Leaders without vision

As an elderly citizen, like millions of other non-articulate ones, I am worried about the future leadership of the nation. The young generations are not being groomed in the right way. The students at the tertiary level of education (college and university campuses), are denied the freedom of independent thinking, unbiased analysis, and individual formation of opinion, due to political polarisation in the campus, and in society. President Bush of the US is following the same policy; "You are with us, or not with us". Neutral stance has become a crime!

The criticism against and protests to this unhappy state of polarisation (thought control) are lukewarm, as there are few independent critics left at the top levels, to raise their voice against political autocracy, usurped by the two major political parties. The latter depends on charisma, or marketing names.

And sycophants gather under the respective umbrellas as mere opportunists. Money can turn black into white.

Opportunists cannot be dependable public service providers. The infantile paralysis of the parliament (JS) is a clear indicator of what is not working in society. Democracy is being black-marketed for subjective motives, as the effects are not visible even after three decades.

The passionate celebration of various national anniversaries is sham to the core. The holy mantras are forgotten the very next day, to pursue hidden agendas in the gray areas. Politics (correct governance of the state) cannot work in this polluted social environment. The political drains are choked, and political markets have no presence of regulatory discipline. Self-discipline has been replaced by money and/or violence and terrorism. There are no entry points for honest and dedicated players. Decay has set in, and refurbishment is already suffering. No

gardening is possible in the fossilized political gardens.

Look how the culture of violence is filtering down from the style of political agitation to other localised spheres of life. When a bus or truck kills a pedestrian, many passing vehicles are burnt or damaged by the outraged public in the locality. In the universities, the administrative and other offices are ransacked by the students, as a mark of protest. Violence has become the sole tool of seeking redress of grievances. Back to the stone agethe brain is no longer working. How to think, and what to think? Intolerance and dictating terms rule the day.

A Husnain, Dhaka

Tragic deaths

It has been reported in The Daily Star on 25.05.2005 that a young mother killed her 3 year old son with poison and then she killed herself with the same poison struggling against extreme poverty. I expected the news on first page.

There was no condolence meeting on these deaths. Can the rulers deny that it is their duty to ensure that nobody dies of hunger in this country? Abdul Ghani Sarker

Kodamtola, Dhaka-1214

Role of India

I've been working with Indians since long and have learned about good and bad sides of Indians. Indians are sincere and hard working, but most of them don't have the guts to stand for themselves. Indians are either too calculative or evasive. They are trying to patch up with Pakistanis just because of the fact that Pakistan has nuclear power. On the other fronts, Indians are playing foul with Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. India is playing a nasty game with Bangladesh but it's turning to be bad for India itself.. Right now I live in the US working as a highly paid software engineer but I promise that I wont hesitate to come back if Bangladesh needs my service.

Therefore, I would advice India to cool down and respect its neighbours if it wants peace and development of the region as a whole. Peace in the region cannot be achieved by a country alone, rather it will be the result of equal participation of all.

India, please be the leader of peace.

Delwar, On e-mail

Garbage disposal?

The photograph of a strange floating thing was taken from Motijheel Commercial area, adjacent to IFIC Bank and The Bangladesh Observer building. The floating net on the road is used for garbage disposal. Are we a barbaric people? Dirty things are being thrown on the net all the time. But who will remove those things? I would like to draw the attention of the DCC authorities to this newly installed garbage disposal mechanism.

Md Anisuzzman

Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1204

Ladies and cricket

Ladies at the MCC Lord's Club? It is unthinkable after 211 years of abstinence, deprivation, austerity and brahmachari culture! On the other hand, the patience of the English gentlemen is admirable they could not have expected better company then this social intercourse, embodying the eternal principle; the very basis on which God created man and woman, to live together in complementary philosophy, till cricket intervened.

Still, the signs of the times point to another flag: What's gone wrong ? No lady is safe anywhere, batting their eyelids, or bowling their hearts out. Surely they are not at Lord's to wield the willow, although they carry the suppleness of the latter.

Now MCC lady members would slip around the wicked keeper (the spelling correct!), and field at silly mid-on for irresistible members to spoon a catch, feigning to swing for a sixer, but delighted to fall to a dolly catch in the delicate hands of rosy beauties sipping Darjeeling tea with English water biscuits. No more maiden overs.

But the spinners would gain ground with their floaters, and the bouncers would fly low. Fingerlicking spin, or palming off? Take your choice! No leg breaks or off breaks, but right on the middle stump. No variations of a theme, in

this age of supper efficiency and micro appreciation. How about yorkers? What do you mean?

Abad, Dhaka

Fake advertisements

Attention of the government and official monitoring and regulating agencies is drawn to tthe spate of questionable advertisements appearing in the press on studies and jobs abroad; and the proliferation of coaching centres and vocational institutions in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. How can the public know that these are being monitored and the defaulters are being prosecuted? It is the usual nouka-dubi (launch capsize) syndrome. The exorbitant 'service charges' should be controlled. Innocent job hunters and students might be caught in some traps; as is evident from recurrent news items on Bangladeshi migrants going abroad and being left stranded. It has become a fashion to seek education abroad. At what expense and credibility?

