& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

TO THE EDITOR
Apology from Pakistan
This refers to the article titled, "Forget 1971 - says Pakistan" published in your daily on 20th May. I must clarify that I am a Pakistani individual presently living in Dhaka and do not officially represent anyone in this letter. I may dare, however, claim that the thoughts expressed below /will echo most favourably among the silent majority of Pakistanis, especially the members of its fledgling civil society and particularly the people who are still being systematically disenfranchised, brutalised and tortured by the establishment there.
I am in full agreement with what the article says and am abhorred at the atrocities committed against the Bengali people in 1971. I would go a step further and strongly condemn the sys-temic discrimination and 9 economic and political exploitation to which the people of former East Pakistan were subjected. The denial by successive regimes in owning up to -and apologising for- the violence perpetrated by the establishment against Bengali people is a futile effort at glossing over the sordid events of 1971 in this age of information’revo-lution.
The mind control device of distorted history will surely give way soon and the common Pakistani will see the truth. This may not however, automatically translate into an immediate change in the stance of the establishment in Pakistan because of the weakness of democratic culture there. The voices of sanity (and therefore dissent) have been muffled through tyranny in the past. Among the numerous people who spoke up forcefully against the atrocities in Bengal, the most notable is the late poet Ahmad * Faraz who addressed the establishment as : paishawar qaatilo turn sipahi nahin (you are professional hit-men, not soldiers) and was arrested and tenured for that.
I am of the view that tendering of an apology by Pakistan will not only help build bridges between the two nations but will also infuse a healthy tradition in Pakistani polity, helping it to mature to face its past demons and learn how to avoid them in the future. In the end, as a Pakistani. I follow the tradition set by a delegation of Pakistani civil society members in 2007 in Dhaka and tender a heartfelt apology to my Bangladeshi brethren for all the violence perpetrated against them and beg forgiveness. I hope that thw will be followed by a more collective and official apology by my country.
Qazi
Dhaka
Speaker in dilemma
I am talking about the speaker of the American Congress, Nancy Pelosi. She appeared to be in the wrong corner while dealing with the issue of "torture" in custody in the USA We will have to wait to see how the current debate develops in the political parties' ends and what actually she heard and when— a Centre point in the debate.
The most interesting lesson for us is how accountability and transparency work in an open and accountable democracy, and how the leaders and the media participate and contribute in positive terms. I am sure we get a very negative image of the USA when we see them engaged in wars and adapting a controversial strategy to combat terrorism. But overall respect for democratic values is extremely high in policy and practice with the exception we can see when they are engaged in any conflict. The leadership is also a big issue here.
We hope Speaker Pelosi would clarify her position shortly keeping in view the people's faith in accountable democracy. We do not know whether Bangladesh would leam anything from this current debate which reflects the role and responsibility of the political leaders, media and the lawmakers in dealing with the controversy that Speaker Pelosi is dealing with.
A reader
One-mail
A land of tourism
As a tourism destination, Bangladesh is truly hard to beat. Bangladesh definitely offers a lot to see, enjoy and do. Bangladesh means a 'country where Bangla is spoken'. One of the most beautiful countries in South Asia, Bangladesh has tremendous tourism potential. Its tropical beach resorts on the Bay of Bengal should be paradise for the sun vacationers.
The splendour of its six seasons, the world's longest natural beach at Cox's Bazaar, the cloud forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the country's rich flora and fauna fascinate tourists. The Saint Martins' offers excellent scuba diving opportunities. Tea and mango plantations of the country can attract tourists. The historic city of Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong have tourist value.
Bernier, the French traveller aptly wrote in the seven-teenth century that Bangladesh has a hundred gates open for entrance but not one for departure.
For the development of its tourism industry, Bangladesh
has taken some commendable initiatives including the creation of tourist accommodation and amusement facilities. The Bangladesh government recognises tourism as an industry. Bangladesh adopted its National Tourism Policy in 1992 for the development of domestic and international tourism. It underlines a tourism marketing . policy and human- resource ''develdpment. The Industrial Policy of 2005 recognises tourism as a thrust sector. The government has taken a plan to develop Cox's Bazaar, Sundarbans and Kuakata as . Special Tourist Zones (STZ).
Foreign investment in these STZs are welcome.
Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), the national tourism organisation, was established in November 1972. As the national tourism organisation, its foremost objectives was to promote tourism in Bangladesh, project a positive image of the country abroad and develop tourism infrastructure. The BPC is working to create more infrastructure facilities to cater to the growing demand of tourists. It is contemplating to establish the more tourist facilities in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet and the Sundarbans.
