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To The Editor
Errant umpires
Why is it that when Australian players appeal for lbw or caught behind, the finger goes up without a second thought and when Bangladeshi cricketers appeal, the umpires are unmoved. Besides playing poorly, I believe there were several matches which Bangladesh lost due to poor umpiring. Take for example Ashoka De Silva. 1 think he is the worst umpire in cricketing history.
In 2007 when India toured Bangladesh after the World |Cup, Bangladesh lost the first-match entirely because an lbw decision was not given by him and Dhoni remained not out until the end of the match. Even a blind man could have made the correct decision that day. Look at Steve Bucknor. Even after that humiliating incident in Australia, he is still umpiring. Why is it that umpires never get punished for making wrong decisions? Players get punished for bowling actions, running on the pitch, slow over rate and so on. During the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on 27 Dec 08, when Sri Lanka were batting first, several obvious lbw decisions were turned down which would have been given to the stronger team. Why this indifference? Cricket is just not fun watching anymore. I believe the ICC should introduce fines and suspension for umpires.
Aminur Rahim New DOHS. Mohakhali Dhaka
Our teachers
Teachers are the guardians of the nation. But we are really disappointed to see the role of many teachers, especially at the highest seats of learning.
They are not expected to be divided on party lines.
Harun-or-Rashid Sobhanbag. Dhaka
Arabs
We Asians always believed that the Arabs have the most deep-rooted faith in religion, but today we learn and realise that their belief and fear of America and Israel is much greater. By dividing their faith and belief, they have lost all their dignity and honour, and division amongst themselves have made them impotent Mohammad Faruk.
Nurjahan Road Mohammadpur, Dhaka
Relocate the overbridge
Last week a senior citizen had been knocked down by a vehicle at Uttara Sector-4 crossing with Jasimuddin Avenue, while he was crossing the very busy road. It was pathetic sight to see the old man lying in the middle of the road senseless. There is a foot overbridge located in front of Scholastica School, which remains unused mostly as the large majority of students come in cars. I have spent time observing this myself, being a resident. The rationale behind the bridge location defies logic as thousands of ordinary people, old and young, cross the junction mentioned above every day under very risky conditions as traffic comes from five directions there.
Through your columns I would like to draw the attention of the responsible authorities to immediately undertake the relocation of the bridge to the junction where it would actually serve its purpose. The new junction location would facilitate the
mass users while the very few current location users would not really be inconvenienced as the new location would be a walking distance away.
Will the authorities act before we lose some precious lives?
Kali mur Rahman A resident Utarra Sector-4 Dhaka
Denied right to vote With high expectations, my grandmother decided to exercise her right to vote in an electian, .after seven long years. However, she was (not surprisingly) turned down when she arrived at the venue of BIT school in Gulshan-1. Unfortunately, my grandmother has been unable to walk in the past few years, and when she arrived at the venue she could not climb up the flight of stairs to give her vote. My question is, after so many months of preparation to make our country a democratic state, is this what our country has to offer to senior and disabled citizens? My grandmother, Khaleda Manzur I Khuda, is a registered voter. There were many others at the polling station in wheelchair who could not vote, and I could not help notice an elderly man cry in his wheelchair as he could not vote. The staff were not cooperative as usual. Why is it such a problem to make a minor arrangement for senior and disabled citizens so that they can have their right to elect a democratic government?
This is indeed appalling and I would highly appreciate if a newspaper like DS could carry a report and point out this issue.
Nabiha Chowdhury On e- mail
Congratulations!
First of all I thank my fellow Bangladeshi people who exercised their democratic rights when voting in the election by standing patiently for long hours in line. We should give thanks and appreciation to our chief election commissioner and his staff and colleagues for completing this election after facing many challenging and difficult situations. Also, thank you, the caretaker government. The nation is grateful to the law enforcement agencies for maintaining discipline and a peaceful environment. Thanks to all participants who contested this election. Without their participation, this election would be meaningless. I congratulate everyone elected as a member of parliament, especially Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League for their landslidevictory.
