National ID card

Bangladesh is going through a crisis in holding a free and fair election. For a credible election, a correct voter list is mandatory. In Bangladesh, we never had a correct voter list; whereas, a fair election determines peace, stability and overall development of a democratic country. This poor country has already spent substantial amount of public money in the name of preparing of a voter list, updating the same and voter ID cards. We can't afford to spend huge amount of public money repeatedly for experimental listing. The system of complete population census, voter list and national ID card, is a continuous process and it should be done by govt. agencies, not by any company or organisation whose main objective is profit-making. If each ID card costs Taka 50 to 70 then for a family of 10 members it will cost Taka 500 to 700 which is excessive.

I sincerely believe the total project can be completed at half the cost and I have the expertise to do the job with the help of local govt., health dept. and related depts, imparting a few weeks' intensive training for fieldwork. I have worked in this field successfully in a foreign country for seven years. I'll be very much obliged if I can be of any help to the govt. or in broad sense to the nation.

Dr Abu Saleh

On e-mail

As you sow ...

It is interesting and funny too to hear the reaction of the four parties and fourteen parties to CA's address to the nation for which they took much longer time. With humble submission, may I ask a question to the four-party alliance that, what have they done during their last tenure regarding issuance of voter ID card? Is it so that five years time was not sufficient for it? Or, they did not think about it because catching fish in troubled water was more desirable to them. My same question is to the opposition AL, they also avoided voter ID card during their tenure.

Similarly, as against the fourteen parties' demand for arresting corrupt godfathers, my question is, are they the creation of the predecessor regime only or a cumulative product of unhealthy politics of our politicians?

Both the groups expressed their annoyance over the sweeping remarks of Dr.

Muhammad Yunus blaming politicians of our country. I have not yet seen any rejoinder from Dr. Yunus against the expression of annoyance by our politicians.

I would like to say that, in democracy majority rules. It is the responsibility of the majority either to dominate the minority or to share the responsibilities of the misdeeds (if any) done by them. As such what I feel, Dr. Yunus did not consider it necessary to give any rejoinder over his sweeping remark against the politicians. Our politicians should digest the remark of Dr. Yunus whatever harsh it is, considering the proverb "As you sow, so you reap". Alas! Both the groups could not reap as they sowed (separation of judiciary) too.

Md. Habib Mansur

Amlitala, Mymensingh Sadar

Voter ID is a must

In (possibly) 1973 parliamentary election, I went to vote in the designated polling centre BAWA School in Chittagong and found that my vote was already cast. The presiding officer smilingly informed me: "Oshubidha nai, aapnar bhot theek jaygai deya hoyechhey"(No problem, your vote has been cast in the right place.) Ever since, I have never been near a polling centre to vote (The readers are welcome to pass any judgement on this decision of mine). But when the leader of Moha Jote (14 + parties) Sheikh Hasina demanded voter ID with photo -being one of her main demands -before the country's 9th General Election is held, I supported this demand 100 percent so that I could make my own choice in a polling

centre after long 36 years! Now, according to electronic and print media, the Moha Jote has backed away from their demand of voter ID for reasons, which perhaps is not so difficult for general public to understand.

I, therefore, appeal, as a citizen, to the caretaker/interim government to make sure that voter ID -- preferably the National ID -- is introduced before the 9th parliamentary election is held. This is a golden opportunity for the CG/IG to do the country a great service -- no matter how long it takes to do. The CG/IG should consult the general public to ascertain what is good for the country, and not the (failed) political parties or the diplomatic community.

Ashfaque Chowdhry Banani, Dhaka

Terrorists' godfathers We should immediately halt the proposed execution of the pseudo-Islamic fundamentalists and instead invite the FBI in and interrogate them to find out who are their backers.

If they are executed, then all possibilities of finding out their political godfathers will be lost. So the civil society should rally to stop their execution and instead propose to interrogate them to find out who have been their patrons.