The government is committed to supporting private sector efforts for the develop-ment of tourism in Bangladesh. To encourage the private entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, it has taken the initiative to lease out some of the outlets of the national tourism organisation to private management. Bangladesh welcomes foreign investment in the sector under both joint venture and 100 per cent foreign ownership. To encourage domestic and foreign investment, the government offers various incentives.
Bangladesh should be projected as a land of tourism. There is so much to see and do in Bangladesh that many visitors return to see what they might have missed before. Bangladesh is getting popular as a tourist destination.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam A national tourism worker
JMB
Rab arrested Mizan and they busted a mini ammunition factory. He is a member of JMB and also a leader. With his arrest it is clear that still JMB is actively working in Bangladesh. Though the government declared a "Zero tolerance" policy in this respect, we believe more steps are needed to blunt the force of such outfits.
Mahfuzur Rahman Manik
IER, Dhaka University
Education
There is a saying that a person is incomplete without education. This is probably true for the developed countries. But looking at Bangladesh, 1 actually disagree with the above phrase.
We sure do have a decent number of educated people. We have lots of schools in and around Dhaka as well as all over Bangladesh compared to the pre-independence days. We have more universities, more vocational institutes which certainly give us a degrees as well as certificates to prove that we are educated. But in reality where do we stand? Are we really educated?! do get puzzled whenever this question arises. May be we are educated in paper but in real life where do we stand? We do not know how to behave, we do not know how to respect others, we do not follow the rules of the land, and we feel proud if we successfully disobey the rule.
We have a traffic police force for controlling the traffic but we often see them acting. We have educated people d r i v-ing/owning/riding cars but do we really care about the traffic rules? I guess not. If we were that educated we certainly would not have turned the pavements into parking lots. Similarly, we have buses, trucks, CNG scooters, haulers plying the roads with the same insanity.
The way our government organisations, especially the service providers work/act, we get the feeling that we (the public) are the servants of the government.
What I am trying to say here is we need to be educated, no doubt about that, but alongside we also need to gather knowledge. Otherwise, we will always lag behind as a nation.
SohelAhmed Dhanmondi, Dhaka
Status of industrial relations
As a Human Resource professional I have a cherished desire to see that one day the trade union leaders will play a significant role in each and every organization for its development through participatory practices and acquiring confidence. I'm engaged in industrials relation jobs for the last 20 years and was with the country's leading group of industries and some multinational companies but I have never found them in a good position and acceptable to the top management of the organization because of their unacceptable behaviour and attitude. Whenever they form a union their attitude and behavioural pattern dramatically change. They become
the tools of outsiders and unfortunately this is the way everywhere we are abusing our industrial relations.
I have had a scope to attend 4 weeks' training session in 1RI (Industrial Relations Institute) and that was a tripartite training ses-sion. We visited a Pharmaceutical Company at Tbngi and there we had a scope to meet the union leaders. Along with my company union secretary I interviewed one of the CBA members of the company. I asked him whether their company reduced their facilities because of sales decline. The reply was "no" and he further said that that they had refused some facilities due to the company's present position. These things impressed me much.
Nowadays the foreign investors have initiated some prospective export oriented industries in our country and created huge job opportunities. But we have watched agitation and unrest on different occasions without any valid reason destroying our image to the investors. The investors have sustained huge losses.
We shall have to note that the export oriented companies cannot have the scope to give less wages or other benefits because the buyers' auditors are very strict and they should strictly follow the standard and ensure its sustainability. Otherwise, they will not feel safe to place orders and this the precondition of their business relation.
The trade union leaders are earnestly requested to motivate the workers and make them aware so that they can understand that they are part of the organisation and they will have to acquire the confidence of the owners. This mutual understanding process will remove misunderstanding and industrial relations will develop.
M. Mohiuddin
General Manager (HR & IR) EPJC Group
Asad Avenue Dhaka
Corruption charges
The nation is shocked and amazed at the corruption charges brought against the former speaker, deputy speaker and the chief whip all belonging to a particular political party. No wonder instead of being ashamed, they preferred to deny the charges, as was done by their party leaders and bosses earlier against alleged local and international corruption committed by them, their family members, lawmakers, ministers etcetera. Corruption charges against the guardians of the highest
institution of the lawmakers of the country are unprecedented. Only recently some members of British Parliament lost their membership on charge of being involved in "expense scandal". In a superb expression of moral responsibility, the Speaker of the House of Commons resigned over the scandal. In our country such action by our politicians is unthinkable. They would always try to get away with any kind ofcrime, andmoral-ity is a word not available in their dictionary. We noticed with utter dismay that persons charged with corruption during the caretaker government are now moving freely and the charges against them are either withdrawn or quashed. If that is the norm in this country only heaven knows whether this country would ever get rid of corrupt people who amass wealth at the cost of the teeming millions.
