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Leading News
Tarique,
Babar, six others charge-sheeted for Tk 21-crore bribery
in Sabbir murder case
UNB, Dhaka
Detained BNP leader Tarique Rahman and former state
minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar were on
Tuesday charge-sheeted along with Basundhara high-ups for
Tk 21-crore bribery committed for covering up the murderer
of a director of the company.
"The bribe was taken for not filing charge sheet and for
destroying evidences and stopping any police action
against the accused in the Sabbir murder case," it is
stated in the charge sheet filed with the CMM court.
Investigation officer of the case Rupak Kumar Saha placed
the charge sheet with the court of the Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate.
A total of eight persons, including the owner of
Basundhara Group and his two sons, have been accused in
this case. The six other accused are Basundhara chairman
Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his two sons-Safiat Sobhan and
Sadat Sobhan-its director Abu Sufian, Miah Nooruddin Apu
and Kazi Solaiman alias Econo Kamal.
Of them, Abu Sufian is now in custody while the others are
absconding.
The investigation officer prayed for attachment of
property and arrest warrant against the fugitives. Metro
Magistrate Golam Rabbani sent the case records to the
Metropolitan Sessions Court for trial.
On July 4, 2006, Sabbir was killed brutally and to
suppress the matter, Lutfozzaman Babar allegedly demanded
Tk 50 crore from the business tycoons. Of the amount, Tk
21 crore "has already been paid", it was stated in the
case.
The charge sheet against Tarique, facing around a dozen
corruption cases amid a purge in the interim period, was
filed a day after his detained mother and BNP chairperson
Khaleda Zia was charge-sheeted in the Niko graft case.
CA calls on
President
Preparation for formal dialogue at final stage
Staff Correspondent
Preparation and modalities
for the formal dialogue between the government and the
political parties is at final stage.
"Our preparation for holding the formal dialogue with the
political parties is at final stage. As the political
parties during the pre-dialogue talks agreed to involve
the members of civil society in the formal dialogue, we
are considering it," Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur
Rahman told reporters after emerging from the meeting on
preparation of the formal dialogue, held at the Public
Works ministry on Tuesday.
He said they are now discussing with the experts to make
the dialogue fruitful and meaningful. "The government
would also hold dialogue with the representatives of civil
society alongside the political parleys," Zillur said.
Communications Adviser Ghulam Quader, LGRD Adviser Anwarul
Iqbal, Law Adviser Hassan Ariff and Hossain Zillur held
the meeting to discuss the latest development on the issue
of formal dialogue. Eminent economist and former Adviser
Wahiduddin Mahmud was also present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed made a call on
President Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban yesterday and
apprised him about the present food situation and matters
relating to next general election, proposed political
dialogue and his planned address to the nation.
President Iajuddin gave a patient hearing to the Chief
Adviser and expressed his satisfaction at the government
steps to hold the general election by December this year
and the successful facing of the challenge of food
problem.
It may be pointed out that in an address to the nation,
within a week, Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will
announce his government's plans including schedule of the
formal dialogue with the political parties and withdrawal
of the state of emergency in a bid to hold a free, fair
and credible election.
Mysterious wall-writings in the city's Baitul Mukarram
mosque area
Staff Correspondent
Wall-writings in the name of the Hindu religion in the
Baitul Mukarram National mosque areas have caused a
sensation in the city. According to the eyewitnesses, they
first saw the wall-writings on the walls near by the
Baitul Mukarram mosque in the early morning on Tuesday
when they went to the mosque to perform their Fazr
prayers.
The wall-writings were written in brief. The words written
on these walls are the symbols of Hindu religion. However,
it is not clear as to who has written these wall-writings.
The writings were seen on the walls along the road from
Paltan crossing to Motijheel and from Fakirapool water
tank to Dainik Bangla crossing.
Talking to this correspondent, some passers-by and
shopkeepers at Paltan and Motijheel said, they were
surprised to witness such an unprecedented incident. They
have never seen such wall-writings in the name of any
religion other than Islam in the city's Baitul Mukarram
mosque areas. Most of them described the wall-writings as
mysterious occurrence.
Shamsul Alam, a shopkeeper at the national mosque-adjacent
jewelry market, said, he has been dealing in different
kinds of ornaments for 40 years in the area. Over the last
four decades, no religious organization except the Islamic
ones were seen to stick any religious leaflet or poster or
to write any anything on the walls in the country's
national mosque areas.
A manager of a private-owned bank at Motijheel said on
condition of anonymity, it is known to all that a vested
interest is behind the incident. The vested group has
selected the walls of the national mosque areas to write
the wall-writings in a bid to destroy the country's
long-lasting communal harmony and create an anarchic
situation.
A senior official of House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC)
at Paltan said, the anti-liberation forces are doing these
activities to divert the attention of the people to other
direction from the on-going movement for the trial of the
war criminals of 1971. All the national mosque-centered
recent movements were organized and financed by the
anti-liberation forces so that the war criminal issue is
concealed under other issues as the demand for the trial
and punishment of the war criminals is becoming stronger
day by day, he said.
BB
warns PCBs
Implement interest rate spread by June or face stern
regulatory measure
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday warned the private commercial
banks (PCBs) of stern regulatory measures if they fail to
implement their commitment on reducing interest rate
spread by June this year.
"We'll strictly utilize the instruments we have unless the
banks reduce the lending rates as per their commitment in
two months," deputy governor Nazrul Huda told a press
briefing at Bangladesh Bank.
Bangladesh Bank could restrict expansion of branches and
issuing licenses for authorized dealer banks as regulatory
instruments.
Nazrul Huda, however, appreciated that few banks have
already reduced the lending rates to some extent, while
some others also remained in the process.
The private commercial banks have already passed one month
after their commitment in March this year to cut
substantially the lending rates and various service
charges as an initiative to reduce the cost of doing
business.
The central bank has long been pressing the banks to
reduce the interest rate spread through reducing the
lending rates and had a series of meetings with the chief
executives and the directors of the private banks.
The initiative coincided with a decision of Bangladesh
Better Business Forum (BBBF) on April 23, requesting
Bangladesh Bank to bring down in two months the interest
rate spread within 5 percent through moral suasion.
"We're still putting only the moral pressure on the
banks," Nazrul Huda said, adding that the central bank
cannot impose the interest rates.
Replying to a question, he said the main target of the
initiative is to bring down the lending rates for the
productive sectors. "It will not be acceptable to us if
they reduce the spread by bringing down the high interest
rates on consumer credit."
Nazrul Huda, who co-chairs the BBBF working group on
business and finance, said Bangladesh Bank also
implemented another BBBF decision to enhance bank
financing to SMEs as they issued a guideline to this
effect on Monday.
As per the BB circular, the central bank would allow
commercial banks to open SME service centres, with
separate desks for women entrepreneurs to give them
priority, to facilitate processing, disbursement,
monitoring and repayment of installments related
activities for SME lending.
"I think, large borrowers do not face problems as such to
get (bank) loans," the deputy governor said, replying to a
question.
BNP
will resist farcical election: Delwar vows
Staff
Correspondent
The beleaguered BNP on Tuesday gave an announcement of
resisting the next election if it is held in a farcical
manner keeping its detained Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia
out of the election process.
Meanwhile, in the latest turn of events in BNP, the family
members of the party Secretary General Khandoker Delwar
Hossain was allegedly threatened once again with death.
Both the announcement and the allegation came from a press
conference, arranged to lodge party's protest against
framing the charge sheet against Begum Khaleda Zia, held
at the Nam flat of Khandoker Delwar Hossain yesterday.
