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Leading News
Uncertainty looms over AL's
joining in talks
ALWC meeting adjourned till 11am today
Sahidul Islam Rana
Uncertainty loomed large over participation of Awami
League in the ensuing talks with the Caretaker Government
as the Awami League Working Committee - that adjourned
till today - experienced strong debate on Hasina's release
issue.
According to meeting sources, the participants in
Tuesday's meeting blasted the Chief Adviser's address to
nation which, they said, did not even touch the five-point
demands of AL earlier placed on the table during the
pre-dialogue parley. Their only stand is as "No Hasina, No
dialogue."
As many as 42 out of 71 ALWC members took part in the
crucial meeting at Dhanmondi AL office with party
presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury in the chair. Some
six AL leaders of secretary-level spoke at the meeting.
A competent source said, they expressed the same opinion
that the reflection of some major issues, including the
release of Hasina and some others, were absolutely ignored
in CA's address on Monday night which can not be accepted
by AL.
The two-hour long meeting faced strong protest against the
speeches of Chief Adviser who did not mention any single
word on the release issue of detained AL chief and former
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The ALWC meeting - that failed to take any decision in
absence of acting AL President Zillur Rahman - will sit
further at 11am of today.
Talking to The Bangladesh Today, a midlevel AL leader
preferring anonymity said, "It would be very difficult to
control the situation in the meeting in absence of Zillur
Rahman. Apprehending the situation, two senior leaders
talked to the acting president Zillur Rhaman over phone.
He will preside over the adjourned meeting today."
Dhanmondi AL office experienced a huge gathering during
that time. The party leaders and workers - outside the
ALWC meeting - were waiting for outcome of the meeting.
Talking to The Bangladesh Today, a central leader of Jubo
Mohila League told yesterday evening, "We will launch
action programme if any decision comes to join the talks
with the Government keeping our leader Hasina in jail."
Later, briefing the newsmen, acting AL general secretary
Syed Ashraful Islam said, "The ALWC meeting was adjourned
till 11am of today. The official comment of AL regarding
the speech of Chief Adviser will be disclosed after
today's meeting."
Reply to a query, Syed Asraful said, "We didn't get any
invitation letter from the authorities concerned for the
upcoming dialogue till 7.30pm."
CA's address does not satisfy the nation's
hopes and
aspirations: Delwar
Staff Correspondent
BNP standing
committee members RA Ghani, joint Secretaries General
Selima Rahman, Nazrul Islam Khan and Goyeshwar Chandro
Roy, acting Office Secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed and
Presidents and Secretaries General of front organizations
were present in the meeting held with Khandoker Delwar
Hossain in the chair. BNP Chairperson's Adviser Brig (retd)
ASM Hannan Shah was present in the meeting in the wake of
strained relations between him and the party Secretary
General centering around the unity issue.
The meeting discussed all burning issues of the party
ranging from possibility of taking part in the
government-sponsored dialogue to the issue of party unity.
Sources in the meeting told this correspondent, "In the
meeting, Khandoker Delwar Hossain expressed his grievances
at Hannan Shah's unity move."
The meeting also held discussion on what kind of
activities could be taken to strengthen the party in the
wake of lifting the ban on indoor political activities,
the source added.
Talking to this correspondent, a senior leader close to
Delwar Hossain said, "We do not bother about party unity.
We feel the party is united under the leadership of Begum
Khaleda Zia. Our stand on some of the derailed leaders is
very clear. Many of them are still in different key posts
of the party. They can contribute to the party from their
respective posts." In reply to a question, the leader
said, "We, even the party Secretary General, have nothing
to do with those who were expelled by the party
Chairperson. The matter completely hinges on Begum Khaleda
Zia."
Meanwhile, sources in the reformists said, "The reformists
are ready to quit their respective posts canceling the
proceedings of the much-debated 29 October standing
committee meeting to merge with the mainstream."
Commenting on the CA's address, Delwar said, "The CA's
address does not satisfy the nation's hopes and
aspirations. Although the whole nation was expecting that
he would talk about the release of Begum Khaleda Zia and
other political detainees, but the CA has failed to
address this issue of public demand. The CA also failed to
address the public concern about the abnormal price hike
of essentials with which most people are suffering." About
the dialogue, Delwar said, "We will take a decision only
after receiving the invitation letter from the
government."
Govt starts inviting political
parties for dialogue: Commerce Adviser
No chance of farcical election:
Communication Adviser
Staff Correspondent
Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman on Tuesday said the
government has started sending letters inviting the
political parties to participate in the much-talked about
dialogue beginning from May 22 as per the Chief Adviser's
announcement.
Talking to reporters yesterday, the Commerce adviser said,
"We are going ahead step by step towards the
much-anticipated dialogue. The CA addressed the nation
giving the guidelines for holding the dialogue with the
political parties to dispel people's confusion regarding
holding the general elections as per the road map. We all
want to make the dialogue a successful one. We will start
sending the formal invitations from today (Tuesday) in a
bid to hold the dialogue as per the schedule announced by
the Chief Adviser."
When asked about the future of the dialogue as the CA
mentioned nothing about the release of two party's chiefs
or their participation in the dialogue, Zillur said, "it
would not have any impact on the dialogue."
Asked whether the dialogue would be possible in the
backdrop of the political parties expressing their
dissatisfaction over the CA's speech, he said: "Different
people or groups are likely to pass different comments on
the speech."
He said, "We are going ahead steadily, as and when
required, as people in general and the political parties
have shown eagerness to interact with us through the
process. The government is also marching forward to meet
the people's aspirations and we are determined that we
would be successful,"
Meanwhile, Communication adviser Major General (retd)
Ghulam Quader said there is no cause to fear that the
election will not be held at the year-end, as many
political leaders apprehend.
Addressing doubt expressed by political parties after the
Chief Adviser's speech over the possibilities of holding
the polls without lifting emergency rule completely,
Quader said, "there is no chance of branding the next
election as farcical, it would be held properly, leaving
no space for any question to arise".
"We want to hold the 2008 polls most freely and fairly,
where everyone will participate and no-one will be able to
raise a question. The political parties also want the
same," the communications adviser told newsmen after
holding a meeting at his office yesterday.
"We would like to get rid of the disregard earned as the
world's most corrupt nation. We want to see thoroughly
honest people participating in the next election. The
honest among the old, however, will be most welcome to
join hands with the young and fresh leaders."
About formulation of a national charter as mentioned by
the CA in his address, Quader said: "The issue of the
national charter will be clarified by the CA's office. In
case the government fails to reach a consensus with
political parties over the national charter issue, no
decision will be forced upon people."
Asked about the government stance regarding growing demand
for release of Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, he said, "It
will not affect dialogue in any way. We are optimistic and
we also believe that the political parties also like to
resolve all the problems through dialogue."
Death
toll from launch capsize in Kishoreganj climb to 43
UNB, Kishoreganj
The death toll in Monday's launch capsizes in Nikli
upazila rose sharply to 43 with the recovery of 39 more
bodies till Tuesday afternoon, official sources said.
