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Charge sheet submitted against
Tarique, his wife, mother-in-law in illegal wealth case
UNB, Dhaka
Charge sheet was Monday submitted against BNP joint
secretary general Tarique Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida
Rahman and mother-in-law Syeda Iqbalmand Banu accusing
them of accumulating unearned wealth and concealing those
in statement of wealth.
ACC assistant director Toufiqul Islam submitted the charge
sheet to the CMM court of Dhaka in the afternoon.
This is the first charge sheet against Tarique, elder son
of former prime minister Khalda Zia. He faces about a
dozen corruption and criminal cases.
The case is being transferred to the Metropolitan Session
Judge’s court and trial will start soon, court sources
said.
It is said in the charge sheet that the accused have
concealed information about wealth worth Tk 4.23 crore in
the statement submitted to the Anti-corruption Commission.
They have accumulated wealth worth about Tk 4.81 crore
beyond known sources of income.
The case was filed with Kafrul thana on September 26 last
year under section 26/2 and 27/1 of ACC Act, 15-b(5) of
the Emergency Power Rules and section 109 of BPC.
Fifty-seven prosecution witnesses were listed in the
charge sheet.
AL threatens to launch agitation
if Hasina not freed before April 5
Staff Correspondent
Awami League leaders on
Monday threatened to launch a tough agitation programme if
their detained party President Sheikh Hasina is not freed
before the ‘Mass-Signature Programme’ on April 5.
Addressing a discussion programme in observance of the
Independence Day, they demanded of the Caretaker
Government to ensure better treatment of the ailing former
Prime Minister though sending her to the United States as
early as possible.
The Dhaka city unit of AL organised the discussion inside
the AL Central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital
yesterday with acting city AL president M A Aziz in the
chair. AL presidium member Amir Hossain Amu accused the
jail authorities of taking Sheikh Hasina in the Special
Judge Court forcibly with incomplete treatment in the
Square Hospital. "Nothing could be done by resorting to
repression of AL leaders and activists and with Sheikh
Hasina behind bars," he cautioned the authorities’
concerned. Calling upon the partymen to become united to
face the situation, the veteran AL leader said "If the
authorities don’t honour our patience, AL will take
necessary steps to release the AL Chief through
mass-upsurge." Amu urged the Government to execute the
verdicts of the ‘Bangabandu Murder Case’ and honour
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the Father of Nation.
Another Presidium member Tofael Ahmed termed Sunday’s
behavior of the jail authorities as an inhuman act. "The
incident further proved that the incumbent Army-backed
Interim Government doesn’t play an impartial and neutral
role in running the state at the prevailing situation," he
said adding "No power in the world can destroy AL and stop
our party President who always stands by the people and
talks about miseries of the Bangladeshi people in absence
of the late Father of Nation Bangabandhu." About the
countrywide ‘Mass-Hunger Strike’, the AL leader minister,
"The Government should bear in mind that through this
hunger strike, we planted the seeds of the next course of
action of AL and this will be ended through a mass upsurge
in the near future."
AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta blasted the
Government for violating human rights through resorting to
mental torture on detained party President. He termed the
present Government unconstitutional. He further urged the
Supreme Court to issue an order to the government for
ensuring better treatment of Hasina abroad.
Hungry
man an angry man: Hannan
Staff Correspondent
BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Brig (retd) Hannan Shah on
Monday warned the government against making any delay in
holding election saying, "the later the election will be
held, the more the things will worsen and be more
complex."
The BNP Chairperson’s Adviser was addressing a discussion
meeting organized by Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Tax Lawyers’
Association to mark the Independence and National Day.
Hannan also urged the government not to let the people be
angry and said, "a hungry man is an angry man. So take
immediate steps to arrest the price spiral and solve the
food crisis without any further delay, otherwise handover
the power to an elected government." The only way out of
the present crisis is holding an election, he observed.
"The people want to live in peace, but they cannot be calm
with sky-rocketing price hike. Each and every person of
the country is passing through a suffocating situation.
The experts are apprehending a 74-like famine in near
future if necessary steps are not taken immediately," said
Hannan Shah, adding, "this government has failed in almost
all the cases. The rice is being sold at Tk.40 per kg
whereas it was at Tk.18. So do not try to give a bad name
to the political governments."
Calling upon the government to set free Begum Khaleda Zia
and Sheikh Hasina, he said, "Begum Khaleda Zia is
completely innocent and many of others are languishing in
jail without having been involved in misdeeds and
corruption."
"Sit for dialogue with the political parties to defuse the
political stalemate," he urged the government saying, all
problems can be solved by holding discussion. Referring to
the much-touted minus-two formula, the BNP leader said,
"This government has started its journey with a special
agenda and some individuals were trying to keep the two
leaders out of politics in the way Pakistan’s military
ruler Musharraf had tried. But the theory ultimately came
to naught in Pakistan and so it would be in Bangladesh."
He, however, said, "not this government; rather a certain
group is hatching a conspiracy to implement the minus-two
theory."
About alleged involvement of BNP men in corruption, Shah
said, "some of the identified people were involved in the
corruption, but not all of the BNP men." He came down hard
on the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for filing case
against Tarique Rahman’s wife and his mother-in-law.
Shah raised the question about the visit of Indian General
AFR Jacob, saying, "why are Indian former army personnel,
who fought in liberation war only towards the end of the
war, visiting Bangladesh at a time when the people of the
country are observing the Independence and National Day
where they (Indian army) had no role."
Hannan Shah lambasted the government for introducing a
women policy and alleged, "It is being implemented under
the instructions of foreign lords." He warned that
Bangladeshi people are pious and sensitive to their
religion.
Talking about the activities of the Election Commission,
he said, "the people no more believe the words and deeds
of the Election Commission."
Bangladesh
needs to build up adequate food stock: Economists
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh should
reintroduce its five-year development programme, build up
an adequate stock of food and declare a proper food
procurement policy to avert the present-like abnormal food
prices in the future, economists told a programme here
Monday.
They said poverty eradication and improving the lifestyle
of the people would remain a far cry with the present
Annual Development Programme (ADP) and donors-prescribed
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). "We’ve abandoned
our five-year action plan and opted for one-year
development programme being prescribed by the donor
agencies and countries. Bangladesh must look for five-year
plan without delay if it really wants a stable economy and
unhindered development," Prof Dr Atiur Rahman said.
Dr Atiur, also the chairman of Shamunnay, was addressing
the launching ceremony of Bangladesh Economic Outlook
(Year 1, Issue 3 March 2008) at the Jatiya Press Club in
the morning. Young economist Selim Raihan presented the
findings of his team’s research carried by the
publication. Newly elected FBCCI president Annisul Huq
also spoke on the occasion.
Referring to the weak points of ADP, the research said
many projects, which were undertaken during the reign of a
particular government, either had their budgets slashed or
were even totally abandoned when a new government was
elected.
Bangladesh must consider devising and adhering to a
development plan that covers a longer time horizon, the
research said.
Former caretaker government adviser Hafizuddin Khan who
attended the ceremony as chief guest said a person might
even not be able to chalk out a plan in one year for his
own life. "Then how is it possible to have a plan and
implement it for a country of 14 crore people?" All the
speakers laid emphasis on building up a food stock after
an estimate what can be the demand of the growing
population of Bangladesh in the next 10-20 years. "In 2000
when the then government completed its term there was no
food shortage or price hike of food in Bangladesh.
Then-Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury had been able to
create a food stock of 16 lakh tons of rice against the
total demand of 10 lakh tons," Atiur Rahman recalled.
