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To the Editor
Vested Properties Return Bill-2011
The passage of the Vested Properties Return (Amendment) Bill 2011, which theoretically enables Hindus to reclaim land and property confiscated by the government or occupied by Muslims under the Vested Property Act of 1974, Enemy Property Act 1965 (by Pakistan) and other discriminatory property laws implemented by Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947, was indeed a good initiative by the present government. But Enemy Property Act-1965 still persists and continues to make Hindu minority homeless. Sadly enough, after the independence of Bangladesh, all the elected governments wanted to repeal this black law but none of them took pragmatic steps to materialise it. Finally this government passed Vested Properties Return (Amendment) Bill 2011. But the new legislation, however, does not clearly address how the previously seized properties will be returned and it is uncertain whether the Bill will be effectively implemented. In addition to that, the time period set is too short for them to understand and apply to reclaim their property. According to the bill, in the event of death of the original owner, rights of inheritance shall apply in accordance with Hindu religious personal laws. Hindu women would therefore be automatically excluded from inheritance. This latest Bill may thus become yet another in a series of laws that have failed to return confiscated properties and end the ongoing encroachment of Hindu owned land. So, the government should give highest importance to this to ensure the return of the property by maintaining transparency in the legal procedures for the survival of this minority group in Bangladesh.
Md. Musfikur Rahman Jony
Baneswar, Rajshahi
Assam violence
Clashes between Bodos and minority immigrants in the lower Assam districts have caused panic within the Indian government. If the situation does not improve, it would be a very worrying situation for the people living there. We feel sorry to see the bloodshed and violence. Assam is one of those Indian states that is bordered with Bangladesh and as a neighbour it is our duty to step forward to help the victims.
Minhaj Ahmed
Response to Syed Badrul Ahsan's "Pain and Love"
I would like to congratulate your Executive Editor Syed Badrul Ahsan for his masterly piece tided "Pain and remnants of love", published in The Daily Star on July 25,2012, which calls for re-defining socio-religio cultural values, and emphasises the desirability of urgent reforms to change social attitude and behavioral patterns.
I deeply appreciate Ahsan's boldness, his ability to see the truth, and the reality in the complex tapestry of human emotions. Love, to be genuine, has to be positive, harmless, noble, dignified, with a sense of readiness to sacrifice. Only then it can be beautiful, desirable, adorable, blissful. Only then it can bring happiness, peace, harmony, satisfaction.
An emotion which is destructive and is dominated by narrow selfish interest or momentary joy or a sense of meaningless personal pleasure and attainment cannot be love. Unfortunately, in human society, it is the man who is very often the more powerful in the conjugal pair; indulges in such malpractice feigning love. Destructive allurement devoid of humane consideration is a curse in human life where "Society" friendship and love are divinely bestowed upon man.
Beneath the irresponsible conduct of the male in his dealings of matrimonial love and relationship is a sense of entrenched patriarchy and a base male chauvinistic attitude, marked by his erroneously assumed birthright to be tough, superior and testosterone driven, devoid of a sense of justice, compassion, logic and understanding, qualities sine qua non for civilized human existence. Columnist Praful Bidwai also points that out in his article titled "Male insecurity driven aggression" in The Daily Star on July 25,2012.
I fully agree with Ahsan when he says "when new love destroys the edifice of a family built through a patient placement of old love, brick by brick, and emotion by emotion, it is not love any more". It is then a mindless, callous, harmful, selfish act driven by personal passion without consideration.
Society should be up against such condemnable depravity.
Enam A. Chaudhury
PM and HardTalk
Very few heads of state and influential persons managed to survive the interview by Stephen Sackur in BBC HardTalk programme. If a head of state is not a clean person, have vindictive attitude, shows undemocratic behaviour, then HardTalk is very hard for them. Our prime minister was unable to answer the questions properly and to the point, asked by Stephen Sackur during his interview session. There were grammatical mistakes in statements made by our prime minister while replying to Stephen Sackur but that is not a problem because many heads of state cannot speak in English at all. (Thanks to the editor of The Daily Star newspaper for publishing the contents of the interview after correction).
I would like to mention the name of a former head of state Mr Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia who ruled the country with an iron hand for 25 years without any protest from the citizens, won the hearts of his countrymen, made enormous developments, changed the country from an agricultural hub to an industrial giant, was away from corruption, and about whom the whole world still talk with respect. In contrast, our head of state could not even start the major development projects in three and half years, supports nepotism, whenever she gets a microphone she starts criticising the opposition leader and cannot control her vindictiveness. We all know that BNP was corrupt while in power and did nothing for the country during their tenure but we expected a change from our present prime minister for whom we voted with lots of hope.
Kazi Mizanur Rahman
Gulshan-2
Dhaka
Strange advice from home minister
On August 8,2012 Home Minister Sahara Khatun advised residents of Dhaka city to lock their houses before going on Eid holiday.
We are feeling exasperated by this meaningless advice. Does the home minister look upon the people as fools that they will leave their houses unlocked when they go on vacation? How absurd! Does not Sahara Khatun know about the lootings at jewellery shops by breaking open the strongest locks?
People are not even safe when they are at home; dacoits break open the doors and loot valuables; sometimes they even kill and injure the inmates of the house.
So, breaking open the locks is child's play to the criminals. To minimise the lootings the government must step up its security measures considerably. Lawenforcing agents must remain vigilant all the time and an all out effort should be made to keep people's houses safe from the thieves.
If the security watch is not up to the mark, then many untoward incidents may happen. We hope Home Minister Sahara Khatun will not pin the blame on the citizens and say: "It was their fault, they did not lock the doors."
Nur Jahan
Chittagong