Relatives of the ill-fated passengers of the launch, MV
Chandpur, claimed that around 15/20 more were still
missing when the latest report came late this afternoon.
Police and locals said the Mithamoin-bound launch,
carrying more than 150 passengers, was caught in storms
and capsized in Ghorautra River at Ghoradia near Singpur
Union of Nikli upazila on Monday afternoon.
Among the deceased, 20 were men, 15 women and seven
children. Most of the dead hailed from Mithamoin and other
upazilas of the district.
The bodies were handed over to the relatives of the
victims after detection.
"People from far and near thronged the spot after hearing
about the disastrous ferry accident, as rescue operation
by the locals got off," says a spot account of the tragic
scene. After the accident, local people started the rescue
operation and recovered four bodies on Monday night.
Later, divers of BIWTA and Fire Service joined in the
operation and pulled up the reset of the bodies.
Deputy Commissioner of Kishoreganj Sultan Ahmed, Police
Super Mizanur Rahman, government high officials and teams
of army and police rushed to the scene to monitor the
rescue operation. More bodies might be trapped inside the
sunken launch, according to the fire service and BIWTA
officials who conducted the rescue operation.
Journalists
demand an end to emergency to protect press freedom
Bdnews24, Dhaka
Editors, other senior
journalists and journalist union leaders have demanded
that the government ensure press freedom by withdrawing
the state of emergency without delay.
The demand came from a joint meeting held at the National
Press Club on Tuesday, preceded by Monday's-both chaired
by senior journalist Ataus Samad.
A statement signed by Samad says: "After the imposition of
the state of emergency on January 11 last year, the media
have been working with limited right and under pressure of
the emergency powers rules that erode fundamental rights."
"It has been noticed that different agencies-military and
civilian-have been intervening in the work of the media,"
the statement says.
"Media do not have freedom in a state of emergency.
Regular interference in day-to-day work of the media is
not acceptable," the statement says.
The meeting also decided to form a committee to overcome
the setbacks. Later Ataus Samad said: "The committee will
be formed through discussion."
The meeting pulled in editors, chief news editors of
newspapers and the electronic media, representatives of
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, Dhaka Union of
Journalists and the National Press Club. They reviewed the
overall situation.
In a separate joint statement Tuesday, four senior
journalists protested "direct and indirect control" over
the media.
In the statement they said: "Following in the footsteps of
our predecessors in the last phase of our life, we vow to
take part in the movement for removing all setbacks to
independent journalism." "We wish present fighters similar
success for the freedom of the press as we succeeded in
the past," they said.
The signatories to the statement are KG Mustafa, ABM Musa,
Nirmal Sen and Kamal Lohani.
JSD,
CPB and BWP slate CA's speech
Staff
Correspondent
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Communist Party
and Bangladesh Workers Party have rejected the Chief
Adviser's address to the nation saying that uncertainty
and confusion about the general election increased in the
public mind after the CA's address.
"Public mind is already obsessed with confusion whether
parliament will be held at all. In his address the CA has
already said local government elections will be held
before the general election, this confusion has
increased", said JSD after holding presidium meeting in
this regard.
It said the issues of lifting emergency, transparency in
anti-corruption drive, transparency in the trial
procedure, price hike, shortage of electricity, trial of
war criminals, keeping war criminals out of election and
subjects of dialogue with political parties are absent
from the address.
Rather conditions, for uniting all in the issues of
ensuring continuation of political and organizational
reforms taken up by this government, reshuffle in the
power of constitutional posts, national charter, making
parliament effective and ban on parliament boycott and
strike, have been coercively imposed on the political
parties by the CA.
Bangladesh Communist Party said the CA has pointed out
nothing about government initiative to settle price hike,
unemployment, rights of trade unions, reopening of winded
up jute mills and bringing the war criminals to book.
The CPB spoke on the need for withdrawal of emergency
because in the midst of emergency although indoor politics
is allowed, it will be fettered. It called upon the
Election Commission to take substantial steps to hold
election in 3rd week of December.
Bangladesh Workers Party slated CA's speech for not saying
anything about lifting of emergency. It said in the midst
of emergency the election will not be free and fair.
The CA's move to strengthen the local government is aimed
at creating political platform and political back-up for
this caretaker government in line with the system of some
unelected governments in the past. It added the CA said
nothing about his initiative for women policy of
inheritance and as such the CA has stooped to the
religious militants.
Dissidents
in Supreme Court Bar Association decry court boycott
decision over EPR rulings
UNB, Dhaka
A group of dissident lawyers of the Supreme Court Bar
Association (SCBA) protested its unanimous resolution on
boycott of the Appellate Division on Thursday as a mark of
disapproval against the apex court's recent rulings in the
unassailable Emergency Power Rules (EPR) cases.
A defeated presidential candidate for the recent SCBA
election, Khondker Mahbub Hossain, termed the SCBA
programme politically motivated and against public
interest while addressing a press conference on Tuesday in
the Bar-annex hallroom.
"Such court-boycott activity will tarnish the image of the
judiciary," he said, adding that the SCBA stand is an
attempt to destroy the independence of the judiciary.
The dissidents appeared two days after the SCBA resolution
was passed, demonstrating divisions in the bar over the
issue. An emergency general meeting of the SCBA on Sunday
unanimously decided to boycott the court of the Appellate
Division on May 15 for two hours, beginning at 9 am, in a
silent protest against its recent rulings that they think
resulted in 'degradation of dignity of the highest
judiciary and the rule of law'.
The recent rulings by the apex court stripped the High
Court of jurisdiction to grant bail to any convicted
appellant tried under the EPR.
It also struck down a High Court ruling empowering itself
with jurisdiction to dispose of bail petitions in criminal
cases being tried under the EPR.
And it finally ruled that any case of an offence committed
before the promulgation of the state of emergency can be
tried under the EPR, clearing the way for case proceedings
against high-profile corruption suspects like politicians,
bureaucrats and businessmen booked under the ongoing purge
in the interim period.
Back Page
More power to
national grid at yr-end
BSS, Dhaka
A total of 1,011 megawatts (MWs)
of power will be added to the national grid by the end of
this year, the official source said.
Of the total power to be added, 330 MWs will be added from
the public sector and the rest 681 MWs from the private
sector.
A source of the Power Development Board (PDB) said, for
overcoming power shortage in the country within the
shortest possible time, the government made arrangements
to rent power and also initiate some short term and long
term power generation projects.
The works on setting up power generation stations at both
public and private initiatives are going on, it added.
The rental power stations in phases would start generating
power this month, the PDB source said adding that the
generation of power has already started at Bogra 20 MW
rental power station.
The government undertook initiatives of setting up of
three power stations under its short-term power generation
scheme. These units are Khulna 40 MW power station,
Kumargaon 50 MW unit and Shahjibazar 50 MW unit.
The construction works of these power stations are
progressing faster and a special initiative has been
undertaken to start production of power this month.
Besides, the construction of power at Fenchuganj power
station is in progress.
Bogra 20 MW power station will also start power generation
during this month. Bhola 35 MW power station will start
power production in June and Ashuganj 50 MW power station
on August this year. A total of 295 MWs power would be
added to the national grid during the current summer
season under these rental power stations.
