|
Leading
News
UK wants to see democracy
UK wants full functioning democracy in
BD: UK Foreign Minister
Staff Correspondent
British Government wants to see full functioning of
democracy in Bangladesh and lifting of the state of
emergency soon.
"The democratic practice cannot go well amid the state of
emergency. So the United Kingdom wants to see full
functioning of democracy in the Bangladesh which requires
lifting the state of emergency. It also needs informal
activities like political discussions," said visiting
British Foreign Minister David Miliband on Friday after a
meeting with Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at
the state guest house of Padma on Friday.
The British Foreign Minister arrived in Dhaka on a special
flight from Afghanistan on Friday afternoon on a two-day
visit to discuss issues relating to domestic affairs,
climate change, militancy and global trade and stability.
He said the British Government wants to support
independent democratic institutions in Bangladesh.
After holding bilateral meeting with the Foreign Adviser,
he attended a seminar at the British Council on Dhaka
University campus on the future of Bangladesh, with a
particular focus on democracy, climate change and
militancy and later called on Chief Election Commissioner
ATM Shamsul Huda at the Election Commission Secretariat
where he discussed on the latest development of holding
general elections.
After the meeting Bangladesh Foreign Adviser and British
Foreign Minister at a joint present conference said
Bangladesh and Britain are keen to develop a strong
partnership across a wide range of issues.
They jointly said that in these discussions they covered
both domestic and international situations, "though the
focus was on foreign policy issues" David Miliband
emphasized. David Miliband said his visit was in response
to the invitation accorded to him by Iftekhar Ahmed
Chowdhury. He said the UK supported the Caretaker
Government's reform efforts and its wish to hold elections
by December this year at the latest.
"We also talked about Climate Change on which we work
closely together, as well as about trade, anti-terrorism
and other subjects," David Miliband further stated. He
said we have discussed issues relating to domestic
affairs, a bilateral trade compact between UK and
Bangladesh, extremism, climate change and global trade
deal. "I am impressed by the steps taken by the caretaker
government in bringing about institutional reforms and
holding the general elections at the end of December this
year", David Miliband stated.
He also welcomed the government for separating the
judiciary from the executive, respecting human rights and
freeing media. Terming extremism a global threat, he said
both the governments will work together to tackle
extremism. Iftekhar Chowdhury said over the past few
months "many ministers have been visiting Bangladesh
recently in response to our invitation. These visits have
strengthened our relations with their countries and it is
my hope each one of them will remain a friend of
Bangladesh for a long, long time".
During his whirlwind tour David Miliband will call on
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and Army Chief General
Moeen U Ahmed today (Saturday) and they will hold crucial
meetings. Later, he will go to Sylhet and Sirajganj to see
projects financed by the UK Department for International
Development.
Before leaving Dhaka for London, the UK Foreign Minister
will brief journalists about the outcome of his two-day
visit at the residence of the British High Commissioner at
Baridhara. Miliband is the highest profile foreign visitor
to Bangladesh since this caretaker government took charge.
Special Report- Salinity in Khulna
Damages agriculture, fisheries,
environment and ecology
Md. Rabiul Islam
People against Shrimp Culture
The alarming rise of salinity in water in the southern
part of the country is damaging agriculture, fisheries and
livestock. Dacope upazila in Khulna is one of the worst
affected areas where the salinity in water has alarmingly
risen to 15 part per thousand (PPT), an indicator of high
salinity while it normally stands at up to 4 PPT.
Anisuzzaman, the agriculture officer of Dacope upazila,
told The Bangladesh Today that the water is not worthy of
irrigation due to the high rise of salinity in water; the
production of paddy has decreased to a great extent in
Dacope pushing the farmers and common people to poverty.
Asked about the production of paddy, Anisuzzaman said only
7 to 8 maunds of paddy is produced per acre while once
upon a time it had yielded around 14 to 15 maunds. "Now
paddy does not grow like before due to shrimp farms", said
Abdul Wahed Gazi, a retired head master of Dacope while
talking to The Bangladesh Today. "We get only two maunds
of paddy from one bigha land but earlier we got around 14
maunds of paddy from one bigha land", he regretted, adding
everything is ruined.
Due to salinity in water, the production of sweet water
fish has fallen down to zero percent while shrimp culture
is normal, said Horendranath Sircar, the fisheries officer
of Dacope. He opined the production of fish could be
raised if the shrimp culture could be done in a systematic
way. Rashed Mollah, a Vhan puller, Pankhali of Dakope,
said, "I want shrimp culture, locally called gher to be
stopped. We are dying". "If gher is stopped, we will be
able to live. Will the gher be stopped?", asked the Vhan
puller while talking to this correspondent.
Lakhikhola village, a remote area of Dacope, is seriously
affected of saline water and the people in the area are
against gher as they want to cultivate land through
irrigation by creating dam at the face of Vhodra river
which flows across the Lakhikhola village.
When this correspondent visited Lakhikhola village on
Sunday, around 100 farmers including local elites were
holding a meeting following a chaos on creating a dam in
the face of Vhodra river to stop the entrance of saline
water as they cannot grow paddy due to salinity in water.
Shadu Chandra Roy, a farmer of Tildanga of Dacope, told
this correspondent that he has 18 bigha land but paddy
does not grow now. Asked why paddy does not grow now, he
said the paddy does not grow due to salinity in water.
Gita Rani, assistant teacher, No-2, Koyra Govt primary
school, told this correspondent that paddy does not grow
well for the last ten years in Koyra Upazila under Khulna
district.
Nothing Grows
The alarming rise of salinity in water in the southern
part of the country has a disastrous impact on environment
and ecology. Because of presence of excess salinity in
water for the last few years, the trees and plants do not
grow.
Anisuzzaman, an agriculture officer of Dacope upazila in
Khulna, told The Bangladesh Today that the fertility of
land is decreasing day by day due to the presence of
salinity. Asked whether there is any impact on
environment, he said of course it is having a disastrous
impact on environment. Now-a-days grass does not grow in
the vast area of Dacope due to the alarming rise of
salinity in water, he noted, adding the livestock is
suffering acutely from fodder storage. The government
should control the shrimp culture and continue it in a
planned manner, he suggested.
Abdul Wahed Gazi, a retired head master of Dacope, told
this correspondent that there is no tree in his land.
"Once upon a time I had a huge number of trees but they do
not grow", he regretted saying if there is any tree in the
land it does not yield any fruit. "We have no domestic
animals and now everything is ruined", he lamented, adding
"I don't want gher".
Gita Rani, an assistant teacher of no-2 Koyra Govt Primary
School, told this correspondent that in Koyra upazila
under Khulna, tree is not seen in any homesteads of the
people in Kharia. The people in Koyra are suffering from
fuel as the trees don't grow there, she said, adding the
common people have no liveliness in their day to day life
as they used to enjoy in the past. "We feel very hot
during summer and very cold during the winter season", the
assistant teacher of Koyra govt school stated.
Scenarios of Shyamnagar and Munshiganj in Satkhira are
similar as increased salinity in these areas is affecting
the environment and ecology, sources said. At present half
of the land of Shyamnagar and Munshiganj is utilised for
shrimp culture and due to salinity in water, paddy does
not grow in plenty like before.
Ragunath Roy, ex-chairman of Bazua union parishad of
Dacope, told this correspondent that "we can grow crops
thrice in a year if there is sweet water available".
