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Amar Ekushey today
Nation pays homage to
language martyrs
Staff Correspondent
The nation as well as the
world community observes with due solemnity Amar Ekushey-the
International Mother Language Day, today (Thursday)
commemorating the martyrs who laid down their lives on
this day 56 years ago for the dignity, honour and official
recognition of Bangla as a state language. On February 21
in 1952, Salam, Shafiq, Jabbar, Barkat and Rafiq were
killed when police opened fire to disperse students
demonstrating for the declaration of Bengali as a state
language of erstwhile Pakistan. At home, elaborate
programmes have been chalked out both official and
non-official to observe the day to pay tribute to the
martyrs of the language movement.
The
day will also be observed as the International Mother
Language Day in 188 countries across the globe. Ekushey
February was recognized as the International Mother
Language Day by the UNESCO on November 17, 1999. The day
is a public holiday.
Radio
Bangladesh, Bangladesh Television and other channels are
putting out special programmes and national dailies have
published special supplements highlighting the
significance of the day. Political parties,
socio-cultural organisations and educational
institutions have drawn up programmes in a limited scale
due to state of emergency. Dhaka University, Nazrul
Institute, Shilpakala Academy, Jatiya Grantha Kendra,
Central Public Library and cultural organisations have
chalked out separate programmes to mark the day.
Bangladesh Awami League, both faction of Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) Jatiya party and all other
political parties and their front organizations have
also taken up programmes separately to observe the day.
The
programmes include hoisting of black flags at different
organisations and educational institutions, wearing of
black badges and placing of floral wreaths at different
Shaheed Minars including the Central Shaheed Minar and
offering of prayers at the mazar of language movement
martyrs.
Dhaka Metropolitan
Police (DMP) has imposed restrictions on plying of
vehicles on roads leading towards the Central Shaheed
Minar to pave the way for easy movement of general
public to pay their homage to the martyrs of the
language movement. The restrictions effective from 6 pm
on Wednesday will continue till 2 pm today (Thursday).
DMP also fixed the routes towards the Central Shaheed
Minar and the Azimpur Graveyard to maintain peace and
discipline in observance of the immortal Ekushey.
Besides, special squads of RAB riding motorcycles are
patrolling in around the Dhaka University campus to
enforce law and order.
Unrest at
Nursing Institute of DMCH
Staff Correspondent
Angry nurses on Wednesday
confined the Principal of Nursing Institute of Dhaka
Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and ransacked around 10
office rooms as they were asked to leave third floor of
their dormitory by the authority. According to sources,
earlier, Tahanun Nahar, Principal of the institute issued
a notice to the nurses asking them to vacate the third
floor of the dormitory as they completed their diploma
course and the students of next batch were scheduled to be
allocated the rooms.
When
the notice was hanged, the nurses became furious and
went to the Principal’s room at about 9:30 am and asked
her to withdraw the notice. At one stage Principal
Tahanun Nahar misbehaved with them and asked them to
leave her office. The nurses were requesting the
Principal that they want to complete BSc nurse course
staying on the fourth floor dormitories.
Responding to the nurse’s demand, Principal said "Why do
you want to be a BSc nurse. You should marry a
rickshawpuller. Get out from my room," quoting
Principal, the agitating nurses said. At one stage when
the Principal misbehaved, the nurses became angry and
they confined the Principal to her room for about five
hours form 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. The agitated nurses then
went on a rampage and started ransacking around ten
office rooms, equipment, furniture and other valuables.
They also brought out a procession inside the institute
demanding the immediate resignation of the Principal.
Later Director of
DMCH Brigadier General, Dr Mohammed Abdus Shahid and
also the Chairman of the institute rushed to the sport
and rescued her.
Legal remedy not
enough for Hasina’s release: AL
Staff Correspondent
Legal battle alone is not
enough to free the detained Awami League President Sheikh
Hasina. The party leaders and activists must unite and
take preparation for making any lawful programme, if
necessarily announced by the party High Command, a success
with a view to freeing the former premier Sheikh Hasina.
These were stated by the AL leaders in a discussion
meeting organised by the AL Central Committee marking the
‘International Mother Language Day’ at the Engineers’
Institution auditorium in the capital on Wednesday
afternoon. AL leaders demanded of the caretaker government
to ensure proper treatment of the imprisoned party
president as per the advices of the physicians and release
her before March 7.
Chaired by the Acting AL President Zillur Rahman, the
veteran AL leaders discussed about the prevailing
political, socio-economic situation and expressed their
firm determination saying, "It would not be possible to
take part in the upcoming general election with party
chief Hasina behind bars." Zillur Rahman called upon the
partymen to remain alert and united to gear up the party
programmes in future so that Sheikh can be freed within
the shortest possible time.
AL
presidium member Sajeda Chowdhury said, "I hope, the
government will take the right decision for releasing
Hasina, daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, before the situation takes a turn
for the worse in March."
"The legal remedy is
not the only the solution for Hasina’s release,"
observed Amir Hossain Amu. He demanded proper treatment
for the ailing Hasina within 72 hours. AL Presidium
member Tofael Ahmed urged the caretaker government not
to delay holding dialogue between the government and the
political parties and announce the date of the next
general election as early as possible.
Back Page
ACC
to determine fate of 263 left out officials
UNB, Dhaka
The Anti-Corruption
Commission is set to take a final decision on Sunday on
how many of the 263 officials of the now-defunct Bureau of
Anti-Corruption earlier left out by the ACC will actually
be absorbed.
The Commission has so far interviewed 218 of them since
February 7 following the withdrawal of cases filed by the
aggrieved employees, sources told UNB.
The remaining 45 people will be interviewed Sunday and the
Commission will sit later in the day to take a final
decision as to how many of them will be absorbed by the
ACC, the sources added.
They said there is a numbering system in place and those
who will score over a certain number in the interviews
would be absorbed. They hinted that the number of the
absorbed officials could be a little over half of the 263
who were interviewed.
The Commission hopes that the inclusion of these officials
will increase the working capacity of the anti-graft body.
On February 4, ACC chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud
Chowdhury told a press briefing that only the employees
with good records would be absorbed and "This will
increase the Commission's manpower."
Replying to a question, he said many had thought that the
process through which they were left out was not
transparent.
After the emergence of the ACC on November 21, 2004
dissolving the BAC, the then Commission, led by Justice
Sultan Hossain, Khan had screened out 263 former BAC
officials.
Later, the aggrieved officials filed writ petitions with
the higher court challenging the decision.
Recently, there has been a negotiation between the
Commission and the officials who were left out. According
to the arrangement, the cases have been withdrawn and a
Committee headed by the ACC chairman himself has been
formed to interview them.
Meanwhile, the Commission following applications has
extended the deadline by another seven working days for
former BNP MP Sarder Sakhawat Hossain Bakul and former
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's APS Abdul Matin - two of the
corrupt suspects - to submit their wealth statements.
Both were issued notices on February 12 directing them to
submit their wealth statements within seven working days.
Edible oil price hike
Hoarding of businessmen create artificial crisis
F.M. Masum
A section of unscrupulous businessmen along with the
edible oil refinery mills owners are responsible for the
recent price hike of edible oil as they are hoarding the
edible oil in order to gain extra profits by creating
artificial crisis. The sufferings of the people has
intensified and they are apprehending that if this trends
continue for another few days the price of edible oil
would be double. Already the prices of edible oil has set
a new record yesterday (on Wednesday) packed soyabean was
selling at Tk 112 per kg and non-packed soyabean at Tk 108
per kg and besides the price of edible oil and palm oil is
increasing day by day in the city's kitchen markets as
well as across the country.