Under 15 year long term power generation scheme, Sylhet
Kumargaon 10 MW power station will supply power to the
national grid during September this year and Shahjibazar
86 MW and Fenchuganj 50 MW stations in December. A total
of 146 MW power would be added to the national grid during
this year under the long-term initiative.
The small private sector power stations under the Small
Independent Power Procedure, 44 MW power would be added to
the grid by October this year, which would be increased to
220 MWs by December, the PDB said. These small power
stations are Feni 22 MW, Barabkunda 22 MW, Jangalia (Comilla)
33 MW, and Tangail 22 MW under the PDB those will produce
total 99 MWs power. The small units under the Rural
Electrification Board (REB) are Mauna 33 MW, Rupganj 33
MW, Mohipal (Feni) 11 MW, Habiganj 11 MW, Ullapara 11 MW
and Narsingdi 22 MW whioch will produce a total 121 MWs of
power.
As a result, a total of 681 MWs of power will be added to
the national grid by December this year from different
rental and small power plants.
Besides, private sector initiatives, the works of setting
up public sector power stations have also marked
satisfactory progress. The construction of the Fenchuganj
90 MW power plant has already been completed and it would
start power generation soon.
The construction of two units with capacity of 120 MWs
each is also in progress. After completion of their
construction, these two plants are expected to generate
electricity of 240 MWs by November next.
The power supply situation would improve in the city after
these stations start operation. At this, a total of 1,011
MWs power would be added to the national grid at the end
of December this year and would make significant
contribution in meeting demand of electricity in the
future, it is expected.
Among the plants under rehabilitation, one 32 MW unit of
Haripur power station would start operation by June this
year and Khulna 60 MW station in December this year.
About 86 percent power stations in the country are based
on gas, while 5 percent are hydro, 5 percent are fuel oil
and 4 percent are coal based. Due to shortage of supply of
gas against its demand, the production of electricity is
suffered a shortage of 500 MWs to 600 MWs every day, the
source said.
BTTB
to cut call charges
BSS, Dhaka
Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board (BTTB) is to cut
its call charges again, a summary proposal in this regard
has already been sent to the Finance Ministry from Post
and Telecomm Ministry, highly placed sources said.
The Special Assistant (SA) to the Chief Adviser on Post
and Telecommunication Brig. Gen. (Retd)M A Malek told BSS
here on Tuesday the proposal recommended BTTB call charges
to be counted by per minute, which would cost 10 paisa to
15 paisa every minute. Earlier, per unit call charge was
Taka 1.50. Five minutes made an unit.
The new rate of tariff proposes 10 paisa for a minute.
This rate would be 15 paisa at peak hour. From one town to
another town (NWD-inter zonal) peak and off peak hour per
minute call charge has been proposed at 25 paisa. Besides,
for internal call the rates for BTTB to mobile phones and
PSTN call charges are also coming down to 80 paisa at peak
hour and 70 paisa at off peak hour from Tk 1.50.
The new tariff proposes for the Dhaka and Chittagong
subscribers 50 local calls free for per minute instead of
reducing the monthly line rent charge. The subscribers at
divisional and upazila towns would get free time for 100
minutes (no charge for 100 minutes calls).
The BTTB proposed the tariff after a review of private
telephone company charges and services to survive in
competitions with them following a directive to the BTTB
chairman by the SA Brig (retd) MA Malek to increase
services to the subscribers.
The proposals were sent to the Finance Ministry on April
28 for its approval. Finance Ministry sources said, the
proposals are awaiting approval of the Finance Adviser.
The new tariff would be effective after final approval by
the Bangladesh Telecom-munications Regul-atory Commission
(BTRC).
BTTB has nine lakhs of subscribers at present. The private
land phone companies have more than three lakhs, reliable
sources said.
Whereabouts of huge recovered artefacts not known: RAB
Staff Correspondent
Around 929 artefacts were recovered by Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB) from different parts of the country in the
last two years but most of those precious goods are yet to
be submitted to the museum authorities of the areas
concerned, although they are supposed to do so under the
existing rules, and not to keep those with them as alamats
(evidence).
As part of the anti-crime drive, RAB launched a
countrywide operation against all sorts of criminal
activities and recovered at least 929 artefacts and
arrested around 175 alleged criminals including members of
an international artefact trafficking gang, according to
sources. While talking to this correspondent, National
Museum sources said different law enforcing agencies
including RAB and Detective Branch of police (DB)
recovered a good number of artefacts from different parts
of the capital but a small number of these precious pieces
were handed over to the national museum authority in the
last two years. "We cannot keep these items for more then
24 hours. After completion of the investigation we are to
hand over these items to the concerned authorities. But I
don't know how many pieces were handed over to the
concerned authorities so far," Commander AK Azad, deputy
director of RAB (Media) said.
"In a bid to root out the artefacts gang, our special
teams equipped with necessary logistics are conducting
drive across the country and have already arrested many
alleged criminals in this connection," he added.
Crime
Youth slaughtered in Sirajganj
UNB, Sirajganj
A young man was hacked and slaughtered by unidentified
assailants at Sayedabad Punarbashan area near Jamuna
Bridge western side on Monday.
On information, police recovered the body of Abuhan, 20,
from Block-B of the Punarbashan area on Tuesday. Reason
behind the killing could not be known immediately. A case
was filed with the local thana.
Minor girl escapes marriage
BSS, Rangpur
A minor girl escaped from marriage at the intervention of
upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Kawnia upazila in the
district on Sunday.
Locals said parents of both sides had arranged all
preparations for the marriage ceremony of adolescent
Jasmine Begum, 14, Joynal Abedin of village Hajirbazaar
under Pirgachha upazila with Delwar Hossain, 16, son of
Mohammad Hanif of nearby Kawnia upazila.
Being informed by the workers of ASOD, an NGO, UNO of
Kawnia upazila Zakir Hossain with ASOD workers Shahnaj
Parveen and Hasanuzzaman visited the houses of both the
girl and boy and talked to their parents.
They successfully convinced the parents about the illegal
initiative they took and its adverse impacts on both
immature husband and wife and asked the parents not to
give their girl in marriage with the boy to save their
future.
The parents of both sides also made commitments on
continuing studies of both the children till they become
matured for marriage.
Terrorist killed in shootout
with RAB
UNB, Jhenidah
A terrorist was killed in a shootout between RAB and his
cohorts at Modhupur village in Sadar upazila on Tuesday.
The dead was identified as Shahin, 27, son of Mahbub Alam
of the village.
He was wanted in eight cases, including of murder.
RAB sources said on information they encircled Modhupur
field at about 4:00 am when a group of terrorists were
holding a meeting.
Sensing the presence of elite force, the terrorists opened
fire on them. In retaliation, the RAB members also fired
back that led to a half-an-hour long gunfight, leaving
Shahin dead on the spot.
After the shooting, the elite force recovered four
firearms--two light guns (LG), one pipe gun and one
revolver-- and eight bullets from the spot.