"But after that Bangladesh could not maintain the practice
of stocking food. Now a large portion of the population
finds it almost impossible to buy rice they require. A
sort of silent famine is now prevailing in the country,"
he said. About the effectiveness of having a food stock,
former adviser Hafizuddin Khan said, "During our caretaker
government, Bangladesh’s development partners had forced
us to reduce food stock, although food stock always has a
positive impact on price hike."
"Now where are those development partners who had forced
this country not to stock food when Bangladesh is
suffering from food crisis and price hike of essentials?
Has America or the World Bank said that they are ready to
provide Bangladesh with rice?" Atiur Rahman said
Bangladesh should finalise its food procurement law
immediately. "How much rice will be collected in the
coming Boro season, what price the farmers will be given,
how many godown will be needed, everything should be fixed
now." The experts found Bangladesh is facing the current
food crisis and intolerable price hike due to a mismatch
between demand and supply of food.
"Government’s estimates on total food demand of the
country falls 23 lakh tons short than ours. I suggest the
government to form a high-profile taskforce which will be
able to estimate the real demand of food in the country,"
Dr Atiur said. About the necessary steps to reduce the
current record high rice price, Dr Atiur said now
Bangladesh should manage India, by any means, to collect
the rest 4 lakh tons of rice.
Journalists
in Ctg strongly protest vandalism at BSS office, demand
punishment of culprits
BSS, Chittagong
Leaders of the journalists organizations at a joint
protest meeting here Monday condemned strongly the
Sunday’s atrocious attacked on BSS head office building in
Dhaka by armed goons and demanded of the government
immediate arrest of the criminals and their exemplary
punishments.
"Terming the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) as symbol
of national pride and dignity in media sector at home and
abroad, the speakers said Sunday’s broad day light attack
on the BSS building in the name of eviction of commercial
establishments at ground floor was " virtually attack on
the whole media industry as well as the journalist
community".
They called upon the caretaker government particularly the
Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed to take proper steps to
probe into the heinous act of vandalism to trace out the
mentors of the attack and ensure their proper punishment
for the greater interest of the nation.
A large number of journalists working in daily newspapers,
news agencies and electronic media were present at the
meeting. Addressing the meeting, the journalists leaders
said organized broad day light attack by miscreants
equipped with lethal weapons on BSS at the heart of the
capital and on the nose of the law enforcing agencies was
simply unbelievable and astonishing.
CPC President Ali Abbas said "We considered the attack on
BSS office as attack on whole media and miscreants would
encourage to carry out such further violence on any other
media establishments or journalists in the future if the
culprits responsible for the crime go unpunished".
Swapan Dutta, Assistant Editor of daily Purbakone and a
noted poet said it was the responsibility of the
government to protect the image and dignity of the
national wire service by taking punitive legal action
against the mastans.
The leaders viewed that the attack was part of a well-
planned conspiracy with the backing of a vested interest
quarter to capture the office building of the BSS.
They said journalists would not hesitate to opt for all
means of protest even take to the streets by launching a
long term protest programme if legal action against the
persons responsible for the attack.
Cabinet
Division suggested to ensure mechanism in every department
to deal with submitted wealth statements
UNB, Dhaka
The Anti-Corruption Commission in a letter has urged the
Cabinet Division to take an immediate initiative so that
every department should have a permanent mechanism to deal
with the wealth statements submitted by government
officers and employees.
"As per the Commission’s proposal, the Ministry of
Establishment has sought wealth statements from government
officers and employees and accordingly they have submitted
their statements to their respective departments," ACC
director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told Commission’s
regular briefing Monday.
He said the Commission thinks if the submitted wealth
statements are scrutinised by respective departments,
there would be a clear idea about corrupt officers and
employees. "Punishment and disciplinary actions afterwards
will help reduce the area of corruption," he added.
Hanif said, "In this context, the Commission today
(Monday) wrote (a letter) to the Cabinet Division
Secretary suggesting introduction of a permanent process,
that means management, to scrutinise the wealth statements
submitted by the government officers and employees."
The Commission asked the Cabinet Division to do this
effectively as soon as possible, he added.
Replying to a question, the director general said the
Commission does not get involved with this. Every
department would have its own management to scrutinise the
statements, he added.
Asked if the ACC would see how the departments are
scrutinising the statements, he said the Commission is yet
to think about it.
Hanif said the Commission has approved the submission of
charge sheet in the case against former Awami League MP
Haji Selim and his wife Gulshan Ara Begum for acquiring
wealth worth about Tk 27 crore, including concealment of
wealth worth about Tk 10 crore.
He said the Commission has approved the filing of a case
against Nazim Uddin, chairman of Suvaddya union parishad,
Keraniganj, Dhaka for amassing wealth worth about Tk 13
crore beyond known sources of income, including
concealment of information of assets worth 4.54 crore.
Hanif said the anti-graft body has approved the issuance
of notice to Israfil Ali, a former supervisor (CBA leader)
of Titas Gas Company Limited, directing him to submit his
wealth statement.
Back Page
Increase exports
to keep pace with rising Asian economy: CA
UNB, Dhaka
Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin
Ahmed Monday called for increasing the country's export
growth to keep pace with the fast rising economies of Asia
like China, India and Vietnam.
He emphasized on production of more competitive goods and
their marketing utilizing the comparative advantages of
the country's human resources.
The head of the caretaker government made the call and
remarks addressing the National Export Trophy distribution
function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium jointly organized
by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) and the Commerce
Ministry. Dr Fakhruddin said the country must diversify
its exports, adding that the government is considering
potentialities of the export sector. He said there is high
demand in the international market for agro-based and
processed agricultural goods, light engineering items,
shoes and leather products, medicine, ICT and home
textiles.
The export income of Bangladesh was US$ 12.18 billion in
2006-07 fiscal year while export target for the current
fiscal was set at US$ 14.50 billion. Drawing attention of
all concerned for maintaining peace and discipline in
business arena in the interest of development of the
country's economy, Dr Fakhruddin made a clarion call to
all concerned to refrain from activities which cast
negative impact on trade and business as well as in the
economy.
He believed that Bangladesh would turn into a
middle-income group country in the next one decade if all,
irrespective of class, profession and position work
together. The national export trophies were awarded for
the years 2002-2003, 2003-04 and 2004-05 in three
categories: Gold, Silver and Bronze along with
certificates on 21 export items among 82 business
institutions and industries for their extraordinary
contributions to the national economy.
A total of 33 gold, 28 silver and 21 bronze trophies were
given for the three years.
In 1978 the government introduced President's Export
Trophy as a recognition for keeping special contribution
in the economy of Bangladesh through exporting goods.
Later in 1994, the trophy was renamed as National Export
Trophy.
Bangladesh is now exporting 167 items to some 186
countries.
Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Commerce
Secretary Firoz Ahmed, FBCCI President Annisul Huq and EPB
Vice-President Md Shabullah also spoke at the function.
Advisers, business leaders, exporters, industrialists and
businessmen were present at the function. The Chief
Adviser said the government already announced the finished
leather, frozen fishes, handicrafts goods, electronic
goods, live flowers and foliages, jute products, handloom
clothes, unpolished diamond, herbal medicine and herbal
plants as special sectors for export development.
He said utilizing the opportunities of globalization
export activities will have to be made more intense and
dynamic and efforts to be made to alleviate poverty by
involving the country's huge population.
So to attain this goal, he said, the government is giving
importance on simplification of import-export procedures,
using modern technology in trade and commerce, expansion
of market, increasing productivity and capacity,
production of standard quality products, reduction in
business cost, implementation of international conditions
and ensure good governance in the business arena.