Talking to this correspondent, Alam Sikder, a consumer in
a city market, said, "The people are hard hit by the
recent price hike of edible oil, the price of other food
items have also gone up, the government should take stern
action against the whole-sellers responsible for the price
spiral of oil and it also should set up more shops in
different locations of the city where the people would be
able to buy the edible oil at lower price."
As per the government statistics, the price of edible oil
has gone up by 16. 58 percent compared to that of last
month.
Anand Bakshi, a retailer said, "The edible oil businessmen
mainly the whole-sellers, who earlier promised to the
government that they would not increase the price of
edible oil, suddenly increased the price by Tk 200-300 per
maund breaching their pledge given to the Government."
Meanwhile, Razan Howlader, a whole-seller at the Nayabazar
in the old Dhaka denied the allegations against them
saying, " the oil refinery mills owners are not giving
enough supply of edible oil to us, besides the import of
edible oil has fallen sharply and the price of edible oil
and palm oil has increased in the international markets,"
When asked why they have breached their promise to the
Government, he said, "we have not violated any contract
with government, the whole-sellers are not responsible for
the price spiral of edible oil, rather the government has
failed to import enough supply as per the demand."
Yesterday, many people were seen thronging the BDR shops
to buy edible oil and they demanded of the Government for
immediate steps to set up more BDR shops in the city to
control the price hike of edible oil and rice soon. Mahin
Khan, a retailer in the city's Palashi market told this
correspondent, "the government decided to monitor some
nine items of daily commodities including edible oil to
contain the price hike, but it is a matter of frustration
that the government is yet to take any step in this
regard."
Bangla Academy names three
DU Correspondent
Three distinguished
personalities of the country have been awarded the 'Bangla
Academy Shahitya Puroshkar' 2008 in recognition of their
outstanding contributions to different fields of Bengali
literature.
The awardees are Manzure Maola (poetry), Jatin Sarkar
(essay and research) and Lutfar Rahman Riton (Child
literature). Director General of Bangla Academy Prof Sayed
Md Shahed announced the names at a ceremony on Wednesday.
The each awardee will get one lakh Taka, a certificate and
a crest.
Bangla Academy President Harun-or-Rashid will formally
distribute the awards among the recipients on the academy
premises on February 28.
Crime Watch
Yaba, arms recovered in city
Staff Correspondent
Detective Branch of police (DB) launched a massive drive
against the illegal drug peddlers and addicts, and
arrested at least eight people including two women from
different parts of the capital on Tuesday night.
According to sources, acting on a tip-off, a petrol team
of Detective Branch of police (DB) led by inspector, Nasir
Uddin went to Sutrapur and Shympur areas at about 7:00 pm
and arrested Rabiul, Aminul, Saiful, Mahbubur Rahman and
Julee Akhtar an alleged drug peddlers and also addicts.
The law enforcers also recovered around 600 yaba tablets
worth about Tk three lkah from their possession.
Besides, another team of the DB police led by inspector
Mosharaf Hossain raided a house under Jatrabari police
station at about 7:00 pm and arrested Nazmul and Rokeya.
Around 40 bottles of phensidyl were also recovered.
Meanwhile, on the basis of secret information, in another
team of DB police led by assistant commissioner, Shohodul
Islam raided new colony market under Mohammadpur police
station and arrested Parves Mohammed Shahin. One pistol
with nine rounds of bullets were recovered after searching
his body.
Cases were lodged.
12 bombs recovered
A Correspondent, Chapainawabganj
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-5 recovered 12 bombs from
Dhumihayatpur under Shibganj upazila in the district on
Wednesday.
RAB sources said acting on secret information, a special
squad of RAB-5 raided outside of Abdul Latif's house at
Dhumihayatpur under Shibganj upazila and recovered 12
abandoned bombs under a chalk room. In this connection a
GD was filed with Shibganj Thana and none was arrested,
sources said.
4 cops suspended
A Correspondent, Barisal
Higher authority has suspended four police officials of
Barisal range and ordered another to show cause for
different charges.
Police departmental sources with revealing identity said,
actions were taken against four police officials for
corruption, misevaluation of answer papers and taking
bribes in departmental examination of promotion from Nayek
and Habildar to Assistant Sub Inspector and from Assistant
Sub Inspector to Sub Inspector held at Barisal police line
on October 2007.
Office of the deputy inspector general of police of
Barisal range ordered by the police headquarters to
investigate the allegations raised by the promotion
deprived examinees. After the investigation, the report
was submitted and headquarters took action accordingly.
According to that Shakiluzaman, assistant police super of
Jhalakati Sadar circle, Safizul Islam, assistant police
super of Kalapara circle of Patuakhali and Rezaul Huq,
district inspector (DI-1) of Barisal and members of the
examination committee, have been suspended.
3 get 17-yr RI
A Correspondent, Barisal
A trial court in Barisal sentenced each of three accused
to 17 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) under two separate
sections of arms act.
The three convicts, Masum Bepari, Akram Bepari and Alam
Rari
of Dhamura village under Uzirpur police station of Barisal
district, were present at the court during handing down
the verdict.
Court sources said that Abul Kalam Azad, officer in charge
of Uzirpur police station raided a restaurant at Dhamura
tempo stand on January 26, 2007.
Police arrested the accused preparing for dacoity and
recovered one shooter gun and sharp weapons according to
their confession. OC as complainant lodged a case under
arms act against the accused on the same day and
investigation officer submitted charge sheet of the case
on February 12, 2007.
Md. Shahidullah, district and session judge of the special
tribunal after examining witnesses and evidences sentenced
each of the accused to 10 years RI under section 19)a0 and
7 years under section 19(f) of arms act on Tuesday
afternoon.
Editorial
Language Matters
On
16 May 2007, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed
2008 to be the International Year of Languages and formally
recognized the observance and its resolution of the
International Mother Language Day. To encourage all of its
partners to increase and reinforce their activities in favor
of the promotion and protection of all languages, particularly
endangered ones, in all individual and collective contexts,
UNESCO launched the slogan “Languages Matter!”
“Languages are indeed essential to the identity of groups and
individuals and to their peaceful coexistence. They constitute
a strategic factor of progress towards sustainable development
and a harmonious relationship between the global and the local
context,” said Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
on the eve of the International Mother Language Day 2008. He
further added that the date of 21 February 2008, that of the
ninth International Mother Language Day since 1999, has a
special significance and provide a particularly appropriate
deadline for the introduction of initiatives to promote
languages.
Mother tongue is the language of nature, which is intimately
related to the individual because it is structured and upheld
by local laws of nature, which structure the physiology of the
individual.
In recognition of the tremendous creativity involved in
formulating a language, given that there are some 7,000
languages spoken amongst the planet’s population, mother
language has been acknowledged as an important and precious
element of the cultural heritage and identity of a community.
The date 21 February, corresponding to 8 Falgun 1359 in the
Bangla calendar was chosen in homage to those “language
martyrs” from Bangladesh who were shot on 21/22 February 1952,
during public demonstrations to promote their mother language,
Bangla, as a national language along with Urdu, in the then
newly created Pakistan.
After hearing the heart-breaking dictation at a public meeting
in the then East Pakistan on 1948, 21 March while the then
Governor general of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah said that
Urdu would be the only state language for both west and east
Pakistan, the people of the East Pakistan (now Bangladesh,
whose main language is Bengali) started a movement against
this.
A student meeting on February 21, 1952 called for a
province-wide strike. But the government invoked Section 144
on 20 February. The student community at a meeting on the
morning of 21 February agreed to continue with their protest
but not to break the law of Section 144, but the police opened
fire on them and killed the students along with other language
martyrs- Abdul Jabbar, Rafiquddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat, Abdus
Salam, Shafiur Rahman and others.