Body of a youth recovered
BSS, Chittagong
Police recovered a decomposed body of a youth from a
graveyard at Dashpara in Dhalghat under Patiya upazila in
the district on Monday.
The body was identified as Ranjit Dev alias Laltu Dev, 25,
son of Prodip Dev of Dashpara of Patiya.
Police said Ranjit, an employee of a private firm was
missing since Saturday. His family was unaware about his
whereabouts.
On information, police recovered the body. The body was
marked with injury and an ear of the victim was cut off.
Reasons behind the killing could not be ascertain
immediately.
The body was sent to the Chittagong Medical College
Hospital morgue for autopsy.
A case was filed with Patiya police in this connection.
3 CMP cops sharge sheeted in robbery, extortion case
UNB, Chittagong
Assistant Police Commissioner of Chittagong Abu Saleh M
Mofazzal and two constables were accused of robbery and
extortion in a charge sheet submitted to the court on
Tuesday.
Contables are M Ehsan and Abdur Rouf. On February 9,
Mofazzal with the constables raided the house of
businessman M Faruq at Mehedibag in the city and allegedly
robbed Tk 1.75 lakh and 25 tolas of gold ornaments. They
were arrested following Faruq complained to the police
authority.
Shibir cadre Nasir gets 17 years
UNB, Chittagong
A bigwig Islamic Chhatra Shibir cadre was sentenced to 17
years rigorous imprisonment by a court here on Tuesday in
an arms case.
Metropolitan 2nd Additional Sessions Judge Ekramul Huq
Chowdhury handed down the jail sentences to Nasiruddin
Chowdhury alias Nasir for 10 years and seven years under
two sections. However, he will have to serve the
imprisonment terms concurrently. Nasir, accused in as many
as 32 cases, had already been sentenced to different terms
of imprisonment in abduction and extortion cases.
According to the prosecution, police arrested Nasir and
his bodyguard Waliullah Babul along with a gun from
Chawkbazar in the city on July 11, 1992.
Waliullah Babul was killed in a shootout between his
cohorts and police the following day.
Nasir, however, was released on bail in 1993. He was
rearrested after a gunfight with police at Chandpura in
the port city in July 1997. Charge sheet was submitted
against him on October 28, 1992 and he was indicted on
June 15, 1997.
UP chairman suspended for misappropriating
VGF rice
BSS, Rangpur
Absconding chairman of Betgari Union Parishad (UP) under
Gangachara upazila in the district, Ruhul Amin Shah was
suspended for misappropriating VGF rice, officials said.
Sources said following an investigation against the
chairman three months ago, the authorities concerned found
that he misappropriated 273 kg VGF rice allocated for the
poor and distressed people of the union.
Later, Project Implementation Officer of the Upazila
Motiur Rahman filed a case against the UP chairman with
Gangachara police station and since then, he went into
hiding.
UP Member Noya Mian was given the charge of UP chairman
after suspension of the incumbent chairman, the sources
said.
UP member held for cheating
BSS, Rangpur
Members of the joint forces arrested a UP member of
Haridebpur Union Parishad here on Monday for cheating in
weights of VGD rice allocated for the distressed women.
Two other UP members, however, managed toe escape the
scene, police sources said.
Acting on secret information, the joint forces conducted a
drive at Haridebpur UP Complex under Sadar upazila and
found three UP members in cheating distressed women while
distributing VGD rice among them. Each of the beneficiary
was to get 30 kg rice but the joint forces found 41.7 kg
rice less after weighing the quantity of rice distributed
among 15 beneficiaries.
The joint forces arrested UP member Shahjahan Miah from
the spot while two other UP members Abdul Hanif and Abdul
Aziz managed to escape the scene. The arrested UP member
was handed over to Kotwali police station and Upazila
Social Welfare officer Deepika Rani Saha filed a case
against three UP members in this connection, the sources
said.
Editorial
Banning War Criminal
from Polls
“Banning war
criminals from polls" is not a new issue in this country,
initiated politically firstly by the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul
Committee. Unfortunately the whole movement has not been able
to prevail; on the contrary it has been seen that the self
proclaimed killers and collaborators participated, and became
parliamentarians and ministers in the recent past. What the
war heroes are trying through their activities in The Sector
Commanders Forum (SCF) is to create a nation wide consensus
against the criminals who did heinous crime during the
Liberation War 1971. In a recent development the SCF met with
the Chief Election Commissioner at his office and voiced their
demand. They also requested the commission to include a
provision in the proposed electoral laws banning the
participation of war criminals in any sort of polls in the
country's politics. In response, the CEC explained his
limitation that unless the criminals are convicted by any
court, the commission cannot impose ban on any such political
parties and individuals. He also added that as the issue is a
"political" one the government has to come forward in this
regard. Therefore, SCF's visit to the EC was fruitless. It is
very unsatisfactory, and mostly the responsibility goes to the
think tanks of the SCF who are maneuvering the whole process.
Both the SCF and EC failed to realise that trying the war
criminals and banning them from polls is not only a political
issue also a national one.
A report in The Bangladesh Today informs, Lieutenant General (Retd)
Mir Shawkat Ali said, "Every one in the country know who are
the war criminals and opposed the liberation war", then why
don't the people of this country reject them in the polls. It
will be the criminals' defeat and a great victory of the
patriots. Another bar to the trial of the war criminals is
that no individuals but the State can file a case against the
culprits as these crimes were against the Nation and the State
of Bangladesh.
Therefore, it is recommended to the SCF that they carry on
their country wide awareness movement uniting people against
the existing collaborators and their organizations, and at the
same time they must work out a policy in which no major
parties will give space to the betrayers, make the people
understand its significance and add it to their respective
party poll manifestoes. As for most of the collaborators,
religious-politics is a popular hideout; therefore, SCF must
do some homework on how to separate religion from state
politics which will make the collaborators powerless thus
inactive.
For the time being we cannot sue the criminals but we can
identify them, isolate them and make others, especially the
future generation, aware of the issue. At the same time
socio-cultural activities need to be intensified by making
more movies, writing more articles and books, and songs
regarding the issue of banning the war criminals and trying
them in court. Trying the war criminals and barring them from
participating in the polls are crucial for the country's
journey towards a more prosperous and peaceful direction.
What about the ACC?
The comments of the
Chairman of ACC are not only timely but revealing of a deep
anxiety regarding not only the success of the present
government's initiatives but its overall achievements. Not
only the professions of doctors and lawyers but most of the
bureaucratic institutions have been facing internal deadlocks
as a direct result of being divided into two groupings of AL
and BNP. Therefore out of this deadlock and its resulting
frustrations we have evidenced anarchy and riots even at the
Supreme Court premises during the last days of the previous
elected government. It is very correct that upon a return to
the previous political situation, not only will the drive
against corruption be deadlocked but in reality it would be in
vain. In addition to this we must add that there has been no
substantial and effective reform in any major institution so
that corruption can be prevented in the future. The country
still stands naked underneath the barren sky. It is also
noteworthy that the respected Chairman did not chalk out any
deterring proposals that would make corruption in the future
very unprofitable and dangerous. Therefore the ball is back to
square one. Will empowering the ACC give us the answer? We
have experienced very much that enacting laws are easier than
enforcing them. And empowering bodies give it wider scope of
negativity if practiced. Then what? This much is clear enough
that institutions when trusted upon to perform something can
easily betray, for which politicization is the major fault.
