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To the Editor...
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Between chaos and confusion!
Failure of the traffic light based automated system of traffic management was reported in the front page of most dailies on November 23. This is nothing but the natural result of most drivers' normal response to usual traffic management system, where hand signals by traffic policemen supersedes traffic lights! Drivers are used to manual traffic control, so even with the red light they will go on driving! They naturally wait for the whistle and hand signal before stopping! This is what they have been used to at all times.
It will take time, for the drivers to come to terms with the automated version of controlling traffic by signal lights only. This habit has been created by our traffic policemen on duty at road crossings! Blaming drivers for not stopping when the red light is on will not do; as they are used to police signals before stopping! This is the result of our manned traffic management by hand signals, because more often than not, traffic policemen give signals contrary to what the lights indicate, allowing cars to pass when the signal is red, and stopping when it is green! That is, the fact of life, of our traffic management, whether we like it or not!
Another important aspect is that what will happen when there is no policeman for traffic control, and traffic lights are not operating because there is no power? In effect, given our poor power situation, we have to go along with the present management-- policemen plus traffic lights. Before going for automatic light based traffic management; we must ensure that traffic lights have power, on a 24X7 hour basis. This is the first priority. Unfortunately, as usual, we have put the cart before the horse!
Now we are between the devil and the deep blue sea. In our case between the hand traffic signal and the signal light! Which one to follow, is anyone's guess. I believe that the uniform will overrule all signals- red, yellow or green! Traffic confusion will now be compounded! May be wc will need a digital solution for it, with traffic lights controlling vehicle brakes! But where is the electric power which is the root of all things digital? Hopefully, the Hon. PM is aware of this, another bitter fact of life in Bangladesh!
SA. Mansoor Dhaka
Mugging on the rise A mugging story on a busy road of the Dhaka city is basically a glaring evidence of poor law and order situation in our country, especially In Dhaka.
At 8:00am 24.11.09. I with my friend Mamun and two of his colleagues went to Rifles Square at Philkhana Gate for shopping. With a plan in mind to go inside Rifles Square, we were having tea near Philkhana gate. At that time
one of my friend's colleagues said that he had to meet with a client of his company on the other side of the road in front of the Ibne Sina Hospital. My friend and two of his colleagues went to meet that client. They kept me waiting in front of the tea-stall. They were supposed to come back within five minutes. After waiting for fifteen minutes, I entered a fashion house nearby still waiting for them to come back. After five minutes when I came back, I saw that my friend was sitting on a rickshaw and was waiting for me. When I came nearer to him 1 noticed there was something wrong. His face was gloomy, tfiere was Bloodin His lips. One of his legs was severely injured which was probably deliberately done by muggers so that he would not be able to follow them. When he and his colleagues crossed the road, a man running from the opposite direction sprayed something like smoke in his eyes and other man hit him from the behind with something hard and he fell down on the road. A total 7-8 persons began to beat him and started to snatch all his possessions. They snatched his mobile, moneybag etc. They did the whole thing at such speed that he could not see anyone's face. The muggers took less than one minute to accomplish the whole task and ran away from the scene.
Afterwards, we tried to call my friend's colleagues over mobile but those were switched off. Later, we came to know that they were also snatched and beaten up severely at the same time the same way.
1 think it is the high time for the government to address these kinds of public grievances.
Sheikh Habibur Rahman Adabar, Dhaka
Climate change and we
One of the UK's best known scientists, Professor James Lovelock, says only a catastrophe will prompt the world to tackle the threat of climate change seriously. He also said: In late 1930 when I was a student we knew that war was imminent, but there was no clear idea of what to do about it. We think that something unpleasant may soon happen but we are as confused over what to do about it as we were in 1938. Our response so far is just an attempt to appease.
Until a few years ago, the words Tsunami, Sidr, Aila etc were virtually unknown in our country, but there can be few who do not know what awesome consequences can result from such natural disasters. In addition, seawater would penetrate the country's fertile land and ruin thousands of hectares of cultivable land in the coastal areas. Our land will no longer be able to produce any crop, as it will be repeatedly washed away by salty water. There will be no existence of the Sundarbans (The world's largest mangrove forest and a recognized site of world heritage) which would
bring a great ecological imbalance; the most crucial problem that is likely to appear is food and habitat crisis in our country.
