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To the Editor
12
Medicine price hike
Price hike in medicine market adds to people's sufferings when they fail to buy even necessary commodities according to their budget due to sky rocketing of prices.
Prices of a number of drugs including inhalers, eye-drops and oral saline have risen unusually which are life saving drugs to some people.
As these are life saving drugs to some people, they have to buy them at a price which is above the Maximum Retailed Price printed on the drug containers.
Selling drugs over the MRP is a punishable offence. But the authorities concerned have not taken any action against the retailers so far.
MushfiqueWadud
Departmen t ofEngl ish
Stamford University Bangladesh
Changing world
Fixated on the issue of Palestine/Israel, often we lose sight of other important dynamics that are getting significant momentum. And the prime mover on that front is none other than a Muslim Nation that recently elected a known Islamist (using this term for lack of a better one) Tayyip Erdogan as its Prime Minister. I am talking about Turkey. "Because of our good relationship with both Syria and Israel, we are asked by both of them to
without engaging in it is not diplo-"macyatall. ~J
There is no denying that Iran's nuclear issue is a serious concern for the whole world.
No matter how much he tries to persuade world leaders into accepting peaceful uranium enrichment by Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not be trusted. In course of time, his ardour would fade away by his failure to attract sympathy from world leaders. Then, like North Korea, Iran could have been tamed as well. On the contrary, it is being provoked by a brazen military threat by Israel. When Shaul Mofaz, Israel's transportation minister, declared that an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites looks “unavoidable”, prospects of peace looked bleak too.
M Abdul Kabir BSc-ETE
NorthSouth University
English language
As English is an international language we must learn it. But in the name of learning English, our children are compelled to read foreign books right from the beginning.
As they do not learn anything about our culture and history, how will they love this country in future? Harun-or-Rashid
Sobhanbag, Dhaka
effect better communications. We^c been speakmgTo leaders oh' both countries,’’ thus spoke the Turkish PM recently while talking to Newsweek
The world is changing!
Mohammad Zaman Hann ibal, Missouri
President Bush
Last week Mr. Bush arrived in Slovenia at the start of a European tour which would take him to Berlin, Rome, Paris, London and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A summit meeting with European Union leaders here was part of an effort to persuade them to adopt a stronger line toward Iran, to prevent it from developing nuclear energy. At a news conference after the summit meeting, Mr. Bush said: “The free world is going to say, 'Why didn't we do something about it before they developed it?' And so now is the time for strong diplomacy."
Ironically, the rhetoric of strong diplomacy of the president is far away from reality.
To discuss an incentive package first offered in 2006 by the United States and other major powers, Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, is scheduled to visit Tehran later this month. And the United States is the only major power not sending a diplomat with Mr. Solana. Speaking for assertive diplomacy
Game of politics
Nothing is Impossible in politics this proverb came true once more. I was astonished to learn that Khaleda Zia was happy after 1 lasina's release. But some months back they were so hostile that they did not even talk to each other.
But 1 don't think tills will last long. They will soon be back to their old ways. And that is why we are lagging behind as a nation!
Abdullah Al Railed
Pretoria, South Africa
Dr. Kamal Hossain
I wonder how many people watched the Channel 1 "Sangbadpatrcy Bangladesh" on 13 June. The conductor of the programme, a very seasoned editor, apparently put the famous politician cum legal expert in a most uncomfortable position. When asked about his role as the LA of many multinational energy conglomerates in the light of so many serious allegations/court cases on the subject now in progress against the greedy/corrupt politicians/leaders, he was very evasive.
Viewers will certainly not fail to make their own judgement but in the opinion of many it will not be In favour of the great lawyer!