"Khandoker Delwar's daughter 'Panna' received a phone call
from an unknown source and she was told to request her
father not to brief the media today (Tuesday), and the
caller issued a threat -otherwise her brother, who is now
in jail, will be killed," BNP acting Office Secretary
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed made the allegation in front of
Khandoker Delwar Hossain as he was ready to brief newsmen.
Khandoker Delwar Hossain also started his briefing saying,
"Today I am briefing you (the newsmen) in a scary
situation and in panic." "We have long been claiming that
this government and the EC are hatching conspiracies under
the instructions of external forces to hold a staged
election keeping the two chiefs of the two big political
parties out of the election process," Delwar alleged
saying, "The people of the country as well as the BNP
would not allow the government to hold such farcical
election. We will do whatever is needed to stop such
election."
He called upon the government to shun the "path of
malpractice" and follow the constitutional provision in
the greater interest of the country and its people.
Talking about framing charge sheet against Begum Khaleda
Zia, Delwar claimed, "It as a false and fabricated case."
He demanded its immediate withdrawal as he said people
will not accept such a charge. The BNP Secretary General
accused the government of making laws and using those
according to its "whims". About the imposition of state of
emergency on January 11, 2007, he said, "The so-called
one-eleven episode was created under a long plan and the
President was forced to promulgate the emergency".
Meanwhile, the outgoing British High Commissioner Anwar
Chowdhury met Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, acting
Secretary General of the pro-government reformist faction
of BNP, at his Banani residence yesterday.
After the meeting both Hafiz and Chowdhury hoped that a
free, fair and credible election with maximum
participation will be held in announced timeline.
Two
ex-premiers sued to depoliticize tested politicians,
introduce ‘sustainable politico-military democracy’:
Barrister Shafique
UNB, Dhaka
Barrister Shafique Ahmed, a top counsel for Sheikh Hasina,
Tuesday alleged that the two former Prime Ministers have
been sued by the incumbent government with a scheme to
depoliticize tested politicians and introduce 'sustainable
politico-military democracy' putting its loyalists in
power.
While making his submission in a special court to relieve
ex-PM Hasina of the charge proposed by the prosecution in
the barge- mounted power-plant case, he said this case is
the product of a well-thought-out plan to debar Hasina
from becoming Prime Minister for a second time.
"The charge is politically motivated with mala fide
intention," her attorney told the court.
Shafique said it is former Prime Minister Hasina who
allowed the private sector to invest in power generation
as the country faced serious power shortages and the
previous government had not taken any step to increase the
power production to meet a growing demand.
He said the government saved Tk 316 crore by awarding the
deal to Wartsila Power Company to install the
barge-mounted power plant in Khulna. "The work was given
to the company by maintaining government rules without
giving favour to anyone."
Shafique submitted that the case story dates back a
decade, but there is no reasonable explanation from the
government for filing the case after an "inordinate delay
that causes doubts about intention of the government".
Syed Rezaur Rahman and Barrister Fazle Noor Tapash also
made their arguments for exoneration of Hasina.
Adv Kazi Sajwar Hossain for the first time placed argument
for relieving his client Dr Toufique-E-Elahi Chowdhury
from the charge. He said there were no allegations against
Chowdhury to link him in the case in receiving any
"gratification or any pecuniary advantage or misuse of
power of his office".
Sajwar said the present case was created against his
client on "false and baseless allegation". He questioned
why the Minister for Power and Energy at that time was not
made either prosecution witness or an accused when the
Prime Minister and others were accused in the case. "Is it
because he was a General?' The hearing remains
inconclusive as it was adjourned until May 12.
Unity
of pro-liberation forces needed for trail of war
criminals, speakers say
BSS, Chittagong
Speakers at a huge civic condolence meeting on veteran
freedom fighter Jalal Uddin Ahmed called upon all
pro-liberation forces and patriotic people to forge a
rock- solid unity for ensuring trail of the war criminals
and establish a secular, democratic and progressive
Bangladesh.
They said the anti-liberation forces have been gaining
strength in the country and even able to reinstate in
state power cashing in the disunity and self-centered
mentality of a section progressive political leadership,
but finally right voices are being raised by the nation.
A citizen committee consisting of freedom fighters (FFs),
leaders of different professional and political
organizations arranged the condolence meeting on Jalal
Uddin Ahmed, also a former chairman of Bangladesh
Muktijoddah Sangsad( BMS) Central Command Council, who met
tragic death in a road accident near Dhaka on March 22
last.
A large numbers of FFs, central and local leaders of
different political and professional organizations joined
the reminiscence and paid their tribute to Jalal for his
outstanding contribution to the pre-liberation movements,
during the war of Independence and all democratic and
progressive movement since 1971.
The discussants said unity among all the pro-liberation
forces to be upheld sinking petty political differences
and other parochial interests until a fair trail of the
war criminals is completed.
Otherwise, the dream of brave martyrs and FFs for making
their motherland a democratic, secular and economically
self- reliant independent Bangladesh will not be
materialized under the grip of anti- liberation and
autocratic forces, the speakers observed.
Referring to major policy changes and implementation of
many vital decisions by the incumbent caretaker
government, they called upon the administration to at
least start the trial process of war criminals to free the
country from a long lasting stigma.
Back Page
Capital’s 99% buildings constructed illegally
RAJUK would take action against
111 buildings around ZIA
Ainul Haque Royal
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakha
(RAJUK) is going to take action against at least 111
multi-story buildings constructed illegally around the Zia
International Airport.
"As earlier, we identified that some 111 multi-storey
building were constructed around ZIA violating RAJUK's
rules and regulation, we had formed an enquiry body headed
by joint secretary Akhtar Ahmed. After submitting the
report we will go for action not only against the
buildings but also the owners of those buildings. Action
will also be taken against the concerned authorities who
helped them to construct the buildings illegally," RAJUK
chairman KAM Harun told The Bangladesh Today.
He further said following the construction of high-rise
building around ZIA, taking off and landing of the
aircrafts have become risky. "Accident may occur any time
during the taking off and landing of the aircrafts because
these buildings are so high and these were constructed in
an unplanned and illegal way," he added.
While talking to this correspondent another RAJUK official
said 99 per cent building in the capital were constructed
violating RAJUK rules and regulations.
"If we launch drive against the illegal buildings and
other structures, we will have to demolish 99 per cent
buildings. And it will create a complicated situation for
both RAJUK and owners of the illegally constructed
buildings. If the 99 per cent illegally constructed
building are demolished, there is no alternative to recast
the capital Dhaka," he said.
He also said a section of influential political leaders
and their accomplices with the help of some dishonest
RAJUK officials occupied lands and constructed a good
number of multi-stored buildings illegally at different
places in the capital. But none have ventured to come
forward against them in the past.
"Now the authorities with the help of law enforcing
agencies are conducting drive against the illegal
structures. Besides the partial parts of at least 14
illegal buildings have already been demolished," he added.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation authorities conducted a
survey at Banani, Gulshan, Mohakhali, Malibagh, Tejgaon
and Mirpur areas in the capital recently and identified
around 318 high rise buildings which were constructed in
and around the ZIA illegally.
"The ZIA authorities will start another runway very soon.
If we start another runway the aircraft traffic systems
will face severe problems and untoward incident may take
place anytime," the sources said.
Ensure
food security: Economists-Politicians
Staff Correspondent
Politicians and economists on Tuesday urged the government
to increase allocation in agriculture and development
sectors in a bid to ensure food security and to create
employment opportunity in the country.
"Food security will have to be given the highest priority
in the next budget. So a major portion of the budget will
have to be sanctioned for the agriculture sector.
