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TO THE EDITOR
Hasina and election
Shield Hasina has rightly said that she must contest in the upcoming election. Hold a minute and remember when an ominous uncertainty was looming on the horizon right before 1/11 last year, people under rhe bold leadership of Sheikh Hasina thwarted the evil design.
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Israeli atrocities
A pathetic news report with a picture published in your daily on 29April drew my attention. The picture carried the news that a Palestinian 15-month old boy, Mussab, was killed along with his mother and three siblings by Israeli tank fire outside their house in Beit Hanun, as they prepared to sit down for breakfast
My question is: how long shall we have to witness the killing of innocents? Is there no end to it? I urge the world leaders to stop such barbaric acts.
Md. Ahsan ur Rahman DhakessaryRoad Lalbag. Dhaka
Governance crisis
The 21st century is playing games with civilisation. Crisis governance is the style of the decade. Start with the superpower US. The theme for the coming presidential election is change; plus two new formats: a woman contesting; and a minority leader. Add a big deciding factor, the no confidence in the USD, world's only global currency.
In SE Asia, Bangladesh and Pakistan are fed up with the traditional patterns; and the people are seeking basic change of style. Pakistan has to cope with three fronts: Kashmir, India, and the religious terrorists; plus pressure from the US (Afghanistan, the blackhole).
Bangladesh is fed up with corrupt regimes for more than two decades; and phase one of the hard operation clean-up is in motion; before the coming general elec- tions. The food prices have skyrocketed; and that too after the huge Sidr cyclone, with new tern porary non-political caretaker government mothering the baby. BD is drawing unholy attention from foreign investors: huge untapped natural energy resources (as also in neighbouring country Myanmar). Black wealth is ruling the economy, and some of the top players are in custody.
South Asia is now under focus, and the main player now in the global game: the Western rich industrialized countries are trying to establish a base in South Asia (population one and a half billion, with cheap labour), to counter the economic and industrial power of China, above in the North.
EU, Japan, S Korea, and Taiwan are facing sunset years. The economic and industrial sine wave is shifting to the developing countries (cunning Nature knows about human Economics!).
The political regimes (on Earth) are worried it has to change its traditional styles of exploitation, in the first and the third worlds (where is the Second World). It is the decade of change and adjustment. Bush and Blair on the exit path; the Army in Pakistan is in two minds; the flare-up in Tibet was pre-planned; (latest: thousands of hooks/bolts in railway track removed in the night in Dhaka city).
Media analysts have a lot of homework, to keep with the daily news breaks. This scribe is a reader/viewer living in Dhaka, worried about headlines hinting that the mega-polis was sinking (underground water level deprivation). Serious? Go for a merry-go-round ride at the Children's Park (read the maintenance report first). A Maw az
Dhaka
Tender on offshore oil
I would like to refer to the above tender which is very vital and crucial for Bangladesh economy. The decision on exploring 28 blocks at a time is risky.
Bangladesh should go phasewise. 14 blocks in the first phase and die rest in the 2nd phase, for example. Bangladesh has scarce resources which cannot be taken casually. We must think first about the interest of our country. So my request is instead of going for 28 blocks at a time, amend the tender and extend the submission date by at least one month. Even receiving tender in the first week of June will enable the authorities to award the blocks within October 2008.
Amendment and extension of tender bid time will bring benefits to Bangladesh as there will be more participation leading to a good deal.
Ali Akbar Khan, Dhaka
Polls groundwork
The CA instructed the DCs to start groundwork for the next general electibn. I believe that the DCs and the civil administration have little scope to do any "groundwork" for the election. The voter registration process is almost complete, we are told. The EC is lecturing us every day on election. Their appearance on TV is very regular indeed. Common people, politicians and private citizens have no role at present.
The CA is telling everyone that elections will be held by December. Repetition reduces importance of such an event!
Syeda N ah id Akhtar
North South University
Banani, Dhaka
BAF plane crashes
Some young BAF pilots died in plane crashes. Almost all of these accidents happened because of mechanical failure of the planes. Sometimes even the parachute did not work! BAF needs to stop putting pilots in unsafe fighter planes.