The origin of this Day is attributed to an organization known
as “Mother Language Lovers of the World” in Canada along with
some notable Non-Resident Bangladeshis, who proposed this idea
to the United Nations and UNESCO and were told by UNESCO that
this request should be presented through a Member State. The
Government of Bangladesh obliged and 21 February was
proclaimed the International Mother Language Day by UNESCO on
November 17, 1999.
In Bangladesh, from 1953 until today, Feb. 21 has been
observed as a martyrs’ day. The memorial erected in their
names has turned into a national meeting place. The love and
respect that these martyrs had aroused for the Bengali mother
tongue and culture eventually laid the foundation of our War
of Liberation.
Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and
developing tangible and intangible heritages. All moves to
promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not
only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual
education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic
and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire
solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. It
is important to promote languages as a tool for social
integration or to explore the relationship between languages
and the economy, languages and indigenous knowledge or
languages and creation.
According to the French writer Stendhal, the first instrument
of a people’s genius is its mother language. Everything
transits through language, which embodies national, cultural
and sometimes religious identity for each person. It
constitutes one of the fundamental dimensions of a human
being. So mother languages should be promoted everywhere.
Analysis
History of Language Day
Our Bangla Bhasha Andholon (Bengali Language
Movement) had profound impact on all of the subsequent
political movements in the then East Pakistan.
Dr. M. Waheeduzzaman Manik
THE
BENGALI LANGUAGE Movement stands out as the inauguration of
Bangladesh’s struggle for self-determination. Our quest for
saving Bengali language from the transgression of Punjabi
dominated colonial rulers of Pakistan is a landmark in the
history of our nation’s struggle for freedom and independence.
The recent declaration by the UNESCO for making 21st February
as the International Mother Language Day is a clear
recognition of the inspiring universal message of our language
movement. The Bengali Language Movement that took place in
multiple phases in 1948 and 1952 was not the making of any
single individual. There was more than one leader who
spearheaded our language movement in all of its phases. The
purpose of this commentary is to underscore Shaheed
Dhirendranath Datta’s role in the making of the early phases
of our language movement.
Given the fact that December is a season not only for
‘celebration’ of Victory Day but also a time for ‘mourning’
the brutal murders of our martyred intellectuals and leaders,
it is an appropriate occasion to pay homage to Shaheed
Dhirendranath Datta, the inaugurator of the language movement
and a martyr of our liberation war. The recent world
recognition of the sacrifice of Bangalees’ blood for saving
our mother tongue from external cultural aggression by making
21st February as the International Mother Language Day makes a
tribute to Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta more relevant.
The roots of both 1948 and 1952 phases of Bengali Language
Movement in East Bengal can be traced back to a debate on
language that took place in June-July, 1947 between the
proponents and opponents of Urdu as the “only” state language
of Pakistan, a nation-state soon to be curved out of British
India. In response to Mountbatten’s declaration of June 3,
1947, the creation of Pakistan through the partition of India
was imminent. The Uttar Pradesh-based Urdu-speaking stalwarts
of the Muslim League had begun mobilizing their support and
resources in favor of establishing Urdu as the lingua franca
of Pakistan. For example, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed, Vice Chancellor
of Aligarh University declared in a Conference that “only Urdu
deserves to be the state language of a Muslim nation.”
It was Dr. Mohammad Shahidullah, a renowned and respected
Bangalee scholar, who forcefully protested the advocacy of
those non-Bengali Urdu lovers. In a thought provoking article
titled “Pakistaner Bhasha Shamasya” (The Language Problem in
Pakistan), published in Daily Azad, July 29, 1947, Dr. Mohamad
Shahidullah, a doyen in the field of linguistics, squarely
refuted the irrelevance, uselessness and unfairness of Dr.
Ziauddin Ahmed’s advocacy for imposing of Urdu as the lingua
franca of Pakistan. He emphasized that “Bengali being the
mother tongue of 55% of population of Pakistan deserves to be
the State language of the new nation. Once Bengali is being
adopted as the State language, we may then deliberate whether
or not Urdu can also be afforded the status of one of the
State languages of Pakistan.”
Various progressive political forces of East Bengal started
mobilizing support for making “Bengali” as one of State
languages of Pakistan even before the emergence of the nation.
For instance, some of the Bengali Muslim Leaguers formed the
Gono Azadi League under the leadership of Kamruddin Ahmed in
July, 1947. In its manifesto, Kamruddin Ahmed clearly
emphasized: “Bangla will be our State language. All necessary
steps need to be taken immediately for making Bangla language
suitable for all parts of Pakistan. Bangla shall be the only
official language of East Pakistan.”
Once Pakistan became a reality on August 14, 1947, the
unresolved language controversy continued to surface during
the early months of independent Pakistan. The Central
Government of Pakistan had already started the unilateral use
of “Urdu” in most of the official documents and letterheads of
the Central Government even before formally adopting “Urdu” as
the “only” State language. The anti-Bengali policies of the
Central Government spawned the feeling of distrust and
discontent among the student community about the ulterior
motives of Pakistani ruling elite. The most enlightened
segment of student community of Dhaka University started to
oppose various policies of the Central Government even before
the year 1947 ended. The Democratic Youth League (DYL),
founded in Dhaka on August 5, 1947 by the leftist and
progressive students of the then East Bengal, took the
leadership role in forging unity among the various pro-Bengali
forces to build up resistance against the imposition of Urdu.
In spite of the governmental repressive measures against the
DYL in the name of eradication of “communism,” the dedicated
workers of the DYL were in the vanguards in 1948 and 1952.
Founded as a cultural organization in Dhaka on September 1,
1947, Tamaddun Majlish played a historic role in the defense
of our mother tongue. Although the main intent of ‘Tamaddun
Majlish’ was to invigorate Islamic spirit and culture among
the citizens of the new nation of Pakistan, the vigorous role
played by this organization made it clear to the
Bengali-speaking Muslim population of Pakistan that the demand
for adopting Bengali as one of the State languages was “not
supported only by the anti-state elements and communists of
East Bengal.” Tamuddun Majlis issued on September 15, 1947, a
well-written pamphlet titled “Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha:
Bangla Na Urdu?” (“Pakistan’s State Language: Bangla or
Urdu?”). The authors of this historic booklet, Kazi Motahar
Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed and Professor Abul Kasem made a
strong case in favor of introducing Bengali as the only
language of instruction in offices and courts of East Bengal.
They also forcefully articulated their demand for Bengali to
be one of the State languages of Pakistan.
By December 1947, the progressive forces enlisted enough
support among the students and intelligentsia in Dhaka and
elsewhere in East Bengal for protecting Bengali language. It
was on January 4, 1948 when the East Pakistan Students’ League
(EPSL)-an assortment of pro-Suhrawardy Muslim students of the
defunct All Bengal Muslim Students’ League (ABMSL), was
formed. Soon after its emergence, EPSL played a crucial role
in all of the phases of Bengali language movement. Aimed at
building resistance against the reactionary and anti-Bengali
policies of the Muslim League Government, the leftist youths
and the disenchanted dissidents of the ruling Muslim League
party organized the “Workers’ Camp” in January 1948 at Dhaka.
The seven-day long Camp was very critical about various
anti-Bengali policies of the ruling Muslim League. The
organizers of the Camp were very vocal in articulating the
demand for Bengali.