This huge victory clearly means a big responsibility, you must avoid all kinds of corruption, partiality and emotion. Make parliament meaningful. Change our many backdated, ineffective laws, establish new laws and rules that can solve our problems. You arc the legislator, you have the power.
We are now in the 21st century, the whole world has left us behind. In parliament, exercise your knowledge and use your best ideas to make a better Bangladesh.
Future peace and prosperity of Bangladesh depends on your performance.
Nokib-E-Kibria
Toronto, Canada
It is the most significant moment in the history of Bangladesh that the people have spoken against corruption, nepotism, terrorism, anti-liberation and communal forces, price-hike and many other discrepancies existing in the country. It is a united stand of the nation to forge ahead for a better future.
Let us congratulate both the winners and the other contestants. Let us join hand in hand under the newly elected regime for building our country.
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury EastNasirabad
Chittagong
Jamuna Future
Park
The under construction Jamuna Future Park is the largest shopping mall in Asia or the third largest in the world. That is what we know from the prime timeTV advertisement and full page supplements in the most circulated national daily newspapers. The owning company will make this park a monument for Bangladesh like Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia, Tajmahal in India or even the Pyramids in Egypt or the Great Wall of China. The park will have 41 lakh square feet of floor space, a food court of international standard for 3000 people, parking facilities for 5000 cars, banquet hall for 500 people, health club & gymnasium for 2000 people, seven cinema halls in one Cineplex, a 45 MW captive power plant for its own power supply and so on.
No doubt it is a massive installation and really thrilling news for this country to have the largest shopping mall in Asia. But how is it going to help this country in its economic growth and employmentgeneration?
Engr. Md. Amin u! I loque Khalishpur, Khulna
No anti-Islamic law
The Awami League in its election manifesto has promised that the party will not make any anti-Islamic law. This is a common practice all over the world but the party had to renew it just to counter the propaganda by others against it, calling it an "anti-Islamic" organisation.
But all governments have the right to pass laws against extremists, violators and users of religion for some other purposes. Here in Bangladesh, some so-called religious extremists use some misinterpreted religious theories just to mislead people for their personal gains, brain wash many to be killers, promise heaven after their death, destroy cultural heritages, preach hatred against other believers and any law passed to curb these practices could not be termed as "anti-Islamic" law.
Let me site an example. Recently a tribal Taliban leader in Pakistan has vowed to kill all girls in his area if they go to school. The Holy Quran itself has said "Education for all is Farz", meaning education is compulsory for each man and woman. Now this man is violating the Islamic code using Islam as a tool and destroying the very Islam he is claiming to be a follower of. Here a strict state law is required to handle this man to save Islam and mankind. This cannot be termed "anti-Islamic". Similarly, the Awami League must not refrain from making laws to contain extremism.
Shafiqul Islam, NY
CTG and EC
I wish to congratulate the caretaker govt, and the Election Commission for their excellent task of holding a peaceful election.
It is a milestone achieved. We hope your achievements will be followed by future caretaker governments of Bangladesh.
My hats off to you.
Taher J.
KSA
Nosedive for BNP
As expected the Boro Natokio Party (BNP) successfully managed to commit "Hara-Kiri"; the demise was concocted from criminal misdeeds, carefree corruption, and their "couldn't care less" attitude! Even the last ditch desperate attempt of the "Netri” to become the modern Saviour of Islam came a cropper!
Except for the "Netri" almost all of her first team (ministers) including the Jamaat stalwarts have been defeated. However, they can take solace from the saying that: "Failures are the pillars of success".
However such pillars are to be built on solid fact of integrity, honesty and defined purpose; not on lies, propaganda and tall tales of the past. They were so sure that they forgot that "you cannot fool all the people all the time"! Who knows, maybe the new first time voters could have given rational decisions to help turn the tide from "high flood to low ebb " literally and figuratively for the over sure BNP!