He said the government is also carrying out strong efforts
for duty-free access of Bangladeshi goods into the markets
of the developed world. The Chief Adviser said the
government has constituted Better Business Forum (BBF) and
Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) comprising
representatives from government and private sectors for
ensuring good governance and further improvement of
business environment.
He hoped that recommendations of BBF and RRC that would be
placed before the government will be quickly implemented
and good results of those will be visible to people. He
also mentioned about the government's three-year term
(2006-09) export policy for sustainable increase of
exports.
Dr Fakhruddin said the government is taking multifarious
steps for development of communication, telecommunication
system, utility services including water, gas,
electricity, and management of ports.
He said that in recent time significant progress has been
achieved in the management of Chittagong port.
In his speech, FBBCI President Annisul Huq urged the
country's businessmen for earning less profit for one year
in view of the on-going price hike of essentials.
He assured that business community will work together with
the government to ensure that businessmen cannot earn
profit unethically. The newly elected FBCCI President
emphasized on massive industrialization for quick economic
growth and urged for reducing the present high rate of
bank interests.
He said bureaucracy will have to become business-friendly
and effective for flourishing business and
industrialization.
Govt
implements steps to reduce traffic congestion in the
capital
Staff Correspondent
The Government is implementing multifarious steps to
reduce traffic congestion in the Dhaka Metropolitan areas,
Home Ministry officials said.
In this regard a meeting on the proposed recommendations
to reduce traffic congestion was held at the Home Ministry
on Monday with Adviser M A Matin in the chair.
A coordinating committee comprising representatives from
different departments and ministries headed by Director of
Bureau of Statistic made the recommendations to reduce
traffic jams in the city.
Officials said the home ministry meeting decided to
reschedule the train service as around six hours are lost
due to level crossing at 24 points in the capital.
He added it was decided in the meeting that no train would
leave the Kamalapur Rail Station between 8:30 and 9:30 in
the morning, and between 4:50 and 6:00 in the afternoon to
make good loss of the time and to reduce traffic jam.
Besides the old vehicles would be phased out by turns to
curb pressure of new cars as every year around 37,000
vehicles are registered.
Although population and transport are increasing in the
capital, roads and streets are not increasing. Now there
are only seven percent of the total areas in the capital
for traffic while for an ideal city there should have 25
percent land for movement.
The government will increase the number of legal rickshaws
while the number of illegal rickshaws will be reduced.
At present there are 79,750 legal rickshaws and around 6
lakh illegal rickshaws playing in the capital.
The government is also considering establishing new CNG
stations.
Police foil JCD meeting
DU Correspondent
Police
Monday foiled a discussion meeting scheduled to be held at
TSC auditorium of Dhaka University by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra
Dal (JCD).
The JCD had wanted to organise the discussion to mark the
Independence and National Day where BNP senior leader RA
Gani was the chief guest and Hannan Shah, Goyeshwer
Chandra Roy and Rizvi Ahmed were invited to attend.
Goyeshwer Chandra Roy had to leave the spot in the face of
police resistance while other leaders went back from their
way to the university.
Witnesses said, a large number of JCD leaders and
activists gathered at the TSC to participate in the
discussion scheduled to begin at 11 am. But a team of
police led by Inspector Sanwar Hossein arrived at the spot
and said the BNP leaders can not join the discussion.
JCD leaders termed the act of police 'shocking' while all
rules and regulation were maintained to hold the
discussion.
JCD General Secretary Shafiul Bari Babu said, the meeting
was organised taking prior permission from the concerned
authorities. But the undemocratic government did not allow
us to hold that in the last moment. Police said, they did
not foil any discussion rather directed only to hold the
discussion without the BNP leaders.
"They took permission for a discussion on Independence
Day. They can not turn it into a political discussion with
participation of top BNP leaders," said Shahidul Islam,
the Officer-In-Charge of Shahbagh Thana.
Later, the JCD staged a demonstration on the campus in
protest against the act of police.
Musharraf swears
in 24 members of Pak cabinet
Reuters, Islamabad
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf swore in 24 members
of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's cabinet on Monday,
six weeks after opposition parties won a general election.
Eleven of the new ministers were from assassinated former
prime minister Benazir Bhutto's party, which won the most
seats in the election and nine were from its main
coalition ally, the party of another former prime
minister, Nawaz Sharif.
Of the other four, one was an independent member of
parliament and three were from two smaller parties joining
the coalition.
Some members of Sharif's party being sworn in wore black
armbands, in a show of protest against Musharraf, who they
consider an unconstitutional president.
As expected, Ishaq Dar, a member of Sharif's party, is
finance minister and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a member of
Bhutto's party, is foreign minister, according to a
government statement.
Minister of defence is Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, a member of
Bhutto's party.
More ministers will be appointed later, party officials
have said.
A top student from Punjab University, Dar was an
accountant before he was appointed commerce minister in a
pro-business Sharif government in 1997. He identified
export-led growth as a cornerstone of economic strategy.
He became finance minister in November 1998 and concluded
negotiating an IMF rescue package to tackle an economic
crisis triggered by sanctions over nuclear tests in May
that year.
While generally well regarded, Dar, 60, was criticised for
what some saw as a naive approach to markets, blaming
speculators for every rapid movement of the currency and
stocks.
Dar was detained for nearly two years after Musharraf
overthrew Sharif in a 1999 coup.
Qureshi is president of the PPP in Punjab, Pakistan's
richest province and home to half its 160 million people
and the seat of power of the political and military
establishment.
Crime
Six top
terrors of Kotwali arrested
Staff Correspondent
A top listed terror of Kotwali area along with his two
accomplices was arrested by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
and firearms recovered from their possession in the
capital on Sunday evening.
The arrestees Habibur Rahman alias Tiger Habib, 34,
Mainuddin alias Kutub, 31 and Rejaul Karim, 40 are accused
in several numbers of cases including murder, robbery and
extortion, according to RAB sources.
Acting on a tip-off, a patrol team of RAB-10 went to
Sudhur Mia Goli under Kotwali police station at about 6:30
pm and arrested them while they were making preparation
for committing crime. RAB members recovered two revolvers
with seven rounds of bullets from their possession. Liton,
38, Morsalin, 30 and Babul, 30 were also arrested from the
spot as suspects.
Cases were lodged in this connection with Kotwali police
station.
Madrassah teacher killed
UNB, Brahmanbaria
A madrassah teacher was killed by unidentified assailants
at Ghagrajor village in Sarail upazila on Friday.
Family sources said that Faruq Ahmed, 28, teacher of a
local madrassah, went out of the house after receiving a
call on his mobile phone at about 8pm. Hearing screams,
local people rushed to the spot and rescued badly injured
Faruq Ahmed from 100 yards off his house.
He was rushed to the upazila health complex where the
doctors declared him dead. Reason behind the killing could
not be known immediately. A case was filed.
One held for giving proxy in SSC exam
UNB, Rajshahi
A youth was held on charge of giving proxy for his
friend's SSC examination at an exam centre in Tanore
upazila Sunday.
The arrested was identified Majedur Rahman, HSC examinee
of Rajshahi New Degree College and resident of Sundarpur
village in Chapainawabganj.
Police said Majed was giving proxy for his friend, Mehedy
Hasan, SSC candidate in humanities group from Madhumala
High School, for English 2nd paper examination at
Madhumala centre. After two hours, one of the invigilators
identified him and handed him over to police.
A case was filed in this connection.