Simulta-neously, to generate employment opportunities, the
government will also have to increase its investment in
the development sector", speakers said at a discussion on
'Food Security and Budget: Marginal People's Thought, held
at the National Press Club yesterday.
Agriculture Adviser CS Karim took part in the discussion
as chief guest. BNP leader MK Anwar, Awami League
Presidium Member Matia Chowdhury and economists Mahbub
Hossain and Atiar Rahman also participated in the
roundtable.
CS Karim in his address said to ensure food security we
would have to depend on ourselves. "As the farmers are the
main source of production of food grain, we will have to
attach more importance to them. On the other hand, as we
have many limitations we will have to find out ways and
means on how we can ensure food securuty. We need modern
technology for growing more food in our limited lands,"
the Agriculture Adviser said.
Matia Chowdhury said due to lack of accountability and
transparency in activities of local government, the
programme 'food for work' taken by the interim government,
is not being implemented properly.
"Instead of implementing the programme, the officials
assigned for the work are preparing bills only. Besides,
rivers which play vital roles in the agriculture sector
are now drying up but the government does not have any
headache in this regard. Indiscriminate use of underground
water is also destroying water resources. We use waterways
for transporting agriculture products at a very cheap rate
but the government is not taking initiative to save the
rivers and canals," she added.
"Due to bureaucratic tangles in the Finance and the
Planning ministries, the money which is sanctioned in the
budget for various development project, are not spent
properly. These two ministries will have to come forward
to address such a situation.
Side by side we all have to give more attention to our
rivers, canals and other water resources for growing more
food and to save the environment," M.K. Anwar, a BNP
leader, added.
Biman in crisis to maintain its flight schedule
UNB, Dhaka
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier, is
now in grave crisis to maintain its flight schedule
following grounding of an Airbus on May 4.
After landing at ZIA airport the Airbus 321 went onto the
grassland as the pilot reportedly lost control of the
aircraft when it was entering the taxiway from the runway.
The aircraft is now in the hanger and will need at least
one month to get ready for flying, says Biman sources.
The aircraft used to fly on Dhaka-Sylhet-London route.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines formed a seven-member committee
headed by its Director (customer service) Aminul Huq to
probe the May 4 accident.
CAAB formed another three-member committee headed by Wing
Commander (flight safety) Kamrul Hasan. The national flag
carrier has long been facing serious trouble in
maintaining its flight schedule due to acute shortage of
aircraft. Biman currently owns three types of
aircraft-four DC10-30, four F28, and three A310-300.Of
them, only four or five can fly everyday, while the rest
are grounded due to technical glitches. Biman general
manager central control Mahmud said that it would not be a
problem although one of its very-few long haul aircraft is
in hanger.
"We have already re-scheduled our flight routes for long
haul," he said. Responding to a question he said Biman has
a leased Boeing 747 and two other air buses for long haul.
"Another 747 is in the process to join the fleet under
lease system," he said.
But he admitted that the rate of flight delay will be
increased due to the airbus accident.
RMG workers clash with police over reduction in wage
30 injured, 25 vehicles
vandalised
UNB, Chittagong
At least 30 people, including journalists, were injured as
workers of three garment factories clashed with police in
Kalurghat industrial estate in Chittagong on Tuesday
morning over reduction in wage.
Over 5,000 workers of Orchid Sweater, Sabar Sweater and
Tower Complex - all three factories of Azim group - also
put up road barricade near Kalurghat Bridge damaged a
number of vehicles and roadside shops.
Local sources said the trouble first began on Monday
morning when workers of Orchid Sweater came to know that
the factory management has decided to reduce the
sweater-knitting rate to Tk 15 from Tk 25 per piece.
The angry workers then kept the factory officials confined
inside the factory, demanding withdrawal of the decision.
They later set the officials free in the afternoon
following an assurance by the BGMEA authority to settle
the matter.
The agitated workers of Orchid Sweater again took to the
street at 8am on Tuesday when the factory management did
not allow them to enter the factory whey they reported for
work in the morning.
Other workers from Sabar Sweater and Tower Complex also
joined in and barricaded the road near Kalurghat Bridge.
As a result, over 50 vehicles got stranded on the Cox's
Bazar-Bandarban road.
On information, police rushed to the scene and chased the
protesters and charged batons on them at about 10:30 am,
when the aggrieved workers damaged 20-20 vehicles and
ransacked shops. The workers pelted brickbats towards the
law enforcers that triggered the clash, leaving at least
30 people, including four journalists, injured. Of the
injured, 14 were admitted to hospitals in the city. The
condition of Saiful Islam Shilpi, a journalist of
Boishakhi Television, was stated to be critical, hospital
sources said. The clash spread to a six-kilometer area and
was continuing at places when this report was filed at
noon.
Ministry urges workers to regularise status
BSS, Dhaka
The Ministry of Expatriates'
Welfare and Overseas Employment has once again urged the
Bangladeshi workers to regularize their status in their
respective host countries.
A spokesman of the ministry Monday said the workers must
avail the opportunities such as amnesties that are
announced from time to time by the concerned authorities
abroad, a press release said.
It has come to the notice of the ministry that workers are
not doing so at times pushing themselves at the risk of
facing deportation when all the Gulf countries are
tightening their regulations regarding the expatriate
labour, it said.
The spokesman said the outflow of workers is continuing
unabated. During the first four months of the year, a
record number of nearly 300,000 workers have been cleared
for foreign employment, the release said.
Crime
Baby
boy killed
BSS, Jhenaidah
An eight month old boy was killed following an
altercation between two women at Dhanharia village under
Moheshpur upazila of the district on Saturday.
Locals and family sources said, the incident occurred
when Monjuara Begum, wife of Apel Uddin of Dhanharia
village put up pressure on Shahanara Begum for recovery
Tk 100 as interest money of rice that was given earlier.
When Monjuara denied to pay the money an altercation was
started that followed by a fierce clash between them.
Emon, the eight month old son of Shahanara was injured
during the clash. Local people rushed the boy to a local
clinic and later shifted to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital
where he succumbed to his injuries.
A case was filed with Jhenaidah sadar thana in this
connection.
Housewife killed
A Correspondent, Faridpur
Mita Rani Roy, 30, a housewife was killed under
Madhukhali upazilla in Faridpur district on Sunday
night. Police said, her dead body was recovered from a
field close her husband's house. Police has arrested her
father-in-law, Aushok Roy, Mother-in-law, Putul Roy,
Husband, Goutom Roy, and Son-in-law, Jibon Roy.
A case was filed with Madhukhali thana in the district.
Fake passports, huge phensidyl seized
A Correspondent, Chittagong
DB Police and Pahartaoli Thana police in two separate
raids seized fake certificates, phensidyl and hashis and
arrested 5 persons in these connections yesterday from
Agrabad And Kattali area of the city.
Relying on a secret source, DB police team led by Asst.
Police Commissioner Md. Ashiqul Huq Bhuiyan raided the
shop of Babul at Sk. Mujib Road under D'blemooring Thana
yesterday at 1:30pm and seized 15 fake passports, 21
discharge certificates, 2 computers, false seals and
other forged certificates and arrested Ohidur Rahman
alias Babu (37), son of Abdur Rashid of Porikot, Senbagh
Thana and Mohiuddin (20) son of Siraj Uddin of
Mohishgonj under Sonaimuri Thana of Noakhali.
