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Leading
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Crises
in AL & BNP
Division in BNP continues
Taib Ahmed
There is no material headway
in the reunification process in troubled BNP as both the
warring factions are continuing to stick to their guns and
the division in BNP seems to be continuing up to the next
election. According to sources in both the factions, "some
sort of mistrust and distrust have clouded the
reunification process as no leader can has confidence on
others even inside their respective faction as they are
not sure who is whose man."
The reformist’s claim that the unity in the party is not
taken place in the party due to the obduracy of Khaleda-appointed
Secretary General, Khandoker Delwar Hossain. A group in
the loyalist faction under the leadership of BNP Joint
Secretary General Goyeshwar Chandro Roy and Mohammad
Shahjahan is pointing to Delwar Hossain for thwarting the
reconciliation process in the party. "It is the party
Secretary General who ought to take steps to reunite the
party as the detained Chairperson has given a message for
unity in the party," Goyeshwar told newsmen. On the other
hand, although most of the reformists are holding Delwar
Hossain and Rizvi Ahmed responsible for non-implementation
of reunification moves, a group in this faction is
interested to merge with the mainstream especially to face
the next election.
However, the reformist faction has abandoned the move for
merging with the mainstream and now they are mulling over
forging a unity with other like-minded political parties
to face the rival political camp, Awami League-led front,
in the next election "if any" as they think the government
might propose for forming a national government and in
that case they will extend its support to the government
and its backers’ move. To this end, the reformists
recently convened a clandestine meeting with the leaders
of pro-government parties like Jatiya Party (E), Bikalpa
Dhara Bangladesh (BDB), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and
newly-formed Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).
Meanwhile, the loyalist faction has started reorganizing
the party. The party Secretary General has started meeting
leaders of different districts and thana committees with a
view to strengthening the party and thus to enable it to
launch agitation to press home the demand for restoring
democracy with the release of Begum Khaleda Zia.
City AL faces leadership crisis
Sahidul Islam Rana
Dhaka City unit of Awami League failed to play significant
role in the changed political circumstances, especially on
the issue of detained party President Sheikh Hasina.
According to party insiders, the city AL never faced such
a situation before as it is facing now-a-days. This is due
to some reasons, including the promulgation of the state
of emergency, death of former DCC Mayor Mohammad Hanif and
factional feud. Besides, most of the AL leaders -
including Moffazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, recently
convicted in a corruption case lodged by ACC and the
faction of Hazi Selim went into hiding soon after
anti-corruption drive started across the country. Sources
said, the last meeting of city AL with the AL advisers
ended amid a hot debate centering the existing situation.
Most of the advisers expressed their dissatisfaction over
the performance of the Mahanagar AL.
An adviser of city AL, preferring anonymity, told The
Bangladesh Today "Some front line city leaders are
criticising each others keeping the main issue in their
head." He said, they were asked to mobilize the public
support for waging movement against the arrest of the
party chief Sheikh Hasina. Sources said, as the AL, in
principle, agreed to participate in the upcoming elections
and sought active participation of the roots-level (ward,
union and thana) leaders in the capital. "Most of the
party leaders and activists remained behind the scene
apprehending arrests or any sort of harassments in the
changed circumstances. They are not active at all,"
claimed Mollik, a AL activist of Meradia AL.
Besides, a faction of AL wanted to see Syed Khohon, son of
late veteran AL leader and former DCC Mayor Mohammad Hanif
on the political scene although he had earlier quitted AL.
The factional clash in the city AL may occur centering the
upcoming DCC polls.There is widespread allegation that a
faction of AL could not accept the acting city unit
leaders saying there were not in the field during the
movement of against the erstwhile BNP-Jama’at government.
Besides, absence of Hanif and General Secretary Mofazzel
Hossain Chowdhury Maya and former MP Hazi Selim further
deepened the leadership crisis in the city AL politics.
Talking to this correspondent, a central leader said, "The
central leaders are aware of the present situation that
confusion has gripped bonafide party supporters and we are
trying to overcome the situation."
Meanwhile, Dhaka City AL, in its extended meeting, on
Monday demanded of the caretaker government to send
detained AL president Sheikh Hasina abroad for better
treatment, immediate release of Hasina and others,
withdrawal of emergency rules and holding general election
within the shortest possible time for restoration of
democracy in the country.
BB urges restriction on bank interests, charges
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Bank Monday invited commercial banks to submit
their proposals within 15 days to reduce bank charges and
interest spread between lending and deposit rates.
Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed sought the proposals at a
meeting at the central bank with Bangladesh Association of
Banks (BAB), a platform of commercial bank directors.
"Bangladesh Bank will take decisions on the interest rate
spread and other service charges after receiving their
proposals," he told reporters after the meeting.
He said the proposals should be prepared through
discussions among the commercial banks, particularly
considering the interest of the businesspeople, depositors
and the shareholders of the banks.
"We’re not imposing the decisions… we’re trying to do it
through discussions (with the stakeholders)," Dr
Salehuddin said, replying to a question.
A meeting source said the commercial banks have been asked
to submit the proposals by February 28. The central bank
is also scheduled to hold another meeting with the chief
executive officers of commercial banks on Wednesday.
Today’s meeting was considered as a follow-up of major
policy decisions on reducing interest rate spread and bank
charges taken at a meeting on January 4.
"It’ll be difficult for us to reduce the lending rates
unless the interest on savings certificates and treasury
bonds are reduced," said BAB president Nazrul Islam
Majumder. "Bangladesh will, in fact, administer
determining the spread," he added.
In a major policy move for the banking sector on January
4, the government decided to formulate a guideline for
reducing the interest rate spread between the deposit and
lending rates, and rationalize the charges on different
bank services.
The central bank, business community and banking service
recipients have long been pressing for the policy
decisions to reduce the cost of doing business.
The decisions were apparently taken to promptly respond to
the Chief Adviser’s instruction to the Bangladesh Bank in
this regard. It was, however, apprised at the meeting that
the spread should not be reduced at the cost of deposit
rates.
Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed recently instructed the
Bangladesh Bank to reduce the interest rate spread to 4-5
percent from the present 6 percent to infuse dynamism into
the slow-moving economic activities.
The spread is the highest in Bangladesh compared to other
parts of the world and it varies from one bank to another
while the charges vary even from bank to bank and the
charges remain high in Bangladesh.
Pakistan polls
AFP, Islamabad
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf vowed to work in a
"totally harmonious manner" with whoever wins key
parliamentary elections as he cast his ballot in the
crucial polls on Monday.
Musharraf voted in the garrison city of Rawalpindi,
adjoining Islamabad, along with family members including
his mother, presidential spokesman Major General Rashid
Qureshi said.
"Whosoever wins the polls, as president of Pakistan I will
function with them in a totally harmonious manner,"
Musharraf told state television, dressed in a light blue
jacket and open-necked shirt.
"Confrontational politics is damaging Pakistan we should
engage in conciliatory politics which will be good for the
country. I will cooperate," he added.
Opposition leaders have vowed protests if allegations of
widespread rigging are proven, but Musharraf urged them to
"accept the results gracefully."
"Winners should show humility and the losers also should
demonstrate grace. The trend of crying foul on results
should end now," he added.
"I will myself congratulate those who win. If a party wins
it can bring its prime minister and if there is a hung
parliament they can form a coalition."
Musharraf’s allies, the former ruling Pakistan Muslim
League-Q, face a tough battle against slain opposition
leader Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and the
outfit of former premier Nawaz Sharif. Opposition parties
have alleged massive vote-rigging in favour of the PML-Q.