Snatchers kill man
BSS, Sherpur
A motorbike rider was killed by a group of snatchers and
sped away with bike at Nalitabari upazila of the district
on Saturday.
The dead was identified as Nur Islam, 28, of Uttar
Garkanda of the upazila town.
Police said the incident took place when Nur Islam was
riding a rented motorbike at Nalitabari a group of
unidentified snatchers attacked him and snatched the
motorbike.
Police recovered the body on Sunday from Panchgaon area
under the upazila.
A case was filed with respective police station in this
connection.
Arrest, trial in Mithu killing case demanded
UNB, Gaibandha
Parents of a boy Mithu, killed by miscreants recently,
demanded arrest and trial of the killers who are
threatening them to withdraw the case.
Addressing a press conference at local press club
Saturday, Mithu's father Abdus Sattar and mother Meneka
Begum told that the accused are threatening them time and
again to withdraw case filed against them.
They said hired goons beat up Mithu after abducting him
from his shop, leaving him critically injured at Bashhata
village in Shaghata upazila on February 25 this year.
Later, he died on way to hospital. Being refused by thana
to accept the case, victim's mother filed a case against
eight people with the local court some days back.
While addressing the press conference, victim's parents
broke into tears saying that the accused have become
desperate after the filing of the case.
They demanded of the authority concerned to arrest the
killers of their son without further delay.
Two abducted female students rescued
UNB, Sirajganj
Two teenage female madrassah students, kidnapped here
eight days back, were rescued at Mohammadpur in the
capital early Sunday.
Police said the two victims, residents of Haldia village
in Belkuchi upazila, went to attend a milad mahfil of
their local Rowshania Dakhil Madrassah on March 22.
A youth, Keramat Ali, neighbour of the girls, tactfully
kidnapped and took them to a residence in Ullapara upazila
in the afternoon.
Same night, the two girls were taken to a rickshaw maker's
residence at Aadabor in capital's Mohammadpur area where
they started crying being landed in an unknown place.
Being informed of their condition, another rickshaw maker
collected the victim's address and contacted their
guardians who informed the police.
The law enforcers later rescued the two girls but failed
to arrest any one in this connection. A case was filed
with Belkuchi police.
Ward commissioner held
UNB, Habiganj
A ward commissioner was held along with 149 bottles of
phensidyl syrup at Chowdhury Para in Madhabpur upazila
headquarters Saturday.
RAB members raided the residence of Shahjahan Chowdhury
Titu, commissioner of No. 2 ward of Madhabpur pourasabha,
and recovered the drugs kept under a cot at noon.
A case was filed.
UP chairman suspended
BSS, Netrakona
Chairman of Rouha union parishad under Netrakona sadar
upazila Mokbul Hossain Sarker has been suspended as he is
an accused in a murder case.
Netrakona district administration sources said, the LGRD
and cooperatives ministry has issued a letter placing the
chairman under suspension for public interest under
section 65/1 of the local government (union parishad)
ordinance-83. In the letter, the ministry said, UP
chairman Mokbul Hossain should not be allowed to continue
his official activities for public interest as he is
facing trial of a murder case.
Looting
A Correspondent, Faridpur
Dacoits looted valuables from the house of an LGRD
engineer Sekunder Ali at Kabaspur in under Faridpur
municipality in the district on Saturday.
The dacoits broke through the gate and looted television,
refrigerator, mobile sets, ceiling fans and other
valuables sources said.
3 absconding convicts arrested
BSS, Moulvibazar
Three absconding convicts were arrested from Kushumbagh
area in the town on Sunday. The arrested were identified
as Ramuj, Manik and Ronu.
Police said, acting on a tip-off, a team of Moulvibazar
sadar thana police raided the area and arrested them.
They were convicted by a court in their abstentia in 1990
in a burglary case.
7 held, phensidyl seized
UNB, Brahmanbaria
DB police arrested seven alleged drug peddlers along with
334 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup at Bariura in Sarail
upazila on Friday night.
Acting on secret information, a team of DB police raided a
three-wheeler tempo on Dhaka-Sylhet highway and arrested
Mansur Ali, 38, Shafiqul Islam, 30, Ali Akbar, 45, Farid
Mia, 20, Sadeq Mia, 20, Idris Mia, 26, and Khalil Mia, 25,
along with the contraband drug.
Police said the arrested were engaged in selling phensidyl
syrup in different areas of the district since long.
Editorial
When is the Emergency to Go?
In
economics there is something called a 'Law of Diminishing
Returns' which basically means that too much of a good thing
can lead to satiation and a gradual loss of satisfaction,
until finally that thing is no more worth the price paid for
it. When we acquiesced to the Emergency we agreed to pay a
price for it in terms of abrogation of many of our liberties
and freedoms; after almost one and a half year of Emergency,
that price now appears too stiff considering the satisfactions
or more appropriately the dissatisfactions we are receiving
from a continuation of the Emergency.
In mid-January 2008, Mr. Hassan Ariff, just after taking over
as Adviser for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, felt it
necessary to comment that the "need for Emergency is
diminishing"; four months later, most if not all, are firmly
of the opinion that the need for emergency is not merely
diminishing, it does not practically exist except in the minds
of some highly deluded people. Things have gone back to their
normal or more precisely usual ways: students are fighting
between themselves leading to injuries and deaths; villagers
are trying to kill each other over football matches or over
demarcation of farming lands; traders and middlemen are back
in business manipulating markets and prices; criminals are on
the loose selling drugs and intoxicants, looting , chopping or
shooting people; mullahs are out on the streets in their
thousands every Friday chanting slogans against equal rights
to women and finally politicians are out in force blaming
everyone, except themselves, for everything that has gone
wrong while at the same time maintaining a "common front" as
far as holding on to NAM flats is concerned. In all these,
nobody cares or bothers about the EPRs except for those crooks
stuck in jails for looting and the Emergency Government being
truly "a government of the people, by the people and for the
people" has found a way out for them as well by instituting a
'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' !!
The EC is all for elections but elections cannot be held under
the Emergency is the viewpoint of everyone except government
spokesmen and Advisers. The EC is all set for holding
elections to city and municipality corporations by May 2006 at
the latest; even such limited scale election cannot be held
under the Emergency. As for national elections, nothing so far
seems to be clear except the insistence of the CEC and the CA
that elections will indeed be held by 2008 but nobody is ready
to take these assurances at face value considering the
Emergency Government's poor record of keeping to its
commitments for ensuring democracy; quite recently the
government law-enforcement and intelligence services had
stopped elections to such apparently innocuous bodies as the
Supreme Court bar Council and the Dhaka University Teachers
Association.
Meanwhile, since the last few weeks, politicians of BNP and AL
are girding their girdles for launching mass agitations and
movements for "freeing their jailed leaders, for lifting of
emergency and for allowing free, fair and credible elections
to be held". The general populace, badly hit by price hike of
food commodities, are all for such agitations and movements
which will provide them with the opportunity to vent their
frustrations and anger against a Government which had promised
them so much and given them so little. Thus the Emergency
which came with such a bang is all set to go out with a
whimper starting from June 2008.
For Food Security
Chief
Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed on Sunday called for
restructuring the country's agricultural system in a new
format to increase production of food grains and ensure food
security. Referring to recent undesirable scenario of the
world food production, he said that in the changed situation
it is clearly understood that the strategy to replenish the
shortage of food by import of food is much risky.