They should come up with a working plan so that lives are not put in unnecessary danger. Mohammad Sadique Hossain PE.M.ASCE
On e-mail Pahela Baishakh
Pahela Baishakh is the first day of Bangla New Year. Hence, we can say the Bengali culture begins its new journey through this day. The day is warmly celebrated by all Bengalees.
Surprisingly. Pahela Baishakh -1415 has been celebrated for the first time in Chittagong University. Md.Aowranga Zeb Department of Public Administration
Un i versify of Ch i ttagong
High price of iron Continuous price hike of construction materials, particularly iron materials, is a matter of serious concern. It is creating instability in the housing sector resulting in the house rent being pushed upwards, which is just adding salt to the sore caused by high prices of essential commodities.
The government has been trying to control the price of iron rod but so far no tangible result can be seen. If fact, price of any commodities cannot be controlled by any government because the price factor of products would depend on the supply and demand in the domestic and international market. The best course for the government is to monitor and maintain the supply and demand. It should strengthen its capacity to intervene in order to prevent unlawful market manipulation by the vested quarters.
It is obvious that the high demand is responsible for high price, but if we try to find the reason as to what has caused huge demand of iron materials, we will find that huge quantities of extra iron materials are used for the purpose of safety and security only, which otherwise has no relationships with the construction itself of a building. Ifwe observe the houses constructed during the good old days we will see that no such extra iron materials were used for the purpose of safety and security. Some government buildings would prove the truth even today. The burning example of use of extra iron materials is that a security cage is built around the driver seat of every CNG scooter.
Since the state has failed to provide security to the life and property of the people, they are compelled to use extra materials for the purpose of security. Each and every house seems to be an iron cage. The gates of the private houses appear to be those of a jail. ‘As the security diminishes day by day, the consumption of iron goes up at the same pace.
This is the point where government has to do something to reduce the demand for iron materials. The lack of safety and security of fife and property of the citizens causes unrest and instability in society. We should shoot at the real problem but not the shadow. The government's effort to control the price hike should be linked with the question of security too. If appropriate measures could be adopted to boost up security, then the consumption of extra iron materials would be reduced, which will have a positive impact on the demand and price of iron materials.
Md Shah Jahan
Dhaka
Why on the same day?
Both the DCC (Dhaka City Corporation) and PGCB (Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Ltd) are important organisations.
The written tests for recruiting Assistant Engineer (Civil) of DCC and Assistant iManager (Tech) of PGCB are going to be held today at 10:00:am simultaneously at Nagar Bhaban and BUET. Most of the candidates applied for both posts. So, the authorities should not have arranged the test on the same day. Such failures are often costly for the candidates.
Shanker Chakraborty BSC Engineer (Civil) BUET
Human rights
The ex-MPs, who are fortunate enough not to be in jail, are currently spending their free time organising a fierce battle to uphold the rights of their party' leaders now cooped up behind bars. It is remarkable to see such enthusiasm and fervour with which they are protesting against the incarceration of mainly two persons.
WJien these activists were in power, were they blinded to human rights violation against children and women? Were they not aware of the notorious activities taking place in the garment factories? Did they devise any mechanism to stop such abuse? Do they even know what the basic human rights are?
It is ironical to see them fighting for human rights, even though some of them had abused the rights of many others. Nevertheless, it is admirable to see them fighting for a "just" cause. A citizen
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Safe(!) drinkingwater
Your daily of the 9th May carried a clear photograph of some criminals in the garb of businessman filling cans with tap water before sealing and labelling them as "safe drinking water". I think as a citizen I have the right to know what (if any) action the authorities concerned have taken against these killers. They are putting at stake the lives of thousands of citizens across the country for making profit.
Will the authorities kindly let us know the latest developments through the columns of DS? Shaflque Haider Chowdhury Chittagong
Why blame him?