Health Threat
The alarming rise of salinity in water in the southern
part of the country is posing major health threat to the
people of those areas. Md. Ashraf, Public Health Engineer
of Dacope upazila, told The Bangladesh Today that the
people of Dacope have been suffering from various kinds of
diseases including diarrhoea due to excess salinity in
water. Most of the people of Dacope suffer from the acute
crisis of pure drinking water and they drink water from
pond, Md. Ashraf said.
Experts noted that the water layer in the areas of
salinity is receding day by day because the high saline
water stays for about 8 months. Rogunath Roy, ex-chairman
of Bazua union parishad of Dacope, told this
corres-pondent that the most of the people drink pond
water as there is no tube-well. Water is also contaminated
with arsenic which also causes health problems to the
local people of Khulna.
Gita Rani, assistant teacher, No-2, Koyra Govt primary
school, told this correspondent that most of the people in
Koyra use saline and arsenic contaminated water. Common
people have to bring tube-well water from about a distance
of 4 to 5 kilometers, she added.
Sources said there is no deep tube-well in Paik-gacha
under Satkhira district and most of the people of villages
drink pond water. 80 percent tube-well water in Paik-gacha
is contaminated with arsenic.
Social Problems
Alarming rise of salinity in water in the southern part of
the country is creating social problems as the people
living in the saline affected areas have no liveliness
because of poverty. The influential people forced the
local to lease their lands for shrimp culture although the
people are not interested, sources said. Gita Rani,
assistant teacher, No-2, Koyra Govt primary school, told
this correspondent that the people in the villages have no
liveliness as they are becoming poor day by day. Once upon
a time there were fishes abundant in the pond and cows in
the cow shed but today nothing is there, she added. Many
people in the villages are leaving agriculture and working
as rickshaw or van pullers.
An egg is sold at Tk. 5 in the village while in the town
it is sold at Tk. 4, some village people informed. Milk is
sold at Tk. 35 per kg in the village while it is sold Tk.
25 in the town, they added. Besides, eggs and milk is not
available in the villages in quantities as it is in the
town.
Rashed Mollah, a van puller of Pankhali, Dakope said, "I
have left agriculture as paddy does not grow now". He
claimed 99 percent people are becoming poor while one
person is becoming rich by involving themselves in shrimp
culture. Some village people in Dacope under Khulna
informed that many people have left villages in search of
work as they have no work and no food. Due to poverty, the
village people get their daughters married at very early
age, Minto, a primary school teacher in Koyra, told this
corres-pondent. Early marriage and dowry are common
problems in the Koyra upazila, he added.
CG to hand over power
to elected govt
Indian High Commissioner hopes
UNB, Chittagong
Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravorty on
Friday hoped the caretaker government would hand over
power to an elected government holding the national
election by December according to their declared roadmap.
"The Indian government strongly believes Bangladesh will
soon return to the path of democracy and the elected
government takes power," he said while exchanging views
with reporters after inaugurating a two-week exhibition on
contemporary fine arts at the Indian Assistant High
Commission's Gallery at Khulshi.
Asked about protecting human rights of the detained
political leaders in Bangladesh during trial process, the
Indian envoy said the caretaker government should be
respectful to human rights as per the constitution.
Addressing the inaugural function of the exhibition, Pinak
said Bangladesh and India have long cultural and friendly
relations, as people of both the countries have a similar
cultural heritage. He said Bangladesh and India signed
agreement on cultural exchange and the Indian government
awarding scholarships to Bangladeshi students in the
fields of dance, fine arts and music. The Indian High
Commissioner later handed some musical instruments for the
local Music School and Music Bhaban.
Earlier, the Indian assistant HC Subrata Bhattacharjee
gave the welcome address. Twenty-seven works of art by 27
artists are on display at the exhibition, which is open to
public from 3pm to 7pm everyday.
Ex-BNP lawmaker Alal arrested
Taib Ahmed
Following the
arrest of ex-BNP lawmaker Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, there
is an arrest panic working among the pro-Khaleda leaders
in BNP as they think they might be arrested aiming at
creating pressure on them to take the reformists faction
back into the fold of the mainstream party.
Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal general
secretary and also a loyalist leader, was arrested from
his house on Friday morning on charge of breaching the
Emergency Powers Rules. Alal was active till before his
arrest to mediate between the BNP's two factions for the
much-talked-about reconciliation in the party.
Talking to this correspondent, a senior loyalist leader on
condition of anonymity alleged "Alal was arrested to
create pressure on us to take the reformists back into the
mainstream party. We are apprehending that there will be
many dramas like arrests and threats ahead of February 12
the day the High Court will give its order on Begum Zia's
writ against the Election Commission's (EC) decision to
invite Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed to the EC-BNP talks."
According to sources in the reformist camp, they are now
desperate to merge with the mainstream party before
February 12 as they think that the High Court verdict
might go against them and then they will have nothing to
do. In an interview with Voice of America, acting Chairman
of the reformists M Saifur Rahman said he is ready to
resign from any post of the BNP for the sake of party
unity.
Talking to newsmen, reformist ZA Khan said, "the two
warring factions might be united before February 12 as the
distance between the factions might increase following the
High Court verdict."
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Friday, Khondoker
Delwar Hossain alleged that the arrest of Alal is
manifestation of government's double standard. "On the one
hand, the government is talking about holding dialogue
with political parties to reduce the distance; on the
other hand, they are continuing repression on the
political leaders by arresting them."
Demanding immediate unconditional release of ASM Hannan
Shah and Moazzem Hossain Alal, he said, "repression on the
political leaders never brings any good to the country;
rather it will make the situation more complicated." "Give
up all undemocratic means for the sake of early
restoration of democracy," he demanded of the government.
Nat’l grid to get 1,000mw boost in 2008: Power Secy
Bdnews24, Dhaka
The national
grid may receive another thousand megawatts of power in
2008 from public and private power projects, ministry
officials say.
Following a recent ministry meeting reviewing the state of
power projects, power secretary M Fawzul Kabir Khan told
bdnews24.com that 1,000 MW of power is likely to be added
to the national power grid through 2008 "if everything
goes well".
"Contracts for new power projects have been finalised and
some of them are already being implemented," he said.
All concerned have been asked to complete ongoing projects
as scheduled. Due to gas supply glitches, the secretary
said, the current average shortfall amounts to about 500
MW.
"A shortfall of 520 megawatts was recorded on Thursday.
The shortfall will be less when the gas supply improves."
Ministry officials said an estimated 339 MW of power is
expected to come from the plants established through
government initiatives.
Of these, Fenchuganj combined cycle power plant may start
generating 66 MW as soon as March. Another 33 MW plant
will is expected to be commissioned in June.
Two units of 240 MW of production capacity will be
commissioned at Siddhirganj in November. Implementation
work of another plant with Indian collaboration signed on
Jan 31, 2007, is also ongoing.
A total of 610 MW of power is expected from private sector
plants. A rental power plant (RPP) at Bogra may start
producing 20 MW from March. Six RPPs under three-year
tenures will start producing a total of 250 MW in
different parts of the country from May.
Another countrywide batch of RRPs under 15-year tenures
are expected to start generating 140 MW of power from
December, while another 200 MW will be added to the
national grid in December.
Taking all into account, the power sector estimates a
total production boost of 949 MW for the national grid
before the year is out. Due to gas flow disruptions,
according to Power Development Board estimates Raujan
power plant is currently producing only 90 MW against a
production capacity of 360 MW.
The 750 MW capacity Ghorasal plant is yielding only 610
MW, while Mymensingh RPCL plant with a 210 MW production
capacity is supllying only 147 MW.
Shikalbaha, which has a 50 MW capacity, failed to produce
any power Thursday.