While dealing with the most vital issue of the present time,
the Chief Adviser has rightly emphasised on restructuring the
agricultural system to boost production and thus meet the
growing demand for food and ensure food security for the
people. But this is not an easy task to be accomplished
overnight. It needs comprehensive planning and concerted
efforts to attain food security in a country like Bangladesh
where food deficit is chronic. However, the idea is good and
if it can be translated into reality, the country and the
people will undoubtedly be benefited. So, the government
should immediately draw up a plan in this respective and start
implementing it as early as possible so that in future the
country can avert any possible food crisis. Moreover, maximum
incentives should be provided for the farmers for increasing
agricultural productions.
Meanwhile, as the country is facing a serious food shortage
and an alarming situation due to skyrocketing prices of food
grains, efforts should be stepped up to import more food
grains to build up satisfactory reserves of food to offset any
possible disaster.
Analysis
If they were United!
A number of lawmakers of Awami League, BNP and
Jatiya Party from the eighth parliament vowed to resist
together the government move to vacate the Nam Bhaban flats
allocated to them.
Ripan Kumar Biswas
Like
many other democratic countries in the world, people elect a
government in Bangladesh because it is a democracy, which
means that the people rule. It is also a representative
government because the people elect leaders who represent
their viewpoints when making government decisions. It is also
a constitutional government because it operates according to a
set of laws and principles that are outlined in a document
known as the Constitution of the People's Republic of
Bangladesh.
"We're not the first to come here with government divided and
uncertainty in the air. Our citizens don't much care which
side of the aisle we sit on, as long as we are willing to
cross that aisle when there is work to be done," said
president George W Bush of the United States of America in his
sixth State of the Union address on January 23, 2007. Faced
with a Democratic Congress, President Bush urged lawmakers to
work with him to achieve big things for the American people.
Citizens of any democratic country don't care which side of
the aisle the lawmakers sit on but in Bangladesh, the
country's politicians always care about the specific side of
the aisle to sit on and the result was weak parliaments. A
losing/winning parliamentarian may not get his/her desired
side of the aisle to sit on, but he/she can respect the public
opinion and keep patience and play a good constructive role.
Although Bangladesh started its political journey with a
parliamentary system right after independence, but it failed
to sustain it. In late 1990, autocratic rule was ultimately
defeated by a popular uprising and a general election was held
on 27 February 1991. A truly representative House of the
Nation (Jatiya Sangsad) thus came into being. To fulfill the
long cherished democratic polity, Jatiyo Sangsad amended the
constitution. Thanks to the then lawmakers, a "Parliament
System" of government was proposed in the Twelfth Amendment
Act in August and this was ratified by a constitutional
referendum on September 15, 1991.
That was the first and last time that the country experienced
a remarkable positive unity among the lawmakers and
politicians in Bangladesh. Though parliamentary elections were
hotly contested and placed, parliament never functioned as an
effective accountability mechanism. Regardless of which party
was in power, the main opposition party boycotted most of the
parliamentary sessions, alleging government repression and
impediments to voicing its views.
But now the lawmakers from different political parties are
united again in defense of a material gain while they never
could reach consensus in matters of national interest during
the last 15 years. According to the news, a number of
lawmakers of Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party from the
eighth parliament vowed to resist together the government move
to vacate the Nam Bhaban flats allocated to them.
The present military backed interim government directed the
housing and public works ministry to initiate steps to cancel
allotments of Nam flats to former lawmakers occupying those
now, and to apply for fresh allotments to the Directorate of
Government Accommodation (DGA) and pay the increased rents as
the parliament had not been in place for a long time.
Presently, ex-lawmakers are occupying about 160 Nam apartments
while 90 others are vacant. Government wants to rent these
apartments on a temporary basis to government officials of the
ranks of deputy secretary and above.
"The move is not legal because only a successive parliament
committee, not the housing and public works ministry, not even
the speaker of parliament, has the right to change the
parliament committee's decision," former AL lawmaker Shajahan
Khan said at a press conference at his Nam flat on March 23,
2008. Shajahan including other lawmakers of different
political parties further expressed their firm determination
to protect the dignity and property of parliament and reminded
the government that as per the decision of the parliament
committee's 15th meeting on June 11, 2006, the lawmakers of
the eighth parliament can use the flats until a gazette
notification of the ninth parliament is published.
Very few of general people in Bangladesh can figure out who is
right, either government or these ex-lawmakers. People are not
of course against any decision that was passed by the
parliament. But everyone has a question as to why the
lawmakers or politicians didn't show their unity to keep
parliament alive. According to Bangladesh's unique electoral
system, a caretaker government is entrusted to oversee the
national parliamentary elections, which must be held within
ninety days of dissolving a parliament.
The 2006-2007 Bangladeshi political crises began after the
term of BNP ended in October 2006 as the then opposition AL
and its allies questioned the immediate past Chief Justice's
neutrality and accused him of being biased towards BNP. None
of them felt the need to protect national interests and showed
utmost reluctance to come under a common platform. The result
was political riots, ban of general elections, which was
scheduled to be held on January 22, 2007, and one more fresh
declaration of state of emergency on January 11, 2007.
In addition, noble laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus once told
in an interview with AFP that there is no ideological
compulsions in the country's political leaders; they are busy
to grab power and make money whether they are in power or not.
They hardly have time to give any attention to reform anything
for public interest.
At that time, Abdul Jalil and Mannan Bhuiyan, representing the
two rival political dynasties, the AL and BNP respectively,
had found a common ground to grind their axes in public
whereas a number of political leaders are now behind bars
under corruption charges and a number of them have already
been sentenced to prison.
On October 1, 2001, Bangladesh's Awami League (AL) responded
to its landslide election defeat by announcing a boycott of
parliament by saying that the party would neither take oath as
members of parliament nor join the parliament. When Begum
Khaleda Zia, chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
was in the opposition, she too boycotted parliament. If these
lawmakers or politicians were united at least in the country's
critical situation, people wouldn't have to live without
freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of
association, freedom of thought and conscience, freedom of
speech, or freedom of profession and occupation. Of course,
members of the parliament are entitled to appropriate
accommodations, perks, and benefits, but as they are the
representatives of the people, they must look after the
interest of the people first before insisting on their rights.
(Ripan Kumar Biswas is a freelance writer based in New York.
Dateline New York, March 30, 2008. E-mail: Ripan.Biswas@yahoo.com)
The Legacy of Muktodhara
Muktadhara Foundation is going to launch another International
Bengali Book Fair which will be held in New York on June 28 &
29..
Rashidul Bari
Claims
that major terrorist acts were foiled in Azerbaijan at the end
of 2007 have prompted discussion about the extent to which
Islamic extremism is a genuine threat in the oil-rich land.
Azerbaijan is a secular state with an overwhelmingly moderate
(predominantly Shiite) Muslim population. Since the break-up
of the Soviet Union and independence in 1991, independent
Sunni and Shiite groups have emerged which refuse the
spiritual authority of the official clergy. Some are
political, but very few, if any, appear intent on employing
violence to overthrow the state. The government, however,
expresses concern about these "independents", and tries to
control them, including through repression. Its strategy risks
radicalizing peaceful activists and believers.
After 1991 Azerbaijan became a target of religious movements
vying for influence. Missionaries and charities from Iran, the
Middle East and Turkey, as well as individuals from Russia's
north Caucasus came to proselytize. Some reportedly were
linked with militant Islamist networks, including al-Qaeda.
Many were expelled, and only Turkish groups now continue to
work relatively unhindered by the state.