The government and election commission have denied the
claims. More than 80 million people are eligible to vote
in the elections, which have been overshadowed by violence
including Bhutto’s assassination at a political rally on
December 27.
Her slaying caused elections to be postponed from their
original date of January 8.
Call for simplifying trade rules to boost exports
Staff Correspondent
There is
no option but to simplify the country’s external trade
rules in a bid to boost exports abroad so that Bangladesh
can survive the highly competitive global market.
This was stated by speakers at a seminar on "Regional
Trade Agreements (RTAs) in Asia-Pacific: Impact on
Bangladesh," organized by the Federation of Bangladesh
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at its office in
the capital on Monday.
Simplification of export rules of the country will help
increase external trade to a large extent as complex and
time-consuming export- process mainly hamper the country’s
foreign trade
Trade barriers imposed by other countries to Bangladeshi
products are not mainly responsible for obstructing the
country’s exports. There is no doubt that removal of trade
barriers will play an significant role in ensuring export
growth. But Bangladesh alone can do nothing in this
regard. Laying stress on export diversification by
developing a wider range of products and skills in
Bangladesh, they said no country can exist on the
atmosphere of free trade economy only with a handful of
export items.
Bangladeshi export basket consists of only 500 products
while other developing countries are exporting millions of
commodities abroad, they said. Stressing the need for
improvements of efficiency at home and abroad to properly
negotiate with the international trade delegations for
export growth, speakers said Bangladesh is lagging behind
other developing countries in global trade as the country
does not have considerable expertise in this regard.
Zillur urges diversifying exports
Staff Correspondent
Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman on Monday said
Bangladesh has to face the challenges stemming from the
need of diversifying its export products and the
Government and the private sectors will have to work
together to identify the prospective sectors. He said,
"the Government is identifying the thought sectors on
which it will work giving priority and the Government is
ready to give all out supports to the entrepreneurs to
encourage potential sector like Ship building, RMG and
others." The Adviser was addressing a function as Chief
Guest on "The Emergence of Bangladesh as a Ship Exporting
Country" organized by Ananda Shipyard And Slipways Ltd (ASSL)
at the Hotel Sonargoan yesterday.
Hossain Zillur said, " The Government is fully aware of
the potentiality of Ship building industry and it will
help the entrepreneurs whenever needed but industrialists
should keep in mind that they have to maintain the quality
of their products and they must not show zero tolerance in
this regard, otherwise it would be impossible for us to
compete with the other developed shipbuilding nations like
Singapore and South Korea."
Speaking on the occasion, Danish Ambassador, Einer H.
Jensen said, "Bangladesh can be one of the leading ship
exporting countries if it utilizes its potentiality
properly. The country should import the raw materials from
the developed countries needed for the shipbuilding
industry and it can create a lot of job opportunities for
the people of the country." German Ambassador Frank Meyke
said, "Bangladesh can earn a huge amount of foreign
currency by exporting ships to the European Countries and
Germany is ready to assist the entrepreneurs."
Chairman of Ananda Shipyard and Slipways Ltd, Abdullah
Bari said in his welcome speech, " Human input is the
largest in shipbuilding among all heavy industries. We
have human resources in the country and the best quality
on earth. We also have very hard-working cost effective
workforce, white color skills in the marine field , deep
draft river basins , very good weather, it has all the
ingredients for shipbuilding." He also said, "Shipbuilding
is the stepping stone industry for developments and if the
entrepreneurs get proper assistance from the Government,
the country will be a leading shipbuilder in the world."
It may be mentioned that ASSL has effective contract of US
$ 150000.00 million for export of ships to some EU
countries including Denmark and Germany.
Selling of
pirated books at Ekushey Book Fair
BSS, Dhaka
A number of publishing houses in the Amar Ekushey Book
Fair are reportedly selling pirated books violating the
rules and regulations of the fair, concerned quarters
alleged.
The month-long book fair that began on the Bangla Academy
premises in the city on February 1, commemorating the
great Language Movement of 1952, has got momentum.
Some renowned publishers alleged that the Bangla Academy
authorities are largely responsible for such
irregularities, as many publication houses which do not
qualify for participating in the fair are getting stalls
every year.
Despite authorities’ warning against the publication
houses not to flout the rules and regulations of the fair,
the warnings turned into futile efforts as effective
actions are yet to be taken against the defaulters.
According to the rules and regulations, publication houses
having at least 15 new publications in one year, will
qualify for getting stalls in the fair.
Osman Gani, a publisher of "Agamee Prakashani", alleged
that the rules and regulations regarding allocation of
stalls and sale of books are being flouted every year.
Back Page
Post-Sidr
rehabilitation
India, KSA to assist building 2280 houses
Rabiul Islam
The Governments of Saudi
Arabia and India would assist Bangladesh to build 22,800
houses for the people who survived cyclone Sidr that
struck on November 15, killing 4000 people and making
millions homeless in 15 coastal districts. Sources said
Saudi Arabia will build 21,200 houses and India will build
1,600 houses for the Sidr hit people. According to the
Food and Disaster Management Ministry, the cyclone damaged
3,63,346 houses fully and 8,15628 houses partially.
Sources said thousands of survivors are now passing their
days under the open sky on highland and roads away from
their homesteads. Meanwhile, the Government has finalised
the design of the houses which would be similar in design
of all the houses, sources said. The construction of the
houses would start next month and the building of the
houses would be completed by July 2008. It would cost Tk.
one lakh for building each house. The basement of the
houses would be three feet high and the sides of the
houses would be made of sheet while the ceiling would be
made of tin, sources said.
Sources said the local administration will supervise the
construction of the houses. 8500 houses would be built in
seven Upazilas of Patuakhali district. The upazilas are
Patuakhali Sadar, Golachipa, Kolapara, Mirzagonj, Baufal,
Dashmina and Dumki. 3380 houses would be built in three
Upazilas of Pirojpur district. The Upazilas are Matbaria,
Vhandaria and Zianagar. 5320 houses would be built in two
Upazilas of Borguna district. The Upazilas are Borguna
Sadar and Patharghata. 4,000 houses would be built in
Sharankhola Upazia of Bagherhat district. Besides, 800
houses would be built in Shorankhola and 800 houses in
Morelgonj Upazila by Indian assistance.
Second round of electoral reforms
EC to publish party talks
BDNEWS24, Dhaka
The Election Commission will publish the issues to be
discussed in a second round of electoral reforms talks
with political parties through the media, said an election
commissioner on Monday.
Asked when invitation letters will be sent to the
political parties, EC Sakhawat Hossain told reporters at
the main election office: "We may send the letters even
tomorrow." "Once the EC has dispatched all the
invitations, we will publish in the media issues to be
discussed at the talks," he said.
Simultaneously, a summarised table of the issues on which
the parties agreed upon in the first round of talks, along
with those where disagreements persisted, would also be
published through the media, Sakhawat said.
The EC will hold talks with 15 political parties in the
second lap starting on Feb 24 to continue through Feb 28,
he said.
In reverse Bangla alphabetical order, talks will be held
with Bikalpa Dhara, LDP and Samyabadi Dal on Feb 24,
Workers Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh
and Awami League on Feb 25, Jatiya Party, JSD (Inu) and
NAP (Mozaffar) on Feb 26, Jamaat-e-Islami, JSD (Rab) and
Jatiya Party (JP) on Feb 27 and Ganotantri Party, Krishak
Janata League and Islami Oikya Jote on Feb 28.