Back Page
Urgent steps
needed to contain bird-flu
Staff
Correspondent
The outbreak of bird flu
epidemic may take a serious turn by affecting the people
if urgent measures are not taken to stop the spread of the
contagious disease from fowls to human body.
This was warned by experts at a press conference organized
by Bangladesh Environment Movement in the capital on
Friday.
There is no option but to conduct an immediate campaign to
raise mass awareness of the severity of bird flu as only
great caution and awareness can protect the people from
the infectious disease, said the experts.
The disease has already spread in the country's 36
districts posing a serious threat to the whole country
over the last several months as all the previous steps to
stop spreading the transitional disease are apparently in
vain.
Bird flu first spread from Biman poultry farm at Ganakbari
at Savar in February last year. Then the disease affected
the fowls of 16 farms in Gazipur, Narayangonj, Jamalpur,
Tangail and Bagerhat districts.
The Biman poultry farm authorities imported chicks and
ducks from the bird flu-affected countries though
Bangladesh government imposed ban on imports of eggs,
chicks and frozen meat to save the country's poultry
industry from the disease.
Around 65 countries including India were blacklisted by
the Bangladesh government regarding this.
They demanded an exemplary punishment of those government
officials and business men responsible for imports of
poultry birds from the avian flu-affected countries
causing huge financial losses to the country.
Avian influenza may spread from birds to human body easily
if we do not remain alert in this regard. But it is not an
air-borne disease. The disease can easily spread by people
touching each other. However, light heat, soap and
detergent can kill the bird flu virus.
So, there is no possibility to spread the disease among
people if everyone become cautious in this respect.
President of Bangladesh Environment Movement prof.
Mozaffar Ahamad, ICDDR,B scientist Dr. S.K. Roy and Dr.
Abdul Motin were also spoke at the press conference.
Officials urged to make
efforts for bumper Boro
BSS, Mymensingh
Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder on Friday urged
the officials of six districts of the Mymensingh region to
make their best efforts to ensure a bumper Boro production
this year and gave assurance of providing all possible
support to achieve the target.
The present government has given top priority to ongoing
Boro cultivation program to achieve a bumper production to
meet the shortage of food caused by frequent natural
calamities, he said while exchanging views with the local
officials in the conference room of the deputy
commissioner's office.
The deputy commissioners (DCs) of six districts of the
region, officials of the local administration, Department
of Agriculture Extension. BADC, Power Development Board,
Banks, Palli Bidyut Samity and Irrigation Department
attended the meeting.
The cabinet secretary said the government has taken all
arrangements for the smooth supply of fertilizers, seeds,
electricity and other inputs related with the Boro
cultivation. He said the country has a good stock of 28
lakh of urea at present.
Due to repeated floods and the cyclone Sidr, the
government is facing a challenge to meet up the food
demand, he said adding to overcome the challenge the
government has fixed a target of the Boro farming.
He urged the concerned officials to perform their duties
with utmost sincerity to make the government's programme a
success.
Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Ikram Ahmed presided over
the meeting while additional secretary of Agriculture
Ministry CQM Mustaq Ahmed and other senior officials
addressed the meeting.
The deputy commissioners and concerned officials of
agriculture department discussed various issues they are
facing at the grassroots level.
Crime Watch
Former RCCI president arrested again
A Correspondent, Rajshahi
The former RCCI president also a business partner of
convicted RCC Mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu was arrested again
in front of the jail gate, when he was freed from jail on
bail on Wednesday evening.
According to the jail sources, Lutfar Rahman, former
Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries president,
detained in an extortion case, was freed from Rajshahi
Central Jail of the high court bail on Wednesday at about
7:00 pm.
Later, the Boalia Model Thana police arrested him in front
of jail gate and took him to Boalia Thana.
The police sent him to jail again under the act of 54 at
about 7.45 pm, sources of Boalia police said.
Lutfar Rahman and two of Lutfar's brothers, Fazlur Rahman
and Bazlur Rahman, with extorting Tk 18 lakh from one
Nurunnabi of Shalghoria village under Durgapur in Rajshahi.
They were also charged with forcing Nurunnabi to hand over
Jamuna Seeds Cold Storage Private Limited shares of Tk 1
crore to the accused on April 21, 2004.
Nurunnabi filed two separate cases against RCC convicted
RCC mayor Minu, Lutfar and his two brothers with Boalia
Police station on August 6 last year.
UP chairman, two other held
A Correspondent, Rangpur
The Joint force held UP chairman and two other members of
Balarhat union parishad under Mithapukur upazila on
Wednesday night in front of the complex for
misappropriating of VGF cards.
Police told each of them allegedly were giving the
beneficiaries 13 kg rice instead of 15 kg. Based on
information the members of the joint force held them red
handed.
The arrestees were identified as, Saiful Haq, UP chairman,
Abdul Mazid and Rana Miah, members of the parishad.
A case was filed with the local police station.
Man slaughtered
UNB, Narsingdi
A man was slaughtered allegedly by miscreants at Char
Alinagar village in Palash upazila Thursday night. Local
people said the assailants stormed into the house of M
Delowar Hossain (38), at dead of night and slaughtered him
with a sharp weapon.
On information police recovered the body Friday morning
and sent it to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. Police
suspected that Delowar was killed following a past enmity.
A case was filed.
Businessman held
UNB, Thakurgaon
A businessman along with 234 kgs of copper wire was held
from the district town's Kalibari area Wednesday night.
Detective police and Sadar thana police in a joint drive
raided a Dhaka-bound truck near Laboni Aluminum godown in
the area and recovered the wire used in transformers.
Businessman Hafizur Rahman was arrested red handed while
the wire, worth about Tk 2 lakh, was being loaded into the
truck under his personal supervision. His accomplice Abul
Kasem, however, managed to flee the scene.
A case was filed against them under Special Powers Act.
3 nabbed with fertiliser laden truck
UNB, Sylhet
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested three people
along with a fertiliser-laden truck in Peer Mahalla area
of the city Thursday.
Acting on a secret information, a RAB team arrested Nazmul
(25), Hifzur Rahman (26), and truck driver Nasiruddin
(30), when they were trying to take 25 sacks of fertiliser
to Habiganj district by the truck. A case was filed with
the Kotwali thana.
One arrested, ganja recovered
BSS, Barguna
A team of RAB-8 in a drive seized one kg of ganja and
arrested one drug peddler from Amtali Pourasabha area in
the district on Thursday.
Acting on a secret information a team of RAB raided the
house of Habib Howlader at Ward no-2 of Amtali Pourasabha
and seized the ganja. They also arrested the drug peddler
Habib Howlader (40).
Urea seized
UNB, Jhenidah
Police seized a truck loaded with 240 sacks of urea on
Jhenidah-Chuadanga road on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, police chased the truck but the
driver fled the scene leaving the vehicle near an
under-construction jail, on the outskirts of the district
town.
Later, they recovered 240 sacks of urea from the truck.
None was arrested in this connection.
One gets 3-yr RI
UNB, Khulna
A tribunal here convicted a man and sentenced him to 14
years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) on charge of possessing
fake notes.
The convict, Masum Billah of Naltala village in Batiaghata
upazila, was also fined Tk 5,000, in default, to suffer
more three months in jail. According to the prosecution,
Masum Billah along with six fake notes of Tk 500 and
another four notes of Tk 100 was arrested from Doulatpur
area of the city on January 8, 2003. After examining the
records and witnesses Tribunal Judge Mainul Haque handed
down the verdict.
16 busted in Joypurhat
BSS, Joypurhat
A total of 16 persons were arrested from various places of
the district during the last 24 hours ending at 4 pm
yesterday.