Largely inspired and funded by foreign groups, independent
religious communities have grown much more rapidly than
official mosques. Salafism, largely unheard of in Azerbaijan
twenty years ago, has gained a foothold mainly in Baku and the
north. Groups of Shiites who refuse to recognize the
state-promoted spiritual leadership has also become more
numerous, but only a few could be considered political and
even fewer militant. Nevertheless, the government is
suspicious of all independent expressions of Islam. It tries
to control such groups through the State Committee for Work
with Religious Organizations (SCWRO) and the Caucasus Board of
Muslims (CBM) and generally represses manifestations of
independence rapidly. Peaceful followers of groups outside
CBM's control are by their own accounts regularly harassed and
detained.
The government justifies its tough approach by citing a need
to combat extremism and prevent terrorism, and it claims
significant success. In the early 1990s, the state was
relatively weak, and some extremist groups were apparently
active. As the state has strengthened, it says it has become
much more proficient at arresting and sentencing extremists.
Whether those so treated actually had operational links with
extremists is doubted by independent observers.
The government has employed excessive means to control
peaceful religious activities and trials of alleged extremists
are often held behind closed doors using evidence collected
under duress. Independent religious communities as well as
members of the political opposition say the authorities
exaggerate the Islamic terrorist threat to gain the West's
sympathy and tolerance for its undemocratic proclivities. The
government's tactics at least run the danger of pushing
otherwise peaceful groups towards jihad; radicalization, if
not yet overt violence, is becoming visible among a minority
of the Salafi community. The challenge is to stop any groups
bent on violence, while ensuring freedom of religion.
The government has taken some steps to strengthen cooperation
with believers by improving religious education for young
clerics and reforming CBM. It is trying to cultivate a
home-grown Islam, based on local values and traditions, to
halt encroachment of foreign beliefs, but it should extend its
efforts to include non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
independent communities in a broad debate on state and
religion. Most importantly, it needs to devise a method of
dealing with independent groups that does not criminalize them
and is more respectful of religious rights.
(The above is a media report dated 25 March 2008,
circulated by the International Crisis Group. Source: www.
Crisisgroup.org)
Opinion
Terrorism - Compare and Contrast
Last
week in Arab News, columnist Fatin Bundagji wrote of a letter
from an American, rather typical of the refrain we have heard
for the past five years. Accusing Ms. Bundagji of
"conveniently" forgetting that Arab terrorists attacked the
US, the writer implied that America has every right to
retaliate against anybody, an individual or nation, it
considers an enemy. Thus the rightful invasion of Afghanistan
and Iraq, neither state having had anything to do with 9/11
whatsoever.
It is fallacious logic. One cannot compare apples to oranges.
No Arab nation has ever attacked the United States. The same
cannot be said of the West, who has for the past century been
invading the Middle East repeatedly in its quest for control
of the region's resources. Instead, the argument should be
made with all elements being equal.
The 9/11 attacks were terrorist acts, to be certain, but not
by an Arab state. One must compare a terrorist to a terrorist,
and contrast the results. An example of an American terrorist
who did attack Arabs on their own soil would be Baruch
Goldstein.
Born and bred in Brooklyn, New York, Goldstein walked into the
Cave of the Patriarchs in Jerusalem on Feb. 25, 1994, at 5.20
a.m., opening fire on 500 Palestinian Muslims at a
Friday-morning prayer in Ramadan. Spraying the worshippers
with his automatic rifle, he emptied 110 bullets in less than
a minute and a half. Thirty Palestinians were killed
immediately, and three were trampled to death in the ensuing
panic. Those who fought back beat Goldstein to death. More
than 20 further Palestinians were killed the same day in
retaliation for Goldstein's death, including fiver killed by
the Israeli Defense Forces. Deaths of Arab civilians at the
hands of this American terrorist amounted to 1/500ths of a
percent of the total Arab population in Israel. The 9/11
attacks resulted in the deaths of 1/1000ths of a percent of
the total American population. In other words, comparing
terrorist act to terrorist act, one man alone, Goldstein,
massacred twice as many Arabs in a single incident as per
capita deaths on 9/11. If one includes all Israelis, Muslim
and Jewish citizens alike, Goldstein still murdered half as
many per capita as those who were killed in the US on 9/11.
Yet not one Arab state launched a retaliatory attack on
Israel. No one invaded Israel; not a single Arab nation
decided that the Israeli people should pay the collective
price for a massive act of civilian terrorism. In fact, Israel
and America barely raised an eyebrow, and Goldstein was
praised in New York by the Jewish extremist organization
Kahane Kach. Instead, Baruch Goldstein was buried as a martyr
and hero in Israel.
Today pilgrims visit Goldstein's gravesite daily, his burial
plaque reading: "Here lies the saint, Dr. Baruch Kappel
Goldstein, blessed be the memory of the righteous and holy
man, may the Lord avenge his blood, who devoted his soul to
the Jews, Jewish religion and Jewish land. His hands are
innocent and his heart is pure. He was killed as a martyr..."
Meanwhile, the US continues to cite 9/11 to justify a war
resulting in the death of over one million Iraqis (according
to the British Opinion Research Business report in 2007).
As for US troop casualties, the Pentagon releases only death
reports for troops killed on the field, from bullets or bombs
(4,000). They do not include deaths sustained "not in direct
combat", e.g. those who die during evacuation, Humvee
accidents, hospital deaths, those killed off duty, or private
contractors (as many in Iraq as US troops). Also not included
are suicides: 120 traumatized veterans kill themselves per
week, according to a CBS 2007 investigation.
Thousands will die of cancer or kidney toxicology from
depleted uranium exposure; thousands more have been infected
with "Sandfly Disease" that can be fatal. Little wonder that
the Pentagon bans the publication of photos of caskets flown
home under cover of darkness.
Source: www.arabnews.com
Viewpoints
Arab League Summit
in Syria
Nine heads of state from the Arab League's 22
members are not attending the Damascus gathering. Key leaders
are staying away amid signs of a growing regional rift among
the Arab states themselves.
Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
Boycotted
this year by half of the Arab world's leaders, the Arab
League's two-day annual summit has opened in March 29 in the
Syrian capital Damascus in the midst of crises in the region,
while Lebanon is reeling under serious "ruling" crisis, Hamas
is under virtual siege from Israeli forces with their borders
closed down by Israel, followed by air-strikes killing many,
resulting in panic situation created in Palestine and
Palestinians breached a part of the border with Egypt to buy
essential daily requirements. In all, nine heads of state from
the Arab League's 22 members are not attending the Damascus
gathering. Key leaders are staying away amid signs of a
growing regional rift among the Arab states themselves.
The shaky start for the summit has been signaled by the
absence of several Arab states and accusations followed by
counter-allegations by member-states. They protest Syria's
hard-line stances in nearly every crisis in the Mideast. They
blame Syria for the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon, whose
government is staying away completely. Lebanese Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora denounced Syria for preventing the election of a
consensus president in Beirut. Their absence is touted by
Syria as a triumph over American influence.
The summit has been driven by deep divisions between Arab
leaders, mainly over alleged Syrian meddling in Lebanese
affairs. Lebanon is boycotting the meeting, while Egypt and
Saudi Arabia have announced, in an unprecedented move, they
are sending only low-level officials to the gathering in a
snub to Syria, rather than their heads of state or even their
prime ministers or foreign ministers. However, it has been
billed by Syria as "the summit of joint Arab action" is
expected to boost its prestige. Lebanon is boycotting the
summit completely, the first time an Arab country has refused
to send a delegation since Arab leaders began holding annual
summits in 2000. The Western-backed government of Prime
Minister Fuad Saniora accuses Syria of blocking attempts to
elect a new Lebanese president.
