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To the Editor
Looking back to 1 /11 1/11 had rescued the nation from a 'civil war' and a catastrophe, at a juncture when time was rapidly running out at the irresponsible stance of both the major political parties of our country.
Election was on the verge of being seriously rigged and results hijacked! The president had no option left but to declare emergency. But emergency with a 'civilian' face for case of acceptability, when it had been with the support of armed forces. But alas! Emergency with all or any of its , connotations had proved so MEEK and toothless, that almost everyone, directiy or otherwise, flouted, albeit threatened the establishment at times to achieve political concessions, etc.
Mr Shahnoor Wahid's piece today (16th Sep) in the DS summed it all in its essence, and lamented that the nation is about to find all the criminally accused persons back on their seats again to continue with corruption.'The bailing out in the dozens of the known criminals, and garlanding by the sycophants, is such a national farce that it defies all sanity.
Are there no competent candidates ready to head/lead the parties? No, because we simply idolise our 'leaders’ blindly. Absolutely -incompetent leaders who know well how to lead the nation to disasters are ensuring that we plunge into the depth of corruption
and incompetence.
Some say that they were in fact 'protected' in VIP enclosures/rest houses away from any possible wrath and hatred that would have been brewing in common people's minds. What a novel and generous way to treat the known CRIMINALS! They have looted, mismanaged and destroyed all the institutions with bribery and hooliganism for their selfish goals during their reign.
Again the common people want to know on whose orders and pressure, hundreds are being bailed out? Is this at all going to legitimise the 'democratic' practices and the elections or is it the exit strategy of the CTG?
This had been a very opportune time for the nation to ascend a step or two towards achieving MDGs and show the light to the nation through reducing corruption, decriminalising politics, and overhauling the education sector positively, so that in a decade or so the nation matures into a sound society, and we gradually improve in the human development index. We are indeed far behind other nations.
Currently, we have the maximum number of PhDs ever in the history of any government in Bangladesh. Who else will think of the intellectual uplift of the nation other than these people? Again we wish to see that these PhDs sit and brainstorm to give the nation a sound, effective education policy
to qualify us for the 21st century. So, please for the sake of the nation, roll your sleeves up and start working and thinking how and what you can do for the nation while there is still 'power' in your hands. Please show some sincerity before you all leave the seats to the same old, criminal politicians.
Whither our education? our population plan? Our fiscal rescue plan? Our social security plan?
CTG, please leave behind at least one particular legacy that is really significant in restoring peace and enhancing education standards which now have touched the nadir! We can expect this only from the you, I wish to believe. If not this, it will surely help the next genera-tion.Thereisnootherway out!
Syed Imtiaz All
Banani
Dhaka
Marching ahead
Our society is intertwined like other developing countries with progressive ideas for ensuring peace, progress and prosperity.
We are in the last days of the annual holy month of Ramadan and getting close to the holidays for festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr and Durga Puja. The country's political culture has to improve before we can live in peace throughout the year.
Golam Ashraf
BT1 MayfairApartmen t
Gulshan, Dhaka
To tell the truth...
Almost all of us learnt in school --"Always tell the truth" Since then, the more we can grasp the meaning of the truth, the more we comprehend the risks involved in telling the truth at the wrong time and wrong place! I browsed the • encyclopaedia to know why telling truth doesn't do justice to us
For thousands of years, philosophy is on its relentless quest for the answer to the question "what is truth." According to philosophical reasoning, what one thinks true is true only when the criteria by which it is judged are true. The four main theories, in philosophy, proposed to answer this question, are the correspondence, pragmatic, coherence, and deflationary theories of truth.
The correspondence theory traces it* ongin thousand years back in the 4th century BC. Greek philosopher Plato proposed the theory based on intuitive recognition. The core of his argument was that true statements correspond to the factsthat is, agree with realitywhile false statements do
American philosopher Charles S. Peirce, in the late 19th-century, offered another answer. The pragmatist asserted that truth is that which experts will agree upon when their investigations are final.