And then the patrons should be punished. Else this scar of pseudo-Islamic terrorism will not be healed. Irshad Alam

Berkeley, California

Illegal arms for students

I was reading "Daily Sangbad" internet edition. There I read a news item about Sheikh Hasina. She was exchanging greetings on Saraswati Puja with students of different educational institutes. She said ex president Ziaur Rahman had given arms to students. We all know that she meant JCD, student wing of the BNP. We all know about that news. My question is who gave arms to BCL, student wing of the AL? I am sure it was not Ziaur Rahman. He was not that unwise that he would give arms to his opposition. Who was/is that culprit who gave out arms to BCL activists ? Will Sheikh Hasina answer the question?

Desh Premik

On e-mail

Shuffling of civil servants

The politicisation and subsequent removal or frequent shuffling of civil servants are going to have a serious impact on our civil administration. Big business - especially multinationals - is going to exploit the resulting vacuum of able civil servants. The residual sub-standard cadre is going to be no match for the devious strategies of the well-trained multinational executives. These executives will extract undue favours with lasting deleterious impact on our already poor revenue generation stream in exchange of promises to provide employment to civil servants' relatives or, even worse, invitations to cocktails for free drinks.

Such cases are rampant. However, they are done in such a style that the special favours extracted by the multinationals never surface. More importantly, these misdeeds of gigantic proportions, mostly in the form of various tax benefits, are camouflaged by widely publicized corporate social responsibility projects of limited impact on society. This makes it very hard for the civil servants to believe that the noble multinationals can be up to such deception.

I would, therefore, sincerely request the civil service to be ever vigilant against any such evil designs by the multinationals during this transitional period.

Delwar Jahid

Research Fellow St. Paul's College University of Manitoba, Canada

'Monumental

mistakes'

This is in response to the letter by Shapan Biswas with the above title, 24 Jan. Interesting letters and articles appear in The Daily Star every day. But the ones I find really interesting are those that beat around the bush for a while and then reveal their true colour, which is: the way the BNP-led government has run the country is wrong, all those bureaucrats and advisers selected by the BNP-led alliance are bad people, and this country will turn into a heaven if Awami League ran the affairs! Awami League, by the way, is one of the two biggest (disturbing) organisations in this country (the other being BNP, of course).

Now, going back to the list of monumental mistakes (according to Shapan Biswas) made by President Iajuddin Ahmed, may be the list is absolutely correct. But there is another mistake, which is a lot worse and far more damaging to this country than any mistakes made by AL, BNP, Ershad regime, or anyone else. It is the mistake the people of Bangladesh have been making since 1991. Yes, going out on the streets and dancing in support of BNP and AL is the biggest mistake we have been making!

If someone undermines our democratic values, damages our economy and puts the security of our country at risk, that person ceases to be a patriot. And they don't deserve loudspeakers to give long speeches of lies. They deserve a fair trial nothing more. The sooner we admit this the better it is for our country. Or, we can waste another ten years and thousands of Daily Star columns, beating around the bush. The choice is ours.

Azad Miah

Oldham, UK

Rajuk's awakening

On behalf of the thousands of citydwellers who are thankful that Rajuk and the DCC have finally started the demolition of illegal structures around Gulshan Lake and other areas, I would like to register my delight at these authorities' recovery of their long-lost fortitude and sense of duty.

There cannot and must not be any letup in fulfilling their duty and foiling the dreams of those who knowingly flouted the law under the protective umbrella of powerful friends. Just as any other offender they should learn that their offence of land-grabbing is no less a crime and that they may avoid retribution for a while but the long arms of justice will eventually catch them. Zahid Iqbal

Gulshan II, Dhaka

Term limit for politicians

The craziness we saw in Bangladesh is unbelievable; some politicians treat the country as their property. Perhaps flaws in our constitution have created them.

Please help promote term limit; two consecutive terms for MP's and only one single term for prime minister. We don't have shortage of qualified people.

I believe conscious people together can save Bangladesh through huge promotion of such move. Else this chaos will eat up most of our hard earned economic and other growths for generations. Aminur Rahman

Sacramento, California, USA