On the other hand Pahartoli Thana Police raiding the
house of Bhupal Chowdhury on the north side of Fazlul
Hajera Degree College of South Kattoli yesterday at
8:30am seized 430 Bottles of Indian phensidyl and 4 kgs
of Hashish and arrested 3 in this connection. The
arrested are Mintu Chowdhury (32) son of Bhupal
Chowdhury of Pahartoli Thana, Tapash Dey (25) son of
Late Babul Dey of Alkoron Dovash Colony under Kotwali
Thana and Khairul Enam (21) son of Abu Naser of Keochia,
Satkania. A case was filed against them.
Man awarded life for murder
UNB, Sirajganj
A court here on Monday convicted a man and awarded him
life term imprisonment for killing a man in 2002.
The court also fined the convict, Mahmud, Tk 10,000, in
default, to suffer three months more RI. According to
prosecution, the convict chopped Abu Syed to death at
Char Haripur village in sadar upazila following past
enmity over land on January 17, 2002. A case was filed.
After examining records and witnesses, district and
sessions judge Biblob Goswami handed down the verdict.
Hijackers snatch away Tk 25 lakh in the city
Staff Correspondent
A gang of hijackers snatched away Tk 25 lakh from four
employees of a private organization at Lalbagh in the
capital on Tuesday morning.
According to sources, a gang of four snatchers equipped
with firearms intercepted the four employees of a
private organization in front of Lucky Dental Clinic at
about 11 am and snatched Tk 24.50 lakh from their
possession while they were going to deposit the money at
the Exim Bank branch at Imamganj. The gang managed to
flee the spot with the booty without any resistance.
Baker Hossain, owner of the organization lodged a case
with Lalbagh police station. While talking to this
correspondent, officer-in-charge of Lalbagh thana told
that huge number of law enforcers including police and
Detective Branch of Police were deployed in and around
the area to nab the criminals.
50 injured in clash between student and bus
owners-workers
Our Correspondent, Sirajganj
AT least 50 people were injured in clash between the
students of Sirajganj Polytechnic Institute and the bus
owners-workers at Fakirtala area of Sirajganj-Kazipur
road on Tuesday following an incident of a teachers'
insult by the bus-conductor.
Police and the local people said the clash occurred in
from the main gate of the institute at about 10:00 am
while a group of bus-workers and owners were trying to
foil a peaceful road-blockade programme by the
demonstrative students. Both groups charged brickbats
and chased each other with lethal as well as iron rods.
At this, fifty of both groups were injured, so far.
Among the injured, ten of them were treated in the local
clinics, the rest left after giving first aid.
The students also ransacked five busses and set another
on fire. The clash was erupted minimum an hour and
finally, it was controlled by the law-enforcers. The
fire fighter also mitigated the fire of the ablaze-bus.
A group of students alleged that the bus-workers and
owners led by the president and secretary of the
Sirajganj Bus Owners' Association attacked on them while
they denied withdrawing the road-blockade.
On the contrary, Md. Moniruzzaman Moni, the general
secretary of Sirajganj Owmers' association, said the
students made this incident intentiaonally.
Md. Nuzrul Hossain, the additional police superintendent
said the clash was occurred due to the negligence of the
bus-owners as any of them did not inform us or to the
district administration as well.
Man harassed for helping netting corrupt
Our correspondent, Sirajganj
A group of agitates personnel of Sirajganj judge court
physically abused a lawyers' assistant, Md. Shain Alam,
on Tuesday following an agony of giving a witness to the
RAB.
Md. Fazlur Rahman, the president of Sirajganj Lawyers'
Assistant Association, alleged that a group of judge
court personnel of about 10 to 12 led by Kallal, a
record-keeper, attacked Shain Alam and bit him cruelly
as he helped the RAB team to arrest Md. Moksed Alam
Khan, 49, a process server of the Sirajganj Chief
Judicial Magistrate Court on bribery on Monday.
Later, after being rescued by the lawyers, Shahin was
admitted into the Sirajganj General Hospital in a
critical condition.
While contacted the district and the session judge,
Biplab Goswami, said to the Bangladesh Today on Tuesday
noon that he had not yet heard the incident of
assaulting a lawyer's assistant.
Editorial
Proliferation of Drugs & Intoxicants
There is a very
powerful mafia, with strong South East & South Asian regional
linkages, operating in Bangladesh supplying drugs, intoxicants
and alcohol derivatives of all sorts targeting the youth of
the country. The mafia has been organizing itself for the last
two decades creating markets, demands and net works of supply
and distribution throughout the country right down to
sub-urban and even rural areas. The mafia network includes
patrons in political, business, law-enforcement and judicial
circles. Frequent raids by law-enforcement agencies against
drugs points to the extent and depth of proliferation of this
menace which like the tentacles of an octopus is grasping and
slowly choking the life force out of our youth particularly of
higher and middle income groups.
There is of course no doubt that our youth is frustrated with
the economic, social and political conditions of the country.
Additionally, the society is in a transition where traditional
social ties have all broken down by onslaughts of
modernization and emphasis on material and monetary successes.
All of this, to a very large extent, could have led our youth
to seek relief in drugs and intoxicants. There is thus a
social dimension to it. Increasingly families must pay
attention to their children particularly when they are in
their teens. Social organizations, NGOs & the media must mount
motivational drives to project the debilitating effects of
drug use on the psychology and physique of people, converting
them from useful, positive individuals to apathetic
anti-social elements.
The second dimension is that of crimes related to drugs. Not
only are drug users pushed to criminal activities such as
mugging, thefts etc to finance their expensive and
increasingly demanding habits, but the drug mafia themselves
are involved in often murderous "turf wars" to control supply
and distribution channels. These mafias maintain illegal cafes
and bars which are hubs of anti-social and criminal activities
of all sorts. The law-enforcing agencies must therefore,
concentrate on breaking up these hubs thus disrupting the
distribution and supply chains. At the same time they need to
go deeper into the whole matter, identifying and nabbing
"entrepreneurs" who organize, finances and control these
"enterprises".
The third dimension, and perhaps the most important one, is
that of regional South East and South-Asian linkages which
allows local drug mafias to "import" most of these drugs and
intoxicants either through sea lanes and ports or through land
borders. Therefore, the BDR and the Coast Guard must make it a
priority to identify and then check and block the routes and
passages of ingress. At the same time our law-enforcement and
intelligence agencies ought to maintain liaison with
law-enforcement and intelligence agencies of countries from
where these drugs originate such as India, Myanmar and
Thailand so that our law-enforcement agencies can not only
receive early warning of possible "shipments" but also
build-up a broader picture of the "trade" throughout the
region.
The fourth and last dimension of the issue concerns the
formulation and enforcement of more specific laws to prevent
and preempt the supply, distribution and use of drugs. Sterner
measures such as death sentences may be thought of for those
persons who are involved in drug supply and distribution - it
is through such stern & ruthless means that countries like
Malaysia and Thailand have controlled the proliferation of
drug use and abuse.
What we have pointed out here is the multi-dimensional nature
of the issue. We would like to suggest that if we intend to
save our youth, both our society and our government ought to
take this multi-dimensional long term approach to curbing this
menace; sudden raids once or twice a year is not going to
solve the problem which has been growing for 20 or more years.
The Myanmar Tragedy
Displaying
once again the helplessness and vulnerability of mankind to
the fury of nature even in this age of greatest achievements
of science and technology, the violent cyclone Nargis that
swept Myanmar on Friday and Saturday left trails of deaths and
devastations in the impoverished country. The number of deaths
has already hit 15000 and likely to rise further while
thousands of others have been injured. The loss of livestock,
and damage to houses and properties caused by the cyclone are
colossal.