These advertisements should print Gob registration numbers. Also, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the official checking agencies have to appear in the papers from time to time, so that applicants could check up on the validity of genuine advertisements. The government-controlled electronic media does not probe into such gray markets. Reactive governance is dangerous and damaging. We are still very weak in Operation and Maintenance routines at the public service level. There is some competition in the private sector, but swindling goes on in indirect ways. Reward and punishment philosophy is not being enforced.

A Mawaz, Dhaka

Private coaching

Private coaching has become the order of the day and without it no guardian can think of better results. They think their children cannot do anything or cannot write anything in the exams without private coaching. So, the guardians have to spend a lot of money for appointing 6 or 7 private teachers for their son/daughter. As a result, the students become teacher dependent which can easily spoil their creativity. It happens due to faulty teaching methods in our educational institutions. Teachers are also responsible for this faulty private coaching system. The teachers would rather show their skills more in private teaching than in classrooms. Had there been the semester system in public examinations in our country, this curse of private coaching would have been abolished. Besides, the government should pay good salary to the teachers to prevent proliferation of private coaching.

Arafat Ibrhim, Dhaka

A mosque in bad shape

I am a regular traveller from Gulshan to Motijheel on my car for business purposes and I frequently cross the mosque located at Kakrail, housed right beside the Ramna Park. I am appalled by the manner in which the authorities concerned maintain this unique mosque.

This mosque plays a significant role in the preaching of Islam not only in Bangladesh, but also all over the world. I am deeply shocked to see the manner and state this building has been maintained over the years. With the Saarc summit coming up, and the government boosting up its funds allocation programme through the DCC for renovation and various other beautification projects throughout the city, I feel the DCC as well as the government can take necessary steps to renovate all monumental structures, including mosques.

Akhter Salim Fahmi

Dhaka

Does goodness pay?

Once upon a time, like many others, I used to believe that goodness

would always pay. But my present experience suggests that "Goodness has no reward"!

Nowadays a person who strives for goodness suffers much! Now goodness is measured and established according to one's financial and vocal strength! There are some people who consider 'money' as their only end and with the strength of money, they turn 'false' into 'true', 'injustice' to 'justice'! On any issue these people put forward arguments with prophetic words but they never care about religious injunctions, social or moral obligations. The hard truth i.e. death, which is inevitable to any living 'being, makes no difference to their wrong doings!

These are the type of people who are rapidly getting themselves established in every segment of our life and redesigning 'goodness' according to their whims!

Prof. M. Zahidul Haque Chairman

Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University, Dhaka

To the honourable finance minister...

As you have significantly increased the salaries of the public servants at the cost of the taxpayers' money, please ask them to change their

anti-people attitude, and to be propeople and friendly--not masters as they think they are.

Please brief them on how to behave with their real boss - the common people of Bangladesh - and ask them not to take bribe for the public services they provide to their boss.

M A Obaydullah

Melbourne, Australia

Corruption

I beg to draw your attention to the above problem. Our lives have become unbearable due to all-pervasive corruption.Corruption is a social malady which has to be eradicated for our collective welfare. Md. Kamrul Hasan Sohag Lalbag, Dhaka

Value of human lives

The Savar garments factory tragedy reminds me of the period I worked for a chemical industry abroad (GPIC) in ammonia, methanol area. This complex is like the size of our Zia Fertiliser Factory at Ashuganj where I worked for the period from 10-10-75 to 31-12-84. At the GPIC like at Ashuganj the main raw material is natural gas which is very inflammable and could cause any disaster of high magnitude. The main concern at the GPIC is personal safety which is the most important factor above all. The GPIC spends a huge sum of money for safety of the employees, apart from payment of salaries. Due to the safety precaution and awareness the company was awarded international safety awards several times.

In the context of Savar tragedy, the question arises, why is the life of a Bangladeshi worker so cheap? If the life of a Bangladeshi worker is so valuable in an Asian country like ours, why shouldn't it be so in a Bangladeshi industry? The owner of the Spectrum is not, of course, a poor person.

Can't we honour the principle "Accident does not occur, it is caused in industries as well as in our houses and in any working environment." However, matters will improve only if the employees are trained on their safety needs and the owners strictly follow the safety standards.

Thomas Gomes Bhura

Monipuri Para, Dhaka

General Aurora

I would like to point out a simple fact, that we as a nation have not even recalled a single deed of our Liberation War C-in-C General Aurora, his passing away being such a tragic loss.

Our government should at least pay homage to him by naming a national monument or institution after him.

M. Haneef

Univ. of Calif. Berkeley