It is obvious from the preceding that the intent of this paper
is not to allude to the idea that Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta
was the ‘only’ person who was trying to defend Bengali
language. In fact, there is a plethora of evidence to suggest
that the patriotic forces started mobilizing support in favor
of “Bengali”. Yet, those resistance and protests against the
imposition of Urdu remained essentially confined within the
pages of newspapers, pamphlets, articles or statements. It was
by no means a mass resistance against the ulterior motives and
policies of Pakistani ruling elite. However, the demand for
making Bengali as one of the State languages started taking
more concrete and volatile shape in early months of 1948.
Among many others who were in the vanguards of the 1948 phase
of the Bengali language movement, Dhirendranath Datta’s role
was seminal in the process of jumpstarting our resistance
against the forces of Urdu. In other words, Dhirendranath
Datta’s courageous step ignited the initial phase and widened
the extent of the Bengali Language Movement in East Bengal.
It was on February 25, 1948 when Dhirendranath Datta, a member
from Comilla, East Bengal, rose to address the President of
the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and said in no quivering
voice. (Direndranath Datta’s speech is being cited in full.
Due to limitation of space, only some relevant segments of the
responses of Liaquat Ali Khan and Khwaja Nazimuddin are cited.
No correction has been made outside parenthesis excepting the
word “Bengalee.” For maintaining consistency of the word
Bengali, I have used “Bengali” to substitute for the word “Bengalee.”
Dhirendranath Datta’s speech and responses to his speech have
been gleaned from “Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Smarakgrantha,”
Edited by Anisuzzaman, Dhaka: Shaheed Direndranath Datta
Smritiraksha Parishad, 1994, pp. 391-404):
“Mr. President, Sir, I move: That in sub-rule (1) of rule 29,
after the word ‘English’ in line 2, the words ‘or Bengalee’ be
inserted.” He continued: “May I move the other motion as that
can be considered together because that relates to the same
rule?” In response to his query, the President of CAP (M.A.
Jinnah) said: “I think you take them separately and not
together, you may take item No. 2 on the agenda-your first
amendment.” Dhirendranath asked for permission to speak in
support of his amendment to Rule 29: “May I speak, Sir?” The
CAP President, M.A. Jinnah said: “Yes, speak.”
In a firm voice, Dhirendranath Datta started to speak: “Sir,
in moving this- the motion that stands in my name—- I can
assure the House that I do so not in a spirit of narrow
Provincialism, but, Sir, in the spirit that this motion
receives the fullest consideration at the hands of members. I
know, Sir, that Bengali is a provincial language, but, so far
our state is concerned, it [Bengali] is the language of the
majority of the people of the state [State of Pakistan]. So
although it is a provincial language, but as it is a language
of the majority of the people of the state, it stands on a
different footing therefore. Out of six crores and ninety
lakhs of people of people inhabiting this State, 4 crores and
40 lakhs of people speak the Bengali language. So, Sir, what
should be the State language of the State [of Pakistan]? The
State language of the State [of Pakistan] should be the
language which is used by the majority of the people of the
State, and for that, Sir, I consider that Bengali language is
a lingua franca of our State. It may be contended with a
certain amount of force that even in our sister dominion
[India] the provincial language have not got the status of a
lingua franca because in her sister dominion of India the
proceedings of the Constituent Assembly is conducted in
Hindustani, Hindi or Urdu or English. It is not conducted in
the Bengali language but so far as the Bengali is concerned
out of 30 cores of people inhabiting that sister dominion [of
India only] two and a half crores speak the Bengali language.
Hindustani, Hindi or Urdu has been given an honored place in
the sister dominion [of India] because the majority of the
people of the Indian Dominion speak that language. So we are
to consider that in our state it is found that the majority of
the people of the Indian Dominion speak that language. So we
are to consider that in our State it is found that the
majority of the people of the State do speak the Bengali
language then Bengali should have an honored place even in the
Central Government [of Pakistan].”
Dhirendranath Datta pointed out: “I know, Sir, I voice the
sentiments of the vast millions of our State [of Pakistan]. In
the meantime I want to let the House know the feelings of the
vastest millions of our State. Even, Sir, in the Eastern
Pakistan where the people numbering four crores and forty
lakhs speak the Bengali language the common man even if he
goes to a Post Office and wants to have a money order form
finds that the money order is printed in Urdu language and is
not printed in Bengali language or it is printed in English. A
poor cultivator, who has got his son, Sir, as a student in the
Dacca University and who wants to send money to him, goes to a
village Post Office and he asks for a money order form, is
printed in Urdu language. He can not send the money order but
shall have to rush to a distant town and have this money order
form translated for him and then the money order, Sir, that is
necessary for his boy can be sent. The poor cultivator, Sir,
sells a certain plot of land or a poor cultivator purchases a
plot of land and goes to the Stamp vendor and pays him money
but cannot say whether he has received the value of the money
is Stamps. The value of the Stamp, Sir, is written not in
Bengali but is written Urdu and English. But he can’t say,
Sir, whether he has got the real value of the Stamp. These are
the difficulties experienced by the common man of the State.
The language of the State should be such which can be
understood by the common man of the State. The common man of
the State numbering four crores and forty millions [4 crores
and forty lakhs] find that the proceedings of the
[Constituent] Assembly [of Pakistan] which is their mother of
parliaments is being conducted in a language [Urdu], Sir which
is unknown to them. Then, Sir, English has got an honored
place, Sir, in Rule 29. I know, Sir, English has got an
honored placed because of the International Character [of
English]. But, Sir, if English can have an honored place in
Rule 29 that the proceedings of the [Constituent] Assembly
should be conducted in Urdu or English why [then] Bengalee,
which spoken by the four crores [and] forty lakhs of people
should not have an honored place, Sir, in Rule 29 of the
procedure Rules.”
Dhirendranath Datta continued to emphasize: “So, Sir, I know I
am voicing the sentiments of the vast millions of our State
and therefore Bengali should not be treated as a Provincial
Language. It should be treated as the language of the State.
And, therefore, Sir, I suggest that after the word ‘English,’
the word ‘Bengali’ be inserted in Rule 29. I do not wish to
detain the House but I wish that the Members [of the
Constituent Assembly ] present here should give a
consideration to the sentiments of the vast millions of our
State, Sir, and should accept the amendment [to Rule 29] that
has been moved by me.”
(Continued on page-5)
Viewpoints
History of Language Day
Continued
from page-4
Those who scathingly attacked Dhirendra Datta’s amendment
on the House floor were: Liaquat Ali Khan (the Prime Minister
of Pakistan), Sardar Abdur Rab Khan Nishtar (the Central
Minister for Communication), Ghaznafar Ali Khan (the Central
Minister for Refugees, Relief and Rehabilitation), Khwaja
Nazimuddin (the Chief Minister of East Bengal), and Alhaj
Mohammed Hashim Gazder (a CAP member from Sind). Tamizuddin
Khan, a distinguished member from East Bengal and the Deputy
President of the CAP also opposed the amendment of
Dhirendranath Datta.
Immediately after Dhirendranath Datta’s speech, Prem Hari
Barma, a member from East Bengal spoke in favor of the
amendment. Once he stopped, Liaquat Ali Khan (the Prime
Minister and Defence Minister of Pakistan) vociferously and
maliciously attacked the intent and content of Dhirendranath’s
amendment. Liaquat Ali Khan, a Mohajir and the Prime Minister,
was elected to the CAP by the then East Bengal Legislative
Assembly. Yet, he demonstrated his innate disdain for
“Bangalee” race in general and “Bengali” language in
particular when he said: “Mr. President, Sir, I listened to
the Speech of the Hon’ble Mover [Mr. Dhirendranath Datta from
East Bengal] of the amendment with very care and attention. I
wish the Hon’ble member had not moved his amendment and tried
to create misunderstanding between the different parts of
Pakistan. My Honorable friend has waxed eloquence and stated
that Bengali should really be the lingua franca of Pakistan.