Z. Rahman
Gulshan, Dhaka
Taxon teaching
Recently, I came to know that in the National Budget 2008 the government has planned to increase the tax on private teachers. Owing to the increased benefits obtained from receiving education, people, even the villagers who cannot afford a day's meal, wish to educate their children. These days, as you might know, the English medium students are greatly encouraged to move to private coaching centres. This is partly because the skilled teachers no longer prefer to teach in schools. Instead, they open their own private coaching centres where there is a higher profit. So to obtain a better grade we are compelled to take private coaching. However, there is an increasing number of coaching centres providing educational facilities for the
government has already imposed a tax on them for which most of the private teachers have increased their fees. Now with an increase in taxes they might increase their fees. In fact, many ofthem have already done so. We, who belong to the middle-class families, suffer the most The rich can easily afford this whilst the extremely poor cannot even dream of it. With the rising prices of the basic necessities, we find it extremely difficult to pay these extra fees. Most of us are working to help our parents financially but the income earned is still insufficient to meet the household expenditure. I ask, with all due respect, how is the government compensating for this? If we do not go to the coaching centres we fail to obtain a better grade. This might force many of the guardians, though unwillingly, to abandon the education of their children. In the context of receiving higher tax revenues claimed to be spent for the welfare of the economy, is the government ignoring the fact that Bangladesh is indeed a country where a citizen after twenty-four hours of hard work still fails to afford a wholesome meal for his entire family? What is the use of such revenues if they cannot be spent on the purpose for which they had been initially imposed?
ShifatNazmee Advanced level Maple-Leaf International School
Corruption at BSMMU
BSMMU is the most respected and the highest post graduate medical education provider to the doctors. There is no place here for the corrupt elements to carry on their academic duties. They have defamed not only themselves but also our nation both at home and abroad.
The government should look into the matter.
S. Iqbal, FCPSFRCS England
Politicians
Even after the long-awaited therapy (?) of 1/11, our politicians are not admitting that they made intentional mistakes in the last fifteen years. Whenever they come out from a prison van they wave their hands to the people, as if people are not aware of their misdeeds!
Md. Kamal Uddin Parvez
Dept. ofMedicalMicrobiology University of Man itoba Canada
Diplomatic norms
Perhaps, Bangladesh Is the worst example in the world where diplomats of different countries can intervene most easily into any domestic issue and can talk on that even if it is apparently uncalled for, keeping sense of diplomatic decency far from their minds and thoughts. There are several instances in recent past, how the diplomats and ambassadors of some countries passed their unwelcome comments on our internal affairs. This kind of subver sion of diplomatic decency is tantamount to showing thumb to our freedom and dignity as a sovereign nation. It is clear to the intelligentsia that our own leaders and top officials of government were acting as catalysts in this ill practice of foreign diplomats which, in effect, instigates those diplomats to easily intrude into our matters. Dignity is something which cannot be compromised at any level. But the irony is that our beloved Bangladesh has become a place of cakewalk for diplomats of European Union, USA, and other influential countries. They often dictate openly on how we should adorn ourselves as a nation to look soothing to them. It has an interesting and tragic similarity to doll dance and to its director. Here they are acting as a director and taking us for a ride and abusing us as doll to be dressed and dance for them the way they feel good. Maybe, we are already late to take a position against this exploitation by foreign diplomats.
Muhammad Tawhidur Rahman Sen ior Core Network Designer MTN-NIGERIA
Our leadership
"Here goes my people and I follow them" ofleadership, thus spoke M. K. Gandhi a leader of leaders of the finest calibre. He was the undisputed leader of British India and yet he was not in the conventional league of leadership. Leaders of extra-ordinary intellect and greatness like the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Moulana Azad, instead of being stifled, flourished under his rather expansive shade! "A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is
we did it ourselves" - thus goes Lao Tzu (Taoistphilosopher).
Ah, our leaders belong to a very different genre. They are leaders by virtue of position in society. They are not followers of their people's aspiration and/or desires. They rather shall lead as per their own aspirations and/or desires. And yes, they have a following too! And that's how, one may say, they are to be measured. This quote from Dennis Peer is but a jeering memento as to the mendacious greatness of our present-day great leaders - "One measure ofleadership is the calibre of people who choose to followyou."
When I saw the glowing face of Sheikh Hasina in Logan, Boston (in internet) -1 wondered what kind of Jono-Netri is she who can negotiate her own release while scores of her own people still languish behind!! And I also wonder, what kind of Desh-Netri shall plead for the release of a once-enthroned prince who treated her beloved "Desh" with less dignity than a crumpled ball of discarded tissue paper!! Zaman
On e-mail
Be tough
Dr. Kamal Hossain has reportedly advised the present CTG "not to go soft on corruptionists". I strongly support him because corrupt elements, whoever they may be, should not go unpunished. We believe "none is above law" and the rule of law should prevail above everything else.
