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To the Editor
Report on Film
Archive
A detailed report on the Bangladesh Film Archive was published in your daily on 22-8-2008 & 24-8-2008 entitled "Archives of Neglect".
The report is extensive and your journalist has worked hard on it In that report we have been quoted in a few places. But unfortunately as the interviews were taken on telephone (always a risky affair!) our wordings and emphasis have often been misplaced and some-ames we have been quoted out of context which have dimmed the professionalism of the piece.
The piece on the Archive is in general a laudable effort but to put the things in the proper perspective we want to state that, Bangladesh Film Archive under its present Director, is doing a better job than his predecessors. During his tenure, lot of positive activities and initiatives in the Archive have taken place. The problems which have been mentioned by your journalist are mostly the endemic ones accumulated as a result of lack of funds and long negligence by the ministry concerned, a treatment meted out to the Film Archive since its inception.
We believe that the most impor-lani thing for Film Archive at present is co have its own land on which
it can construct its specialized building with proper film vaults and proper training for its inservice personnel. We are generally happy about the present set of officials of the Information Ministry who have all the good intentions and also the necessary competence to make Bangladesh Film Archive a worthy organisation that we all dream of.
Mustafa Monwar
Tanvir Mokammel Morshedul Islam Dhaka
Deportation of Bangladeshi workers We read national dailies, watched TV, the people of the world also learned and saw with surprise and shock the tragic deportation of many expatriate workers from a poor country by a rich country like Kuwait.
Not only the Kuwait police but also our diplomatic mission in Kuwait, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs our manpower recruiting authorities, Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait and the Kuwait government may be blamed for the tragic events.
Kuwait police have tortured and arrested many Bangladeshi workers demanding their legal wages.
Our embassy in Kuwait did not
take any prior and timely action to help the Bangladeshi workers.
Despite repeated complaints by Bangladeshi workers in different foreign countries against our manpower recruiting authorities for indulging in irregularities, cheating and negligence of duty,our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not taken any pragmatic and constructive step as yet to deal with the situation.
The deprived workers also failed to handle the situation calmly.
The Bangladeshi workers did not go to Kuwait at their own initiative, sweet will or by illegal means. There was a demand from Kuwait for foreign workers. Bangladeshi workers went there for work with international passport, visa, work permit and 'no objection certificate'. In Kuwait they were betrayed and cheated. It was the Kuwait government's duty to do justice to the workers. Butitdid nothing.
It is humbly suggested that the government of Kuwait declare an amnesty or issue a decree allowing all Bangladesh workers to return to their work and they may be paid adequate compensation and wages for their untold sufferings.
Would our Ministry of Foreign Affairs kindly look into the matter and do the needful?
OH Kabir
Dhaka
Role of the media
I would like to thank the media for providing us important news as well as creating contemporary, worthy features. Sometimes the media bring to light hypersensitive news. But the sad thing is that the media focuses on the incidents or accidents only after they take place. It is not playing any role in eliminating certain social evils like acid throwing or child labour.
Would you please pay due attention to the issue?
Md. Nasir Uddin Moroi Un iversity ofSouth Asia Banani, Dhaka
Cricketers'poor performance
Almost all of us like to watch cricket. We have an international cricket team also. But we are ashamed of our cricketers. They are being defeated in almost all the matches. They go abroad and bring bad news for us. Some days ago they went to Australia. Why do they go abroad to bring disgrace for the country?
Noor Jahan Shimu
Dept, of Business Administration Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Sylhet
Traffic jam and rickshaws
To introduce myself, I am 75 years old, partially disabled and the senior-most member of Action on Disability and Development (ADD), a UK based international organisation promoting the rights of disabled people in 28 districts of Bangladesh. I still put in a full day's work and although 1 do have access to office transport, 1 prefer to walk or use a rickshawthat is easier to find, cheap, faster (yes, faster) and pollution free.
This letter is to highlight the problems of hundreds of our disabled brethren who come to our offices in Banani from all over Bangladesh for various purposes and of course myself. The same problems of cheap transportation and accessibility are also faced by the poor marginalised people who are the constituents of dozens of other NGOs, local and international, in the Banani/Gulshan area.
1 have been a devoted reader of The Daily Star from Issue No 1. In my considered view, the eagerly awaited and enthralling editorials over the last decade and a half, have remained as beacons of hope for the long-suffering people of Bangladesh for attaining their democratic rights and economic emancipation. It is with this background, ihat I am deeply saddened
to write this letter to you. I feel that, at least in the above imbroglio, the moral strength of your great daily is slowly ebbing away.