In other words, he does not want Bengali only to be used as a
medium of expression in this House, but he has raised indeed a
very important question. He [Dhirendranath Datta] should
realize that Pakistan has been created because of the demand
of a hundred million Muslims in this sub-continent and the
language of a hundred million Muslims is Urdu and, therefore,
it is wrong for him [Dhirendranath Datta] now to try and
create the situation that as the majority of the people of
Pakistan belongs to one part of Pakistan, therefore, the
language which is spoken there should become the State
language of Pakistan. Pakistan is a Muslim State and it must
have its lingua franca, the language of the Muslim nation.”
Among other things, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan also said that
Pakistan “must have a State language-the language which would
be used between the different parts of Pakistan for
inter-provincial communications. Then, Sir, it is not only the
population you have to take into consideration. There are so
many other factors. Urdu can be the only language which can
keep the people of East Bengal or Eastern Zone and the people
of Western Zone jointed together. It is necessary for a nation
to have one language and that language can be Urdu and no
other language.”
Liaquat Ali Khan, the die-hard exponent of one nation, one
state and one language policy also cast aspersion on Dhirendra
Datta’s patriotism when he said: “The object of this amendment
[moved by Mr. Dhirendranath Datta] is to create a rift between
the people of Pakistan. The object of this amendment is to
take away from the Mussalmans that unifying force that bring
them together.” [At that point, Dhirendranath Datta protested
Liaquat Ali Khan’s downright distortions by saying: “Certainly
not, that is not the intention.”].
After several members spoke on the language issue, Khwaja
Nazimuddin claimed on the CAP floor that his support for Urdu
as the “only” State language of Pakistan was shared by the
views of an overwhelming majority of the people of East
Bengal. He said: “Sir, I feel it my duty to let the House know
what the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the people of
Eastern Pakistan over this question of Bengali language is. I
think, there will be no contradiction if I say that as far as
inter-communication between the provinces and the Centre is
concerned, they [people of East Bengal] feel that Urdu is the
only language that can be adopted [as the State language of
Pakistan]. But there is a strong feeling that the medium of
instruction should be Bengali in educational institutions and
as far as the administration of the province is concerned. The
language [to be] used in administering the province should
also be Bengali. I am glad to find out that the Honorable the
Leader of the House [Liaquat Ali Khan] has made it clear that
there is no question of ousting Bengali from the province [of
East Bengal] and I am sure that the overwhelming majority of
the people [of East Bengal] are in favor of having Urdu as the
State language for the Pakistan State as a whole.”
The untenable arguments and unfair characterization of
“Bengali” by Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan and his anti-Bengali
cohorts were challenged on the floor of the CAP only by the
members of Hindu community. Those who wholeheartedly supported
Dhirendranath Datta’s historic amendment and vehemently
defended the rightful place of Bengali on February 25, 1948
were as follows: Prem Hari Barma, Bhupendra Kumar Datta and
Sris Chandra Chattopadhyaya. Although only a limited number of
opposition members were allowed to speak on the CAP floor in
support of Bengali language on February 25, 1948, there is
evidence to suggest that “all” members of the opposition party
in the CAP (all of them were Hindu members) had endorsed
Dhirendranath Datta’s motion for adopting Bengali as one of
the “official” languages of the CAP. Unfortunately, not a
single Muslim member of the CAP supported Dhirendranath
Datta’s rightful amendment. No Bengali Muslim member from East
Bengal (not even “one”) lent any support for Bengali language
on February 25, 1948. There was total absence of any
endorsement of Dhirendranath Datta’s amendment from the Muslim
members for adopting Bengali language in the CAP. It needs to
be underscored that only the Hindu members of the CAP voted in
favor of Dhirendranath Datta’s amendment and spoke in support
of Bengali to be one of the State languages of Pakistan. It is
indeed ironic that the leaders of the most maligned minority
community of our nation had to volunteer to speak for
defending the mother tongue of the majority population of
Pakistan.
Although Dhirendrannath Datta’s amendment to Rule 29 was
defeated by the Muslim Leaguers in the CAP, he continued
fighting inside both the CAP and EBLA for establishing Bengali
language as one of the State languages of Pakistan. His demand
for adopting Bengali as one of the official languages of the
Central Government fully exposed the hidden anti-Bengali
design of the ruling coterie of Pakistan. He remained vocal in
the CAP against various anti-Bengali policies of the Central
Government. He vehemently opposed the adoption of Arabic
script for writing Bengali. Dhirendranath Datta pointed out in
the CAP on March 27, 1951: “I represent not only Hindus but
also the Musalmans. I can tell you that the ordinary people
will not understand the language (i.e. Arabic) that is sought
to be introduced in Eastern Bengal. That policy shall have to
be changed. I do not know whether the Government is aware of
this fact that amongst the large sections of the people and
especially among younger generation there is a demand made in
a certain conference that the Bengali language should be made
one of the State languages of Pakistan” (cited in Rangalal
Sen’s ‘Political Elite in Bangladesh’, Dhaka; University Press
Limited, 1986, p. 106).
Given the fact that our Bangla Bhasha Andholon (Bengali
Language Movement) had profound impact on all of the
subsequent political movements in the then East Pakistan,
Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta’s name cannot be separated from
our quest for freedom and independence. Although he was not
one of the language martyrs on February 21, 1952, he can be
characterized as the inaugurator of the glorious Bengali
language movement. Dhirendranath Datta was a martyr of our
ultimate war of independence. He was not murdered by the
‘retreating’ Pakistani occupation forces. His murder was
planned ahead of time. He was not a random casualty of cross
fire. Nor was he a victim of a mistaken identity. The way he
was picked up from his Comilla residence (along with youngest
son) on the fateful night of March 28, 1971 and later tortured
to death lends credence to the fact that the brute Pakistani
ruling elite did not forget Dhirendranath Datta’s role in the
making of the language movement in 1948. His elimination at
the beginning of our liberation war was also designed to
cripple the nation intellectually. Above all, the Pakistani
military junta wanted to deprive us of Dhirendranath Datta’s
leadership during our liberation war. At the age of 85,
Dhirendranath Datta was brutally murdered along with his son
by the marauding Pakistani military junta. The alluvial soil
of Bangladesh was drenched with Dhirendranath Datta’s blood.
Doubtless, Shaheed Dhirendrannath Datta spoke for all
Bangalees of the then East Bengal when he forcefully yet
respectfully demanded at the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan
(CAP) on February 25, 1948 that Bengali should be afforded the
status of one of the Sate languages of Pakistan. However, his
amendment was consciously designed to accomplish much broader
societal goals. Being a well known Congress leader,
Dhirendranath Datta was fully aware that his demand for making
Bengali as one of the State languages might be deliberately
misconstrued by the ruling coterie of Pakistan. Since he was
from the minority community, he also knew that his
“patriotism” would be under the scrutiny of Pakistani ruling
elite. Yet, Dhirendranath Datta took a courageous stand on the
CAP floor on that day. Indeed, he was standing on a high moral
ground when he demanded a rightful place for Bengali language.
(Dr. M. Waheeduzzaman Manik, the author, is an Associate
Professor and Coordinator in the Department of Public
Management at Austin Peay State University. Source:
Getting out of Afghanistan
The Anglo-American onslaught,
accompanied in Afghanistan by a 37-nation coalition, has
created more Al Qaeda militants than it has killed.
Jonathan
Power
The
first law of holes is when you are in one stop digging. If the
NATO nations are honest they have as much idea about what to
do next in Afghanistan as the Soviet generals did in 1988- the
year in which the relatively new Secretary General of the
Soviet Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, decided that the
Red Army should cut its horrific losses and pull out and leave
the Afghans to fight each other.