Can we divest it of it? What then? Real threats from powerful
political mafias? Is that all we need to overcome? And what
about guns and men with guns?
Analysis
Letter from Toronto 7
In Dhaka's transportation system, we already
have private sector competing with BRTC. It had been like that
for decades and it really works. This concept is almost absent
in North America, where transit systems are almost always
owned by city governments.
Shahriar Shibley
On
the Saturday morning of April 26, 2008, Torontonians woke up
with a surprise. The employees of The Toronto Transit
Commission (TTC) were on strike. That means no busses, street
cars (tramp) or subway trains. If you have a car, you are OK.
But gasoline price is not so cheap these days. It was around
39 cents a liter in 1998. Today, it is around $1.25. Everybody
is complaining about it. The oil companies are making more
profit than they deserve. Analysts are saying, the price of
oil should be around $70 per barrel. The speculators are
driving the price up. Instead, it is around $125. Oil
companies are reaping the benefit. In the first quarter of
2008, Royal Dutch Shell's profit was $9.08 billion, up 25
percent. British Petroleum's profit was 7.62 billion, up 63
percent. Exxon-Mobile's profit was 10.9 billion, up 17
percent. Chevron's profit was 5.20 billion, up 10 percent.
Petro-Canada's profit was $1.1 billion, up 86 percent from the
same quarter last year.
Canadian government is not subsidizing gasoline prices at all.
Canada is a major oil producer and an exporter to United
States. But a Canadian pays more for gasoline at the pump than
an American. The reason, double taxation by Canadian
government. The wholesalers charge 5% General Service Tax (GST)
on gasoline. The retailers add a margin and then charge 5% GST
again on the retail price. The government is pocketing a huge
amount of tax dollars riding on skyrocketing oil price. The
city governments are urging the federal government to kick
back some of the gasoline tax to city public transit systems.
The squeaky wheels are finally getting some grease. The
federal government is now starting to subsidize transit
systems of cities around Canada with millions of dollars. The
cities are using that money to extend their transit systems
and upgrading trains and busses.
The federal government is handing out subsidies to individuals
who buy monthly transit passes, in the form of tax credit.
Most of the metro transit systems of North America issue
monthly passes. If you buy that pass, you are allowed
unlimited rides in busses, trains and street cars in that
month. In Toronto, the price of the monthly pass is $109. By
federal tax rebate program, 21.5 percent of that amount is
refunded.
The TTC enjoys monopoly in Toronto's mass transit. It is a
fully owned subsidiary of City of Toronto and has no
competition other than Taxicabs and some luxury busses going
to the airport. According to TTC information sources, it
provides 450 million passenger rides each year. About 1.5
million people ride the TTC everyday which results one million
fewer trips by car. TTC is using the subsidy it receives from
the federal government to make itself a more fuel efficient
system. In other words, the money which is received from
gasoline tax is used to reduce the consumption of gasoline.
All the new busses they are adding to their fleet are
diesel/electric hybrids. In 2007, the TTC operated 150
diesel/electric hybrid busses with 410 more to be added to the
fleet in 2008, resulting in one third of the fleet being
hybrids. By 2010, 45 percent of the fleet will be hybrids. TTC
uses bio-diesel blend in all of its busses. The fuel is 95
percent ultra low sulphur diesel and 5 percent vegetable oil.
The TTC has successfully tested the use of solar powered
microwave transmitters for its communication and is continuing
efforts to purchase at least 25 percent of its electricity
from green sources (wind and solar generated) by 2012. Many
vehicle improvements are included in the designs for both the
new subway trains and new low floor light rail vehicle to
reduce energy consumption and make the vehicles more
environmentally sustainable.
The TTC, however, is not all trouble free. Every three years,
its employee union's contract expires. If a new contract is
not ratified before the expiry of the old contract, a strike
situation arises. In most cases strikes are averted. City
almost always falls for higher wages and better benefit
demanded by the employees. But this time the deal did not go
through. The strike lasted for two days. The Ontario
provincial parliament passed a back to work legislation in an
emergency session and ordered the employees to work while
negotiating a contract or face fine and jail time. The city
and provincial politicians are trying to declare TTC an
essential service like police department and hospitals. If
that is done, it will be illegal for TTC employees to strike.
Some politicians are proposing to allow private sector to
compete with TTC.
In Dhaka's transportation system, we already have private
sector competing with BRTC. It had been like that for decades
and it really works. This concept is almost absent in North
America, where transit systems are almost always owned by city
governments. In the case of railways, it is a bit reverse.
Most of the freight carrying railway companies are giant
publicly traded companies. A significant portion of their
assets are in real estate. They usually own the tracks and the
land underneath the tracks. They own the stations, the railway
yards and have their own corporate office buildings.
Transporting goods is their business. It could be oil sand
from Alberta to a refinery in Illinois or oranges from Florida
to supermarkets in Ontario. However, when it comes to
passenger carrying railway companies, many of them are
government owned are considered a service provided by the
government. Profit making is not really the concern in those
cases. It is quite similar to Bangladesh Railway, where the
government subsidizes a substantial amount of money just to
keep it going. But it is the means of transportation of a huge
cross section of our population. As a society, we should not
be alarmed that our government owned railway company is not
making any profit. We should consider it as a service provided
by the government. The government should of course try to
reduce its losses. In an ideal situation, it should break
even, just like US Postal Service, which is mandated by the
constitution to break even.
Talks are going on about privatizing Bangladesh Railway. But,
will Bangladesh government be able to get the real market
value of Bangladesh Railway, considering the huge amount of
real estate it owns? The risk is too high. We should not
gamble with the means of transportation of so many folks. On
the contrary, we should try to expand Bangladesh Railway as
much as possible at the expense of the government. We should
try to improve its services. May be, we should bring in some
healthy competition by allowing some private railway companies
operate on Bangladesh Railway tracks in exchange of toll paid
to the government.
We subsidize our import of petroleum. Question arises, who are
we really subsidizing? Are we subsidizing the folks who own
Pajeros and other gas guzzling sport utility vehicles? I don't
think they really need the subsidy. They can afford to buy
gasoline at market value. We should phase out the subsidy in
five years, 20 percent of the differential a year. Instead we
should subsidize the people or industries that need the
subsidy. For example, the fuel purchase of bus and launch
service providers, so that the impact of high fuel price is
less on general population.
Studies are going on establishing metro rail system in Dhaka.
We should be careful about three factors in such planning.