Whatever may be the outcome, we salute the parliamentary committee which revealed those stunning cases of corruption and exposed their true faces before the nation. But only revelation is not enough, proper legal action also needs to be taken so that nobody, whoever he might be, is allowed to evade the law of the country.
Mohammad Ataul Hoque On e-mail
A suggestion
The majority people in Bangladesh are poor. Most of them, along with the middle class and rich voters, cast their votes in favour of the Awami League. That is why the party got such a landslide victory in the last election. Voters voted for fulfilment of their demands. The Awami League has to take measures to create job opportunities and eradicate poverty.
Rural Bangladesh has about 68,000 villages. The govern-ment can initiate a programme, involving the Ministry of Live Stock ahd the Ministry of Social Welfare, to donate 100 ducks to one ultra poor family in each village to rear ducks and enhance their family income. The ducks may be imported from Thailand in phases. The climate of Thailand is similar to ours and duck is a very common bird there. Ducks from Thailand will be suitable for our environment.
The imported ducks may be donated in three phases to an ultra poor family in a year. After every four months, one instalment may be given. This programme can bring about some positive changes in rural Bangladesh.
Md. Ashraf Hossain Central Bashabo Dhaka Private universities
Recently, our honourable prime minister expressed her profound concern regarding the 'quality of education' of private univer^ui^^f Bangladesh.
Obviously as the guardian of a nation she should have such type of anxiety. Having no campus, charging sky high fees, inadequacy of faculty members, control of investors (chairmen, board of governors) over vice-chancellors, dependency on the teachers of pqblic universities, low quality of teaching etc. are the main grievances of the students of private universities. But how can we get rid of these problems?
The 'Objectives' behind establishing a university, in most of the cases, are the main factor that creates the problems. Why are the business people very eager to invest in this sector? What do they want to achieve from this endeavour? Of course 'profit'. Then, achieving 'name and fame' or social recognition through which people will consider that s/he is part of civil society; and finally, performing the so called CSR. Generally, they claim in public functions that they are doing this only to carry out their social responsibility.
When someone will concentrate on 'profit' of course s/he will try to minimize costs. And there lies the problem. Our government should identify the best universities. To develop their infrastructure facilities, the government should provide reasonable funds, at least initially.
After that a powerful governing body should be formed, the government nominated educators must be included there.
In other words, the government should have a role in
such matters, so that setting up a university does not become a business alone.
Md. Abdul Hamid
Assistant Professor Dept, of Business Administration
Shahjalal University, Sylhet
Unique, indeed
We the Bangladeshis are unique people. We are different! Our country was once known as a country of natural calamities like tornados, floods, famines etc. Recently we earned the title of the "most corrupt nation" in the world. Bangladesh becomes a news spot in the world media very often.
It was born through a war of independence. The country is being ruled by two ladies formanyyears.
Presently, we have a woman prime minister and two other women -are in charge-of *thq foreign and home ministries. The leader of the opposition in the parliament is also a woman who is the chief of the second biggest political party. These women are, no doubt, very powerful because they are elected by the people. This preponderance of women in key positions is a unique feature.
Many years ago, our students of schools and colleagues started agitation demanding the right to copy in their exams. The beggars brought out processions demanding a fixed amount of alms.
Whenever, the government catches any party leader for corruption or misappropriation, he comes out with a statement terming the charges as "baseless and politically motivated" and his or her supporters believe him or her and extent support unequivocally.
Recently, high government officials, I mean, the top bureaucrats have demanded that they be exempted from prosecution by the Anti-Corruption Commission for corruption charges.
This means they demand that they should be allowed to indulge in corruption but should not be charged. Is it not a special demand, not to be found anywhere in the world?
I believe, the prime minister will have to concede to this demand to keep her administration going smoothly. Does this not prove that wc are unique in many ways and different from many other nations?
Shafiqul Islam
AT
Prabhakaran's death
LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran's death has been confirmed. Ups and downs are a universal truth.
With the death of the Tamil resistance leader, it now seems, the term "LITE" will be lost forever.
We are really shocked to see innocent people dying in the conflicts between the Lankan troops and the Tamil guerrillas.
Habibur Rashid Ismail Jamea Rahmania Fadil Mad rasa
Chittagong