Meanwhile, Syria billed it as a golden opportunity for
regional unity but there is little sign of this. Syrian
Foreign Minister Walid Moualem accused the US of trying to
divide Arabs by urging allies to stay away. Syria has accused
them in the past of being subservient to the US. Moualem told
reporters that USA did their best to prevent the summit but
they failed. "Their aim is to divide the Arab world." He
promised that there would be "no trace of the United States on
the summit's work or agenda".
Washington last week urged its Arab allies in the region to
think twice before attending the summit, accusing Syria of
blocking the election of a new president in Lebanon. As a
result, Egypt is sending a junior minister while powerhouse
Saudi Arabia and Jordan will be represented by their
ambassadors to the Arab League. Lebanon has boycotted the
summit altogether.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is hosting the leaders of
Algeria, the Comoros, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, the
Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia and the United
Arab Emirates -- only half of the 22-member league's heads of
state. The two camps are in a yearlong struggle for control of
Lebanon: US allies Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt are strong
supporters of Saniora's government, while Syria backs
Hezbollah, the militant group that leads the Lebanese
opposition. Arab countries, which are mostly Sunni-led, are
also nervous about Syria's controversial alliance with Shiite
Iran. They view host country Syria as a trouble-maker, too
close to Iran and a destructive force in divided Lebanon.
The out come of the summit is easy to be discerned right now;
there would no resolution of the Lebanon and Palestine crises
in the forum. It appears the division within the region is now
clear. There is no shortage of crises in their region but Arab
states disagree over who is to blame and what is to be done
and it seems unlikely they will resolve those differences now
without key members present. If they do, that could further
complicate the crises. The West says that there are now two
axes - Iran, Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah are on one side and
the rest are on the another end. Syrian axis is coherent and
they have a clear objective and they are working in an
organized way.
At the meeting held on 27 March, the Arab League foreign
ministers also agreed to re-endorse the 2002 Arab initiative
for Middle East peace but expressed their frustration at
Israel's refusal to follow up on their plan, after Muallem
hinted that it could be rethought. But Damascus may benefit
from the absences, which ensure the summit will not pressure
it to change its stances toward Lebanon or the Palestinians.
Also, Syria showed it won't be forced to exchange its strong
alliance with Iran for approval from Arabs. By staying away,
the countries aimed to show Damascus the diplomatic cost of
its hard line on Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But it is likely instead to strengthen Damascus' alliance with
Iran and the Hamas and Hezbollah groups.
But an isolated Syria could even revise its policy in the
neighborhood. However, no conclusions could be drawn until the
close of the summit and unless the results are seen
influencing the positive course of Mideast crisis.
(Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal is a Research scholar, School of
International Studies, Jawaharlal University, Delhi 110067)
Migrants and a silent human rights
crisis
There has been a tendency in public
debates to treat migrants either as victims or as criminals.
Mukul Sharma
In
a globalising, liberalising and corporatising economy, we have
been ignoring labour rights laws and standards which guarantee
migrants' rights.
They are vilified as 'illegals,' 'gate-crashers,'
'queue-jumpers,' and 'invaders' seeking to breach the defences
and decorum of Maharashtra and Delhi. They are labelled
security threats, or suspected or potential threats, in
Gujarat. They are tortured and murdered in Manipur and Assam.
The scapegoating of migrants, the deliberate fuelling of fear,
and the nurturing of discriminatory, casteist and xenophobic
sentiments by some politicians and sections of the media, have
been accompanied by regular incidents that amount to trampling
on some of the most basic rights of migrants, including the
right to life, liberty and security of the person. The current
discourses create the impression not only that migrants have
no right to enter, but that they have no rights at all. The
hatred and violence against non-citizens, non-nationals,
particularly migrants, could constitute one of the main
sources of contemporary conservatism in India. In the context
of a globalising, liberalising and corporatising economy, we
have been ignoring the substantial body of labour rights laws
and standards which guarantees the rights of migrants. Our
governments have no will today to turn these guarantees into
practical and meaningful measures to respect, protect and
promote migrants' rights. The "life-cycle" of migrant labour -
the decision to leave the village or town of origin, the
migratory journey, arrival and work in the place of
destination, possibly back and forth to the village of origin
- is the story of exploitation, invisibility, discrimination,
and detention. It is also one of denial of adequate housing,
human standards of living and access to health care; abuses of
the right to work and rights at work; negation of freedom of
association and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Overall, the treatment is degrading. Except for a few trade
unions and labour support groups, there is hardly anybody
working and campaigning to pressure governments, employers and
others to make the rights that are set out in national and
international laws into a reality for individual migrants.
This silent human rights crisis should shame our conscience.
Thousands of people are migrating every day in the country,
sometimes as a result of poverty and unemployment, or as a
result of national, regional and global economic processes.
Often this represents uncontrolled and unregulated movement of
poor people. Our governments' omissions and commissions in the
recent past on issues relating to migrants are to be seen not
only in the sea of humanity travelling from one place to
another without any sign of governance. In spheres such as
employment, housing and security, the limits of state
sovereignty are starkly on display. Instead of the state and
its agencies, companies, contractors, middlemen, power brokers
and politicians exercise exclusive jurisdiction over migrants.
They exercise authority over their living and working. They
hire and fire them at will. Thus, the need is to evoke state
sovereignty in support of migrant people. Maharashtra, Assam
and Manipur have the obligation to respect their voluntarily
assumed legal obligations, including in protecting the rights
of all migrants. However, States today assert their
sovereignty vis-À-vis migrants in paradoxical ways. As seen in
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi at different points in time,
when state sovereignty is impacted by political, religious or
other narrow considerations and circumstances, migration
measures, such as identification, and the issue of ration
cards or voter identity cards, are a visible means of
asserting state authority. States claim the sovereign right to
exercise power over the migrants, their citizenship, their
habitation and territory. There are few areas where this claim
is made more forcefully by our governments than in the sphere
of migration. In such cases, the need is to say that state
sovereignty is not absolute, it is not without limits.
Sovereignty cannot be used as a defence for acts that are
unlawful and unjust. Advocates for migrant rights should seek
to ensure that the primary starting point of the national
migration regime is the rights of migrants rather than the
interests of States. This has become even more of a necessity
as many politicians and policymakers are increasingly
influenced by a perception that a hard line on migrants would
boost their popularity with the electorate. Migrants are made
easy targets; the political currents, it is thought, can be
ignited more by narrow local-regional sentiments and
preoccupations about the perceived threats that they pose to
the identity and security of the state. Most migration
management policies and pronouncements today are getting to be
discriminatory. Governments encourage selected migration in
white collar work while officially discouraging the migration
of the poor and marginal people. The Delhi government that
publicly states the absolute necessity to exclude irregular
Bangladeshi migrants from its territory, is prepared to
tolerate the existence and even the growth of informal labour
markets for the purpose of preparing for the Commonwealth
Games or the Delhi Metro project which rely largely on the
labour of unregulated migrants. If a regime of "migration
management" is to be effective, not only must it be credible
to the States, it must be credible to the migrants. We never
hear of the participation of organisations of migrant workers,
individual migrants and their groups in the making of their
laws and policies. To achieve their participation and to
respect their presence, we must halt the rise in forms of
physical and mental abuse and violence at any stage of their
living and working.