Agency reports quoted UNO as saying : Hundreds of thousands of
people have been rendered homeless when the storm ripped
through the countryside destroying entire villages in its
fury. Thousands of buildings were flattened as the furious
cyclone also ripped power lines to shreds, uprooted trees that
blocked key roads and disrupted water supplies in the main
city and former capital Yangon.
Following the devastating natural calamity the people of
Myanmar are plunged into untold miseries and may find it
difficult to overcome the terrible human tragedy that has
befallen them as the country, under military rule since long,
is isolated internationally and has been facing a decade of US
and Europen sanctions. However, the junta government has
issued appeal for international help to face the alarming
situation resulting from the disaster.
We, as neighbours of Myanmar people, are deeply shocked at the
loss of lives and properties there and convey our heartfelt
sympathy to those who have lost their dear ones and those who
are suffering. We call upon our government to extend all
possible assistance to the suffering people of Myanmar. We
also appeal to the international community to stand beside the
Myanmar people with aid and assistance at this hour of great
distress. Along with this, we urge upon the Myanmar rulers to
immediately release democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political detainees so that they can help their
suffering countrymen.
Analysis
Bangladesh-Malaysia Ties
With close contacts emerging at various levels
including governments and companies, peoples and services, the
Bangladesh-Malaysian ties are slated to be on an ever-steady
increase.
Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal
Like
Malaysia, Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country with
around 87 per cent of its 150 million population being Muslim,
has also earned international recognition for its moderate
religious and cultural ethos, social tolerance and ethnic
cohesion, which characterizes Bangladesh as a liberal,
tolerant Muslim country. Being co-members of OIC, NAM
Commonwealth, D-8 and ARF and as strong proponents of the
multilateralism, the two countries share common perception on
major Regional and International issues and have been working
closely in the International arena to promote peace,
stability, and development. About 200,000 Bangladeshis work in
Malaysia and people to people contacts between these two
nations have been excellently maintained, occasional
irritations notwithstanding.
Bangladesh and Malaysia enjoy good bilateral relations based
on the foundation of common religion, history, and culture.
Over the years, thus, the relations between the two friendly
countries have grown in depth and diversity and reached a
mature stage. The state of good relations is reflected in the
fast-growing bilateral cooperation spanning across a broad
range of sectors, including economic and technical assistance,
trade and investment, employment of Bangladeshi work force in
Malaysia, defense-cooperation, education exchange, tourism,
culture and sport, technology-transfer and human resource
development.
The relationship developed in a steady momentum. Today,
Malaysia is the largest ASEAN investment partner of Bangladesh
and Malaysian companies invested about RM4.1 billion (US$1.3
billion) last year in 59 projects, mainly in
telecommunication, power, textiles and financial sector.
However, with regard to bilateral trade between both
countries, the figures had been lopsided with Bangladesh
suffering a chronic trade deficit with Malaysia, exporting
only RM53.5 million (US$16.9 million) in the 2006-2007 period
while imports were RM1.2 billion (US$384.16 million).
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammed's visit to
Bangladesh in 1999 and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's return
visit to Malaysia in 2000 infused new dynamism in the
bilateral relations between the two countries. The visits
opened up new vistas of cooperation and ensured the continuing
export of skilled manpower from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
Bangladesh High commissioner in Malaysia Shafi U. Ahmad said
in March 2004: Potential Malaysian entrepreneurs are invited
to invest in the most attractive sectors such as power
generation, telecommunication, infrastructure projects and
relocating their labor-intensive sunset industries like
textiles and ready-made garments, light engineering products,
electronics as well as furniture factories."
Malaysia, South-East Asia's third largest economy, has an
estimated 2.6 million legal and illegal foreign workers. They
are critical to the nation's key manufacturing and agriculture
sectors, and many household rely on foreign domestic workers,
mainly from Indonesia, Philippines and India.
Issue of labor force administration in Malaysia has somewhat
strained the bilateral ties temporarily. In 2007 Malaysia
banned imports of Bangladeshi workers into the country after
hundreds of them were stranded at an airport because their
employers failed to collect them promptly. There were
demonstrations in Kuala Lampur by Bangladeshi workers
demanding payments and better conditions. This created a
crisis in the bilateral ties but issue has been resolved with
the interference of the governments. The government had placed
a similar restriction in 1999 but lifted the ban last year by
approving an initial intake of 300,000 workers.
A total of 8,32,609 Bangladeshi workers got immigration
clearance to go abroad with employment until December 31, 2007
since the present caretaker government came to power. Of
which, more than 5, 71,000 workers were sent to different
countries including Malaysia with employment. The countries
where Bangladeshi workforce went include Saudi Arabia,
Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Libya,
Kuwait, Singapore, Brunei, Jordan, UK, Italy, Mauritius,
Lebanon and Ireland. After a gap of 10 years, Malaysia started
importing manpower from Bangladesh from October 22, 2006. And
so far 2, 45,000 workers went to Malaysia until December 31,
2007.
Dhaka and Islamic world
Dhaka's relations with Malaysia are a part of its entering
into close ties with Islamic world. The road of Bangladesh to
endear itself to Islamic world has been long and strenuous,
though. The country began a constructive course in
international affairs soon after Bangladesh was admitted to
the United Nations in 1974 and it was elected to a Security
Council term in 1978 and again for another term 2000-2002.
Bangladesh served as the chair/president of the 41st UN
General Assembly in 1986.
Following the recognition of Bangladesh by Pakistan in 1974,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led a Bangladeshi delegation to the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) conference in
Lahore upon which Bangladesh was admitted as a member. In
1977, President Ziaur Rahman amended the Constitution of
Bangladesh, including a clause stating that "the state shall
endeavor to consolidate, preserve and strengthen fraternal
relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic solidarity".
Since then, an explicit goal of Bangladeshi foreign policy has
been to seek close relations with other Islamic states.
In 1983, Bangladesh hosted the foreign ministers meeting of
the OIC. Bangladesh's geographical location at the crossroads
between South and South East Asia and East Asia beyond, makes
it naturally advantageous for Bangladesh to pursue a well
rounded and balanced policy of cooperation and friendship with
all the Asian countries as much as with India, Pakistan, as
with Myanmar, Thailand and other South-east Asian nations.
Under the free market policies pursued by successive
governments, the country has made big strides and sustained a
GDP growth of around five per cent, stable macro-economic
environment, achievement of food self-sufficiency, reduction
of poverty and improvement of social indicators like higher
literacy, better rights for women and children, rule of law,
human rights and good governance.
Free Trade Agreement
As the ties with Malaysia grew in volumes, the Bangladesh
business community seeks now a free trade agreement (FTA) put
on track quickly to help enhance the two-way trade with
Malaysia and help slash the widening trade deficit affecting
the South Asian nation. Though the proposed FTA was mooted in
2004, it failed to materialize but now with
Bangladesh-Malaysia trade relations on the surge, a
comprehensive trade pact could help encourage trade and
cross-border investment flow. This FTA proposal merits serious
consideration and examination. "We believe in strengthening
our relationship with Malaysia. In many ways Bangladesh and
Malaysia share many common values, there are lessons to learn
from each other," said Bangladesh's Advisor to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment,
Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.
He inaugurated the first Showcase Malaysia 2008 event in Dhaka
in April, jointly organized by BMCCI and Malaysia South
Association, where nearly 75 Malaysian companies, government
agencies and industry captains are participating in the
three-day event, largely to expose Malaysian businesses to
Bangladesh. On a similar note, Malaysian High Commissioner to
Bangladesh, Datuk Abdul Malek Abdul Aziz, who is also the
patron of the Bangladesh-Malaysia Commerce and Industry (BMCCI),
said a FTA would certainly add momentum to the current trade
relations.