So, corrective measures need to be adopted on a top priority basis.
. Mohammad Mizanur Rahman
Botanist and researcher
Rich are always right
I am not at all religious, but even I was flabbergasted seeing the distorted mentality of people. The other day 1 was coming back home from Dhanmondi when 1 saw a bus sporting a nice advertisement on its back. The advertisement informed consumers about the chance to get a free butcher for the upcoming Eid if they answered a very clever question.
My point is, have we completely lost our mind that marketers would think a gimmick like this based on a holy day would work? I mean, is it not bad enough that we try to enhance our social position by buying cows worth thousands? Eid is no longer the sacred occasion it once used to be. We go to the mosque in the morning, but do we really pray?
I hate the way the people are silent on the total mockery made at every step of our social ladder.
Asifur Rahman Khan On e-mail
Cox's Bazar
We can and we build the mega sea beach from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf as Asia's greatest tourist attraction. If Tajmahal is Asia's most beautiful monument and people from all over the world flock to Agra, why does the most panoramic and longest sea beach of Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh fail to quench the thirst of the people all over the globe?
We need an international airport in Cox's Bazar, a broad gauge railway line from Chittagong to Cox's Bazar, the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar must be widened and modernised. Behind Cox's Bazar-Tcknaf hills range, which stand like a Berlin wall between Bay of Bengal and Cox's Bazar hotels, motels and restaurants may be constructed, a 100 feet side road for beach drive from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf may also be constructed. There should not be any hill cutting, cutting of trees and removal of rocks on the beach side.
St. Martin Island, Moheskhali island and Sonadia island may be linked with mainland with ships, speed boats and house boats.
All that glitters is not gold. How and where from would money come for construction, renovation and beautification ofCox's Bazar?
Where there is a will there is a way. Rome was not built Ina day. Thousands of tourists visit Cox's Bazar every year. If we improve facilities and amenities millions of domestic and foreign tourists will visit Cox's Bazar in the future.
O.H.Kabir
Wari, Dhaka
Corporate governance Corporate governance has become a buzzword in the corporate world, especially when the latest global financial crisis originated In the U.S.A, due to poor governance of financial Institutions. Therefore, recently corporate governance which replicates a mechanism to mitigate the conflict of interests among the stakeholders of a corporation, has also received increased attention from our regulatory bodies.
In spite of some progress being made in the area of corporate governance, most of the companies' entrepreneurs and top management have misconceptions about corporate governance. Due to the poor implementation of corporate governance, Bangladesh is quite below the mark of the standard of corporate governance maintained by the neighbouring countries as well as global economy.
One of the reasons for slow progress in adopting corporate governance is that still now most of the companies are family oriented. Such concentration of ownership hinders effective implementation of corporate governance. Rights of the shareholders are of paramount importance in corporate governance. Shareholders' rights are reflected in the AGMs where shareholders can participate in decision making concerning fundamental corporate changes through their votes. The voting rights of the minority shareholders should be protected.
Board members and management should disclose material information and there should be a scope for disclosing the same. Nonexecutive or independent directors should be appointed by the companies so that the board and the management will have specialist experience as well as independent appraisal.
Corporate governance is gradually being implemented by the corporate hpuses and regulators should have a strong role in implementing thesame..
Md. Abu Sufian
De pa rtmen t ofFi na nee Un i versityofDhaka
Historic verdict
After the historic Supreme Court verdict on the killing of Sheikh Mujib many people have claimed that it's a glorious triumph of the rule of law in Bangladesh. However, we must not forget that this verdict was made possible because its facilitation was ' one of the foremost priorities of the ruling party. The family members of the incumbent prime minister were the direct victims of the brutal massacre of 1975. Obviously, no one can possibly condone the killers of
his/her family members and as the most powerful person of the nation she was firmly determined to bring the killers tojustlce.