Lest they forget, the AL should be sincere and serious about keeping the trust of the voters earned the hard way.
The AL should never forget that despite different political opinions of different people, today they represent all the people of Bangladesh!
They should respect the opposition, giving them their due position, and not forget to "do onto others, what others have not done onto you", ignoring the natural desire of "tit for tat".
This will exemplify their greatness and magnanimity in victory. They must govern impartially without party bias, ancT face The difficult7 Cask ahead without any "fear or favour" to ensure that "truth shall prevail". After all "right and not might is right". "Integrity, dedication and honesty" should be their motto, for nothing else matters in the long run.
SA. Mansoor Dhaka
Revival of the spirit! It has been an extraordinary feeling of pleasure and pride to see the revival of the true spirit of my country. At the same time it was one of the loneliest nights of my life as I missed the warmth of my countrymen, while watching all the events of Election 2008 from thousands of miles away. Nevertheless, I certainly could smell the wind of change all around in the most fertile land and minds of the world. The result of the election again reflected the vibrant nature of our motherland where the people have always fought for the truth and justice whenever they were given a chance to do so. People of Bangladesh have shown that they are not divided, for years they have been together to bring the dreams of our freedom fighters into light. Hats off to the new generation, women and men voters of Bangladesh!!!!
The result certainly opens up a new window of opportunity to make all the good things happen in our social and economic lives. I hope there are people to talk about things like the power of secularism, courage, honesty, integrity, vision and painstaking attitude of the common people of our country. Furthermore, I am certain that this is going to be an era of change and modem thinking in Bangladesh. However, I would just like to take the opportunity to point out two important steps that the policymakers of Bangladesh should start to think about immediately. One, people of our country is starving for years; the price hike issue is too much grave to ignore even for a single second. Please do act immediately from the day one and make things happen in our economy, no matter what it takes! And two, uplift the image and pride of the country not only to the outer world but also to the new generation by punishing the
war criminals and terrorists; and by destroying the root of religious extremism with the vigour that the world had witnessed in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation.
Shuddhasattwa Rafiq Assistant Professor Jahangirnagar University Doctoral Student, Curtin Business School, Australia
Learning English
In Bangladesh students are required to read English for about twelve years. But the level of proficiency they reach is very low. People taking the civil service examination are also tested on their knowledge of English, but the results are equally disappointing. Even those who pass or qualify are hardly able to write freely in acceptable English. Obviously, there is something seriously wrong with the teaching and learning of English in Bangladesh. Most students in this country feel a lack of motivation. There is hardly any subject they know or care to know really well. They are interested not in acquiring knowledge or skill but in passing the exams by memorizing answers. They have the tendency to use short cut to success. Most schools and college teachers are MA in English. It is possible to get a degree in English without having reasonable proficiency in the language. Untrained teachers cannot teach language effectively.
When problems are identified, it should be possible to get round them. Our failure to
learn English arises from certain conditions: Lack of motivation on the part of the students, shortage of competent teachers, unsuitable textbooks and bad and ineffective testing methods. We should overcome these problems for learning English. AlfatAktar
Dept, of English nuc
Accountability and transparency
Since independence-siccW-‘ sive governments have taken colossal amount of foreign loans from various countries and international organisations.
But unfortunately we have never heard of any accountability and transparency of the foreign loans in the last 37 years.
We are disappointed and shocked that not a single government in power has ever published any comprehensive report or white paper on our foreign loans intentionally or due to negligence of duty and inefficiency.
We strongly feel it is imperative that our government in coordination with our Ministry of Finance and Bangladesh Bank publish a comprehensive report on our foreign Ioans for the period from the financial year 1971-1972 to 2006-2007 year-wise for information of the members of public in our greater national interest
OH Kabir
Hare Street Wari, Dhaka