In the context of Maharashtra and Manipur, it is regrettable
that the debate on migration and migrant workers continues to
be framed in the immediate political contexts, with little or
no focus on the rights of migrants. On the contrary, the
'horror,' 'fear' and 'violence,' coupled with the statements
of political leaders and political parties, have dominated the
discussion of migration issues amongst decision-makers and the
public. There has been a tendency in public debates to treat
migrants either as victims or as criminals. Portraying them as
criminals or terrorists or parasites, or as being parochial,
encourages a climate in which abuses against them are
simplified, passed up or even condoned. Strategies are needed
against the attacks and the new conservatism. The migrants'
capacity to organise, to adapt and to find ways out of bad
situations must be recognised. Migrants cannot put in place an
exit strategy before embarking on their journey. So we must
focus on those migrants who are most at risk. The voices of
some courageous individuals and groups who speak out for
migrants' rights must not be silenced as we have been
witnessing almost regularly in the slums of different cities.
Non-state actors, including private companies and individuals,
millionaires and billionaires, contractors and builders, have
a big impact on the lives and human dignity of migrants,
although the primary duty to protect the migrants remains with
the States. Migrants are part of the solution, not the problem
itself.
(Mukul Sharma is the Director of Amnesty International in
India.)
Source: www.hindu.com
Malaysia: Time for long overdue
democratic change
Farish A. Noor
For
as long as they can remember, Malaysians have been told time and again
that there can only be political stability in the country as long as the
status quo is defended.
This rather uninspiring message was, of course, delivered by none other
than those who were already in power and who had every reason to wish to
remain in power for as long as humanly possible. Since it became
independent in 1957 Malaysia has been ruled by the same coterie of
right-of-centre Conservative-nationalist parties led by the United
Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and its allies in the former
Alliance coalition and now the National Front. For more than half a
century Malaysians were told that this was the natural order of things
and that to even entertain the idea of there being a different
government was tantamount to political heresy of sorts.
Yet a quick survey of the political landscape of many a post-colonial
nation-state today would show clearly that almost every post-colonial
country in the world has experienced a change of government, and in many
cases this transition has come about without leading to chaos and tumult
in the streets. The nationalists of Algeria were eventually kicked out
of office after it became patently clear that their brand of
conservative nationalism served only to disguise what was really a
corrupt mode of patronage politics. In India the Congress party that had
for so long rested on its laurels and prided itself with the claim that
it was the party that won India's independence has been soundly beaten
at both the national and state level; again for the same reason. So why
not Malaysia?
The election results have shown the world that in Malaysia at last race
and communal-based voting may soon become a thing of the past. This may
have been a protest vote against the lackadaisical performance of Prime
Minister Badawi, but it did nonetheless send a very clear message to the
government and all the parties in the country. It signalled that the
Malaysian public was tired of empty promises and having sweet nothings
whispered in their ears, while the government continues along its
inebriated pace of mismanaging the country. It also reminded all
politicians from all parties that the Malaysian voters will no longer
vote along racial or religious-communitarian lines, and that henceforth
they will vote for the best candidate who can do her or his job better
than the other bloke.
If this is not a sign of political maturity and responsibility, then
this analyst doesn't know what is. The Malaysian voters were literally
warned by the ruling parties to vote for them, yet they defied the might
of the government and were prepared to take the costs.
The fact is that the changes we have seen in Malaysia over the past two
decades are not unique to Malaysia and are in fact simply the signs of
the times we live in. All over the developing world we have witnessed
the creation of better-connected, better-informed and better-educated
urban constituencies that are more plural, cosmopolitan, diverse, hybrid
and politically literate and informed.
Now that it is increasingly clear that Malaysia may have a change of
government sooner than many Malaysians themselves had expected, it is
imperative that Malaysians accept and understand the need for change:
Political change is as natural as breathing and sleeping, and is nothing
more than a mere normative aspect of modern democratic political life.
As was the case with the fall of the Congress party in India, those
political parties that stay on too long in power can only grow weak,
corrupt and inefficient as a result of the exposure to the luxuries and
temptations of power for too long.
Other post-colonial societies like Malaysia should heed this lesson well
and learn to accept the fact that calling themselves 'democracies' means
having to be democracies and behave like democracies as well. The
failure of the National Front coalition in the recent elections speaks
volumes about the degree of disconnect that has set into the upper ranks
of the ruling parties. For the UMNO-led ruling coalition to remain in
denial and to deny the fact that the Malaysian political landscape has
already shifted from underneath its feet would be to compound the
problem faced by themselves and the country. For this reason alone, the
responsibility now lies with the leaders of this enfeebled government to
admit to their mistakes and pave the way for change, even if it means
sacrificing their long-held position of power and dominance over the
country. For the question remains: If and when change is long overdue
and can no longer be resisted, would not the preservation of the status
quo be the cause of tumult and chaos we have dreaded all along?
Dr Farish A Noor is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore;
and one of the founders of the research site www.othermalaysia.org.
Source: www.khaleejtimes.com
International
Pakistan’s new
Prime Minister reiterates commitment to fighting terror
AFP, Pakistan
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said
Saturday fighting terrorism would be his government's top
priority, but offered to negotiate with those who renounce
violence and give up weapons.
In his first policy statement since securing unanimous
backing of MPs in the 342-member lower house of
parliament, Gilani termed terrorism the biggest threat to
his nuclear-armed nation.
The assurance appeared aimed at calming US concerns about
any weakening of Pakistan's key role in the "war on
terror" after the shift of power from its staunch ally
President Pervez Musharraf to the newly elected powers led
by slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's party.
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant
Secretary of State for South Asian affairs Richard Boucher
held intensive talks with the new leadership here this
week to assess their commitment to counter terrorism.
"The fight against terrorism is our own fight because it
has claimed innocent lives of children and young men of
Pakistan," said Gilani, 55.
Pakistan is reeling under an unprecedented spate of
violence which has killed more than 600 people this year.
The turmoil is blamed on Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants
hiding in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
"Our first priority will be restoration of law and order
and elimination of terrorism from the country," Gilani
added.
"Unfortunately some people have made violence a means to
express their views. I appeal to all those people to
abandon the path of violence and join us in the journey of
democracy.
"We are ready to talk to all those people who give up arms
and are ready to embrace peace," Gilani said to loud
support from MPs.
He also promised a special package of political and
economic reforms for the tribal areas as part of
government's broad-based strategy to fighting terrorism
and extremism.
"There is a dire need for a sustained political, economic
and social reforms in our tribal areas. Poverty and
illiteracy have led to the growth of terrorism in these
areas," Gilani said.
"In order to overcome these social ills we will give a
special package to these areas which will be an important
pillar in our strategy to fighting terrorism."
Security analysts say Gilani's offer of talks to
surrendering militants does not represent a new initiative
as a similar approach followed by Musharraf in the tribal
belt failed to contain the unrest.
Musharraf's allies lost elections last month, and Gilani
told US President George W. Bush earlier this week that a
broader approach to the "war on terror" is necessary,
including political solutions.
A senior partner in the new coalition government, former
premier Nawaz Sharif, warned the US envoys, who spent four
days in Pakistan, that parliament would review Musharraf's
"one-man" strategy against Islamic extremism.
Sharif said he told them that it was unacceptable for
Pakistan to become a "murder-house" for the sake of US
policies.
Syria’s Assad denies meddling in Lebanon at boycotted
summit
AFP, Syria
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad denied on Saturday meddling in
Lebanon as he hosted an Arab summit boycotted by half of
the region's leaders, many of whom blame Damascus for the
political crisis in Beirut.
"I would like to make a point with regards to Syrian
interference in Lebanon. It is the contrary which is true
because pressure has been exerted on Syria for over a year
to interfere in Lebanon's affairs" but we have refused to
do so, Assad said.
"They have their nation, their institutions, their
constitution," he said in an opening address to the
leaders of Algeria, the Comoros, Kuwait, Libya,
Mauritania, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Sudan,
Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
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