Due to the blessings of one-eleven, we could now know many of our leaders or their offspring were involved in crimes like murder or helping murderers to save them from murder charges. Many of them siphoned off millions to foreign banks. Even some were involved in killing of opponents by bombs. Some are living in foreign countries on their siphoned off wealth.
We now know, in the gruesome attempt to kill a former Prime Minister, the ministers of the incumbent government declared right in parliament that the victims themselves made a plot to kill themselves to hamper the ongoing "tidal-bore of development" they were making.
The ministerwho was supposed to investigate and catch the perpetrators, declared a bounty of Tk 1 crore on the heads of the perpetrators, himself tried to cover-up the case, diverted the case by creating some "forced self-admitted criminals", asked the IO to submit charge-sheet against them clearing all the real perpetrators from
indictment. What a government we elected to power!! I don't excuse the "Head" of the then government and also don't believe that he/she did not know about such a plot.
This government has good public support as Dr. Kamal Hussain has said and should not go soft on corruptionists. It should see the merits of the crime and corruption an individual has committed. One should not be tagged with the other who has committed lesser corruption or may not have committed any crime at all.
Shafiqul Islam On e-mail
Recycling kitchen garbage
Dhaka city households produce tons of garbage every day from the kitchen. This kitchen garbage could be turned into precious compost to raise flowers, fruits and vegetables in the home yard and on the rooftop. The city corporation could supply each family with two plastic bins to put their fish and meat trimmings, fruits & vegetable wastes in one plastic bin and other wastes in the second bin. Compost is made by digging a big pit in a waste land and layering the kitchen wastes in one layer and covering that with a thin layer of dirt. Continue layering kitchen waste followed by a thin layer of soil until the dug pit is completely filled with several layers of alternate layers of kitchen waste. Finally, cover the pit with straw so that it is not dried up by the hot sun. Periodically the compost pit should be watered to keep it moist. Millions of waste decomposing bacteria will turn the compost pit into a precious composted soil which could be sold to the interested public with a minimal price. This simple inexpensive compost making technology will solve a major garbage problem of the city and initiate a household green revolution. I have not seen anywhere in the country' any good quality composted soil for home gardening. This simple agricultural technology would be a revolutionary step in home gardening.
Professor M Rafique Uddin, PhD OldDOHS
Banani, Dhaka
Power grabbing
Look at the obstinate Gen. Musharraf of Pakistan who has become totally irrelevant in the political arena of Pakistan but is still defiant to quit. We remember how Gen. Ershad was causing agony to the nation before being forced to quit.
Now the big question is why and how do they survive? Is it the support of people or ploy of sycophants?
Again the million dollar question is who are those bad guys notv misleading this caretaker government to get undue advantages? Engr. Jamilul Hoque
Orissa
Pakistan and Bangladesh
Mawaz, in his letter of June 12. points to difference in background; whereas in my opinion there are some basic similarities for the political instability of both the countries, which came into being as Pakistan to start with.
Punjab has all along been the king-pin of Pakistan affairs, with its control over the armed forces, and from it the coffers of Pakistan. Since 1947 onwards, the armed forces controlled by Punjab destabilised the then Pakistan; overriding the political establishment and parliament leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
Avery similar trend is seen in our short history too. It started with (late) Zia followed by Ershad. In substance the backgrounds are similar. The modus-operandi is also very fairly identical.
Hero worship and dynastic political set-ups are also fairly similar; except that civilian political dynasty in Pakistan possibly started from Bhutto, but has had a shorter life. The military dynasty there however has been firmly in
the saddle.
Both the civilian leaders, Jinnah (possibly poisoned) and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated, had unnatural ends. The Liaqat period in Pakistan was the short break before the armed forces took over; and since then, they are in the saddle; directly or through civilian "Chamchas".
I agree that our politics is "dark". However the comparison with "black hole" is not scientifically appropriate; because black holes have far more energy than many planetary systems put together! If our political set up could have harnessed even an ion of energy'of an atom (compared to atom bomb) we would have been up and away!
Finally, to conclude, particle physics and politics are not compatible energy-wise. However, in the short history of Pakistan, and even shorter one of Bangladesh, there are many similarities.
Amateur Historian
Dhaka
EPR
The govt. led by Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is doing the right things. We, the conscious citizens, support the government and will continue to do so. All the identified criminals have to be arrested and brought to justice. And there is no way to withdraw the EPR.
M Mosharaf Hossain
IER, University of Dhaka