The EC was scheduled to sit with the BNP for the first
round dialogue on Nov 22. It was postponed as the issue
was referred to the court of law. Speaking to the media in
his office on Feb 14, CEC ATM Shamsul Huda said the BNP
would not be invited to the five-day talks.
WASA introduces on-line billing system
Customer hassle hoped to be reduced
Staff Correspondent
Dhaka WASA on Monday
introduced on-line billing system to facilitate smooth
collection of bills of different services it provides and
to reduce the customers' hassle as well. With the
introduction of on-line billing system, the consumers will
get all billing information, un-received bills and will be
able to lodge any complaint sitting at home through
website.
Local Government Engineering and Rural Development (LGERD)
Adviser, Anwarul Iqbal, launched the system at an
inaugural session at Dhaka Wasa auditorium. "The WASA
supplies about 170 crore litres of water every day against
the demand for 200 crore litres in the capital. The WASA
failed to meet up the demand of the consumers causing
suffering to around one crore and 20 lakh city dwellers.
Due to its some system losses and irregularities including
billing system, WASA became a losing-concern of the
government," Anwar said.
The harassment of the consumers will be reduced and WASA
will be a profitable project. Not only that the consumers
will be able to lodge their complaints against WASA and
put up their suggestions, said the Adviser. He said, "to
make the mission a success, we can take the help of
taskforce and mobile court officials to monitor the
overall activities for ensuring accountability of bill
defaulters and illegal sewerage line holders". "The
government is planning to create a water body from
Sonargaon Hotel to Rampura Bridge for smooth dispatch of
domestic wastages," he disclosed. He said, city's Gulshan,
Banani and Baridhara lakes are being polluted due to the
illegal dispatch of domestic wastages of the areas. So
WASA should take proper steps and make a proposal
immediately for preservation of the lakes.
BSF firing injures 1 in Kaliganj
BSS, Rangpur
One Bangladeshi national was injured when the Border
Security Force (BSF) of India opened fire on the Jhaurani
frontier under Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat district on
Monday morning, official sources said.
The sources said, a BSF patrol team from Koitarbari BSF
camp under 46 BSF battalion opened four rounds of fire
near boundary pillar no 913 opposite to Jhaurani BDR
outpost to disperse a suspected group of cross border
smugglers at around 6:30 am on Monday morning.
Suspected smuggler Birendra Nath Das, 30, son of Sunil
Chandra das of village Khamarbari under Kaliganj upazila
in Lalmonirhat was seriously injured in the firing. Other
smugglers managed to escape to the other side of the
border.
Patrolling members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) from
Jhaurani outpost rushed to the spot, rescued the inured
person with the help of the locals and sent him to Rangpur
Medical College Hospital.
Stern action against non-performing
schools
Firoz Mamun
On the basis of poor academic activities, examination
result and overall performance, the government is going to
take stern action against 3,000 different non-government
educational institutions within a month.
According to sources at the Education Ministry, action
will be taken against those institutions which have failed
to achieve more than four per cent pass in the
examinations of 2007.
They said, "Due to disaster in the results of secondary,
higher secondary and bachelor's degree examinations in
2007, the Education Ministry has served show cause notices
on 834 secondary schools, 1,451 madrassas, 180 higher
secondary level colleges, 68 degree level colleges, 28
vocational schools and 174 technical institutions. These
institutions have been asked to show cause within 15 days
as to why their Money Payment Order (MPO) will not be
cancelled."
They further said, "Meanwhile the concerned educational
institutions have started replying. After receiving
replies from those institutions, the Ministry will take
its final decision whether the MPO of those institutions
will be continued or cancelled." It may be pointed out
that government affiliated MPO-listed teachers and
employees are now enjoying 100 per cent of their basic
salaries from the government exchequer.
There are some 66, 032 teachers and 22, 621 employees of
2, 543 colleges, 1, 99,234 teachers and 57, 374 employees
of 17, 069 high schools, 1, 28,290 teachers and 26, 149
employees of 8470 Dakhil, Alim, Fazil and Kamil madrassas
are MPO listed and getting government salaries.
During the regime of different political governments, the
influential ministers and MPs, to serve their personal
interest, allocated government money for those
institutions without any survey as to their performance.
Crime Watch
7 nabbed, smuggled goods seized
Staff Correspondent
At least seven people were arrested by Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB) and huge amount of spurious cosmetic
items, date expired medicines and narcotic items were
recovered from their possession from different parts of
the capital on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, a patrol team of RAB-10 led by
assistant superintendent of police, Anwar Hossain, with
the help of BSTI officials raided a house at Rahmatganj
under Lalbagh police station at about 1 pm and arrested
Jewel, 45 and Ershad, 30.
On the basis of their confessional statements, RAB also
recovered a huge amount of spurious cosmetic items worth
about 12 lakh from their possession.
In another drive, a team of RAB-2 went Mohakhali area and
started a massive raid at Janata Medical Store, Janaseba
and Dhaka Pharmacy at about 4:30 pm and recovered good
numbers of date expired medicine from the shops.
The RAB members arrested businessmen Abhijit Biswas, 32,
Biplob, 25, and Mithun, 22, for their alleged involvement
in the illegal business.
Besides, in another drive launched by RAB-1 at a house
no-9 at Uttara in the capital at about 5 am and arrested
Sabuj, 24 and Khakan, 25. After searching the house, the
law enforces recovered around 303 cans of foreign beer
were recovered.
Cases were lodged in this connection.
2 drug peddlers held
A Correspondent, Comilla
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-11 arrested a drug peddler
and sized Indian Hildon syrup (Anti-insect) from Kalikapur
area in Sadar Dakkin upazila on Sunday night.
A team of the elite force conducted a drive at Kalikapur
residential area and arrested Md. Masud (28) son of Rostam
Ali of Krisnapur village of the uapzila.
They also seized 197 bottles of Indian Hildon syrup worth
Tk 2.30 lakh from his possession.
Huge Indian clothes seized
UNB, Comilla
Bangladesh Riffles (BDR), in separate drives, recovered
huge smuggled Indian clothes from Chouddagram and Sadar
(south) upazila on Sunday night.
In Chouddagram, a team of BDR 33 rifles battalion raided
Hari Sarder area at about 9pm and recovered 659 pieces of
saree, 723 three-piece sets and 2,635 meters cloths, worth
about Tk 54 lakh, from three rickshaw-vans.
BDR could not arrest any one as the smugglers fled the
scene sensing their presence. In another drive in Sadar
(south) upazila, the BDR jawans recovered 320 pieces saree
and 160 three piece sets, worth around Tk 17 lakh, from
three rickshaw-van at Bhatpara area at about 10:00 pm.
Separate cases were filed with the local police stations.
Two bandits injured in mob attack
UNB, Narail
Two bandits while fleeing with the booty, were caught and
injured by angry a mob at Agrahati village in Sadar
upazila Saturday night.
Two injured robbers, Milon Beg, 28, of Kaldanga village,
and Jakaria Fakir, 22, of Chachuri village in Kalia
upazila, were admitted to Sadar hospital in critical
condition.
Local people said that after a hot chase at midnight they
caught the two bandits while fleeing along with their
accomplices and beat them indiscriminately. They said the
bandits looted Tk 15,000 in cash and gold ornaments from
the house of Hadiuzzman and valuables from a shop at
Agrahati village.
Earlier, police held three robbers, Abul Hossain, Akkas
Gazi and Tauhid Sheikh, from Nabibpasha bazar in Kalia
upazila Saturday night in connection with a robbery.
Abducted girl rescued after 42 days
BSS, Jhenaidah
Police arrested two persons and rescued a kidnapped
college girl as unconscious state after 42 days from
Arappur in the district town on Saturday.
