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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
letters@thedailystar.net
Orwellian nightmare
Surveillance systems are of unimaginable scale and character. And of course now data can be collected endlessly. In fact Obama supposedly has a data storage system being constructed in Utah somewhere where all kinds of data are being poured in. Who knows what? Probably all your emails, all your telephone conversations, someday what you're saying to people in the streets, where you've been lately, you know, who do you talk to, probably a ton of stuff like that will be there.
Poor Orwell, if he'd walk into the world today and see just what it's really like, he'd probably die of fright! In his day it was all science fiction, a make-believe story to entertain people, but now it is a reality-one that's not going to go away. Big brother wants to keep an eye on you. He believes in being his ''brother's keeper," but it's not for any sort of benign purpose - or at least it won't be in the end. It'll end up being for the purpose of control.
Ted Rudow III, MA
Encina Ave
Palo Alto, CA
If it's not a political decision, then what is?
Five senior BNP leaders were arrested on November 8, 2013 on a flimsy ground and have been sent to jail. By this autocratic action the government has snuffed out the flickering light of hope. The opposition political party repeatedly said if the government agrees to hold the general election under a neutral government, they will not resort to hartal or any other agitating programmes. It is their rightful demand and also the demand of the people.
During hartals many unpleasant incidents are taking place. We think the government is responsible for this mayhem, because if the government had not abolished the GTG, there would not have been any agitation programmes and people would not have suffered.
Regarding the arrest of the BNP leaders, a top bureaucrat of the home ministry said that the arrest of the opposition leaders "was not a political decision. They were arrested based on an intelligence report." How funny! DMP arrested the BNP leaders on an intelligence report but did not arrest AL activists when Bishwajit was hacked to death by them in broad daylight. DMP does not have any intelligence report about the murder of Sagar-Runi or the disappearance of Ilias Ali and his driver.
Nur Jahan
Chittagong
Who's responsible for Monir's death?
It is with a mixture of anguish and relief that I read the death of young Monir, burned in his father's van by pro-hartal picketers. It was unimaginable agony which this innocent boy endured and which his parents must now endure mentally.
In the meantime, Mirza Fakhrul Islam has chosen not only to deny the involvement of BNP activists, but has gone to the extent of stating that government agents were responsible for Monir's incident. This grotesquely cynical view is hardly credible, or defensible. Nevertheless, the least he could have done was to say that his party was investigating this matter and should there be any involvement discovered, that person would be turned over to the authorities concerned for severe punishment. Apparently no such delicacy is possible in today's political climate, nor even one word of sympathy to the grieving parents.
While the AL and BNP wrangle over who was responsible for Monir's death, I ask only whether Monir would have died in that manner had the hartal not been called. Who will then take the responsibility?
Syed Hamde Ali
The Naivab Palace
Bogra
EU envoy's strange request to Khaleda
I have been surprised by Ell delegates' request to Khaleda Zia not to boycott the general election or dialogue. I believe such requests are meaningless, as BNP has never showed any reluctance to attend a dialogue to overcome the current impasse, nor did it say that it would boycott a free and fair election. But how can it participate in an election under Sheikh I lasina? Instead of putting pressure on PM to accept the public demand for an election-time neutral caretaker government, they urged Khaleda Zia to participate in the election under Shekh Hasina. How preposterous!
Shahin Huq
Llttara, Dhaka
Comments on news report, “ACC toothless," published on November 11, 2013
Nds
Jatiyo Sangsad has more powerful teeth to uproot the teeth of others. Don't forget it has the power to break not only teeth but any organisation according to their sweet will. The government servants are their most favoured tools to do its bidding.
Faisal
ACC is not required now anymore. It can become a department under PMO.
Abul Kashem
No wonder.
Aasfisarwar
It's better to become officially toothless. Then no one can blame them for lack of biting power.
Tandua ketra
This cannot be a law. The nation understands the meaning of this.