First of all, the cost. Secondly the electricity it needs to
operate and thirdly our flood prone climate. If the project is
undertaken, it should be under Bangladesh Railway. They have
the experience in operating similar technology. Our power
generation capability should be adequate so that metro rail
does not disrupt already stretched household electricity
supply. Subway systems also have the risk of flooding, which
happened in Chicago in early 90's. A construction activity
accidentally punctured the wall separating Wacker river from
the subway tunnel. It was very difficult to drain out the
water and it took weeks. It was finally achieved by using
pumps of water cooling system of nuclear power station. In
constructing metro rail, Chicago model is a good one to
follow. It has 222 miles of metro rails, most of it is above
ground at an elevated level. In some places the tracks are
just above the street with trains and cars sharing the same
area. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) received 153.1
million dollar federal grant this year to extend their
network.
Handing out subsidy to farmers to compensate diesel expense
was an excellent idea. This idea should be stretched out a
little further. The government should subsidize research and
development or even local manufacture of solar powered water
pumps and irrigation system. Our scientists and engineers
should find out more ways of using solar energy in our daily
life. Let us hope that they will show us the real charm of a
shiny day and a technologically advanced bright future.
(Shahriar Shibley, e-mail: globalsymi@msn.com)
Why is Burma like that?
Whatever ideology the army once had is long gone, and it has
become so corrupt that Burma now ties with Somalia for last
place on Transparency International's corruption index. .
Gwynne Dyer
The
Burmese regime is not to blame for the powerful cyclone that
struck the Irrawaddy delta and Rangoon early this month,
killing up to 100,000 people. But it certainly will be to
blame for the next wave of deaths if aid does not soon reach
the survivors.
A hundred years ago, the victims of such a catastrophe were on
their own, but there are now well-established routines for
getting help in quickly from outside. We saw them at work in
the same region during the tsunami that killed at least twice
as many people in 2004.
Nothing could be done for those who died in the first fury of
the event, but relatively few died from disease, injuries,
exposure or sheer hunger or thirst in the days and weeks that
followed.
Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, the nations worst
hit by the 2004 tsunami, are reasonably well-run countries
that were able to help their own stricken citizens, and they
had no hesitation in welcoming international aid as well.
Burma (which got off lightly in 2004) is very different. The
question is: why?
What sane government would block the entry of foreigners
bringing exactly the kind of help that is needed - people
whose professional lives are devoted to disaster relief - when
at least a tenth of the country's people are living in the
open, with little access to food or clean water?
The short answer is that the generals who rule Burma are
ill-educated, superstitious, fearful men whose first priority
is protecting their power and their privileges.
They almost lost both during the popular demonstrations led by
Buddhist monks last year, and they are terrified that letting
large numbers of foreigners in now might somehow destabilise
the situation again. They are sitting atop a volcano, and they
know it.
But that is not really a complete answer, for it begs the
question: Why has Burma fallen into the hands of people like
that not just for a few years, but for four and a half
decades?
Thailand has the occasional short-lived military coup,
Indonesia had its problems with Sukarno and Suharto, and
Cambodia had the horrors of Year Zero, but no other country in
the region has been misgoverned so badly for so long.
It seems incredible now, when neighbouring Thailand has four
times Burma's per capita income, that at independence, in
1948, Burma was the richest country in Southeast Asia. With
huge resources, a high literacy rate and good infrastructure
by the standards of the time (due to the British empire's
obsession with railways and irrigation projects), it seemed
fated to succeed.
Instead, it has drifted steadily downwards, and is now the
poorest country in the region.
The problem is the army, obviously, but why is the army such a
problem? Perhaps it is the legacy of the "Thirty Comrades".
Rarely has such a small group of people dominated a whole
country's history for so long. The Thirty Comrades were a
group of young Burmese students (average age 24) who went
abroad in early 1941 to seek military training so they could
come home and launch a rebellion against British rule. Most of
them were more or less communist in orientation, and their
original intention was to get training from the Chinese
communists.
However, by chance they fell in with the Japanese instead.
They returned under the wing of the Japanese invaders at the
end of the year as the "Burma Independence Army", but switched
sides in 1944 when it became clear that the Japanese would
lose the war. They combined the authoritarian traditions of
the Imperial Japanese Army with the ruthless ideological
certainty of militant Marxism, and they dominated the army of
the new republic from its independence in 1948.
It was this army, the nastiest behavioural stew imaginable,
that seized power in 1962 and has ruled Burma ever since. The
last of the Thirty Comrades, Ne Win, only retired in 1988, and
continued to exercise great influence from behind the scenes
until ten years ago.
Whatever ideology the army once had is long gone, and it has
become so corrupt that Burma now ties with Somalia for last
place on Transparency International's corruption index. The
country exists merely to serve its armed forces, which have
never shown any hesitation in shooting citizens who question
their right to rule.
Its commanders are fully aware that most Burmese hate their
rulers, and fear that the presence of large numbers of
foreigners might serve as a spark for another popular
uprising. Even if another million and a half lives depend on
the rapid delivery of emergency aid to the desperate survivors
in the delta, as Oxfam fears, the army will severely restrict
the entry of foreign aid personnel as long as it can resist
the international pressure to let them in.
Hundreds are probably dying each hour who could be saved if
the food, shelter, water purification equipment and medical
teams could pour in as they usually do after a disaster, but
the army is half a million strong, so nobody is going to fight
their way in. The Burmese, as usual, are on their own.
The writer is a London-based independent journalist whose
articles are published in 45 countries.
Source: jordantimes.com
The American President
Vir Sanghvi
I
have a theory about US elections that is so simplistic that
most Americans laugh in my face when they hear it. But I've
stuck by it for something like 20 years now and it has never
let me down. Broadly, my argument goes like this: America is a
deeply conservative country that associates leadership with a
traditional American (White Anglo Saxon Protestant, even)
identity. So, Americans will sing the praises of the melting
pot theory of nationhood. But when it comes to the crunch,
they'll vote for a President who sounds American.
Think about it. Here's a list of American Presidents since
World War II: FD Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower,
John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton and
George W Bush. Can you spot a single ethnic name in that list?
The nearest you get to any kind of difference is JFK who was
Irish and Catholic but that, I would argue, is not truly
ethnic.
The only time my theory is really put to the test is during
the primaries. Such is the anti-ethnic bias of America
presidential politics that both major parties usually nominate
people with good Anglo-Saxon names. But there are ethnic
candidates in the primaries and I always bet against them.
Usually I am right. But in 1988, when the Democrats chose
Michael Dukakis as their presidential candidate, my theory
seemed to be in trouble. Nevertheless I insisted that George
Bush would beat Dukakis. Even when Dukakis was racing ahead of
Bush in the opinion polls (at one stage, he was a full 10
points ahead), and people told me that it was time to accept
that America had changed, I stuck to my guns. "President Bush"
sounded right, I said. It was hard to imagine America being
led by a "President Dukakis".
Guess what? Bush came back from behind to win and nobody's
heard of Dukakis since then.
I approached this year's race with the same set of prejudices.
Two years ago, at the HT Summit, I got into an argument with
Michael Eisner (who had just stepped down as head of Walt
Disney and was a speaker) about Rudy Giuliani, another
speaker. Eisner reckoned that Giuliani, then still seen as the
man who rallied New Yorkers after 9/11, was a shoe-in for the
Republican nomination. "Won't happen," I said. "President
Giuliani doesn't sound American enough."