Bangladesh is the only nation among the world's 49
least-developed countries (LDCs) to be almost self-sufficient
in the production of pharmaceuticals - largely branded generic
drugs. Moreover, its drug exports - to 68 nations - grew 47%
to $28.12 million in 2006-7 and, at $23.63 million, they have
beaten first-half 2007-8's target of $15.63 million by over
51%, the nation's Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) reports. With
proper government support to help Dhaka enters the world's
highly-regulated markets, Bangladeshi industrial
conglomerate's pharmaceuticals arm, BPL, could create an
export market worth over 10,000 crore taka ($1.5 billion) by
2009.
The Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI)
expects this growth rate to double in the second half of this
year, as the industry looks to expand its business beyond the
less-regulated Asian markets of Myanmar, Nepal, the
Philippines and Vietnam, where its products have faced very
little competition. They are now moving successfully into
moderately regulated markets such as Russia, Ukraine and
Singapore and are looking at Western Europe and the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Recently, Malaysia's leading education institutions, port
operator, healthcare provider and pharmaceutical company
visited Dhaka to explore the new market with nearly 150
million people and possibly use Bangladesh to penetrate the
huge South Asian market, home to nearly 1.3 billion people.
Future
Trade and cooperation are increasing year by year between
Malaysia and Bangladesh and both are forecasting sharp
increases in their pharmaceutical exports, business groups are
calling for the establishment of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
between the two nations. One reason is that Bangladesh's total
exports to Malaysia - its largest investment partner among the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - were worth
just US$16.9 million in 2006-7, while its imports from there
totaled US$384.16 million.
Many Malaysian companies have shown keen interest to
participate in infrastructure projects here such as power
generation, sea port development, waste disposal system,
construction of roads and highways as well as in the service
sector such as education and healthcare. Malaysia said will
continue to contribute positive efforts to promote and expand
bilateral relations with Bangladesh, particularly in trade and
investment. Pending projects like the Dhaka-Chittagong
highway, worth $1.2 billion, power generation, port
development etc would be completed.
As per the available information, Malaysia will invest in the
potential sectors in Bangladesh. Malaysian High Commissioner
Abdul Malek Bin Abdul Aziz said this when a delegation of
Dhaka International Exhibition Company (DIEC) called on him at
his Baridhara office here on April 24. The Malaysian envoy
assured all technical and logistic support for the upcoming
Bangladeshi Single Country Trade Fair to be held in Kuala
Lumpur on June 19 to 22.
Abdul Aziz said he would take initiative to get entry of
Bangladeshi products at 'zero tariff' in Malaysia, and
sufficient number of visas will be provided for the
participants of the fair. Malaysia is keen to see Bangladesh
promotes market in that country so as to reduce the trade gap,
which is currently in favor of Kuala Lumpur. Referring to the
demand of Bangladeshi garments, home textile, handicrafts,
halal food, spices, ceramic, melamine and medicines in
Malaysia, Abdul Aziz said Dhaka could take the opportunity by
participating in the trade fairs in his country.
With close contacts emerging at various levels including
governments and companies, peoples and services, the
Bangladesh-Malaysian ties are slated to be on an ever-steady
increase. With more and more agreements being reached,
deepening and widening the areas of cooperation, the
relationship between these friendly Muslim nations would grow
stronger.
(Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal is a Research Scholar at the School
of International studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; New
Delhi)
Planning and innovation are needed for university libraries
A planning team should be established in every university
library. An advisory board must be formed to work closely with
the planning team.
A. I. M. Jakaria Rahman
Multimedia
and the Internet have made the job of library and information
professionals more challenging. Developments in computers,
microelectronics, and communication technologies have
radically changed the university libraries. Gone are the days
of stand-alone libraries, in which a library was judged less
by the quality of its resources and services than by the
number of documents it had available.
Traditional libraries were dominated by print publications and
the access mechanisms were also by-and-large manual. The
paradigm shift from stand-alone libraries to library and
information networks, available via the Internet, can provide
end-users with a seamless connection to Internet-based
services. Moreover, we are surrounded by automated, digital,
and virtual libraries as well as by networked data,
specialized networks, and library networks.
While new formats and mechanisms are being developed to cope
with this rapidly changing environment, the existing gap
between the generation and use of information is further
widening in the present situation. A major aim of user
education is therefore to widen the use of a range of library
resources, which will enable academics to improve their
teaching and research, and students to learn more and achieve
better results in their work.
Information has become more complex and expensive. "Selective
Elimination of Information," the evaluation of information to
separate quality information from junk, need supplement the
traditional services, such as reference service, current
awareness services (CAS), and selective dissemination of
information (SDI). In this context, the basic challenge is to
convince and convert traditional users into users of
Internet-based resources and services. Information literacy
can contribute to developing IT related competencies among
end-users as it includes basic computer and network literacy.
The aim of information literacy is to make information users
capable of locating, retrieving, and using information.
Traditionally, librarians instructed the end-users in the use
of print publications, but a balance between print and digital
documents will be a basic norm in the near future. In this
context, training and retraining the end-users in the use of
IT-based resources and services, such as e-mail, ftp, telnet,
www, browsers, search engines, OPAC, databases, system
software, application software, electronic journals, online
conferences, scholarly discussion lists, mailing lists, Usenet
newsgroups, websites, CDs, and DVDs should become an integral
part of a library's user education programme.
During the recent economic recession, money for education and
libraries in Bangladesh became very tight, requiring cuts in
serial subscriptions and book purchases for academic
libraries. At the same time, subscription prices were soaring,
as were the costs and number of databases and journals
available. Library planning is now essential in order to
maximize available resources and take advantage of emerging
technologies.
A planning team should be established in every university
library. An advisory board must be formed to work closely with
the planning team. The board members could be, Pro-vice
chancellor, Deans, Departments chairperson, Chief Librarian,
other academic administrators, and a representative from the
Librarian's Association, information technologists etc.
The board should use strategies to guide the university
library's transition to the digital future. Seek innovative
and cost-effective means to strengthen resource sharing.
Resource sharing should extend throughout academic libraries
and other important libraries as a strategy to maximize the
resources available for print collections that meet the needs
of students and faculty for information needed in teaching and
research.
The library should provide new services and extend existing
ones to guide end-users in the successful integration of
traditional and digital formats. The programs should support
information access and delivery via electronic communications;
information preservation, storage, and retrieval; information
management consultation and training; new forms of scholarly
and scientific communication; and development of the knowledge
network of the university.
Mutually beneficial collaboration of university libraries with
other libraries and industries are needed. Collaboration is a
strategy to extend library access, share the costs of library
collections and services, and develop an academically and
economically sustainable model of scholarly communication.
Information infrastructure needed to supports the
dissemination of and access to scholarly and scientific
information in a networked environment. A sophisticated and
robust technological infrastructure is required to disseminate
and access digital information. University libraries must
invest in technology to support the delivery of digital
collections and be tightly integrated into information
management and technology planning at all levels.
The environment for scholarly information is expected to be
highly fluid for at least the next decade, as universities
attempt to meet the challenges of scholarly and scientific
communication. The university libraries should develop a
planning process that will support their libraries as they
continue to engage in innovation. The development of
organizational, technical, policy and financial structures are
needed to make the transition to integrated print and digital
collections. Planning structures should also encourage and
support strategies to enhance the transmission of scholarly
and scientific communication in a digital environment.