Police said the arrested included absconding warrantees,
accused in different cases, smugglers, drug peddlers and
other anti-social elements. They also recovered 85 bottles
of Indian phensidyl, 13 bags of urea fertilisers and
narcotics.
Joypurhat sadar thana police arrested drug peddlers Zafor
(34), and Bachchu (38), and seized 35 bottles of phensidyl
from their possessions.
Husband to die
for killing wife
BSS, Rajshahi
A trial court, in its judgment, sentenced a person to
death for killing his wife at a remotest village of the
district about 10 years back.
The convict was identified as Nurul Islam (40), of
Hatgodagari village under Paba upazila of the district.
Judge of the Special Tribunal for Prevention of Women and
Children Repression AKM Sirajul Islam found the convict
guilty under section 10(1) of the Women and Children
Repression Control Act 1995 and pronounced the verdict in
a crowded courtroom on Wednesday.
Editorial
HC Judgement :
What is at Stake?
On
04 February 2008, we wrote an Editorial looking at the various
implications of a High Court verdict on Sheikh Hasina's case.
Now that the verdict has been given, pending of course the
inevitable appeal by the prosecution, we can really survey as
to why this verdict/judgement is so important and what is at
stake here?
The first thing that comes to mind is that the higher
judiciary has been able to free itself from the entirely
corrosive effects of politicization, at least temporarily; its
study and judgement in this landmark case of Sheikh Hasina has
been dispassionate, logical and comprehensive. The second
point of note is that by selecting a panel of amicus curiae or
"friends of the court," the HC has been able to take along
with it the bulk of the lawyers and legal expertise of the
Country which is not otherwise usual. To a remarkable extent,
not seen in the last 3 decades, the HC has not only upheld the
law and the Constitution but has also taken public opinion
along with it, without being swayed by public or political
passions.
The third point to consider is that after the whole process is
over including the appeal, the HC is likely to be called upon
to issue judgement in a large number of similar other cases,
between 150 and 300, which it is anticipated will go the same
way as the Sheikh Hasina verdict. Therefore, what is at stake
here is the legality and justification of EPRs in handling of
high-profile corruption cases. The lawyers and the HC have
thus pointed out a lacuna, a hole, through which "the corrupt"
are likely to escape if the Emergency Government does not do
something to plug that hole immediately. It ought to be
remembered that most of the people charged for corruption
under EPR are politicians who are unlikely to forget or
forgive the tribulations they had to go through because of the
EPRs. The public wants to see the corrupt brought to justice
and if the corrupt are allowed to escape because of legal
loopholes, the public is going to be unforgiving too and the
Emergency, for what it is worth right now, is going to loose
further support and currency from the public.
The last and the most pertinent point to note and which we
have pointed out earlier in our editorial of 04 February but
which deserves repetition is that the Laws of the Land and the
Constitution are products of historical evolution and
experiences reflecting social, political and economic
conditions over long periods of time, whereas EPRs are
contingencies to deal with a particular and defined
"time-situation" context. Ultimately the Laws of the Land and
the Constitution must prevail otherwise the entire system of
Law and Justice will collapse - this we contended the State
cannot and will not allow, not unless a politico-social
Revolution prevails. Thus, what is at stake here is the
"reason for existence" of the entire EPR and even of the
Emergency which is already being called into question by
eminent jurists and legal experts. Many are already of the
opinion that the Emergency Government is "de facto" and not
"de jure", that is, its existence is a fact but not legal or
by law. Thus, in the final analysis, whether the next
"lawfully" elected government would at all feel it incumbent
upon itself to ratify the Emergency with its ordinances, rules
and actions, is now laid open to question - that is what is at
stake here.
Govt khas lands and landless people
It is very
unfortunate that the number of landless people in the country
is rising rapidly. At the time of liberation of the country
the number of landless people was around 32 lakh, but over the
last 36 years it has increased alarmingly to about one crore.
These people, rendered homeless mainly by river- erosion and
extreme poverty, are leading unbearable life in slums of the
cities or elsewhere in untold miseries.
There are government rules to distribute khas lands among the
landless people to mitigate their sufferings. But those rules
are not being followed properly and the woes and sufferings of
the landless people continue unabated. According to informed
sources, there are about two crore bighas of government khas
lands in the country. Had these been distributed properly
among the landless people, each of them would have got about
two bighas of land on an average.
But in reality, only a small number of landless people got
allotment of government khas lands, most of which are under
the illegal occupation of influential land grabbers and
political opportunists. These people are so powerful that in
many cases in the past attempts to recover these lands from
the illegal grabbers have failed. However, under the caretaker
government a drive is in progress to recover the lands
occupied by land grabbers. This move is definitely encouraging
and it should be stepped up.
It is known to all that the landless people are suffering
terribly and contributing to the problems gripping the social
fabric and economy. In view of this, we want to stress here
that all government khas lands under illegal occupation should
be recovered as early as possible and distributed among the
landless people with a view to rehabilitating them socially
and economically.
Analysis
Trial against Corruption, not
Person
According to the emergency law, the executive
authority has wide discretions related to restricting the
freedoms of individuals and their constitutional rights.
Ripan Kumar Biswas
New Jersey - In 1989, a photograph called "Piss Christ" by
Andres Serrano, which depicted a crucifix submerged in a glass
of the artist's urine, was on show at the Southeastern Center
for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The
exhibition received funding from the National Endowment for
the Arts (NEA). The NEA has yet to recover from the squeeze on
its funding that resulted from the public outcry that
followed.
It was a big story for arts reporters, with its impact
rippling beyond the NEA budget line to a whole-scale reframing
of American values through "conservative Christian" and First
Amendment (freedom of speech) lenses. Like Chris Ofili's
painting, "The Holy Virgin Mary", that followed in 1996 (in
which Mary is dotted with elephant dung), these objects of art
pushed reporters and audiences alike to consider the boundary
of art and offence, and to cross-examine closely held concepts
of religion. The process is cleansing and healthy.
In an open letter to the NEA, Serrano - a Roman Catholic -
writes, "The photograph, and the title itself, are ambiguously
provocative but certainly not blasphemous…. This context is
parallel to Catholicism's obsession with 'the body and blood
of Christ.' It is precisely in the exploration and
juxtaposition of the symbols from which Christianity draws it
strength."
This kind of inquiry exercises intellectual muscles of reason
and faith. Although it may be considered a "modern"
phenomenon, such critiquing is common to cultures across the
ages, including those of Muslims. Except for today, it seems.
The first thing I did when the so-called "cartoon controversy"
of 2006 erupted was turn to the experts - as any good reporter
should. Amid the flurry of accusations, impropriety, bad taste
and worse behavior, a basic question lay fallow: is
representational art forbidden by Islam? And if so, why?
I interviewed scholars of Islam and imams (mosque leaders).
Their answers led to the kind of gold that arts and culture
correspondents quarry - a scoop on the breaking news that,
sadly, gets trampled under the foot of more explosive and
angry events. Although people were killed in anti-cartoon
riots and Muslims again reaped the scorn of many who saw them
as small-minded, extreme and barbarous, the truth is that
there is no Qur'anic prohibition against representational art.
My immediate response was published in New Jersey's largest
newspaper, the Star-Ledger, on 29 September 2006. The headline
read, "Those who have faith know art cannot threaten it."
How important is it to report that tradition, not law,
prescribes avoiding depiction of the Prophet Muhammad?
Significantly, "tradition" is not omni-cultural. Indeed,
exquisite images of the Prophet - many of them medieval
illustrations from Persia and Uzbekistan - are housed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in the collection
of the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris and at the University
of Edinburgh.