And, as we all know, he dropped out pretty early in the race,
leaving the field clear for John McCain (such an American
name! You can almost see him starring in a geriatric retread
of the Die Hard movies). As McCain was always my pick for the
nomination, I was relieved.
As of this writing, we are still not sure who the Democratic
nominee will be. The law of un-ethnic names would suggest that
Hillary Clinton should get ahead but she's such a dreadful
woman that I find myself rooting for Barack Obama and I hope
that he gets the nomination - which I think he probably will.
To be consistent with my theory though, I would argue that
Obama will be the Dukakis of his generation. And that John
McCain will be the next President of the United States. (Okay,
you can crucify me in October if I'm wrong but at least I've
put my money where my mouth is.)
Whether or not you accept my theory - and if, like most
people, you think I'm a fool for reducing everything to such a
simplistic level, don't be afraid to say so. I won't be
offended - there's no doubt that the US presidential election
process is a brilliant example of democracy in action. The
fact that we should be discussing the outcome of a US election
so many thousands of miles away demonstrates how American
democracy has captured the global imagination.
But it also shows us how shamefully inadequate Indian
democracy can be - despite its undoubted strengths in many
areas.
How do Indian Prime Ministers get chosen? Do we have anything
like the process that so distinguishes US democracy? Do
candidates get put through such rigorous tests? Are they
forced to make their views as clear before we decide to vote
for them?
Of course not. If the US election had been held in India, we'd
have all put our money on Hillary arguing that now that the
Bush dynasty had finished its term, it was the Clinton
dynasty's turn.
Source:www.hindustantimes.com
Viewpoints
An Unbreakable
Link
Peace, Environment, and Democracy
A country cannot develop where there is no peace; peace, in
turn, will not prevail if resources are mismanaged or put in
the hands of a few at the expense of many.
Wangari Maathai
The
reality that sustainable development, democracy, and peace are
indivisible concepts should not be denied. Peace cannot exist
without equitable development, just as development requires
sustainable management of the environment in a democratic and
peaceful space. In order to advance peace, we must promote its
underlying democratic institutions and ideals. In large part,
this is only possible if management of the environment is
pursued as a universal priority. Only a holistic approach that
takes these interlinked factors into account can ensure
effective, ecologically sustainable development.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee challenged the world to
appreciate this link and, in doing so, broadened our
understanding of peace and security. The task at hand is to
act on this challenge. This entails motivating leaders to
build fair and just societies in which resources are shared
equitably; to protect the environment to ensure that the needs
of future generations are not compromised; and to expand
democratic space, particularly for women and minorities, so
that minority representation can exist alongside majority
rule. Setting a foundation for peace and development requires
that citizens feel vested in a common future and empowered to
realize their own potential in addressing the problems they
face.
Sustainable Development and the Environment
In many developing countries, particularly in Africa,
environmental problems are relegated to the periphery because
they do not appear to be as urgent as other issues. Protecting
the environment is often seen as a convenient luxury when, in
reality, it is a question of life and death. People cannot
survive without clean drinking water, which comes from the
forested mountains, or live without the food that is grown in
fertile fields watered by the rains. Even the air we breathe
needs trees to provide oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide. Our
very survival depends on the survival of our fragile
ecosystems.
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) was initiated in 1977 with the
planting of seven trees on World Environment Day. It was
conceived as a practical way to address the needs that rural
women were facing, specifically for clean drinking water,
nutritious food, firewood, and fodder. These are all benefits
that come from the land. Simple methods of caring for the
environment have a huge impact on the health of communities as
well as on economic empowerment and growth. Because the land
had been so degraded, an obvious solution was to rehabilitate
it by planting trees. Trees stop soil erosion, thus conserving
water. In addition, tree planting is a simple and realistic
goal which guarantees successful results within a reasonable
amount of time. In the Green Belt Movement model, trees
provide women with the basic needs they require to sustain
their families-food, fuel, shelter, and income-since women
receive monetary compensation for every tree that survives up
to three months.
Working with women to teach them how to plant and care for
trees was a natural choice. Throughout Africa, women are the
primary caretakers, tilling the land and feeding their
families. As a result, they are often the first to feel the
effects of environmental damage as vital resources become
scarce and even unusable. Environmental degradation forces
them to walk farther to attain wood for cooking and heating,
to search for clean water, and to find new sources of food as
old ones disappear. When the environment is destroyed,
plundered, or mismanaged, it is their quality of life, and
that of their children and families, that is ultimately
undermined.
In addition to planting and nurturing new trees, it is
imperative to protect and conserve the trees that still stand
in forests around the world. Forests are catchment areas for
water; without them, flash floods would carry away the soil
and nutrients needed for agriculture. Forests also serve as
major carbon sinks, trapping carbon dioxide and thus helping
to maintain the climate. Finally, forests filter and purify
water supplies, while providing a habitat for wildlife.
The United Nations recommends that each country have at least
10 percent of its land covered with forests. Very few
countries are able to claim that they have achieved this goal.
In Kenya, for example, forest cover is less than 2 percent;
from 1950 to 2000, Kenya lost 90 percent of its forests. To
compound this problem, for the last 80 years, the Kenyan
government has been planting exotic species of trees for the
timber industry, often in indigenous forests. As the trees are
planted, people are invited to go into the forests and grow
crops along with the exotic trees in a system known as shamba.
Under shamba, subsistence farmers are supposed to plant trees
before moving on to a fresh plot of land after three years of
farming. Unfortunately, much of the clear-felled plantations
have not been replanted with tree seedlings, and some farmers
refuse to vacate land earmarked for tree planting, resulting
in a serious lag in reforestation. Currently, the Kenyan
government is trying to reintroduce this destructive practice,
partly to appease demand for agricultural land and partly to
win favor with voters. Eventually, shamba will undermine the
livelihood of millions of Kenyans unless the process is
quickly reversed. Commercial plantations are not forests; on
the contrary, they are biological deserts. The Green Belt
Movement and similar organizations are trying to fill this gap
by prioritizing tree planting with communities in degraded
forest areas. So far, these efforts have proven highly
successful, and there is great hope for further forest
restoration.
Peace and Equitable Resource Management
A degraded environment leads to a scramble for scarce
resources and may culminate in poverty and conflict. As
resources become scarcer or are squandered-whether they be
land, water, hydrocarbons, timber, or minerals-some will seek
to control them by excluding others. Consequently, the
excluded seek justice and dignity through whatever means they
can, often resulting in conflict. In fact, most conflicts in
the world today relate in some way to competition over the
access, control, and distribution of resources. Sometimes
these conflicts take form within a state's own borders as
local disputes over water, grazing ground, and agricultural
land. Others are international conflicts, such as those in the
Middle East. Almost without exception, these conflicts are
over the distribution of these limited resources: who will own
them, who will control them, and who will be excluded.
