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TO THE EDITOR
Metro rail
The Chief Adviser has once again addressed the issue of mass transport system to mitigate traffic congestion of the capital. Earlier in January 2008 he declared in his speech to the nation that metro rail would be introduced after the approval of tire project by the CCEA.
Introduction of underground mass transport would solve all those problems & eventually make the city liveable. The metro rail project should be started as soon as possible.
Engr. Rashedul Islam On e-mail
Arrests, yes or no?
The two contradictory' front page reports on June 4 make a mockery of the reported mass arrests published by you earlier! While the IG of Police calls it a routine measure (daily, weekly or monthly routine?), and also adds that "there is no deterioration in law and order", contradicting the adviser of the CTG makes the whole matter murkier and murkier!
Meanwhile, the Commerce Adviser told the reporters that arrests are being made to prevent violence in the run-up to the local ‘ and general elections.
One of these two gentlemen seems to be ignoring the realities.
The IGP's statement contradicts both the Adviser and your reporter! The Adviser, last Monday, even defended the arrests as an operation to check deterioration of law and order! He further added "the crackdown has been ordered to control the operation of the criminals as the situation was worsening"! 1 am sure, that holding an eminent position in the government, he was being factual.
Among the three statements, the IGP's statement appears to be the one in contradiction. His statement under the circum-t stances does not hold water.
His denial has made the government look trite and cheap!
A truth seeker
Dhaka
Oil price hike
Oil price hike round the world is looming large threatening industrial growth and economic development, especially in the developing countries. Last week international market experienced a surge in oil price leading up to 135$ per barrel which is nearly 90% increase compared with the prices in July
last year when it was 72$ per barrel.
In Bangladesh our govt, imports 38 lakh metric tones of crude oil per annum expending Tk 17,000 crore and BAPEX suffers a huge loss of around Tk 8,000 crore as the govt, keeps the prices low for domestic use of petroleum compared with the international market.
We must avoid the dependency on petroleum and search for alternative fuel sources. In addition to the traditional energy resources like gas, coal, biogas, solar energy etc. we should now think of nuclear power plant which IAEA has recently approved. Similarly, for a large population's transport facilities the expansion of railway network is a demand of time. Railway transportation can remove pressure on thousands of motor vehicles.
Again harvesting fuel crops without hampering the production of food crops can be a good alternative and thus ensure a good utilisation of our arable land. Agriculture researchers can do a lot in specifying well planned bio-fuel cultivation seasons which will not affect food production.
To sum up, we must make proper use of our energy resources and avoid uncalled for wastage of the same. The policy makers must think of solutions in the context of Bangladesh’s economic condition and future development.
Ehteshamul Haque
Abdul Halim Road.Jessore
SUVs
While driving around in Dhaka, the sight of government, NGO, and international organisation SUVs (sports utility vehicle) are quite common. Given that Bangladesh has to purchase oil with hard earned cash and scarce foreign exchange, I do not see why public money should be spent on vehicles that cost about 5 times more than a comparable sedan, has fuel efficiency which is 4 times less, has significantly high maintenance costs, and requires greater space for mobility on our limited roads. This rule should apply to all public offices and projects, including grants and loan funded projects financed by foreign agencies and governments.
Some might cite reasons such as need for 4WD (four wheel drives) and stronger vehicles for reaching distant places that do not have good roads. Waivers could be put in place for cases that have been scrutinized. The government should also have high taxes levied on such vehicles that are obtained with private money.
I would urge you to publish a report on the issue.
Md Ishfaqur Raza, PhD Associate Professor, Dept of EEE East West University, Dhaka
Female teachers
Women are deprived in our country not only in family but also in other spheres of life. If you look at the public universities, the number of female teachers is very much inadequate. Although every university has more than 30% female students and their performance is also good, the number of female teachers recruited in public universities is quite insignificant. For example in Dhaka University, out of 1705 teachers, there are 307 female teachers. The situation is more or less the same in other public universities. So, I would like to request all vice chancellors and policy makers to recruit more female teachers in public universities.
Sakina Khanam Kobe University Japan
Mass arrests
Twelve thousand arrested in four days! People being driven like cattle—the sight pinpoints the highhanded ways of the law enforcers. Since our prisons are already bursting at the seams, the arrival of the newcomers will certainly aggravate the situation. It is also common knowledge that our prisons fail to act as correction centres. Many people -especially the destitute ones —are apprehended on suspicion. Poor people who land in these prisons come in contact with hardened criminals— and this leads to their initiation into the world of crime.