Police said the rescued girl is a student of Bhatoi
Memorial College, who was abducted on January 6 while on
way to her college.
After the incident, her father filed an abduction case
against Rasel, Rabiul, Zahangir and Ershad of Piragati
village. Police arrested two of accused.
Following the confessional statement of the arrested
persons police rescued the girl from Arappur. Police sent
her to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital on Sunday.
43 alleged criminals busted
BSS, Rajshahi
Police, in anti-crime drives, arrested 43 persons
including two alleged drug-peddlers on various charges
from different areas in city and nine upazilas of the
district in last 24 hours till on Sunday evening.
Of them, 23 were picked up from different areas in the
metropolis while 20 others from nine upazilas of the
district, police said.
Police picked up the drug-peddlers identified as Meraj
Sheikh, 30, and Anarul Haque, 25, and seized 49 bottles of
phensidyl and 50 grams of ganja during two separate raids
at different places in the district.
25,000 drag nets seized
BSS, Chandpur
Twenty five thousand metres of banned drag nets were
seized at Haimchar in the district on Thursday.
Chandpur Fisheries office sources said anti-jatka task
force and fisheries department team raided different areas
of Haimchar and seized huge quantities of drag nets worth
about Taka five lakh.
They conducted drives Katakhali, Charvairdi, Maddachar,
Nilkamal areas of the river Meghna.
The government has banned catching of jatka in the Meghna
from November to May.
6 dacoits arrested
BSS, Chandpur
Chandpur railway police arrested six dacoits in connection
with a dacoity in a passenger train that committed
recently in between Chandpur-Laksham train services.
The railway police seized huge quantities of stolen goods
from the possessions of the dacoits.
The dacoits were sent to jail hajat when police produced
them before a court of Thursday.
15 held, drugs seized
BSS, Joypurhat
Police in separate drives arrested 15 anti-social elements
including three drug peddlers and seized 21 bottles of
phensidyl, 300 gram of ganja on Sunday.
Police sources said arrested persons included thieves,
drug peddlers, warrantees and other anti-social elements
during the drives in five thanas of the district.
Joypurhat police conducted a raid at bus terminal area and
arrested three drug peddlers named Maruf and Shahabul, and
seized 21 bottles of phensidyl from their possession.
Akkelpur thana police arrested a female drug peddler named
Aklima Khatun and seized 300 grams of ganja her
possession.
Phensidyl recovered
BSS, Gaibandha
Police seized 300 bottles of phensidyl and a motorcycle
from a crossing near Gobindaganj High School on Rangpur-
Bogra highway in the district on Saturday.
Sources said a motorcyclist coming from Hilli met an
accident at the crossing of the highway. Some bottles of
phensidyl kept in a bag fell outside and a commotion was
created among the nearby people. Sensing the imminent
danger the motorcyclist left the place leaving behind the
motorcycle.
On information police rushed to the spot and seized 300
bottles of phensidyl and the motorcycle.
A case was filed with Gobindaganj thana in this
connection.
Snatchers kill youth
BSS, Noakhali
A youth was stabbed to death by unidentified snatchers at
Hasan Hat Bazar under Begumganj upazila in the district in
the early hours of Sunday.
The victim was identified as Belal Hossain, 28, of
Sharifpur union under Begumganj upazila.
Sources said Belal Hoosain arrived at Maijdi from Dhaka in
the early hours of Sunday and took a rickshaw to go to his
house at Sharifpur.
His rickshaw was intercepted by a gang of snatchers near a
mosque at Hasan Hat Bazar and snatched his belongings
after stabbing him with sharp weapons. He died on the
spot. Police sent the body to hospital for autopsy.
Kidnapped boy rescued, Jubo Dal leader held
UNB, Dinajpur
A minor boy kidnapped for ransom 35 days ago was rescued
today and local Jubo Dal leader was arrested from Birganj
upazila town yesterday.
Police on secret information raided Collegepara and held
upazila Jubo Dal general secretary Tanbveer Ahmed.
Following his confessional statement, police rescued the
10-year old boy Alaj from a hideout.
Son of Kabaj Ali of Jalagaon village in the same upazila,
Alaj was kidnapped on January 15 from his home by Tanveer
and his accomplices.
Kabaj Ali who filed a case with the police said the
kidnappers demanded through cell phone Tk 2 lakh as ransom
to secure safe return of his son. Police earlier arrested
7 persons for their alleged involvement in the kidnap.
Editorial
Issue of War Criminals of 1971
The
issue of war crimes in 1971 and the criminals who perpetrated
those atrocities is not going to go away however much
governments, past and present may try to ignore it. It is a
blot on our National conscience, it is a searing, festering
wound in our individual and collective psyche. Generations of
Bangladeshis have been born and brought up in an independent
Bangladesh; many perspectives and priorities have changed but
the facts of what happened in 1971, both good and evil, have
not. Culture, civilization and life continues from the past to
the present, towards the future carrying along with them both
the facts and myths of history and that is why 37 years after
1971 people from every walk of life, from every generation are
insistently demanding inquiries into the mass murders,
genocide and atrocities of 1971 and trial of those people who
committed those crimes. Consider for example the wide
response, particularly from the younger generations, that the
Sector Commander's Forum has received when they picked up the
issue of the trial of war criminals. Consider also the
revelation of the names of 15 war criminals by the Islamic
Oikkyo Jote.
To us the people of this land, the Liberation War is an epic
of selfless sacrifice and heroism. But there is another,
darker side to the Liberation War and that is the story of
collaboration, by some of our own people, with Pakistan in
general and with its Armed Forces in particular. This
collaboration extended far beyond mere ideological and
propaganda support; the collaborators organized portions of
the civilian populace into armed para-militaries and vigilante
groups throughout the country. It is the depredations of these
para-militaries and vigilantes which was largely responsible
for the genocide which occurred during the 9 months of the
Liberation War.
The end of the War on 16 December 1971, saw the Pakistan Armed
Forces surrendering to the Indians and thus quite adroitly
avoiding the justified retaliation of a wronged nation, as
also ridding themselves of the stigma of committing "genocide"
and "crimes against humanity". It was wrong of the then
Bangladesh Government to have allowed this to happen. But
perhaps they were constrained to do so by the prevailing
regional & international situation. The leaders of the local
collaborators, however, quit the country; the rank and file
simply disappeared into the mass of a chaotic populace just
relived of a horrible and destructive war.
In the euphoria following the Liberation, the first government
of an Independent Nation saw it fit to declare a general
amnesty for the collaborators. Parliament, however, passed a
"Collaborator's Act" but its implementation was slow,
irregular and ultimately ineffectual after Martial Law was
declared in 1975.
In the 3 decades since then, the politics and the society of
Bangladesh has created fertile grounds not only for the
rehabilitation of these collaborators (many of whom are war
criminals) but also for their prosperity in the body-politic
of the Nation. Also over the last 37 years this issue has
divided the Nation, polarising the society and its politics
into two violently hostile camps. Much of our political and
social problems stems from this divided social psyche.
Today, we are at one remove from those momentous and in the
darker sense the horrendous events of 1971 but we are in large
measure, unable and unwilling to forget or forgive what has
been done to us by some of our own compatriots. We need to
cleanse and purge our collective conscience and we can do so
only by bringing to justice those collaborators actively
involved in the genocide in 1971 - and we will not mince our
words here when we demand that these criminals must be tried
for crimes against humanity and for crimes against the people
of Bangladesh. We are simply not ready to accept the hackneyed
excuse of the law taking its own course - in this case we the
people of Bangladesh demand that the law take the single
course of bringing to justice these mass murderers.