At the beginning of this century, college and university
libraries face enormous challenges and opportunities. As
campuses move into the information age, the mission and role
of the library is being redefined. While the amount of
information libraries need to acquire continues to increase,
the resources available to do so are insufficient. Moreover,
administrators need to assess the relationship between the
library and the computer centre, as both fights for limited
resources.
The growing universe of print-based publications and digital
documents on the one hand, and the declining universe of
library budgets on the other, can be handled confidently by
adopting certain strategies, such as by developing critical
thinking skills, as well as promoting information literacy at
large In the near future, users should expect timely access to
quality information only. This information must be accurate,
relevant, comprehensive, and engaging. This can be done
successfully by incorporating end-user education and training.
In the university libraries developing continuing professional
education and training programs for the library and
information professionals, as well as the end-users will have
to develop learning attitude and network related competence.
(A. I. M. Jakaria Rahman is Assistant Librarian, East West
University, jakaria@gmail.com)
Viewpoints
The alibi game
There is nothing routine
about a Prime Minister's Office recommending that gas supplies
be made available to the industries of a Cabinet Minister's
son.
M J Akbar
LOGIC
and politics are not necessarily incompatible. If you live by
the sword, you die by the sword. If you live by market forces
you die by market forces.
Inflation is the most logical face of market forces. It is the
market that sets the agenda. It is the market that raises
prices based on its assessment of supply, demand and
profitability.
The market has no loyalty, least of all to government. The
market has no social conscience: no food-trader ever died of
hunger in the famine, or emerged out of the crisis with his
bank balance depleted. The market is loyal to one concept,
profit. The politician wants to win; the market wants to
profit.
Their paths converge most of the time, but not all the time.
When their interests converge they are the best of pals: see
the width of Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's smile when, in
normal times, the Sensex booms across the skyscrapers of
Mumbai. But that boom follows its own laws, and not those of
the government. If profits can be sustained then the Sensex
will boom even during a period of high inflation, at least
temporarily, when there is still purchasing power in the
market.
When the interests of politicians and the market diverge, they
can be obstinate in the protection of their own needs. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi
would dearly love to wake up one morning and discover that
prices had levelled off or were even showing a downward trend.
If they could order businessmen to do so, they would have done
it, for a general election cannot now be too far away. But the
businessmen who cozy up to politicians in the privacy of
drawing rooms, doling out large bundles of cash, will not take
such orders even at the cost of hurting their political
friends.
It is, to use an apt phrase, a trade-off. The market should
not cry when the politician lets it down. The politician must
not weep when the market betrays it. In public life - and both
the market and politicians are in public life - you need not
only a thick skin but also a strong chin. You have to take the
blow on the chin and keep standing. A totter is not a pleasant
sight in public life.
Inevitably, if not wisely, politicians rush towards the false
comfort of alibis when under threat. The Indian consumer does
not want lectures on whether food prices are rising across the
world; he wants to know what the government has done about it.
In any case, this phenomenon was evident at the beginning of
last winter, and that is already six months ago.
What did Finance Minister Chidambaram, or his
economics-professor boss, Prime Minister Singh, do about it
last November and December? If they had taken the measures
that suddenly seem wise to them now, things would have been
under some control today.
Instead, they were cooling their heals and heating the market.
Now the market is cooling its heels and lighting fires under
the government.
Alibis can be cruel. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has
already blamed the changing consumption pattern of the Indian
poor for rising prices. Sharad Pawar has never blamed the
bloated stomachs of the rich for rising prices - ever wondered
why? He believes food to be the natural right of the rich, and
an unnatural right for the poor. He does not quite put it like
that, because that would be too direct, but that is the
foundation of his thought process.
Pawar has now some help from the Lord Protector of the World,
American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
She too blames the rise of food prices on the Indian poor. Has
she ever paused a minute to think about the consumption
pattern of pets in American households? They consume food
worth over fifteen billion dollars each year, enough to stave
off hunger among Africa's poverty-stricken children. I know
this is an unfair world, and I don't believe that pets should
suddenly be cut off their feed. But at least we should be
spared pomposity from the privileged.
Prime Minister Singh seems to have a strange, hands-off look
these days, as if he is not really responsible for the mess
that has collected beneath him. Indifference may be the last
alibi left, but it is not an answer.
When the mask of indifference is punctured by incidents like
the exposure of help given by the Prime Minister's Office to a
less-than-honest minister like the DMK's T R Baalu, the search
for alibis reaches panic-station because the image of a clean
Prime Minister must be preserved at all costs. The
explanations trot out, one after another. The PMO letters were
"routine".
There is nothing routine about a Prime Minister's Office
recommending that gas supplies be made available to the
industries of a Cabinet Minister's son. There is nothing
routine in the fact that a reminder was sent within five days,
the first of seven. In government snail-mail the first letter
would probably not have reached its destination in five days.
A second in such a hurry is not routine.
Oil and Gas Minister Murli Deora suggested that there was
nothing in helping a colleague. Really? Even at the cost of
rules and regulations? And if there is nothing wrong, why was
nothing done? The answer is simple: the bureaucrats in the
ministry did not want to break the rules. That is why eight
letters were needed. Clever Mr Deora wants to have his cake
and eat it too. Difficult.
The Indian in the bazaar has a right to ask how many letters
the Prime Minister sent his Finance Minister on inflation.
The Prime Minister is a calm man who hides his stress under a
self-imposed blanket of resignation. He was the surprise
choice four years ago, and his personality aroused hopes at
street and village level. All that remains of that
once-promising reputation is the belief that he is personally
incorruptible. But what use is his personal integrity when all
around him there is rampant corruption and mismanagement.
Is there a friend of his who can tell him that there are many
kinds of dishonesty in public life? Permitting Cabinet
Ministers to feed from the corruption trough so that you may
preserve your job also amounts to disservice to the people.
Source: www.khaleejtimes.com
India and Pakistan Don't Share US Assessment of Iran
Pakistan has had a fractious relationship with
Iran in recent years. India's dealings with Iran have been
bedeviled by baubles dangled by the US.
Randeep Ramesh
Napoleon
is said to have observed that geography is destiny. Iran's
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be emphasizing the truth
of the emperor of France's words in the next two days as he
makes surprise appearances in Pakistan and India.
The president's visits will last just a few hours and are
likely to set in train big changes for the region. Sensing
that the clock is ticking for the Bush administration, Iran
wants to press ahead with a long-proposed 1,700-mile pipeline
to deliver gas to Pakistan and India, at a cost $7.5bn.
Understanding that such a project would see a shared strategic
interest develop between three nations straddling the world's
main oil and gas artery, the US peddles a rival scheme: The
$7.6bn gas pipeline from Turkmenistan's Dauletabad field
through Herat and Kandahar in Afghanistan to Multan in
Pakistan, and finally into India.
Both may go ahead but it is Iran's proposal that has momentum.
Oil ministers met in Islamabad last week and agreed to sign a
bilateral agreement and to start construction of the pipeline
by 2010. India also wants to put back on track a floundering
$25bn deal for getting 5 million tons of liquefied gas from
Iran every year for the next 25 years.
In recent months, it has become increasingly clear that the US
has been unable to crack the Persian puzzle. The US's attempts
to ostracize Iran over its nuclear program have so far yielded
little. Washington's sanctions strategy has also been undone,
principally by China's announcement that it would develop oil
and gas fields in southwestern Iran for $2bn late last year.
None of this has gone unnoticed in New Delhi and Islamabad.