Asa resident of Dhaka, I do not have to draw you a picture of the mess we face every day on Dhaka's roads while going about our business. When last Ramadan (2007), rickshaws were summarily banned from some so-called VIP roads, including Mohakhali Road, the decision affected thousands like me who used rickshaws for innumerable errands including going to/from office.
Come sun. rain or cold, we have found ourselves summarily ejected from our rickshaws by zealous cops irrespective of whether we are old, infirm, disabled, women, children, sick, students, carrying loads home, etc, etc. Millions (rickshaw pullers, makers/repairers and related families etc), have lost their means of livelihood and millions more have descended on dark, narrow, pot-holed, flooded roads as pedestrians. Each day we play Russian Roulette with motorised vehicles on the roads.
I, therefore, initiated a debate on Dhaka's Traffic Jams in the Letters Page of DS. Since Sept 07, I have sent 21 letters on the subject. Each letter has been couched in cold logic, irrefutable facts and undeniable figures that amply prove that banning of rickshaws is NOT the solution, until adequate alternative means of urban transport arc made available for the vast majority (99%) who do not have access to personal cars (1%). Many of your readers have heartily joined in the debate and a multi-meshed colourful fabric of varied opinions, including those from BUET and DU professors no less, has adorned these pages.
My contention is that the problem of traffic jams remains a very potent issue. Have the traffic gridlocks eased with the banning of rickshaws? Will the jams abate (or be further aggravated) when the thousands of private cars awaiting clearance in Chittagong Port and on the high seas, hit the roads? The answer is a very chilling and vociferous NO!!!
I entirely agree with the antirickshaw lobby, that rickshaws have no place in a modern metropolis, but is Dhaka modern? Is it a metropolis? In most respects, especially logistics and infra-structure, it can still be compared to the Dhaka of (pardon the pun) Shaistha Khan. Over the last few months, a distinct bias is discernible in your letter selection. Antirickshaw letters were being printed forthwith, while those from myself, if printed at all, were usually found with pertinent points edited out.
Since June 2008, the subject of TYaffic Jams has been totally swept under the rug.
I sincerely hope this letter reaches you and you can spare some time to read it and foresee and understand the consequences that will follow when the patience ofmillions runs out
Sikander Ahmed
Niketon, Gulshan-1, Dhaka
Harassed landowners
The landowners who are engaged in construction of buildings on their own lands at Uttara, Sector 12, are being tormented every day and night by the Uttara Sector 12 Kalyan Samiti. Instead of doing Kalyan (welfare), they are deeply involved in harassing the landowners by debarring trucks with building materials to get access to this sector.
For this despicable activity, the landowners are incurring heavy losses.
Nasreen Rahman
Uttara 12, Dhaka
Housing issue
Most people have no home of their own. The problem of housing is very acute these days. Some factors are responsible for this problem, such as: overpopulation, amalgamation of lands, accumulation of lands, poor distribution of lands and illegal occupation by the so called powerful people. The middle class people in the cities suffer from this problem tremcn-dously. The problem has dehumanised the city people, especially the students of colleges and universities.
The government should address the issue on a priority basis.
Safwan Radi
Dept, of Business Administration Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. Sylhet
Dowry
Since the early age of Indian subcontinental history, the Hindus and the Muslims have been living in accordance with some norms and customs. As a result, some customs have been interchanged between them. Dowry is a custom of Hindus. On the other hand, in Islam a woman can inherit her father's property.
Dowry is a social evil. The laws are there but these are not enforced.
Social awareness and respect for women are needed to overcome this evil.
Aintan Bin Shaofiqul Hamid
Dept, of English
International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC)
The next drama?
What is really happening in Bangladesh? The heroes emerged in January 2007 and took the power over as. to them, the country had been destroyed by the corrupt politicians. Absolutely right! So they need lo be punished. Yes. the money they have looted and sent abroad should be brought back and used for the development of the country. So. what was the process involved? The same old process...using power to arrest politicians. even some innocent leaders, which many people have termed as the balance of arrest drama. Arresting only politicians and sending them to jail, with no power given to judiciary. The same
old story... mass arrest of opposition workers. So after a year what is the outcome? Release those who have looted money and sent it abroad? Release those who grabbed land, made the syndicate to control the market, ran a parallel administration which was more powerful than even the PM office? Release the men who had killed the opposition MPs including the most talented former finance minister? Release the elements who were actively involved in bomb blasts and even tried to kill the former PM? Release them because they are people like us. they cannot be criminals.. disgusting!
Abdul Moyeen, On e-mail