I contend that mass uprisings would not follow in the wake of
reporting that emphasized bad taste and bad manners rather
than a breach of rules. To my great dismay, there are no such
uprisings against Muslim-on-Muslim brutality in Iraq,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. And there are
exact proscriptions against such behavior in the Qur'an and in
the example of the Prophet.
The cartoons were in extremely bad taste; there is no argument
there. But the brutality that erupted in the wake of their
publishing was worse. Both stories, however, fall into the
realm of "culture".
As arts and culture reporters, we must get ahead of public
opinion, telling multi-layered stories with as little acrimony
as possible while offering context. The toughest part of the
job is not to opine but to listen to views with which we may
disagree or against which we may rail; to accept that what's
acceptable in some cultures is not in others; and to report
with integrity.
In my National Geographic documentary Inside Mecca, for
example, we showed poverty in the Holy City. As a Muslim, I
was and am ashamed that this unholy condition persists in
Mecca, but I still reported the story. It was just the facts,
not a judgment. And my audience still receives it that way.
When tribal customs such as female genital mutilation or the
wearing of the drape called burka are reported as "Islamic",
however, this is an error and there is no excuse for it.
Reporters are responsible for knowing more about their
subjects than the general public and what they fail to
fact-check on can brew bad blood.
Arts and culture reporting can be seen as soft. Properly
performed, such reporting is a powerful describer of the human
condition, past and present, and can guide us to better
choices for our future. Indeed, arts and culture are
archaeological measures of civilization, as are weapons of war
and the waste societies leave behind. Newspapers and
television news reports would do well to promote the
importance of this medium in order to quicken the pace of
mutual understanding in our ever-shrinking global village.
(Anisa Mehdi is an Emmy Award-winning arts and culture
reporter/producer. Source: Common Ground News Service, 5
February 2008.Copyright permission is granted for
publication.)
Power
and Port can change Bangladesh.
We can also consider another option for the proposed project
financing. That may be a formation of expatriates' investment
bank, a new type of bank.
Sarker M. B.
There
is a lot of controversy over the issue whether the Bangladesh
Economy is in take-off stage or not at the end of 2007. But I
believe it has to run again to come into the take-off stage.
Whatever it is, but there is no debate that we have to run
ahead. Two necessary factors are required to run. These are
energy and a track. If it is an economy then power supply and
efficient port service is badly needed. If we like to run fast
then obviously we need cheap power supply and a deep sea port.
So a nuclear power plant, like proposed Ruppur Nuclear Power
Plant (RNPP), Pabna and the proposed deep-sea port may change
Bangladesh in long run. RNPP may supply huge electricity at
half of the present price. Though the RNPP will take much time
but it will bring a remarkable change in industrialization in
North Bengal as well as across the country. As we have no need
to produce nuclear weapons, those should be no major barrier
to establish such a nuclear power plant except financing
problem. We, the Bangladeshi people are habituated to think
that we have to depend on donor agencies or donor countries
for every big project. Question is who will finance such a big
and long term public project? Usually our government, civil
society and also the intellectual individuals are looking for
foreign donor agencies' response as our requirements. But is
it the only option? No, it is not, we have another effective
option. That may be non-resident Bangladeshis' (NRB) funding
project. The feasibility study of the proposed port has
already been done by a Japanese company. They have shown that
the project will take much time to finish, probably in 2055. I
think this study was a camouflage by our policy makers and
think tanks. We need to revise the study or we should make a
separate study by our BUET expert team. Here we can remember
our bitter experiences on Jamuna Bridge Project, where foreign
expert calculated a negative IRR (Internal Rate of Return),
but the BUET team detected the wrong assessment and finally
they calculated a positive IRR. Actually, I have no such type
of technical knowledge to comments on the feasibility study,
but I strongly believe that the project would be financially
and strategically feasible within much earlier than 2055. I am
interested in discussing on its financing strategy rather than
length of project.
The Proposed Project Financing:
At the initial stage government can form an authority or body
for the proposed project, for example Ruppur Nuclear Power
Plant (RNPPA) or Deep-sea Port Authority of Bangladesh (DPAB),
similar to Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge Authority (JMBA). The
authority will issue some expatriates' remittance backed bonds
that may offer lucrative rates and returns for the NRBs. The
proposed bond's maturity would be 20 to 30 years along with
semiannual or quarterly coupon profit system. The bonds can be
traded in secondary bond market through stock exchange. We
need to realize that if World Bank or any other international
Institution finances the proposed project, they will ensure
international standard rate of return in foreign currency.
Ultimately it will lead to capital outflow in the long-run,
where as remittance backed bonds system will minimize the
long-run capital out lift.
We can also consider another option for the proposed project
financing. That may be a formation of expatriates' investment
bank, a new type of bank (Sarker. 2007, p.4). The nature and
functions of the new bank would be something different from
the traditional banking. It will play an important role as a
main development partner of the country. So it would be named
as ''International Bank for Expatriate Bangladeshi (IBEB)
'' or ''International Bank for Non-resident Bangladeshi (IBNB)
''but the nature or type will be ''Expatriates' Investment
Bank''. Its capital would be funded by expatriate Bangladeshis
or Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs). It would be run under
private management. If the proposed bank can finance the
proposed deep-sea port project or such type of long-run public
project like Padma bridge project, nuclear power plant
project, sea beach development project etc off course the
proposed bank will be feasible for at least 20-30 years.
The third alternative option may be securitization. Government
may securitize certain revenue collecting source like Jamuna
Bridge toll collection for future project financing of deep
sea port. This option is very common for public project
financing and it is similar to the system of bond issue
option.
Strategic Importance:
On the occasion of 50 years celebration of Bangladesh
Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) in 2007, policy makers
along with few intellectuals showed the clear income disparity
between eastern and western part of Bangladesh. In 15
December, 2007 at Engineers Institute, Dhaka, Professor Moinul
Islam, a veteran economist agreed that the economic disparity
in Northwestern part of Bangladesh is similar to the earlier
East Pakistan. Therefore, if would be wise to set up the
proposed power plant in Northern part of Bangladesh. On the
other hand, the proposed deep sea port has not only economic
importance but also a long term strategic importance both for
Bangladesh and South-East Asian region. The geographical
location of Bangladesh and Bay of Bengal has as much
importance as Panama Canal, Red Sea and Gulf to all super
power balancing factors of the globe. Bangladesh can be the
prime beneficiary along with Kungmin of China, Seven sisters
of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. But there are some bitter
experiences in Bangladesh side on treaty with India. India
always has tendency to get transit over Bangladesh, but they
have less interest to permit transit to Nepal, Bhutan or China
with Bangladesh. So, if we can build the proposed deep sea
port as early as possible, Bangladesh will be in favorable
position for next probable regional and international treaty.
Conclusion:
The main objective of the proposed alternative options will
help the policy makers and think tanks to formulate best
policy options in this regard. Successful implementation of
the proposed alternative options may bring a remarkable change
of our process and level of thinking.
(Sarker M.B. is a freelance columnist. E-mail:bayazidsarker@yahoo.com)
Opinion
In the Name of Security
Tom Plate
Every single day,
3,000 people in the world die and some 100,000 are injured,
many of them seriously. They are not killed by disease. And
more importantly, they are not killed by terrorism. They are
killed in automobile wrecks. Measured against this horrific
death toll, the murders by Al-Qaeda and its satraps in the
seven years since 9/11, even including the savage terrorist
butchery in Iraq, equates to just a few weeks' worth of
roadside carnage. Yet such is the prominence given to the
US-led war on international terror that massive new
surveillance nets have been created and draconian procedures
set in place, for instance for international travelers, all in
the name of security.But security for what? In the case of
America and Britain, it is hardly security for the freedoms
that they still seek to claim underpin their national ways of
life. The UK is now one of the most security-monitored
societies in the world. Kim Jong-il and his repressive regime
in North Korea would give their eyeteeth to be able to afford
the extensive network of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)
installations that now watch ordinary Britons as they go about
their daily lives.