The Afghan tribes have an uninterrupted record of success in
resisting the foreign invader- Genghis Khan, the Persians, the
British in Winston Churchill's day as a subaltern, the Soviets
and now NATO. Time, they know, is on their side. Their rifles,
explosives and suicide bombers are a match for the most modern
weapons in NATO's armory. The only thing that could possibly
subdue them would be a massive number of NATO boots on the
ground, prepared to engage in close up fighting, but to find
numbers of this order would mean switching the full force of
America's military might from Iraq to Afghanistan and
persuading America's allies to beef up their contributions to
levels that would triple or quadruple present deployments.
While the politicians are finding it hard to come to terms
with leading a retreat, given the constant pressure form
Washington, they are- as Chancellor Angela Merkel has made
clear- slowly but clearly turning tail. It is no use that the
so-called opinion leaders in the strategic think tanks and
newspaper editorial pages are warning of disaster if there is
a pull out. They are not the ones getting killed for a
hopeless cause. Moreover, even the most informed of them do
not seem able to map out a convincing scenario for turning the
tables on the Taliban. A few thousand more troops, a better
coordinated aid program, an imposed Western tsar, a beefed up
local police force- none of these will work as long as
Afghanistan has its poppies and mountains and corruption
continues to seep into almost every pore of society. If this
were doable it would have been done by now.
The stakes, we all know, are high because the Taliban with
their tribal network spanning across a ridiculously placed
border dividing Afghanistan and Pakistan give refuge to Al
Qaeda. Getting rid of Al Qaeda must be a priority on the
world's common agenda. But this is not the way to do it. And
economically and socially developing Afghanistan can only be
done when the populace face down their local persecutors and
oppressors and demand it.
So how to deal with Al Qaeda? The mistakes date from the
immediate reaction to 9/11. Afghanistan should never have been
bombed. That immediately marked America and Britain as the
enemy in the minds of a good proportion of the Afghans. But
that mistake was part of a larger mistake- the determination
to go to war with modern military means against Al Qaeda- a
grouping of a few hundred at that time- even if it meant
putting at mortal risk the populations of whole countries,
Afghanistan, Iraq and, if Barack Obama continues his threat,
perhaps Pakistan.
The Anglo-American onslaught, accompanied in Afghanistan by a
37-nation coalition, has created more Al Qaeda militants than
it has killed. It has alienated most of the Muslim world and
has provided reason for tens of thousands of preachers,
hundreds of thousands of enraged young men and millions of
ordinary folk to talk of hitting back. The mild majority do it
by thought and word. A few thousand are now determined to do
it by deed. As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the
situation in Pakistan deteriorate these numbers will grow
geometrically.
Osama bin Laden and his intimates should have been run down by
careful international police work, just as the Israelis ran
down so many hiding Nazi leaders and Interpol and the French
successfully hunted down the (then) world's worst terrorist,
Carlos 'the Jackal' aka Illich Ramirez Sanchez. The best
Persian-speaking Pakistani detectives should have been drafted
into a special Interpol task force manned by the best (and
darkest complexioned) of the FBI and Scotland Yard.
It is probably still not too late to change tactics 180
degrees, although the job will be much harder than it would
have been six years ago. Who has the courage to stand up and
say this, or are European and Canadian leaders just going to
scuttle away from the mess one by one, leaving the Americans
to stew in their juice?
(Jonathan Power is an internationally renowned freelance
columnist. Copyright Jonathan Power. Dateline, London Feb 19th
2007.E-mail: jonatpower@aol.com, phone: 0046 13 97 09)
Encouraging Local Entrepreneurs
It’s a country of 150 million populations, if we can utilize the
huge manpower by guiding them in a proper direction the scenario
would be changed soon.
Shafiqul Alam
Even
after the 37 years of independence Bangladesh is still a poor
country…from my boyhood I have been hearing Bangladesh is a
developing country…still now it's a developing country. No major
development we have seen in any sector but corruption is
everywhere. For any sort of work…whatever is the volume or
nature, we are dependent to the foreigners; we can't even take
decisions independently. In every sphere, we like the white skin
& it's a matter of concern.
For any problem, we call the foreign consultants…they come and
take decisions and grab a lot of money. Does this make any
sense? No…never, because they will visualize from their point of
view and economy. Even in case of the environmental issues a lot
of conferences are arranged and all suggest seeking foreign
experts but have we ever thought what can we do?
The same measures were taken previously during the tenure of
last Government in the field of Transportation by the
consultancy of World Bank. The suggestion of World Bank was…most
of the city dwellers (60%) walk all the way, that's why footpath
has to be wide and it was done. The other recommendation was the
modernization of signaling system with CCTV and other
recommendation was to construct two flyovers of very peculiar
design, with beautification of Dhaka city to remove nagging
traffic congestion. But it is reality the result is more
congestion and waste of money. After that a group of experts
once again came with the recommendation of 1100 buses and that
was a clumsy decision as well but fortunately that was not
implemented. Now in the case of mass transit some are listening
to the recommendation of Louis Berger of America by TBM, which
is totally not significant to the economy of ours. As locals we
know better where Traffic congestion exist & which method is
feasible for us, where subsidy is not required. American
government can provide subsidy because of their economy and why
should we go for expensive TBM and create burdens of ticket fare
to the passengers in spite of having proven cheap Cut & Cover
method. From a foreigner I came to know that he wants to build
Dhaka-Calcutta rail communication and then he wants to build
metro rail (by TBM) in Dhaka where subsidies would be injected
from the profit of Dhaka-Calcutta communication, this is very
funny. As a foreigner he can think like that but we cannot.
If we look in the telecom sector…all the money is draining out
from the country because of the dependency on foreigners. Once
some local engineers expressed their desire to set-up mobile
communication system but they were criticized as abnormal. Now
we have nothing to recover or gain from telecom as this field is
already saturated.
Now we have energy sector left…coal, gas. We have seen the
performance of the so-called renowned company in coal & gas
mining. They are expert to us but to some extent we have come to
know that a foreign company has no real identity or experience
in their country. But we are showing respect, giving huge amount
of money because of white skin. What we have seen is the huge
corruption in this sector. Present government is looking for
local entrepreneur in this sector, which is a positive sign.
There is also lack of electricity; here we can also look for the
local expertise.
It's a country of 150 million populations, if we can utilize the
huge manpower by guiding them in a proper direction the scenario
would be changed soon. We have to build patriotism in the inner
core of mind first and then we have to use our knowledge, what
we have learned from university and practical life. If we come
forward with a positive frame of mind and participate with the
local entrepreneur what ever is the sector …within 5-10 years
Bangladesh will know how to stand straight and thereafter it
will know how to walk. In this way we will get a Developed
Bangladesh & the money of the country will remain in the
country.
(Engineer Shafiqul Alam is a freelance columnist & writer)
International
Musharraf
rejects opposition calls to quit
AFP, Islamabad
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
rejected calls to resign as opposition parties on
Wednesday mulled a coalition government that could force
the key US ally from power.
Nawaz Sharif, the man Musharraf removed from power in a
coup in 1999, and the widower of assassinated former
premier Benazir Bhutto both said they wanted to work with
other opposition groups after Monday's vote.
Sharif urged Musharraf to quit, while Asif Ali Zardari
said he would not work with anyone associated with the
party that backed Musharraf in the last parliament, which
observers said suffered a stinging defeat at the polls.
A statement from Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on
Wednesday "recalled General Musharraf's recent statements
that if the parties supporting him were defeated in the
elections, then he would resign from his office."
Despite the intensifying pressure on Musharraf, he told an
American newspaper that he has no plans to quit.