Analysis
G7 for Collective Financial
System
The decision to shore up financial system was
considered since Global stock markets were hard hit last week
as a slew of U.S. economic data boosted recession fears.
Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
In
the background of financial sliding in the USA and the
resultant fears regarding an imminent "economic crisis" world
wide, finance leaders from the world's richest nations, known
as the G7, comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan and the United States met in Tokyo on 09 February 2008
to focus mainly on the US economy and have pledged to work
together to stabilise world financial markets shaken by the
U.S. housing debacle that is puncturing global economic
growth. In a draft prepared by them, the Group of Seven
finance ministers and central bank chiefs took on a somewhat
more conciliatory tone than they had in the days leading up to
the meetings, acknowledging that they all had a vested
interest in shoring up the global financial system. The have
decided to do coordinated action where found to be necessary.
A leading spokesman said, "We are all after the same thing and
this is to restore stability."
The decision to shore up financial system was considered since
Global stock markets were hard hit last week as a slew of U.S.
economic data boosted recession fears. U.S. Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson struck the same theme, urging banks to take
losses and raise capital quickly to stave off a credit crunch.
"The worst thing is if they don't raise capital, if they
shrink their balance sheet and then restrain their lending,"
Paulson said in an interview. Although the fallout from the US
subprime loan woes is spilling throughout the world, with the
world economy facing its gloomiest outlook for years, world
powers have so far largely left it to the United States to
tackle the crisis.
Finance leaders discussed how best to prevent a repeat of the
financial market turmoil that began last summer, after a spike
in defaults among U.S. subprime mortgage borrowers. Banks have
since written off more than $100 billion in bad debts that
were tied to those souring home loans. The draft also called
on oil exporters to step up production after oil prices
briefly topped $100 per barrel last month. It has since
retreated, though it spiked up 4 percent to $91.77 -- its
biggest gain in nearly two months -- amid supply snags and a
looming U.S. cold spell.
With more pressing matters to discuss -- namely the health of
the U.S. and global economy -- foreign exchange issues
remained on the back burner at the meeting. A G7 source said
the closely watched communiqué, issued after G7 meetings,
would include broadly the same wording on foreign exchange as
it had previously. As before, the communiqué was likely to put
emphasis on the need for China to allow its yuan currency to
appreciate more quickly. But they have decided not to push any
new foreign exchange.
Notwithstanding the pledges made by all to work together to
restore the financial system to health, their actions often
have contrasted with divisions over fiscal and monetary policy
ahead of the G7. Before meetings, many in Europe had privately
expressed alarm over the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive
interest rate-cutting stance after it slashed 1.25 percentage
points off of the benchmark federal funds rate in less than 10
days in January. The monetary easing, along with a $152
billion (78 billion pounds) U.S. fiscal stimulus package,
threatened to open a rift between the United States and its
allies over how to prevent the credit crisis from pushing the
world into a downturn. But tensions eased after the European
Central Bank stressed the risk to euro zone economic growth,
alongside its long-held worry about inflation, that sent a
signal that the ECB may soon join the Fed, Bank of England and
Bank of Canada in cutting rates.
European leaders were particularly concerned about the
strength, against a falling US dollar, of the euro currency,
which has soared against the dollar since the Fed began its
cutting rates in September 2007. However, the currency
retreated after the ECB's change of heart. French Economy
Minister Christine Lagarde said she welcomed that change by
the ECB, but wanted more: "It's like the overture of a
symphony: you are always waiting for what comes next." Many G7
leaders think the weak yuan gives China an unfair trade
advantage, and have called on Beijing to step up domestic
investment to help rebalance the world economy. In a draft
copy of the communiqué made available to Reuters ahead of its
release, the leaders vowed to "take appropriate actions,
individually and collectively, in order to secure stability
and growth in our economies".
Germany seems to have concrete G-7 plans for financial markets
to improve their transparency. First would be the role of
rating agencies, which were severely criticized for not having
foreseen the meltdown of the US market for high risk subprime
mess or mortgages. Secondly, Berlin suggests increasing
liquidity obligations linked to the issuance of securitized
financial products, that is, on the reserves to be held by
banks that issued such instruments. Finally, Germany also
proposes measures on accounting rules. Then the IMF reforms
are on the agenda, besides the all-important conundrum, that
is, why the emerging or developing countries continue to be
under-represented, such as Spain and Ireland.
Canadian finance minister Jim Flaherty said there were more
write-downs to come. "It's clear that we're not out of the
woods yet on these issues ... and not just in the United
States. This is global turbulence and there's more to come."
he told in an interview. France's Lagarde said that her U.S.
counterpart Paulson expressed grave concern about the state of
the U.S. housing market, which has not only left gaping holes
on banks' balance sheets but also constrained consumer
spending, the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. She said Paulson
did not use the word "recession". Many U.S. economists believe
the U.S. economy is already in or near a recession. Paulson
has insisted that while U.S. growth will slow, a severe
downturn is unlikely.
Each year the heads of governments of these highly
industrialized countries gather with agendas to write off
debts to poor countries, allow easy access of labor and
produce of poor and developing countries into their markets
and so on and so forth. They also make commitment amid a
cacophony to release the smallest portion of their GDPs toward
aid to the needy nations, some of which are admired though as
a buttress of democracy, suffering from mocking poverty, but
only to break it later, and all other pledges at the end of
the day also all but end up in mere lip service. Whereas some
countries are so poor under the planet that even Africans send
them aid in cash and kind. It is the height of shame, travesty
of justice and a mockery of the desired virtues of humanity
that the rich are freely wasting wherewithal on useless
ceremonies and summits while many others also living in this
world continue to remain unrepresented and lie in hunger,
despair and frustration and in a state of permanent
marginalization with inequities aplenty. The issue of climate
change has been kept in the backburner of the meeting as also
the aid to poorest nations.
Many analysts see little chance of any coordinated action or
in other words G-7 meets amid fading hopes of joint action on
economy. Besides, globalization has done precious little to
alleviate their multi-faceted woes. Once it was trade and not
aid for a country to prosper but in the trade sector, only
yawning deficits are surfacing in many countries, which are
mostly import-dependent. Democracy is unsustainable when
abject poverty rules the roost, besides encouraging terrorism
and lawlessness. Hopefully, now the rich nations will have to
find time to care to look at others, near and far, suffering
from the utter lack of even the very basics in human life
simply because of asymmetrical distribution of resources and
endowments. Humanization of relationship between rich and
poor, apart from democratization of international relations,
can to some measure bridge the gap that lies between haves and
have-nots.
(Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal is a Research scholar,
School of International Studies, Jawaharlal University,
Delhi 110067)
Global Warming Objections
About 11,000 scientists who are actively engaged in climate
science research around the world signed a petition protesting
U.S. President George Bush's stance on global warming.
Chuck Hall
Quite
often you'll hear from global warming dissenters that 'many
leading scientists object to global warming.' This argument is
often used to demonstrate that there is no major scientific
consensus that human activities are contributing in any
significant way to global warming. While it is true that some
have dissented, in order to gain a sense of perspective on
what the scientific consensus really is, we must first define
what we mean by 'many' and 'scientists.'
For example, a recent U.S. Senate report had about 400
'scientists' stating that they did not believe that human
activities played a significant part in global warming. A
Canadian group of 60 'scientists' also signed a letter to that
effect in 2006. However, on closer examination of the
credentials of these scientists, many of them were retired,
and the majority of them had areas of expertise unrelated to
climatology. Asking a scientist in another field to render an
opinion on climatology is somewhat akin to going to a
pediatrician for advice on how to treat cancer.