No other country boasts so many CCTV cameras. Had North Korea
many international visitors, its border police would envy and
admire the way that US immigration officials treat arrivals in
their country, the constant suspicion, the frequent detentions
of people whose names or profiles happen to match someone else
on the wanted list of one federal agency or another. Innocent
travelers to the US have been held and interrogated sometimes
for weeks until released without a word of apology or
explanation and certainly without compensation.
In the UK, as the revelation that an MP, Sadiq Khan, was
bugged by the security service while talking in prison to a
terror suspect, who was also a constituent and childhood
friend, has demonstrated that even British legislators, who by
custom have been immune from such surveillance are now fair
game. More worryingly it seems that government ministers knew
nothing about this snooping. In a democratic society, where
power rests ultimately with elected representatives, it is not
right that police and intelligence officers, for all the
important work they do in combating terror threats, should be
acting independently of political control.
Yet this is a logical outcome of the terrorist hare that
authorities around the world have set running. Just as PLO
plane hijackings in the 1970s turned international air travel
into an often-cumbersome ordeal, so the threat posed by a few
thousand mindless bigots has encouraged the growth of
increasingly intrusive and paranoid behavior by the forces of
law and order. There is a balance to be struck and a strong
argument that it has been missed, with the scales swinging
alarmingly toward repression, in the name of countering a
threat that is markedly less than motorists and pedestrians
face every day.
Source: www.arabnews.com
Viewpoints
Afghanistan: The
Need for International Resolve
The UN mission (UNAMA) has lost too much of its policy
leadership role in recent years.
Afghanistan
is not lost but the signs are not good. Its growing insurgency
reflects a collective failure to tackle the root causes of
violence. Six years after the Taliban's ouster, the
international community lacks a common diagnosis of what is
needed to stabilize the country as well as a common set of
objectives. Long-term improvement of institutions is vital for
both state building and counter-insurgency, but without a more
strategic approach, the increased attention and resources now
directed at quelling the conflict could even prove
counterproductive by furthering a tendency to seek quick
fixes. Growing tensions over burden sharing risk undermining
the very foundations of multilateralism, including NATO's
future. The U.S., which is demanding more commitment by
allies, must realize that its unilateral actions weaken the
will of others. At the same time, those sniping from the
sidelines need to recognize that the Afghan intervention is
ultimately about global security and do more.
The caveats and short-term mandates imposed by many Western
capitals on their troops hinder real planning and raise doubts
about the depth of commitment. Countries that consider
themselves major players in NATO such as Germany, France and
Italy need to assume a greater share of the burden, including
the combat burden. While the Afghan people, the insurgents and
neighboring countries each in their own way need to know that
resolve is strong, the international community is increasingly
fragmented, allowing the insurgency to gain momentum and
further emboldening spoilers. Despite growing calls for
"coordination", international efforts are marred by inability
to agree on priorities and plans, even with regard to
counter-insurgency. Some influential actors are pressing
untimely and destabilizing initiatives, such as the UK's
recent public talk of negotiations with the Taliban and
recruitment of militias. There are major disagreements over
other vital areas such as counter-narcotics, with the U.S.
continuing to press for aerial eradication of opium poppies
despite resistance from nearly every other actor.
The recent attempt to install a senior and dynamic former
British political leader and international official, Paddy
Ashdown, as a strengthened UN representative was scuttled by
President Hamid Karzai, apparently out of concern for Afghan
sovereignty and his own authority. A stronger hand, however,
remains essential to bring coherence to international efforts,
both among the multiple players and in their approach to the
Afghan administration. The international community has never
had executive authority in Afghanistan, but it controls most
military and financial resources. This leverage should be
better used to build Afghan capacity and accountability at
central and, even more importantly, local levels which would
be the ultimate guarantor of a stable, sustainable state.
Unfortunately international players have too often created
parallel foreign structures such as Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs), even in areas where the security situation does
not call for such a militarized approach, while tolerating
subversion by a self-interested local elite of important
procedures like the vetting of candidates at elections and the
appointments board for government positions, as well as police
reform. The nascent institutions of state are also being
corrupted by burgeoning poppy production. If this is to
change, the international community will need to stand up to
those in power who are involved in the drugs business, as well
as press for a comprehensive, national approach to building
alternative livelihoods.
The term "international community" in this context means the
U.S. and its Western allies, the dominant players in
Afghanistan. The country's powerful neighbors have mostly
played negative roles during the conflict. The ability of the
insurgents to enjoy sanctuary for their command and control
structures in Pakistan and to recruit there are major factors
in the violence. Iran has at times been constructive, notably
in negotiation of the Bonn Agreement in 2001, but is likely to
use Afghanistan as a theatre in which to hurt the Americans
through proxies if its relations with Washington continue to
deteriorate. If Afghanistan is to be stabilized, the U.S. must
understand that the country's interests with regard to the
tough neighborhood in which it lives may sometimes differ from
its own.
The UN mission (UNAMA) has lost too much of its policy
leadership role in recent years. This is partly the result of
the way international engagement has been designed, with the
lead in various sectors divided among individual nations and
other institutions - most strikingly NATO - being prioritized.
In addition, the UN has failed to seize the initiative and
perform the function of coordinator and driver of
international efforts set out in its mandate.
The world witnessed on 11 September 2001 the consequences that
a failed state can have for global security. If the
international community does not stay the course in
Afghanistan, the price could be inordinately high, including:
l
a return to civil war, with factions divided along regional
and ethnic lines;
l
a narco-state with institutions controlled by multiple
organized criminal gangs;
l
a Pashtun-dominated south largely abandoned to lawlessness;
and
l
increased intervention by regional powers seeking to protect
their interests.
Such an unstable Afghanistan, in which extremists have a
strong foothold, would again pose a serious threat to global
security. Western governments need to acknowledge the
importance of defeating this threat at its source and then
present the case far more convincingly than they have done to
publics which appear increasingly unwilling to accept
casualties or long-term commitment of adequate resources.
Streamlined military-to-military, civilian-to-military and
civilian-to-civilian coordination is required. Priorities and
interests must be reconciled, with a view to ensuring that:
l
there is genuine commitment to coordination mechanisms;
l
troop-contributing countries are prepared to deploy their
forces, with the required mandates, wherever in the country
they are needed;
l
the focus of international efforts is on institution building
rather than supporting individual Afghan players;
l
the culture of impunity is tackled; and
l
strategic interests in the region are reassessed, leading to
efforts to address the Pakistan problem realistically and to
insulate Afghanistan as much as possible from the U.S.-Iran
confrontation.
This is not a time for finger pointing or scaling down
commitments. Neither Western publics nor the Afghan people
have boundless patience; their support will disappear if the
drift is not halted quickly. Other than rhetorically, the
international community has aimed too low in Afghanistan,
pandering to patronage networks rather than respecting the
wishes of ordinary Afghan men and women for accountability and
more inclusive peace building. While addressing their own
shortcomings, the internationals must also hold the Kabul
government accountable for its failings. The situation is not
hopeless, but it is bad, and an urgent collective effort is
needed to tackle it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To the International Community, especially the U.S., other
NATO Member States and States with Troop Commitments and
Assistance Missions in Afghanistan:
1. Emphasize that efforts will be maintained and adequately
resourced as long as needed, including:
(a) commitment of troops, backed by the necessary mandate and
associated military resources; and
(b) satisfaction of the requirements for Operational Mentor
and Liaison Teams (OMLTS) to train the Afghan security forces.