As far as the apprehension of the political workers are concerned, we cannot but sympathize with the near and dear ones of those people. Why should the police harass the people with no criminal records? It will certainly add to the image of the police as a coercing force. ZabedWali
Pahartali, Chittagong
• ■*
Thanks to the DS for the post editorial on mass arrests. We hope the judiciary would come to the rescue of the innocent people arrested allegedly without any charges. Our question is. why the government had been sleeping so long and suddenly started the crackdown on thousands of people? We have seen similar mass arrests when the trouble started with the students of Dhaka University. Police filed more than 80,000.00 cases against known and unknown persons. I cannot recollect properly, but I remember that similar mass arrests were initiated in another incident.
The CTG is very fond of mega actions- mega cases, mega arrest and mega development. It would be wise for them to verify their ammunition stock and proceed accordingly. They have by their acts and deeds put themselves against 150 million people of Bangladesh, except a handful of supporters. It would be a simple mistake to consider the total population as fools.
One thing we can appreciate about the top bosses of the law enforcing agencies-their courage and the way they are performing their task in a very cool-headed manner. May Allah help the innocentpeople.
Coming back to the question of the role of the judiciary in the given circumstance, I can just recollect one case where a learned High Court Judge issued a rule to release one foreigner, said to be a minor, kept in the custody on the charge of carrying banned narcotic drags and jail sentence was awarded. I do not remember any other instance of suo moto rule by any judge. We think such action is warranted in the prevailing situation where fundamental rights and human rights are being violated on the pretext of the emergency rules. The judges are considered to be the protectors of justice.
A reader
On e-mail
Learning English
1 lere and there, everywhere we sec lots of coaching centres and teach ing homes. Knowing English is a matter of pride today. That's why the profitable business is to establish an English coaching centre. We must acquire the basic knowledge of it. But the ultimate result is totally different. Unexpectedly, in the on-going HSCexams, a record number of examinees didn t appear in English 1st paper. Why this fear?
I think our education system is not capable of teaching English properly. We don't have the chance to attain knowledge of it in the existing system. The authorities should take corrective steps in this respect.
Mishu Kutubi Dept, of English IIUC
Top two
I read your article, "Medical board examines health of Khaleda with interest. I seriously hope that the government is not trying to find excuses to remove Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia from politics by sending them abroad. This would undermine everything the caretaker government has done so far.
I suppose the two parties-- the Aland the BNP - do not want their leaders tried. They perhaps want the two women to "ESCAPE" before they are found guilty and sent to prison.
It's also sad that the ordinary citizens of Bangladesh don't have access to foreign medical treatment like the ex-prime ministers and have to be satisfied with the local doctors. The other question that comes to mind is how do exprime ministers afford treatment abroad?
Fareha Chowdhury
London, UK
Export prices
A report was published in a local English daily on June 8, focussing on problems faced by our exporters due to declining prices overseas. It is an oft-repeated scenario in our export trade. Meanwhile, prices of whatever we import go on rising steadily! For example, in the last six months, oil prices have nearly tripled, but has oil consumption increased in the same ratio over the last six months?
This is possibly the result of underhand secret manipulation between the Arabs and the Jews who between them control over seventy percent of global crude oil production and sale. No wonder, no one is bothered about the Palestine issue, except for lip service, while Israel quietly goes on gobbling Arab land wherever possible!
The whole oil scenario stinks of underhand dirty political bargains and counter bargains. Unlike the EU and the US, all the Middle East Muslim states are in a muddle; with divide and rule and endless quarrels as their state policy! They have not till date managed to have a comprehensive policy to safeguard their common interests. This has resulted in the creation of Arab and Jew Trade Lords (as distinct from warlords), a new breed of cartels and syndicates, with one purpose— corner the international energy and fuel market!
Compared to this, our exporters are toddlers in the world market. But for us, export trade is our life or death, economically and as a corollary politically! We must persist doggedly for export volume expansion.
The government must adopt long-term support policies in this matter, on priority basis, ignoring the prospect of having some rich and wealthy export based merchants in our trade scenario. In the long run, it will be for our common good.
Meanwhile, our exporters must concentrate on productivity and energy efficiency as their key objective. In this connection, the government must allow enhanced depreciation, or soft loans for the replacement of energy inefficient plants and equipment in all export based industries and subsequently for export substitution industries. This option should be available for all manufacturing industries that do value addition to local raw materials, with different level of benefits for the export and home markets. The top priority should be the agro-based industries that support our agriculture.
S.A. Mansoor Engineer, Dhaka
Coaching centres
Coaching centres arc mushrooming in Dhaka as the education sector is becoming a big business nowadays. For a reputed school, many coaching centres are established. In Siddheswari Road alone, there are no fewer than fifty coaching centres. It seems that students need not go to school or need not study at home, rather they just need to go to coaching centres. As a result, they cannot learn many basic things.
So, the authorities concerned should look into this matter immediately.