A third theory of truth is the coherence theory that also concerns the meaning of knowledge. Coherence theorists have claimed that a set of beliefs is true if the beliefs are comprehensivethat is, they cover everythingand do not contradict each other.
At this juncture appear some theorists who advocate what is known as deflationary theories. They concur that there is a number of occasions in which a sentence such as "it is true that they've gone back on their word" can have different impact than the shorter statement "they've gone back on their word". Ironically, here the use of "it is true" deflates quality of the statement alluding to that most of it is true.
Honestly, as I was telling, people don't let on truth when it means letting the cat out of the bag Sometimes, truth is in inverse relation to happiness. The more truth is heard, the more it unmasks
people.
In some cases people make a mountain out of a molehill and in some they sweep truths under the carpet. TYuths are not all the time cohesive and truths may be conflicting as there are many sorts of truths.
In the course of time, truths, in permeation, gather diversity but deviating, grain by grain, from their fundamentals. In this line of reasoning, German philosopher and poet Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche gives a gnomic answer "TYuths are illusions about which one has forgotten that this is what they are; metaphors which are worn out and without sensuous power; coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins".
However, after a long time, at least one person claimed that telling "truth" saved his honour, thanks to the Truth Commission. To stop short of details, he started electrically and swept into his car and, in a flash, mingled into the course of life.
Roney
On e-mail
Traffic jam in Gulshan
The posh residential area Gulshan has become a busy commercial hub of the city, it has gradually lost its residential character. As a result, a huge number of multinational and national corporate houses set up their multistoried offices in Gulshan. Most of the offices are on the Gulshan Avenue and nearly every one of them has no parking space. Let me tell you the story, starting from the shooting club point, in front of the club a bank has its head office without any parking space and some steps ahead a mobile company recently started their new corporate office and that creates chaotic traffic jam as lots of cars are parked on the street, none of the law enforcers are saying anything to them. Now come to Gulshan-1 intersection where a shopping mall is situated and cars are parked in front of the mall. These generate huge traffic jam as the left side of the intersection goes to the car owners. The on-duty policemen are helpless and cannot go against the lawbreakers as they are more powerful.
How can we deal with the VIP lawbreakers whose number is increasing day by day?
S.M.A. Rakib UttaraR/A Dhaka
Ban smoking
The government should ban smoking completely because it causes serious health problem. It not only harms smokers but non-smokers are also affected by it. Though the govt, earns hefty revenue from the tobacco industry it should ban marketing of tobacco & related products. Non-smokers should not suffer for the fancy of smoking cigarettes by others.
Smoking may be discouraged by imposing heavy duty on import of raw tobacco & VAT on retail cigarette. Hope the government will take necessary steps in this regard. Syed Muhammed Azim Moushumi RJA, Nayabazar Chittagong
Student leaders or trouble makers?
Being students of Dhaka University, we are subjected to undemocratic, asocial and uncivilised conducts by the so called student leaders, either from the JCD or the BCL They try to dominate and force the general students into subjugation, which of courseisnot acceptable.
The political parties should address the issue and play a role in ensuring healthy student politics in the educational arena.
TonmoyAnowar A finalyear student Dhaka University
Dhaka Warriors
In one way, I do feel that they are defectors and, on the other hand, I feel good that at least some new cricketers will get the opportunity to play for the national team. The BCB should learn how other countries deal with this kind of situation and how their players respect rules of their cricket board. Look at countries like England and Australia.
Ricky Ponting came to play for IPL and when his services were needed at home his exit was easy from the IPL to join the rest of the Australian team.
Anyway, If’Dhaka Warriors'do not play well then they will be criticised in the international media and their management as well. Even though they will be signing for three years, but bear in mind th at to stay in the best eleven, players have to perform well and if they don’t, then the management will always find replacements.
So, my suggestion is--just let them play. Do not bring the money issue in. as you have to remember that they are professional cricketers.