2. Allocate adequate resources for outreach programs to
communicate the importance of the mission to domestic
constituencies.
3. Support development of a Contact Group of key international
players, led by appropriate UN representatives and including
the European Union (EU), NATO, the U.S., the UK, Germany and
Canada, to meet regularly in Afghanistan, New York and
capitals to steer strategic planning of the international
engagement.
4. Demonstrate real commitment to coordination mechanisms such
as the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB).
5. Abolish the lead nation/key partner approach and give the
UN more specific responsibility to coordinate international
efforts in areas such as justice and sub-national governance,
with emphasis on local capacity building.
6. Reassess relations with Afghanistan's neighbors, in
particular the strong support given to Pakistan's
military-backed government, and seek to insulate Afghanistan
from the consequences of U.S.-Iranian differences.
To the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB):
7. Encourage the mutual accountability and greater
effectiveness of donors and Afghan authorities by:
(a) insisting on the proper functioning of the Consultative
Board for Senior Government Appointments as agreed in the
Afghanistan Compact and following through on Kabul's
commitments to transitional justice and disarmament;
(b) requiring donors to send regular reports on assistance
programs to the finance ministry or risk losing their seats on
the JCMB; and
(c) reducing the number of Consultative Groups (CGs),
requiring them to meet more regularly, and equipping each
group with a secretariat to follow up on actions between
meetings.
To the United Nations Secretary-General:
8. Ensure that the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
has sufficient resources to fulfill its mandate by:
(a) reassessing staffing levels and meeting them through a
streamlined and transparent appointments process; and
(b) reviewing and encouraging member states as necessary to
meet fiscal and material needs in the conflict-hit areas,
particularly in transportation and communications.
9. Stimulate greater coordination with the NATO-led
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), including by
basing UN liaison officers at ISAF headquarters and increasing
contact at regional levels.
To the United Nations Security Council:
10. Emphasize at the next renewal of UNAMA's mandate:
(a) a regional approach to UN programming inside Afghanistan,
including building up regional offices; and
(b) close cooperation with ISAF, in particular the
contribution that UNAMA's analytical resources should make at
all levels of planning.
To NATO/ISAF:
11. Harmonies the mandates of the Provincial Reconstruction
Teams (PRTs) by emphasizing their security sector roles and
phasing out development activities in areas where civilian-led
approaches by the UN and others are more appropriate.
12. Seek the transition of Afghan National Army (ANA) training
and mentoring to ISAF command contingent upon the alliance and
its members providing the necessary resources.
13. Emphasize at the renewal of ISAF's mandate the importance
of integrating UNAMA political input at every level of
operational planning.
(Asia Report, 6 February 2008. A media release by the
International Crisis Group. Source: www.crisisgroup.org)
Alfred Nobel: Controversial Man, Controversial Awards
Alfred Nobel was the Swedish
inventor of dynamite, also, founder of the Nobel Prize,
chemist, scientist, inventor, engineer, entrepreneur, author,
weapons manufacturer, and pacifist.
Ivan
Simic
The
Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel
Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The Prize was established from
Alfred Bernhard Nobel's will on 27 November 1895.
Every year, since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for
outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, physiology or
medicine, literature and for peace. In 1968, Sveriges Riksbank
established The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in
Memory of Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prize.
All prizes are presented on December 10, the anniversary of
Nobel's death. Each prize consists of a medal, personal diploma,
and cash award (over 1 million Euros). For the past few decades,
the Nobel Prize is considered to be the most prestigious prize
in the world.
Alfred Nobel was the Swedish inventor of dynamite, also, founder
of the Nobel Prize, chemist, scientist, inventor, engineer,
entrepreneur, author, weapons manufacturer, and pacifist. Alfred
Nobel invented dynamite in 1866 in Krummel, Germany, and
patented it later in 1876. After his death he left 31 million
Swedish Kronor (103,931,888.00 USD in 2007) to fund the prizes.
Alfred Nobel was a pacifist, which is highly contradictory,
since he invented dynamite which had enormous use in many wars,
but also in industry. Furthermore, he owned a company named
Bofos, which was a major weapons manufacturer. Bofos was founded
in 1873, but it originates from the iron and steel mill called
Bofors, established in 1646.
From the first Nobel Prize awarding in 1901, this prize had many
criticisms and controversies in the proceedings, nominations,
awardees and exclusions. Many individuals who really had
conferred the greatest benefit on mankind did not win the Prize,
for Instance:
Thomas Edison, American inventor and businessmen who developed
many devices such as the phonograph and light bulb. He was the
first one to apply principles of mass production to the process
of invention.
Nikola Tesla, Serbian inventor, physicist, electrical and
mechanical engineer. He invented things that marked the modern
era; he is called "the man who invented the 20th century" and
"the man out of his time". He is most known for alternating
current (AC), induction motor, rotating magnetic field, wireless
technology, among many others.
Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev, Russian chemist and inventor. He
was the originator of the periodic table of the elements.
Oswald Theodore Avery, an American physicist who is known for
the discovery (along with his co-workers) that DNA is the
material of which genes and chromosomes are made.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of
India and of the Indian Independence Movement. He is well-known
to the world for non-violence and truth advocacy. His birthday
October 2 is a national holiday in India and is the
International Day of Non-Violence. He was nominated five times
for the Nobel Prize, but never got it.
Here are a few individuals who won the Nobel Prize that many
believe to be controversial:
Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard, Hungarian-German physicist. He
is the winner of the Prize in physics for his research on
cathode rays. Later he was adviser to Adolf Hitler, Chief of
Aryan Physics and active proponent of Nazi ideology.
Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He is
the winner of the Prize (shared prize) in medicine for his
discovery of penicillin. Many oppose the fact that he was the
first to discover penicillin.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. American President was the first
American who received the Nobel Prize; he was the winner of the
Peace Prize in 1905. During his presidency he played an
important role in the suppression of a revolt in the
Philippines.
Henry Alfred Kissinger (Heinz Alfred Kissinger), the US
Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. He is the
winner of the Peace Prize along with Le Duc Tho, however, Tho
declined the award. There is evidence that he was involved in
the secret campaign of bombing against infiltrating NVA in
Cambodia and Operation Condor. He also supported the invasion of
Cyprus. Kissinger is wanted for questioning by officials in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France and Spain for war crimes that
he might have committed.
Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (Yasser
Arafat), Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin are winners of the Peace
Prize for the negotiations in Oslo. Arafat was accused of being
associated with many violent acts. On the other hand, Rabin was
an Israeli Military General who ordered the expulsion of Arabs
from areas captured by Israel during the war in 1948.
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr., Vice President of the United
States from 1993-2001. He is the winner of the Peace Prize
(shared) "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater
knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the
foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such
change". During his service in the office under President
Clinton, the US was involved in many military operations.
Operations in which many people lost their lives and which had
great impact on climate change, pollution, illness, among
others. For instance: NATO bombing of Bosnian Serbs, US led
bombing of Iraq, US led bombing of Serbia. Al Gore is a fine
actor, in fact, Academy awarded actor, and for his role in "The
Inconvenient Truth" he won the Oscar.