MushfiqueWadud Department of English Stamford University Bangladesh
Bus route needed From ward 27 of Dhaka City Corporation, no buses ply to other parts in the city, l ocal people of Bashabo, Goran , Madartek, Nandipara etc have been facing communication problems. It is not possible to rent taxi or CNG autorickshaws regularly as their fares arc too high.
I would urge the authorities to start a bus service covering Bashabo, Goran, Madartek, Nandipara etc.
ANM Nazimuddin Madartek. Dhaka
“Missing” stipend money
Your leading article on June 4 informed your readers of the Tk 346 crore of missing stipend money from government schools in Rangpur that have managed to 'overlook' 13 lakh 'pupils'. The extent of the fraud is shocking but not the existence of it, as some of us know that, in some government schools throughout the country, little interest is taken in the children whose names appear on the school list.
When I was teaching in a government-funded school I remember finding a tattered piece of paper with government regulations on it and informed my colleagues that the duties of the Class Teacher included checking the reasons for poor attendance, even to the extent of visiting the children in their homes. I got laughed at - until a big government project put our school on their list and asked us to investigate the reasons for school dropouts. Then all sorts of interesting truths came out! For instance, in our school, three little girls from the Primary section had left to be married, which made us wonder whether, if their class teachers had been more 'on the ball' by knowing the families better, we could have used our influence to discourage this. In another area, a girl was found to have her name down in 14 schools, thus providing a nice little income for her family!
The education business has, as one of its aims, producing young people who are disciplined’ as part of what it means to be 'educated'. Those who prove themselves its lying and cheating employees must surely also be disciplined and not have their criminal activities swept under the carpet and no effort made to retrieve the crores of taka that went into private pockets. Is it too much to ask that they be 'named and shamed', dismissed and replaced by those more worthy? Otherwise, what sort of rolemodels are such 'educationalists' to their precious pupils and what do the processes of the law, or their absence, after such an exposure tell those children about the country' they live in? Could The Daily Star do a follow-up story on this and, hopefully, cheer us all up?
This story also heightens the suspicion that plenty of money goes into the education sector but not enough of it actually serves the purposes for which it was intended, that is, the education of the children and so the future of Bangladesh. This is corruption of a disgraceful kind.
Angela Robinson
GuBhan, Dhaka
Leaders and people
It is only the power hungry, the so called political leaders of the two parties, and not the vast majority of the 150 million, who are busy shouting for the unconditional release of their two leaders.
Even if we assume that the two arrested ex-prime ministers did not directly get involved in corruption, well, it has already been proved that they both had failed to control corruption in their nearest circles. Both of them did sell nominations, allowed muscle men to rise to power, made obstruction of justice etc.
They must admit their failures; they ought to beg the nation's pardon and should immediately quit the political arena for good!
We must not waste any more time on the corrupt politicians' need for treatment at home or abroad! We need to create the environment for the people to work in peace to make the country move towards progress and prosperity. Only then our next generation will the find opportunity to be creative and competitive. Only that can help us achieve true and sustainable democracy!
Dr Mannan Mridha
Stockholm
Paradigm of underdevelopment The paradigm of underdevelopment, a notion thought up by Beatirz Merino, former prime minister of Peru, foretells failure of a constructive action. The failure becomes forthcoming because the action, though intended to march towards a development, is looked upon as “a zero sum game in which whoever wins does so at the expense of another."
We would have to look back just beyond a year to find a display of such game. Prior to the handover of power of the BNP-led coalition, tension built up over the dispute of who would lead the interim government. The disagreement divided politics into two camps, with the BNP leading a four-party coalition and the AL a fourteen-party coalition. Soon an initiative called “dialogue" was taken on. However, the number of times it was undertaken, the number of times it failed.
The confrontational deportment of one party in the dialogue towards the other speaks for some grounds of the failure. And the mindset to win at other's expense, with which the dialogue was attended, explains the rest.
In the build-up to hold that election which was supposed to be held more than a year back if a compromise would have been agreed upon, the country is witnessing another big event. Though
the major parties have yet to decide whether to attend it, the interim government is staging “talks" with some parties. Let there be no denial of it that if the main parties reject attending the discourse, a far critical crisis may emerge. So far the government is seen keen on ensuring their participation and there is an assurance of all “necessary” steps it will undertake to engage them in the talk.
For the country's interest and for easing up the comeback of democracy, no parities should hesitate to participate in the discussion. And about its development, let the past be a lesson and the notion of Mr. Merino an insight. The talk, as a vital step for holding election, would merit compromise-from the political parties to concede to reality'. On the other hand, the government would have to establish fairness.
This is a discussion from which the political parties would get back their rights to represent people and the government would find the pleasure of discharging its obligation to pave the way for power handover. If, however, the government's obligation and the political parties' rights are in confrontation, then this might once again register the paradigm of underdevelopment in the country's political history.
M Abdul Kabir
Dept of Ell-
North South University