Added together, the U.S. and Canadian dissenters who made
statements number about 500. In contrast, about 11,000
scientists who are actively engaged in climate science
research around the world signed a petition protesting U.S.
President George Bush's stance on global warming. When you do
the math, this means that only 1 in 22 scientists object to
the consensus that climate change is caused largely by human
activities. And of this 1 in 22, the majority has specialties
in fields other than climate sciences.
Rendering an opinion is quite a bit different than publishing
actual research in a peer-reviewed journal. The process of
peer-review means that the article meets rigorous requirements
for scientific accuracy. Such papers are examined thoroughly
by a panel of experts in the field to ensure accuracy. So what
do the peer-reviewed journals have to say on the subject?
In 2004, a study by Naomi Oreskes looked at over 1000
peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that referenced
global warming in some way. The papers examined were all
published in the last decade, and all were subject to vigorous
review by experts in climatology. The study found that not a
single one of these papers denied that global warming was
happening. Furthermore, not a single one of these papers
denied that human activities were responsible in a large part
of climate change.
In addition to this unanimous consensus in the scientific
literature, The American Meteorological Society, the American
Geophysical Union, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS), and various scientific
organizations of Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany,
India, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, all have
issued statements in recent years that the evidence for human
modification of climate is compelling.
In fact, the evidence is so compelling, global warming has
produced a consensus that is rarely seen in the skeptical
world of science. Scientists are trained to be skeptical by
nature. So if skeptics worldwide overwhelmingly agree, it is
safe to conclude that there must be a reason. That reason is
most likely that humans are responsible for global warming.
(Chuck Hall is a freelance international columnist writing
on environmental issues. You may contact Chuck by email at:
chuck@cultureartist.org.)
Justice or Show Trials for
Inmates of Gitmo?
When the US violates human rights in the fight against
terrorism, it sends a message to autocrats and dictators
worldwide that they, too, can deny human rights in the name of
counterterrorism."
William Fisher
As
the US moves toward the death-sentence trials of six suspected
terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, legal scholars and human rights
advocates are raising questions not only about the process
that led to the prosecutions but also about the Bush
administration's motives in bringing the charges now and the
credibility of the trials themselves. The charges filed
against the six, including alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed, outline a litany of war crimes and include
conspiracy, murder, attacking civilians, terrorism and
supporting terrorism. All six suspects are being held at
Guantanamo Bay, and the military plans to try the six
together. If convicted, they would likely be executed at
Guantanamo.
Before being shipped to Guantanamo, five of the defendants
were held without charges or legal representation by the US
Central Intelligence Agency in secret prisons in Eastern
Europe and elsewhere and reportedly subjected to torture. The
Bush administration has acknowledged that at least one of the
defendants, Mohammed, the reported "mastermind" of the Sept.
11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, was
subjected to "waterboarding" while in custody. Waterboarding,
a technique that simulates drowning, has been acknowledged as
torture for hundreds of years. During World War II, US
authorities prosecuted Japanese soldiers for using the
practice against American prisoners of war.
Military authorities have declared that no evidence obtained
through torture will be used at the trials. But many legal
experts, including Columbia University law professor Scott
Horton, are questioning whether the government can convict the
six without using evidence obtained through torture. Horton
believes the process used to establish the Military
Commissions - criminal courts run by the US armed forces - is
likely to result in "a series of show trials" timed to
strengthen the Republican Party's chances in the 2008
presidential election.
Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional
Rights (CCR), a New York-based legal advocacy group, which
represents one of the defendants, Mohammad Al- Qahtani, says
the Military Commission system "has none of the guarantees of
regular trials. "
Many military lawyers have expressed similar views. For
example, the head prosecutor at Guant?namo, Col. Morris Davis,
resigned when he was placed directly under the command of the
General Counsel of the Department of Defense, a principal
author of the military commissions system. And lifelong
Republican John Hutson, a retired judge advocate general, has
expressed increasing frustration with the Bush
administration's treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
The procedures of the military commissions have been
repeatedly challenged in US civilian courts, resulting in a
number of stinging defeats for the Bush administration and
contributing to the delays in beginning prosecutions. The
legal saga began in 2001, when President Bush issued an
executive order establishing military commissions to try those
captured in the "war on terror." But in 2004, a federal judge
ruled that Salim Hamdan - accused of being a driver of Osama
bin Laden - could not be tried by a commission established by
an executive order. Only an act of Congress, the court
suggested, could be legal. So in December 2005, a
Republican-controlled Congress passed the Detainee Treatment
Act of 2005 (DTA). It stripped US courts of jurisdiction over
habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of Guant?namo
detainees challenging the reason for their detention and
vested exclusive review of final decisions of military
commissions in a single circuit court. A year later, an
appeals court overturned the Hamdan decision. And a year after
that, the Supreme Court reversed the appeals court decision.
The High Court ruled that military commissions, as defined
under the president's executive order, violated military law
and the Geneva Conventions. Congress then hurriedly enacted
the Military Commissions Act of 2005, which President Bush
signed into law in early 2006. That law, which is still under
challenge in the courts, became the basis of the current
prosecutions.
Concern about the credibility of the US has also been voiced
by many American legal scholars. David Cole, one of America's
pre-eminent constitutional authorities, says: "For better or
worse, the US is a world leader on matters of human rights.
When the US violates human rights in the fight against
terrorism, it sends a message to autocrats and dictators
worldwide that they, too, can deny human rights in the name of
counterterrorism."
Source:
www.arabnews.com
Viewpoints
A Chance for Change
in Burma
Change
will require compromises, and will be slow at best. There is a
small window of opportunity to try something new. Burma's
neighbors, backed by the international community, should seize
the moment.
John Virgoe
Four
months after crushing massive street protests, Burma's
generals seem as entrenched as ever. There are few workable
options for a way forward. Twenty years of Western sanctions
haven't worked. Neither has 20 years of "constructive
engagement" by Burma's neighbors. It is time to try something
else.
A three-tiered approach - with a division of labor between the
United Nations, Burma's neighbors, and the wider international
community - holds the best prospect of launching a process of
reconciliation and broader reform.
The first tier would build on the work of the UN secretary
general's special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari. He has been able to
establish a reasonable relationship with all the key players
in Burma and abroad, and it therefore makes sense for him to
coordinate the diplomatic efforts. Within Burma, his key role
is to focus on political reform and national reconciliation
between the government, the democratic opposition under Aung
San Suu Kyi, and the ethnic groups. This will require
sustained, low-profile mediation efforts. Retaining the
confidence of the generals may mean it is sometimes better to
leave public denunciations of their human rights record and
other failings to others.
The second key tier would be informal regional talks. For
years, Burma's neighbors have taken heat for their defense of
Burma, which has seriously damaged ASEAN's relationship with
the West. Now is the time for them to call in their favors
with the regime.
Indonesia is particularly well-placed to take a lead. It is
keen to show progressive leadership, and it carries weight in
the region and in Burma. Its recent transition to democracy,
reducing the military's political role, and its experience
with separatist conflict has obvious relevance.
Regional talks on Burma, based on the prospect of its
reintegration into the region, should address the need for
long-term stability, democratic reforms, and transparent
economic policy. Without joining the generals in their
paranoia, the participants will need to reassure them that
Burma's stability and territorial integrity are not
threatened.