There are people among us who dedicated their lives to make a
valuable contribution to mankind in areas of physics, economics,
chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and it is
expected for these individuals to win the Prize, however, many
never got it, nor will get it. On the other side, many of those
with suspicious backgrounds, and those who gave just a few
months of their lives for some cause won the Prize.
If this trend continues, then in the next five years we will see
George W. Bush (present US President) as a winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize for his noble efforts to bring peace to all mankind
by creating new wars in order to prevent wars and terrorism. And
maybe as a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, for his
efforts in making the highest ever oil price per barrel in
history, and making war industry wealthier than ever, and for
contribution in creating a devastating financial situation in
the United States, and promising recessions.
(Ivan Simic is a freelance writer and columnist. Belgrade,
Serbia. Address: Paloticeva 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Tel:
+381/63/7508500)
International
Hamas rejects Abbas
truce offer as Israel kills 7 in Gaza
AFP, Gaza City
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas
offered to help negotiate a ceasefire as Israel pounded
Gaza on Thursday, killing seven people days after a
suicide bombing claimed by the Strip's Hamas rulers.
Hamas promptly rejected the offer, with spokesman Fawzi
Barhum branding it a "blackmail attempt against the
Palestinian people whom (Abbas) has left to be massacred."
Escalating violence has now seen 20 Palestinians, mostly
militants, killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza and several
Israelis, including two young children, wounded by
militant rocket attacks during the past week.
Abbas offered to help broker a ceasefire, his spokesman
said, amid fears that the violence could undermine
recently revived peace talks.
"President Abbas is prepared to try to work towards a
mutual ceasefire with Israel to stop the daily slaughter
confronting the Palestinian people in Gaza," Nabil Abu
Rudeina told AFP.
Abbas has repeatedly condemned both Palestinian rocket
fire and Israeli strikes on Gaza, but he has little if any
authority over the territory from which his security
forces were ousted by Hamas in June 2007.
Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said the
government had not yet received the offer, but said it was
up to Hamas to end the fighting.
"The most simple thing is for Hamas to end its attacks
against Israel and then we will not have to take measures
to respond to them," he told AFP.
In one air strike on Thursday four militants-three from
the armed wing of Hamas and another from Islamic
Jihad-were killed near Jabaliya in northern Gaza by a
missile fired from a drone.
A second air raid killed two militants near Tuffah, also
north of Gaza City, and wounded four more, two of them
seriously, medics said.
A teacher was also killed when a tank shell hit a high
school in the northern town of Beit Hanun, medics said.
Hamas militants meanwhile launched at least 14 rockets and
mortar bombs at Israel, with one lightly wounding two
civilians, a day after two children aged two and four were
wounded when a rocket hit their home in southern Israel.
Angelina Jolie calls for aid to refugees on Iraq visit
AFP, Baghdad
UN goodwill ambassador and Hollywood megastar Angelina
Jolie visited Iraq on a humanitarian mission on Thursday
and met top officials to demand help for people displaced
by the war.
A scheduled press conference at the US embassy was
cancelled, but the Oscar-winning actress gave an interview
to CNN in which she said she wanted more to be done for
Iraqi families driven from their homes.
"There are over two million displaced people and there
never seems to be a real coherent plan to help them," she
said.
"There's lots of goodwill and lots of discussion but there
seems to be a lot of talk at the moment and a lot of
pieces that need to be put together." The US embassy said
Jolie travelled to Baghdad with Under Secretary of State
for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky "to discuss US
humanitarian relief efforts for internally displaced
persons and conflict victims."
The trip, a statement said, is a follow-up to a visit by
Jolie to the region six months ago and marks a "mission to
support and implement joint solutions to assist Iraqi's
displaced population."
The statement added that Jolie also met Prime Minister
Nuri al-Maliki, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and
Immigration and Refugees Minister Abdel Samad Rahman
Sultan.
She had lunch with American troops serving in Iraq after
earlier meeting their top commander, General David
Petraeus.
The actress also held talks in Baghdad's fortified Green
Zone with UN head of mission Staffan di Mistura and met a
group of internally displaced people.
"Of the two million internally displaced, it's estimated
58 percent are under 12 years old. It's a very high number
of people in a very, very vulnerable situation and a lot
of young kids," Jolie told CNN.
"So far, the different US officials I met with and
different local people I've met with all have shared
concerns, very, very strongly. They have spoken out about
the humanitarian crisis, but there seems to be a block in.
"I don't have the answers, but I know this is one thing
that needs to be addressed and solved. (There needs) to be
a real presence here to help count the people and register
the people," she added.
The actress, most famous for her roles in Hollywood hits
"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "Mr and Mrs Smith," said she
would urge US and Iraqi officials to provide better
security for UN refugee agency workers.
Bomb blast kills 3 in southwest Pakistan
AFP, Quetta
Three people
were killed and eight wounded in a bomb blast at a bus
stand in Pakistan's troubled southwestern province of
Baluchistan on Thursday, officials said.
The device exploded in the town of Dera Murad Jamali,
killing two people on the spot, while the bomber was also
caught in the explosion and died of his injuries, local
administration official Akbar Mujahid told AFP.
A previously unknown separatist organisation called the
Baluch Republican Army claimed responsibility for the
blast in a telephone call to local journalists. There was
no way of verifying the claim.
Baluchistan has been in the grip of a three-year rebellion
waged by ethnic Baluch rebels seeking more political
rights and a greater share of profits in region's natural
resources.
Hundreds of people have died in violence in the province
since the insurgency flared in late 2004.
The province bordering Afghanistan has also been hit by
attacks blamed on Islamist militants.
Meanwhile, Pakistani investigators arrested two "very
important alleged terrorists" on Thursday in connection
with the assassination of opposition leader Benazir
Bhutto, officials said.
"I can confirm two people have been arrested in connection
with the probe into Bhutto's murder and they are being
interrogated by the joint investigation team," Interior
Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP.
Israel should not ‘worsen’ Gaza humanitarian crisis: US
AFP, Washington
The United States on
Thursday urged Israel not to aggravate the humanitarian
situation in the Gaza Strip, where the Jewish state has
scaled down its energy supply as it pursues rocket
launchers in the territory.
"We understand Israel's right to defend itself but we do
not think that action should be taken that would infringe
upon or worsen the humanitarian situation for the civilian
population in Gaza," said State Department spokesman Tom
Casey.
"I am sure we will continue to convey that position to
them."
Israel on Thursday began reducing by around one percent
the electricity it supplies to Gaza via high-tension power
lines.
Speaking in Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak vowed that
"if the rocket fire from Gaza continues, we will intensify
our operations and strikes against the other side, until a
solution is found."
Israel has kept Gaza under effective lockdown since June
2007 following the territory's takeover by the Islamist
movement Hamas.
Last month, Israel tightened its long-running blockade on
Gaza, which was crippled by a sharp drop in fuel and
electrical supplies, but the blockade was eased several
days later after an intervention by Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice with Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, Israel began cutting back energy supplies to
the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the defence ministry said, in
a move slammed by rights groups as collective punishment
and a violation of the laws of war.
"The Israeli electricity company on Thursday evening
reduced by about one percent electricity supplied by high
tension line to the Gaza Strip," defence ministry
spokesman Shlomo Dror told AFP.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey urged
Israel not to aggravate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
as criticism poured in from rights groups.
"We understand Israel's right to defend itself but we do
not think that action should be taken that would infringe
upon or worsen the humanitarian situation for the civilian
population in Gaza," Casey said.
"I am sure we will continue to convey that position to
them."
Ahead of the reduction the New York-based Human Rights
Watch (HRW) group said in a new report that the planned
"cuts of fuel |