Pakistan has had a fractious relationship with Iran in recent
years. India's dealings with Iran have been bedeviled by
baubles dangled by the US: Principally a deal that would
legitimate Delhi as a nuclear-weapons power in return for the
inspection of civilian atomic energy plants. To Tehran's
annoyance, India also voted with the US and against Iran's
nuclear program twice - in October 2005 and February 2006 - at
the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Indians are likely
to be seeking to make amends with President Ahmadinejad in a
big way.
Nukes have long been at the center of Iranian dealings with
South Asia.
India has never shared Washington's assessments of Iran as an
aggressive regional power. India's reason is simple: My
neighbor's neighbor is my friend. Hence it sees Iran as
offering a road to Central Asia - a key Indian concern - that
bypasses Pakistan. To this end New Delhi has been building up
Iran's Chahbahar port and constructing roads that skirt
Pakistan's border.
India and Iran's energy, strategic and diplomatic ties, likely
to be revived this week, may also see more private sector
dealings between the two nations. In the past this has led to
revelations of Indian transfers to Iran of high-technology
goods that could be useful for Iran's atomic program.
The truth is that in the past few months, Tehran has emerged
as the Gulf's main power center. In Iraq, Tehran has outfoxed
competitors, gaining influence at their expense. Iran's
intervention a few weeks ago to end a bloody Shiite conflict
on the banks of Iraq's Tigris did not go unnoticed in
Washington.
In Afghanistan both Indian and Pakistani diplomats have noted
that the West's position is becoming seriously eroded, leaving
Iran to shape the debate.
This means they have to take seriously President Ahmadinejad's
recent questioning of NATO's legitimacy in Afghanistan. There
is also a feeling that the Western alliance has become
lopsided: The US has accepted it will need to airlift more
troops because the Europeans will not. If America ends up as
the sole defender of the Kabul regime then the attacks on the
"coalition" can be construed as a resistance army fighting an
occupier.
All this comes at a time when the Northern Alliance, the
former rebels in Kabul over which Iran has considerable
influence, have been talking to their archrivals the Taleban,
something that is anathema to Washington.
However much the Americans might wish otherwise, the reality
is that no one can ignore Iran. Involved in bloody imbroglios
in Afghan and Iraq, Tehran calculates the US would not use
force against Iran, even if it pursues its nuclear ambitions.
To reinforce this point Iran recently announced that 6,000 new
advanced centrifuges were up and running at the Natanz uranium
enrichment facility.
Ahmadinejad plainly enjoys the taunting the US. This is an
Iranian luxury, afforded by geography and geology, that
neither India and Pakistan have.
Source: www.arabnews.com
Misunderestimation
George
Bush misunderstood the global economics of food. But Indian
politicians, to borrow a priceless Bushism, are 'misunderestimating'
India. Let's get the economics clear first. In the hierarchy
of factors causing the current global supply shortfall in food
- to call it a crisis is not good economics either -
Indian demand ranks very low, if at all. True, India placed a
largish order for wheat some months back and that was among
the factors that acted with droughts in Australia and Ukraine
to put upward zing in global wheat prices. But India hasn't
been a major price-defining food importer. Certainly not in
way infrastructure-intoxicated China's demand for non-food
commodities influenced their prices. So Bush, and before him
Condoleezza Rice and a section of American academic opinion,
are off the mark in giving prominence to Indian demand. It
should be mentioned here that countering the Bush argument by
saying America consumes much more foodgrain is poor economics,
too. At the margin, sufficiently large extra demand from
another source can push up prices. The point is that India's
overseas demand hasn't been large enough. The bigger point is
that India needn't be a big food buyer anyway. Relatively
small, eminently doable increases in farm productivity can
almost double India's food production. India can in fact
become a fairly major food exporter. But we don't have a farm
output policy, we have aam aadmi politics. Of course you
wouldn't expect Bush, who has shown in Iraq that his grasp of
foreign country details is not very strong, to know this. But
Indian politicians show no evidence they know it either.
That explains the frothy indignation among the political class
when it reacted to Bush. Across parties, politicians seem
incapable of understanding the technical solutions to
increasing farm output. The discourse is always emotional.
Thus it is that the same politicians who shout for the kisan,
the farm producer, also condemn higher farm prices in India.
The logic of liberalisation and increasing prosperity at home
and globalisation is that manufacturing prices will fall and
food prices will rise. That there's a current above-average
dip in global food supply is true. But even without that farm
and manufacturing prices in India will show this trend.
So Bush, wrong as he was in his causality, was unexceptionable
when he talked about India's middle class buying power. In
fact, he echoed an increasingly frequent chatter in the West
about how global economic contexts may react to new big
players. That chatter often gets things wrong - as those of us
who chatter in India also do about other countries. Sometimes
the error, as in this case, is to overestimate India's
importance. That's surely not a reason to get all upset.
Indian demand ranks very low, if at all. True, India placed a
largish order for wheat some months back and that was among
the factors that acted with droughts in Australia and Ukraine
to put upward zing in global wheat prices. But India hasn't
been a major price-defining food importer. Certainly not in
way infrastructure-intoxicated China's demand for non-food
commodities influenced their prices. So Bush, and before him
Condoleezza Rice and a section of American academic opinion,
are off the mark in giving prominence to Indian demand. It
should be mentioned here that countering the Bush argument by
saying America consumes much more foodgrain is poor economics,
too. At the margin, sufficiently large extra demand from
another source can push up prices. The point is that India's
overseas demand hasn't been large enough. The bigger point is
that India needn't be a big food buyer anyway. Relatively
small, eminently doable increases in farm productivity can
almost double India's food production. India can in fact
become a fairly major food exporter. But we don't have a farm
output policy, we have aam aadmi politics. Of course you
wouldn't expect Bush, who has shown in Iraq that his grasp of
foreign country details is not very strong, to know this. But
Indian politicians show no evidence they know it either.
That explains the frothy indignation among the political class
when it reacted to Bush. Across parties, politicians seem
incapable of understanding the technical solutions to
increasing farm output. The discourse is always emotional.
Thus it is that the same politicians who shout for the kisan,
the farm producer, also condemn higher farm prices in India.
The logic of liberalisation and increasing prosperity at home
and globalisation is that manufacturing prices will fall and
food prices will rise. That there's a current above-average
dip in global food supply is true. But even without that farm
and manufacturing prices in India will show this trend.
So Bush, wrong as he was in his causality, was unexceptionable
when he talked about India's middle class buying power. In
fact, he echoed an increasingly frequent chatter in the West
about how global economic contexts may react to new big
players. That chatter often gets things wrong - as those of us
who chatter in India also do about other countries. Sometimes
the error, as in this case, is to overestimate India's
importance. That's surely not a reason to get all upset.
Source:www.indianexpress.com
International
Myanmar cyclone
deaths leap to 15,000
AFP, Yangon
More than 15,000 people died after a powerful cyclone
swept across Myanmar last weekend, including 10,000 in a
single town, the military government announced Tuesday in
state media.
The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said the
devastated town of Bogalay, in the heart of the Irrawaddy
river delta where the storm swept ashore overnight Friday,
had suffered most of the losses.
The cyclone pounded the delta and then tore through
Myanmar's main city of Yangon. The latest toll marked a 50
percent jump from the estimate given on state television
late Monday by Foreign Minister Nyan Win.
The storm devastated Myanmar's main rice-growing region,
which is home to about 24 million people, or nearly half
the country's population.
The destruction prompted the military leadership to make a
rare appeal for foreign aid, which the regime normally
screens closely.
As aid agencies dispatched teams to find ways of
delivering clean water, food and other supplies, US First
Lady Laura Bush accused the regime of not doing enough to
warn its people about the storm.
"Although they were aware of |