Western nations are generally reluctant to accept that others
are sometimes better placed to take a lead. But Burma is such
a case. It is possible that the junta might agree to
constructive actions with a group consisting of, for example,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and China. It is
inconceivable that they would do so if the United States or EU
were present.
But the wider international community has a vital role to play
too, providing the context for the regional talks and the UN's
mediation efforts. This would mean keeping human rights at the
top of the agenda; developing a set of escalating sanctions
and incentives to encourage progress and punish recalcitrance
by the regime; and monitoring the regional talks to ensure
they do not degenerate into an excuse for inaction.
A donors' forum could help address the urgent problems of
hunger, poverty, and disease. It could also start contingency
planning for a transition to democracy. The crisis in Burma
goes beyond politics. After decades of conflict, institutional
failure, and poverty, the country suffers deep social
divisions, incompetent and corrupt governance, collapse of the
education system, deep-rooted structural poverty and a health
crisis of major proportions.
The creation of a donors' forum would also send a powerful
message to Burma that there is an alternative to hostile
relations with the outside world.
Finding a way forward is complicated by three persistent
misperceptions. The first is that ever tighter sanctions can
force change. But the generals are used to ostracism, and they
are not going to be forced to give up power. The second is
that China holds the key, if only it could be persuaded to
exert its influence. China's influence is important, but it
can be exaggerated. China has been as frustrated as anyone
with the generals' resistance to outside persuasion.
The third misperception is that all Burma needs is an end to
the junta's rule. But Burma faces real problems of internal
conflict and instability - including conflicts with ethnic
secessionists which have raged ever since independence.
Military rule has also caused most formal and informal
institutions to wither. Even many in the democratic opposition
accept that progress will require close cooperation with the
army. The junta's so-called road map to democracy, though
wholly inadequate, could be viewed as an initial offer for
discussion.
Change will require compromises, and will be slow at best.
There is a small window of opportunity to try something new.
Burma's neighbors, backed by the international community,
should seize the moment.
(John Virgoe is South East Asia project director at the
International Crisis Group.Source: www.crisisgroup.org)
A President for Middle East
Although only some 126
million Americans actually get to vote in this most complex of
all electoral exercises, its consequences are experienced and
felt by all of us on the planet.
Aijaz
Zaka Syed
GIVEN
the unprecedented interest in the fascinating juggernaut
undulating across the United States, you would think six billion
people of the globe have a stake in the US presidential
election.
And why not? Although only some 126 million Americans actually
get to vote in this most complex of all electoral exercises, its
consequences are experienced and felt by all of us on the
planet.
America is not just the world's reigning superpower with the
deadliest weapons known to Man at its disposal. No country has
ever enjoyed the kind of overarching power the US of A exercises
today. And this isn't limited to military and political spheres.
If the US dollar has come to be accepted as the currency that
the world does business in, it's because of the US economy's
central role in the world economy.
FROM powerful European economies to the Middle East's oil
markets to emerging players like India and China, every economy
is joined at the hip with the US economy. Which explains why the
world markets tend to catch cold if the US economy so much as
sneezes. The case in point is the global panic over the
sub-prime crisis in the US.
But nothing beats America's all-pervasive cultural influence.
You can't escape it wherever you live on the planet. The empire
of the mind built by the US over the past couple of centuries,
especially during the 20th century, is the most powerful the Man
has known.
And the Weapons of Mass Persuasion at the beck and call of this
empire are Hollywood, the mighty US media and the pop culture of
Mac America that rule the world, from Alaska to Australia. These
forces are far more powerful than the world's most powerful
military that reports to the US commander-in-chief.
All of us - Asians, Arabs, Europeans and Africans - are subjects
of the American empire, whether we like it or not. Which is why
it's only fair to ask we be given a say in the election of the
man (or woman?) who will rule us from 1600, Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington, DC.
And of all the American subjects, no other people deserve this
right to elect the US president more than the people of the
Middle East and the Muslim world.
Here's why: At least two Muslim countries, Iraq and Afghanistan,
are under American occupation. Between them, Iraq and
Afghanistan have nearly 200,000 US troops on their soil. This is
the biggest US military deployment since the World War II
anywhere in the world.
Besides Afghanistan and Iraq, several Arab and Central Asian
Muslim countries are home to US military bases and facilities.
More important, no other people have suffered the consequences
of the US policies and actions as those living in these regions.
The US influence over the Muslim world goes beyond the obvious.
From its strategic relations with allies like Egypt, Saudi
Arabia and other Gulf states to its unquestioning support to
Israel, the US has played a crucial role in the affairs of the
Islamic world for nearly a century now.
If you noticed the grand, red carpet welcome unveiled for a lame
duck and the most reviled president in US history recently
across the Middle East despite the mess he has visited on the
region, you'd know what I mean. So Abdul Bari Atwan of Al-Quds
Al-Arabi wasn't far off the mark when he recently described the
US as a 'Middle Eastern' country in a chat with CNN.
Returning to the US vote, the Muslim world has never been this
excited about any election. No prizes for guessing what inspires
this unprecedented interest in a distant vote.
Barack Hussein Obama, who was once condescendingly dismissed by
Hillary Clinton as an upstart has captured the imagination of
the American people like no candidate has. Like most of us,
Americans seem to have been repelled by Hillary's ludicrous
sense of entitlement and her two-for-one offer ("Get me and you
get Bill!").
Obama on the other hand has lifted the Bush-whacked country out
of gloom making the Americans once again feel good about
themselves and their country. His message of hope and optimism
has united a deeply divided society. The Democratic presidential
hopeful acts and speaks like a messiah promising the Americans a
new dawn of hope and opportunity: "Yes, We Can." He repeatedly
reminds the Americans: "We are the CHANGE that we SEEK." "We are
the ones we've been waiting for."
How can you not be moved by this? How can you not vote for such
a compelling message of hope? When this race began, this son of
a black Kenyan Muslim father and white, all-American mother, was
seen as one of the many, regulation also-rans who join every
presidential race. In opinion polls too, he was way behind 'the
experienced and tested' Hillary. Less than four months ago, in
October 2007, he was trailing Hillary in his own community of
African Americans. And look at him today. He already looks like
President Obama with highest number of delegates and biggest
vote share in his kitty.
The momentum that began with a small rally and hesitant speech
in Springfield, Illinois last May has turned into a movement
that has rejuvenated a despondent, directionless country. Obama
has confounded critics and establishment pundits with his
winning streak that began with Iowa Caucuses and has already won
23 out of 35 contests.
So short of some unforeseen accidents or behind-the-scenes
manipulation by Super Delegates (top party leaders and
officials), Obama looks all set to take his battle all the way
to the White House.
It's not just the eligible US voters who are plumping for
candidate Obama. The whole world is rooting for the nomination
and eventual victory of the young Illinois senator.
After a long, long time America has got in Obama a leader who
could restore the world's trust in the land of the free and all
that it once stood for.
And perhaps more than anyone, it's the people in the Muslim
world who want the Obama revolution to succeed. Given a chance,
the Arabs and Muslims would vote for candidate Obama. He is the
best guy around for the job - not only for the president of the
United States but also for the President of the Middle East! We
have a stake in this vote, after all.
After the unholy mess that you see from Palestine to Pakistan,
the last thing we want is another trigger-happy cowboy in the
White House! So we are all for the CHANGE that Obama promises.
God knows America needs change. And we all need this change.
America needs to be rediscovered as the land that once inspired
us all.
Source: www. khaleejtimes.com
State Law or Law of the Jungle?
Natasha Bukhari
Disturbing and tragic
events in the Middle East are a daily occurrence, sadly enough.