Asked by the Wall Street Journal whether he would resign
or retire, Musharraf said: "No, not yet. We have to move
forward in a way that we bring about a stable democratic
government to Pakistan."
Musharraf was also quoted in the interview published on
the newspaper's website as saying he would like to
function "with any party and any coalition because that is
in the interest of Pakistan."
Sharif and Zardari were set to meet in Islamabad on
Thursday. Both were also due to hold meetings of their
party central executive committees on Wednesday, with
contacts between the two sides expected.
A firebrand lawyer detained by Musharraf since November,
Aitzaz Ahsan, called for the president to resign on
Tuesday.
Opinion polls before the election showed that up to
three-quarters of Pakistanis questioned said it was time
for him to go.
"He should quit," said Tabassum Vohra, 50, a man selling
medical supplies on a busy commercial street in the
eastern city of Lahore. "If he does not quit, then
everything will be useless-the elections, the change. We
want change."
Election commission secretary Kanwar Dilshad said official
results of the vote were set to be announced on Wednesday
after the final handful of constituencies were tallied.
With votes counted in 258 out of 272 constituencies, the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Sharif's party had a
combined total of 153 seats, the commission said. The
former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q and its allies
together had 58.
Results also showed a near total defeat for hardline
Islamic parties that under the previous administration
ruled Pakistan's North West Frontier Province bordering
Afghanistan.
A European Union team which monitored the vote was set to
deliver its report on Wednesday. A team of US senators
that observed the election called it credible and
legitimate.
The White House said the elections were "largely fair."
"I think that what we can say is that they seem to have
been largely fair and that people were able to express
themselves, and that they can have confidence in their
vote," spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
Abbas and Olmert meet amid Jerusalem dispute
AFP, Gaza City
Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbas met on Tuesday in a bid to advance peace
talks amid a dispute over the thorny issue of Jerusalem.
Less than three months after relaunching the peace process
at a US conference with a commitment to try to ink a deal
by the end of 2008, the negotiations appear to be stalled
and violence has been on the rise in Gaza.
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian gunman in a
firefight in northern Gaza on Tuesday, bringing to at
least 187 the number of people killed since the peace
talks resumed, according to an AFP count.
And later in the day a 10-year-old boy died after
receiving a gunshot wound to the head during an Israeli
incursion in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops operating in the
area responded when a group of Palestinians opened fire on
them.
The armed wing of the Islamist Hamas movement which seized
control of the Gaza Strip in June meanwhile said it had
fired 13 mortar rounds at an Israeli foot patrol in the
same area.
Top Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in January began
talks on the "core issues" at the heart of the Middle East
conflict-including Jerusalem, borders and refugees-but
have still failed to agree on procedure.
Olmert drew criticism from the Palestinians for saying on
Sunday that Jerusalem would be tackled last.
"Jerusalem will be the last issue to be negotiated,"
Olmert said. "It has been agreed, discussed and accepted
between me and the president of the Palestinian
Authority."
Olmert's statement followed repeated threats by a key
coalition partner, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, to quit
immediately once the issue of Jerusalem is raised in the
talks.
But Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat denied there
was agreement to separate Jerusalem from the other core
issues.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem during the 1967 war and has
since declared the entire city its "eternal, undivided
capital", a move not recognised by the international
community.
The Palestinians have repeatedly demanded east Jerusalem
as the capital of their promised state.
Ban on Suu Kyi shatters hopes for Myanmar polls: Analysts
AFP, Yangon
Myanmar's
sudden decision to bar Aung San Suu Kyi from planned
elections shatters any shard of credibility for the ruling
junta's self-proclaimed "road map" to democracy, analysts
said Wednesday.
The regime made a surprise announcement on February 9 that
it would hold a referendum on a new constitution in May,
to set the stage for democratic elections in 2010, the
first in 20 years.
But late Tuesday just as the junta said the final draft
was complete, foreign minister Nyan Win told a regional
gathering in Singapore that the constitution would bar
detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from running in
elections.
"They have one goal in mind, that is to prevent Aung San
Suu Kyi from taking office. All the rules have been set to
prevent her for various reasons from running," said Sunai
Phasuk, a researcher for Human Rights Watch.
And if the junta pushes ahead with its plans without
opening a meaningful dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the
"road map" could lead nowhere.
"It doesn't mean anything in terms of improvement of the
political situation, because the democratic forces will
continue to be marginalised and persecuted," Sunai said.
If held, the elections would be the first since Nobel
peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi led her National
League for Democracy (NLD) party to a landslide victory in
1990.
The regime, however, ignored the result, and has kept the
democracy icon under house arrest for 12 of the last 18
years.
The military then spent 14 years drafting guidelines for a
new constitution, which were released in September. The
new basic law would block Aung San Suu Kyi from running in
elections because she was married to a foreigner.
Her British husband died of cancer nine years ago, and her
two sons are also British nationals.
Since releasing the guidelines, the regime has come under
mounting international pressure over its violent
suppression of anti-government protests led by Buddhist
monks last year.
The September demonstrations were the biggest challenge to
military rule in nearly two decades and soldiers responded
by opening fire on the crowds. At least 31 people were
killed, according to the United Nations.
Iraqi tribal allies end dispute with US military
AFP, Hilla
Members of an anti-Qaeda "Awakening" front in a central
Iraqi village have returned to their posts after ending a
dispute with the US military sparked by a deadly air raid,
officials said on Tuesday.
"After (a) brief time off, they returned to their duties,"
a US military spokesman, navy Lieutenant Michael Street,
told AFP.
Tribal leader Sabah al-Janabi, who heads the group,
confirmed his men had returned to their posts after a
meeting on Tuesday with US military commanders.
Around 110 members of the US-backed Awakening group in
Jurf al-Sakher, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of
Baghdad near the city of Hilla, quit their posts on
Saturday after a US helicopter raid which killed three
people.
Janabi said the raid was unprovoked and that those killed
were members of his group. The US military said its forces
returned fire after gunmen shot at them from the ground.
"Despite our members being targeted, they are guarding the
area against aggression and illegal infiltration. We will
not leave the area despite the obstacles," Janabi told AFP.
A US commander said the problem had been "understood by
the Awakening group after the unintentional killing of
some of the group." Police chief Fadel Radad, who had at
the weekend warned that the withdrawal of the Awakening
would create a security vacuum in the area, hailed the
resolution of the dispute.
"We consider this meeting to be a good step in helping
maintain stability and security of the region away from
terrorist interference," he said.
Janabi had at the weekend said that the helicopter attack
had been the third incident in a month. "We have lost 19
men while 12 have been injured because of coalition
attacks," he said.
US military spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory Smith told a
news conference in Baghdad on Sunday that US forces had
shot back after coming under fire.
"There was aggressive conduct by members of an armed
group," he said.
"It is a very challenging environment out there.
Operations are conducted in close proximity to (Awakening)
members, who are often used by the enemy as human shields.
"We are targeting extremist groups when suddenly we come
under fire from buildings and we return the fire.
Sometimes it turns out to be from the (Awakening)
members... coalition forces would not go out of their way
to target them," he said.
US commanders say there are now around 130 Awakening
groups fighting Al-Qaeda across Iraq totalling about
80,000 volunteers, 80 percent of them Sunni Muslims and
the remainder Shiite.
Pakistan takes step toward ‘full’ democracy: US
AFP, Washington
The United States said President Pervez Musharraf seemed
Tuesday to have put Pakistan back on a democratic path
with "largely fair" elections, while hoping the opposition
would work with him.