Kazol Haque
On e-mail
BNP government in disguise
I have gone through the letter "BNP government in disguise" of 10 September'08 issue written by Abdul Moyeen. I read this letter attentively - and it was hard to believe it! In fact, I was doubtful whether it was seriously stated or not. However, if we see the last couple of days' developments between the government and the BNP, it seems the writer was right! It also appears the BNP has already gained or healed its wounds! Who worked behind it or who helped it really? There arc three major driving forces - government, opposition and BNP itself.
I think people will find the real driving force behind this dramatic development.
Nikhil Datta
Dhanmondi
Dhaka
Admission tests
The education ministry is planning to draft a resolution regarding admission into higher seats of learning, it's considering cancellation of admission tests and introducing admission based on students' GPAs achieved in HSC & SSC exams. Already admission into colleges is GPA based. And we know what a mess it has created! In this case it can somehow be tolerated but in case of admission into universities, medical colleges it should better, be aborted for the sake of quality education. Getting good grades, especially in public exams, is not that difficult now, given the present system.
This system cannot judge the real merit of a student. Admission tests create equal opportunities for all.
Sharif Jain ah
Banani, Dhaka
Visa issue
Why shouldn't issuance of prior visa be done away with between Bangladesh and India and also among the Saarc countries? I would like to know what is the problem between these two friendly countries.
Thousands of our students are studying in India, thousands of our people are going to India for better medical treatment, thousands of our tourists are visiting India just for the sake of tourism, our import business mainly depends on Indian supply, once we were part of greater India, still many relatives of thousands of families are living in India, then where is the problem? Who will be losing if prior visa system is not there?
I believe both the governments
are concerned about the well being of their respective citizens. So, I strongly demand of the government of the two countries to sit together and take a quick decision to withdraw prior visa system between these two countries and allow entry visa and thus help to minimize the sufferings of the people of both the countries. If Europeans are able to travel within Europe without visa, why can't we?
If you want to know what suffering I am talking about, please pay a visit to the Indian embassy in Dhaka and have a look at the thousands of people waiting and sleeping for 2/3 days at roadside and under the open sky for their golden deer-VISA.
Mohammad Nazakat Ali
Pallabi Extension
Dhaka
A query
There is an aeronautical college operating in Uttara. While they are imparting diploma level courses, taught by diploma holder teachers, but they claim to offer the students a British degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Do they have any workshop, aircraft engine, component, tools, labs etc? Haider Ali
Ashkona Dhaka
Slaves, not supporters In my letter to the editor of The Daily Star dated Aug 24, 2008 I stated, “It will appear to any casual observer that in Bangladeshi politics the leaders do not have supporters or followers. They have slaves. These slaves blindly support their respective leaders, even if such leaders are grossly wrong, corrupt and unpatriotic.” 1\vo most recent incidents further substantiate my statement. In one incident the standing committee of a major party sat in a formal meeting with its chief in the chair who was released from the prison on the preceding day.
The learned members of the standing committee unanimously resolved that the chairperson would lead their (or the chairperson's personal) party for life. The chairperson graciously didn't say word in the meeting to oppose the resolution. However, after one or two days, when it was observed that the decision faced severe adverse criticism from the local and the international press as an undemocratic one, the chairperson declined to accept the offer. In another incident the secretary general of another major party after coming out of the prison publicly reinstated himself as the secretary general of the party by ousting the acting one. The president of the party now at the opposite side of the globe for "treatment" ruled over telephone that the secretary general cannot rein state himself to his old post. The acting one should continue till further order. As if there is no constitution or committee to decide such matters. The interesting part of both the stories is that the members of the standing committee of one party, and the members of the central committee of another, all behaved like the slaves in a fiefdom. One may call it anything except democracy.
One/eleven has taught our politicians no lessons so far!
Syed Ashrafuzzaman MohakhaliDOHS Dhaka