I think it won't be wise to regard this verdict as the ultimate triumph of 'the rule of law' because I have strong doubts whether this verdict would have been made poul ble so promptly, if the Awaml League had not been in the state power. Wc observed that previously several ruling governments delayed Justice anil created obstacles in the way of unfettered proceedings of the case. I think today this verdict was made possible not because of the supremacy of the rule of law, but because of the fact that tire relatives ol the victims of this gruesome killing hold the supreme political power in the country. And it's apparent that in Bangladesh in order to ensure fair justice everyone needs (no matter how renowned he/she might be) political power and influence. Factually speaking, we can't claim that our 'rule of law' is strong enough to ensure justice for every ordinary citizen of the country, unless the victims possess significant political authority.
Sheikh Hasina, despite being one of the most notable personalities of the country, could only ensure justice for herself after she had secured the supreme political power. It clearly proves that in this country only those who are politically influential can generally get fair justice.
I have strong doubts whether Sheikh Hasina would have been able to get justice after so many years, if she had been an ordinary citizen. We surely can't be certain about that. If ever such a day comes when we'll be absolutely certain that every ordinary Bangladeshi will get fair justice, only on that day it will be wise for us to glorify the ultimate triumph of our judiciary and the rule of law.
Kh.Asef Safa Kabir Muhammadpur, Dhaka
Poisoning of the PM?
Well, in the careless utterances (or mutterings) of many of our great leaders vagaries abound. I would have given the whole episode a rather farcical pass. But the fact that the questyn was raised by the personal physician (I suppose he is competent and more of a doctor than a politician) of a sitting PM, it becomes an issue of national importance and of national security. This needs to be delved further, and if true, proper medical and legal intervention is in order.
I am privy only to the information percolated through the media. There was a lot of hue and cry as to the serious nature of Sheikh Hasina's hearing. At the same time, it was also reported that she was suffering from skin allergies
(described as “swellings" in newspapers). Well, the causes of such skin lesions are myriad. Only a good history (by a competent physician) and few laboratory tests often can reveal the real etiology. Even a year later, history and laboratory evaluation can be obtained with a reasonable accuracy for diagnosis. However, it is a medical fact that in a large number of patienty,, jhe exact, such skin problems remains elusive forever.
It is true that the patient was allowed to travel to the United States after the alleged poisoning. If there was an iota of question in the mind of the honourable advisor cum personal physician, it was his professional duty to communicate the issue, at least, privately to the patient, who in turn could have discussed that with her physicians in the United States. And evaluation of chronic poisoning would have been thorough and unfettered in the United States.
I am an a 1 1 er-gist/immunologist. I can talk volumes about her skin*swell-ings, but it is not my forte to
opine about possible chronic poisoning. But given the fact that the patient herself is doing great and has not uttered a single word vis-^-vis “poisoning", I am inclined to believe that the whole “poisoning saga" is nothing more than another sorry political twist.
But, if this is true, the Prime Minister should definitely check in with a competent -•physician for the- -eoantry-needs her service until her term expires.
Mohammad Zaman
Ellisville, Missouri
Gender equality
Women have basically achieved parity in participation in most areas of undergraduate and coursework postgraduate study. However, there are still some areas such as engineering and architecture where women are under represented. Again, there are fewer women these days undertaking post graduate study. This is partly due to financial restraints and less funding options to undertake
this level of study. We feel more emphasis is requ^ed to make all careers at all levels of education more accessible to women. Girls in general have excellent completion rates and results at junior and senior high school level.
One of the main legislative advances made in the past decade is making it illegal to dismiss an employee because
-of pregnancy Legislation also , attempts to ensure her entitlement to return to employment after a period of paid or unpaid maternity leave, but there has been little attempt to review the practical efficacy of this legislation. Moreover, the positive effect of this development is probably' outweighed by the failure to introduce universal paid maternity leave. We support the government's idea of combining gender mainstreaming and gender specific measures to accelerate equality for women.
Mohammad Rajja
Member
Nepal Student Society Dhaka