Instead, the opposition called on Musharraf-who became a
frontline US ally after the September 11, 2001 attacks-to
quit, after his backers conceded that voters dealt them a
crushing defeat in general elections.
"What we can say is that they seem to have been largely
fair, and that people were able to express themselves, and
that they can have confidence in their vote," White House
spokeswoman Dana Perino said of Monday's parliamentary
elections in Pakistan.
Her comments came as US President George W. Bush traveled
from Rwanda to Ghana on the fourth leg of his five-country
African tour.
Perino said "we asked him (Musharraf) to try to get the
country back on the road to democracy and it appears that
he has done that with these elections," which she
suggested would give Pakistanis confidence in their
government.
The State Department's deputy spokesman Tom Casey hailed
the vote as another key move to restore order in the
nuclear-armed country, after Musharraf stirred outrage at
home and abroad by declaring emergency rule on November 3.
"Pakistan has taken a step towards the full restoration of
democracy," Casey told reporters while cautioning them
that it was a preliminary result. "This is something we
have wanted to see happen and talked about for a long
time."
Amid tension with Washington over the last few months,
Musharraf has gradually fulfilled promises to resign as
army chief, lift the state of emergency and hold
elections.
"This is an important election for Pakistan," Casey said.
Washington argues that Islamabad must move toward
democracy as its best defense against Islamist extremists
who it warns are increasingly turning their focus from
Afghanistan to Pakistan.
Casey said he now hoped for cooperation among all of
Pakistan's political groups in securing a stable future.
He added that US officials "hope that whoever becomes
prime minister ... would be able to work with" Musharraf
to pursue democratic and economic reforms as well as
confront Islamist extremism.
Castro’s departure leaves Cuba in suspense
AFP, Havana
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has said he would give up power
for good, but the island has been left in suspense over
who will take the helm amid hopes his successor will break
with the authoritarian past. All eyes will turn to the
national assembly on Sunday when the communist country's
legislature picks a new head of state to replace the
81-year-old Castro, who was sidelined by gastrointestinal
surgery in July 2006.
His brother, Raul Castro, 76, who has served as
provisional president for the last 19 months, is widely
considered the likely successor.
But analysts believe that Cuba's powerbrokers could turn
to a new generation of leaders after nearly half a century
of Castro rule. Vice President Carlos Lage, 56, is seen as
a potential successor.
"I neither will aspire to, nor will I accept, the position
of president of the Council of State and
commander-in-chief," Castro wrote in the Communist Party
newspaper Granma Tuesday.
"It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility
that requires mobility and total commitment that I am not
in physical condition to offer," said Castro, who has only
been seen in picture and videos in frail condition since
disappearing from public view in July 2006.
Whoever takes the reins will likely face international
pressure to pave the way for democracy and a free market
economy, and bring an end to the only one-party-rule of a
country in the Americas.
The United States vowed to keep the economic and
diplomatic screws on Cuba after Castro's announcement,
saying it would not be lifting its nearly 50-year-old
embargo "anytime soon."
US President George W. Bush said Castro's resignation
should begin a "democratic transition" in Cuba, starting
with the release of political prisoners and culminating
with free and fair elections.
"And I mean free, and I mean fair-not these kinds of
staged elections that the Castro brothers tried to foist
off as being true democracy," said Bush, the 10th US
president in office during Castro's rule.
But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Castro's ideological
heir apparent, said the revolution started by his Cuban
mentor was bigger than the man who led it.
Obama hammers Hillary again
AFP, Washington
Barack Obama hammered White House foe Hillary Clinton in
Wisconsin's primary Tuesday, racking up his ninth win in a
row in the bitter Democratic White House race.
Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain meanwhile fired
a pre-emptive strike on his increasingly likely Democratic
general election foe, ripping Obama's "eloquent but empty"
rhetoric, after his own easy win in the midwestern state.
Obama's victory cemented his front-runner status, and left
Clinton needing an astonishing turnaround in must-win
contests in her firewall states of Ohio and Texas on March
4 to keep her fading presidential hopes alive.
"I think we've achieved liftoff here," said Obama, as he
addressed a delirious rally in Houston, Texas, which hosts
NASA's mission control for US space missions, as he set a
rhetorical course the November 4 presidential vote.
"The change we seek is still months and miles away," he
said.
Though Obama and Clinton had been tightly matched going
into the primary, which had 74 delegates on offer, he
swept to a comprehensive win. With 97 percent of precincts
reporting, Obama led 58 percent to 41 percent.
Way to the west in the Pacific, Obama, vying to make
history as America's first black president, was also
favored to capture his native Hawaii, which held its
caucuses Tuesday, which has 20 delegates on offer.
Clinton, stung by another grievous blow to her hopes of
becoming America's history-making first woman president,
pleaded with voters to pause to consider who was truly
qualified to lead the country.
"Both Senator Obama and I would make history. But only one
of us is ready on day one to be commander in chief, ready
to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the
Republicans.
"That is the choice in this election."
Arizona Senator McCain, 71, edged even closer to
mathematical certainty of grasping the Republican
nomination, handily beating his pesky Republican rival
Mike Huckabee in Wisconsin.
McCain also swept Washington state's primary, after
winning the first part of its two-step nominating process,
a caucus, ten days earlier.
The Vietnam war hero struck an immediate contrast with
Obama, 46, trying to leverage the campaign onto national
security territory where McCain draws strong support.
"Thank you Wisconsin, for bringing us to the point where
even a superstitious navy aviator can claim with
confidence and humility that I will be our party's nominee
for president of the United States," McCain said in a
victory rally in Columbus, Ohio.
Business/Economy
BD
imports food for Tk 60 crore a day: BB
bdnews24.com, Dhaka
The country has imported
rice and wheat worth about Tk 60 crore a day in the first
14 days of February, according to a central bank estimate.
The record import widens the trade deficit.
Economists and traders said the imbalance would continue
to increase until boro harvest.
A huge amount of food-rice and wheat-is imported through
government and private channels. Pressure mounted on
businessmen to scope out other countries after India put
restrictions on exports of non-basmati rice in a change of
policy. According to Bangladesh Bank, in the first two
weeks of February, 2.08 lakh tonnes of rice have been
imported while 87,000 tonnes of wheat came in the same
period.
Only 25,000 tonnes of rice and 10,000 tonnes of wheat came
to the country in the same period of 2007. The cost of the
imported rice in the first 14 days this month was $82.28
million while the cost of the imported wheat was $35.37
million. Meanwhile, the trade imbalance in the first five
months of the current fiscal year has stood at $209.90
crore.
BB's statistics showed that the trade deficit in the
July-November period in the past was not as wide as it was
in the same period of this fiscal year. In the same period
of fiscal 2006-07, the trade deficit was $116.10 crore.
MA Taslim, an economics teacher of Dhaka University, said:
"Imports have outstripped exports, widening the trade
deficit. The import of a huge quantity of food items is
the main reason for such a huge trade imbalance."
"We had always a trade deficit. But two spells of flooding
and a devastating cyclone have damaged crops extensively.
It has prompted a huge volume of food imports. The trade
deficit could decrease after the boro harvest."
"I hope we will get a bumper boro output, and it will help
narrow the trade deficit. If the boro production is not
satisfactory the food import will increase. In that case
we will be in trouble."
Mohammad Golam Mowla, a rice importer and general
secretary of Moulvibazar Traders Association, said that
the country was facing a food crisis because of recent
natural disasters.
For that, he said, the import has increased. The stocks of
rice have dwindled from government warehouses. The
government is importing more food to meet demand.
BD exports up
4.4pc
AFP, Dhaka
Bangladeshi exports grew by 4.4 percent in the first
half of the financial year as shipments by the nation's
vital garment sector rebounded, according to official |