courses and lack of preparation.
Is there any solution to the above problems ?
Md. Asiful Huq
Ibrahimpur,
Kafrul, Dhaka-1206
Friday as holiday
In a sort of suspended amusement I have noticed the letters about having the appropriate day of the week as weekly holiday in Bangladesh. The irony of the issue is that it is the crowd supporting keeping Friday as holiday who are guilty of blindly imitating the Christian West, ignoring the teachings of Islam.
The fundamental reasoning behind the Christian day of rest is the belief that Almighty God Himself rested on the seventh day, after "labouring to create the world for the previous six". Of course, it is anathema in Muslim belief to think that the Almighty has any 'needs', let alone a need to 'rest'. Hence, it is no surprise that during the time of the Prophet of Islam and the subse-
quent righteous caliphs, business went on as usual during Fridays on the bustling market-places of Medina, Damascus, and Baghdad. Indeed there was a proper break of trade during the congregational Juma prayers, just as there was a short break for each of the other five canonical prayers. The Holy Koran is very clear on the matter: it asks believers to suspend trading once azaan is called and then go back to their business after namaaz is done. The idea of having entire Friday off on the premise of Juma prayers is not only absurd, but possibly an un-Islamic innovation of practices blindly imitated from colonialist Christians.
If there has to be a day off, it should be the day that does the least damage to the economy of the country and the well-being of its inhabitants: not only does Islam allow for this but probably, as a religion which places such a high premium on business and trade, mandates it.
Esam Sohail, Kansas, US
DU campus
Since there is no restriction many couples come from outside to spend time on the campus. Things at times look rather odd. Teachers blame the students who actually are not responsible for the problem.
The university authorities should address the issue.
Jahid Hasan
Dhaka
Immigrant's thought
My name is Mirza Hassan and I am an immigrant child living in the UK. I feel that your newspaper neglects achievement of the Bangladeshi people that have sought to start a new life abroad.
Their task is not easy and you should give the support that they need.
Mirza Hassan
UK