Recently, Sheikh Hasina was trying to prove Dr. Kama) Hossain as black money holder simply because Dr. Hossain did not try' to save the corrupt politicians. In fact. Dr. Kamal Hossain is the greatest threat to the black money owners and if anybody calls him a black money holder, he/she is not serving the truth. Do not forget that Hasina's AL and Khaleda's BNP made Bangladesh the number one corrupt country in the world. The corrupt prime ministers appointed corrupt ministers and high offi- cials. Politicians and a vested quarter are openly trying to free Hasina and Khaleda and their corrupt collaborators without any trial.
In this situation, I am afraid whether election can bring any good to this nation. These corrupt politicians will surly nominate corrupt black money holders with very few exceptions. We must find a way out!
Dr. Mahboob I lossain
Associate Professor Department of Pharmacy The University of Asia Pacific Dhaka
Duration of this government
Can you presume how long this caretaker government will go on? I can! No specific duration of this government is mentioned in any law. Though the constitution has given the direction, but this government does not care for any constitutional order or provision. Abdul Kai urn Khan
Amnesty International USA Member ID-2047068
Technical education Technical Education holds the key to the tangible development of a country. Some 45 polytechnic and a few mono-technique institutes have been established for imparting technical education in Diploma Engineering level. It is a four-year course after SSC which is conducted by the collaboration of the directorate of technical education and Bangladesh Technical Education Board.
The infrastructure of these polytechnics is deteriorating day by day. They are suffering from severe shortage of teachers. At best 40% teachers are available against the teaching strength. At present 20 old polytechnics are conducting 2nd shift along with the regular one with the same number of teachers. This means that less than 40% teachers are doing 200% jobs. There is no promotion for most of the teachers who are serving in the same post for 20-25 years although they have all required educational qualification and the experience. So, the quality of education will certainly fall. The compromise of quality with quantity can never yield a positive result. New departments have been introduced with just one or no teachers at all in several polytechnics. There arc lots of instances where just a single teacher carries out the responsibility of a whole department with four semesters, each having 2 shifts. That means just one teacher is assigned for 8 batches of students. The condition is even worse in some cases where there is no teacher in some departments. Some teachers are hired from another department for just carrying out the administrative task and a few teachers are appointed on part-time basis whose quality are not up to the mark and the responsibility is questionable.
Recently, the govt, withheld the appointment of a good number of teachers in a project for the polytechnic institutes for almost nolhi ing. Even the viva voce was complete and the appointment was just knocking at the door. The new appointments could ease the acute teacher shortage to some extent and the whole polytechnic system could have breathed a sigh of relief. But the unwise decision by the authorities is pushing the whole system into further disarray. Anonymous One-mail
New faces needed 1971-a dream come true, a defining year for a new country-Bangladesh. Let us think back have we had a politician or created a politician so far whose concern was the country and its people? Have we seen a leader who will fight for the under-privileged people?
The US is a country where there is freedom of speech which means the constitution allows each and every citizen to criticize and comment on any issue, including the President. Sometimes I think, after what has happened in the last 8 years in American politics, people should be screaming, rioting in the streets against the current administration. They did not do it by the means we do it instead they have given birth to an inexperienced Ohio Senator Barack Obama, in a democratic process. Here is a man who was unknown to over 90% of the American population 14 monthsago and is now on the way to getting nomination as a Democratic candidate. History is being made in two ways Firstly, he is the first African-American to be nominated and secondly, he has overturned the Clinton dynasty How was it possible? There is no one way of describing it, but one thing is clear, he is a person who has always been down to earth with the common and ordinary people. Just eight months ago in the Newsweek cover there were pictures ofthe strong6-7 the candidates and there was no picture of Obama. This is a candidate that touched the life of people of every colour, race and religion. Ordinary people were pouring in money from $5 to S97. making him the highest fundraiser in the American history. This type of movement is only possible by the will of the common people and die sacrifice ofan unselfish politician.
The reason for bringing him as an example is that we hope we could see a politician like him being bom in our lifetime.
"Amader Dcsh-e Hobe Shey Chelc Kobe, Kothai Na Boro Hoi-e Kaj-eBoro Hobe".
An observer
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