So much so, that we have grown accustomed to news of suicide
bomb attacks killing tens of innocent bystanders in Iraq, or of
many Palestinian civilians falling victim "by accident" to one
of Israel's hunts for Hamas militants in Gaza.
Watching your own suffer due to injustice brought about by
political struggle and occupation must be one of the worst
feelings known to mankind, as it does not only remind one of
one's own crippling helplessness, but it also unveils that
all-so-common ugliness we humans can be capable of manifesting.
Two news items that surfaced last week provoked such feelings in
me. Upon reading them, I instantly felt sick, angry, and, most
of all, helpless. I was suddenly engulfed by a whirlwind of
negative emotions that I, being a believer in the law of
attraction, struggled to get rid of, but to no avail.
The first stomach-churning item was news of horrific images
revealed to a CNN correspondent by Basra police. Reportedly, the
police file revealed images of women tortured and killed for
failing to adhere to "rules" imposed by secret fundamentalist
groups there.
These rules, according to accounts by women living there, could
be having to wear the veil, or not wearing lipstick; and not
following them can lead to punishments as severe as mutilation,
torture, and beheading.
While we are not unfamiliar with consequences of blind
fanaticism, it is still hard to believe that a woman can be
killed in front of her children for failing to wear a headscarf,
just like it is hard to believe that in Basra last year 133
women were killed by anonymous perpetrators who decided to play
god. These "violations of Islamic teachings" by women led to
their deaths and the destruction of their families as well as
the terrorizing of a whole community.
While one would argue that such unlawful acts of persecution
were brought about by the absence of any jurisdiction after the
war on Iraq and the chaos that ensued afterwards, it is still
very difficult to fathom the idea that the most basic human
right of personal choice and living in dignity can be trampled
on by your own people in the name of religion. The second
reported incident is even more condemnable, if that is at all
possible, because if true, it is tantamount to persecution by
the state of its own citizens, and is in no way related to the
absence of the rule of law as is the case with the Basra crimes.
According to press reports, Human Rights Watch has claimed that
HIV-positive Egyptian men are tortured and chained to hospital
beds while awaiting homosexuality trials.
The report said that the men were forced to undergo HIV tests
and were subjected to forced anal tests to "prove" their
homosexuality. Some were then chained to hospital beds for hours
awaiting "debauchery" trials.
The human rights group condemned these practices as "torturous,"
"unjust," and "ignorant." It also decried the treatment of HIV
patients as criminals instead of providing them with the
necessary medical attention.
Such practices by the state, which is supposed to be the
protector of its citizens, are downright shocking. It is our
governments that we should turn to if or when our rights are
threatened. It is our judicial system that should be the
guarantor of our most basic rights, and it is our medical system
that we turn to for treatment when unwell, regardless of the
reasons behind our ill-health.
What many in positions of power in our part of the world fail to
understand is that allegiance is earned and not enforced. When
any system starts unlawfully prosecuting its subjects, the
repercussions will be grave. After all, the law of attraction
never fails. What goes around does indeed come around.
Source:
www.middleeasttimes.com
International
Pakistanis vote
amid violence
AFP, Islamabad
Millions of Pakistanis voted on Monday in
critical elections overshadowed by violence and fears of
rigging, with the fate of key US ally President Pervez
Musharraf hanging in the balance.
The parliamentary polls were delayed after the
assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in a
suicide attack in December, and they cap a year of
political turmoil and bloodshed in the nuclear-armed
Islamic republic.
The vote is intended to complete a transition to civilian
rule about eight years after Musharraf seized power in a
coup, but analysts say it is more likely to spark fresh
unrest if the opposition claim widespread fraud.
Voting in major cities began slowly after polling stations
opened at 8:00 am, (0300 GMT), with 81 million people
eligible to vote. They are due to close at 5:00 pm, with
the first results at about 10:30 pm.
"I am not afraid of bomb blasts... I am far less
courageous than Bhutto but I would be ready to die to
achieve her mission," Sakina Bibi, a 60-year-old supporter
of the slain opposition leader, told AFP in Karachi.
The government says 500,000 security personnel, including
80,000 troops, are protecting voters from the threat of
more suicide bombings and political violence.
Five people were killed in an election-eve shooting in the
eastern city of Lahore, including a politician from former
prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party standing in provincial
elections that are also being held on Monday.
Two bombs also went off at polling stations in the
northwestern Swat region, causing damage but no
casualties, police said.
Opposition leaders have alleged that the polls will be
rigged in favour of Musharraf's allies, to prevent the
possibility of a hostile parliament that could call for
the president's impeachment.
Musharraf, who is not standing in the polls, has promised
that the polls will be free, fair and peaceful, and his
spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi dismissed the
allegations of rigging.
"As spokesman for the president, I have seen the
earnestness with which he has been working and trying to
remove every hitch for these polls," Qureshi told AFP.
Police said they had arrested an electoral officer in
southern Sindh province in connection with hundreds of
missing ballot papers. The outcome of the vote will be
watched avidly in Western capitals amid concerns about
Musharraf's ability to tackle Al-Qaeda and Taliban
militants based in Pakistan's tribal areas on the Afghan
border.
Opinion polls have tipped Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party
to win, followed by Sharif's grouping, with the pro-Musharraf
Pakistan Muslim League-Q trailing in third place.
Musharraf has rejected the opinion polls, which also show
his popularity slumping.
Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari and Sharif have pledged
to hold protests if they suspect foul play. Both have said
they suspect "massive" rigging in favour of Musharraf's
allies.
They say a low turnout caused by fears of violence would
make vote fraud even easier, but many Pakistanis said they
were determined to cast their ballots anyway. "I am scared
because of all the bombings but I am sure Allah will
protect me and all the people voting today," Saima Zahoor,
a housewife clad in an all-covering burka, told AFP in the
northwestern city of Peshawar.
Deal between key Iraqi Shiite figures collapses
AFP, Najaf
Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's movement Sunday
announced it was cancelling a pact it signed four months
ago with its main Shiite rival aimed at reducing tension
between the two groups.
The agreement between the Sadrists and the Supreme Iraqi
Islamic Council (SIIC) of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim "has failed
and is cancelled," Nassar al-Rubaie, spokesman for the
Sadr bloc in parliament, told AFP.
The two groups, which have clashed repeatedly in the past
as each sought control of Iraq's majority Shiite
community, signed a pact last October 6 aimed at ending
the violence between their two militias.
Their attempt at reconciliation was prompted by tensions
in the town of Diwaniyah, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south
of Baghdad, between the local authorities controlled by
the SIIC and Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
Dozens of Sadrists had been rounded up in operations led
by the Iraqi security forces supported by US troops
following confrontations between the rival militiamen
during the second half of 2007.
Part of the deal was that joint committees be set up with
provincial branches to keep order between rival
supporters, but according to Rubaie this has not been
done.
"Committees should have been created to resolve security
problems in all the provinces," he said. "But they have
not been implemented and this agreement is just a facade.
It has not been activated."
Competition between the two Shiite factions has often been
violent, with a number of officials on either side
assassinated.
At stake is control of local government in Iraq's mainly
Shiite southern provinces which are rich in oil, and in
particular in the large town of Basra, the main port for
exporting hydrocarbons.
Rivalry between the two movements is likely to increase
ahead of provincial elections scheduled for October 1.
The SIIC has close links with Iran, and its chief Abdel
Aziz al-Hakim often visits Teheran.
He is also welcomed in Washington, where he is regarded as
a key player on the Iraqi political scene. |