Inequality often results from such situations, contributing to
desperation and further conflict. To ensure the equitable
provision of resources, a country must guarantee the rule of
law and basic human rights-including the right to be heard, to
eat, to have water, to receive quality education, and to live
in a clean and healthy environment. Good governance is
necessary to give a voice to societies' weak and vulnerable
populations, even while it accepts the decision of the
majority. Most importantly, it seeks justice and equity for
all, irrespective of race, religion, gender, and any other
parameters, which can be used to discriminate and exclude.
Many African leaders have recognized the need for good
governance in their respective countries and in the greater
region, realizing that despite the continent's wealth in
resources, development has sorely lagged. Through
multinational deliberation and cooperative organs like the
African Union, there is movement toward greater engagement by
leaders in order to consult with one other and decide amongst
themselves how to end conflicts, rather than wait for
assistance from external resources. To further promote these
initiatives, African governments need to be supported-both by
their own people and by one other. While challenges such as
corruption and resource mismanagement do remain in many
countries, it is encouraging to see leaders committing to
resolve conflicts peacefully and give development a chance.
Development and Peace through Participation
The strengthening of civil society and grassroots movements to
catalyze change is essential for development and peace. Doing
so enhances the democratization process and respect for human
rights. Weak civil societies cannot hold their leaders
accountable to the people. As a result, it becomes much easier
for citizens to ignore the rule of law. In contrast, a strong
civil society can also be an important vehicle for the
delivery of services like health, education, and protection of
the environment.
As a civil society institution, the Green Belt Movement
initially started off as a way to address the immediate needs
of rural women. It quickly grew into a movement that educated
citizens about the links between the problems they were
facing, the degradation of the environment, and governmental
policy. Initially, empowering citizens was difficult because
they had been persuaded to believe that they were poor not
only in capital, but also in the knowledge and skills they
needed in order to address their challenges. They were
conditioned to believe that solutions to their problems had to
come from the "outside." This way of thinking led to a
dependency syndrome that was disempowering.
In order to help communities to understand these linkages, the
Green Belt Movement developed a citizen's education program.
In this program, women identify their problems, the causes of
these problems, and then possible solutions. They make
connections between their own personal actions and the
problems they witness in the environment and in society. Women
then come to understand that meeting their needs depends on
their environment being healthy and well-managed, and that
they must be part of the solution.
This is one of the most significant messages of the Green Belt
Movement's holistic approach toward development: the need to
expand "democratic space" by educating, mobilizing, and
empowering local communities to take action and create change.
People must come to realize that they should not wait for
local authorities, government, or development agencies to
bring about change. Rather, all individuals themselves can and
should take action, no matter how small that action may seem.
These individual, small acts have resulted in the planting of
over 30 million trees in the past 30 years. Furthermore, the
courage and commitment of ordinary citizens can push for
political change and demand reform from the government. In
2002, ordinary people and civil society organizations realized
Kenya's peaceful transition from a one-party state to a
democratic government.
Turning Theory into Action
The experience of the Green Belt Movement underscores the link
between the environment, development, democracy, and peace. A
country cannot develop where there is no peace; peace, in
turn, will not prevail if resources are mismanaged or put in
the hands of a few at the expense of many. Finally,
sustainable development and peace can only be ensured if
citizens participate in protecting and restoring their
environment and demanding a place at the decision-making
table. Understanding these indivisible links is critical to
promoting sustainable development.
A number of excellent initiatives indicate that leaders,
international organizations, and civil society are already
acting to promote these fundamental pillars of development.
One example at the regional level is the Congo Basin Forest
Partnership. The forests of the Congo Basin are among some of
the last remaining large areas of primeval forested lands in
the world, second only to the Amazon Basin. Together with the
forest ecosystem in Southeast Asia, they are considered the
"three lungs" of the planet. The Congo Basin ecosystem
includes almost one-quarter of the world's tropical forests
and is home to 400 mammal species and more than 10,000 plant
species. It provides food, materials, and shelter for over 20
million people and plays an important role as a global sink
for carbon dioxide. However, logging, hunting, agriculture,
and the oil and mining industries are degrading these forests
at a rate of two million acres every year.
The Congo Basin Forest Partnership brings together about 30
governmental and non-governmental organizations to manage the
Congo Basin in a sustainable manner. The Congo Basin Forest is
located within the boundaries of Cameroon, Central Africa
Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, and Republic of Congo. The goal of the partnership is
to promote economic development and alleviate poverty through
conservation programs in the region, improve local governance
through natural resource conservation, and enhance resource
management through control of illegal logging and wildlife
poaching. This partnership is the result of a growing
understanding that managing forest ecosystems' resources
sustainably and equitably can help stabilize the planet's
atmosphere and ecology. Additionally, doing so can also help
foster peace in an area that has been historically torn by
conflict over resources. Under the leadership of Former
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and myself, the government
of Britain has been the first to make a substantial
contribution to support the implementation of the Congo Basin
Forest Partnership agreement. We are currently working hard to
develop a governance structure that will allow other donor
agencies to provide similar financial support.
Another important example of an effort to expand democratic
space and bring the voices of African people into
decision-making processes is the formation of the African
Union's Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC).
According to its Statutes adopted in 2004, ECOSOCC's objective
is to establish an assembly of civil society organizations
from all African countries to facilitate dialogue between
governments and civil society and to promote African civil
society's participation in implementing policies and programs
of the African Union. It provides African civil society with
an opportunity to have a voice during the AU Heads of State
summit.
In 2005, I was asked to preside over the formation of this
assembly and was proud to do so. I strongly believe that until
a critical mass of Africans are sufficiently empowered to hold
their leaders responsible and accountable; Africa's resources
will continue to be plundered for the benefit of others.
The Green Belt Movement is not alone in recognizing the
importance of empowerment through environmental action.
Indeed, thousands of other organizations around the world are
educating and mobilizing citizens and instilling in them a
sense of responsibility that deliberate, doable steps can and
do make a difference. One such effort is The Billion Tree
Campaign, which is an initiative that encourages people,
communities, business and industries, civil society
organizations, and governments to plant trees. Participants
record their pledges on the campaign's website. The campaign
strongly encourages the planting of indigenous trees and trees
that are appropriate to the local environment, demonstrating
the power of organized efforts.
A Call to Action
It is imperative that humanity stops threatening its
life-support system and starts treating the earth and its
resources with respect. This is wonderfully articulated in the
word mottainai, which is a Japanese concept that means "do not
waste resources," "have respect for the resources around us,"
and "use them with a sense of gratitude." It personifies the
need to respect our environment and encapsulates the concept
that the Green Belt Movement has been actively promoting for
decades: reduce, reuse, and recycle. To this, we should add
one more word: "repair."
The concept of mottainai captures how each one of us can
protect the environment through simple, deliberate, conscious
efforts every day. We can use both sides of a piece of paper
before discarding it; we can conserve water every time we turn
on the tap; we can use public transportation; and we can
always plant more trees. Finally, we must remember that while
the rest of the species on the planet can survive without us,
we cannot survive without them. In protecting the survival of
other species and respecting their right to be, we can, in
turn, ensure our own.
(Wangari Maathai founded the Greenbelt Movement in 1977 and
was elected to the Kenyan parliament in 2002. In 2004 she
became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.)
Cuba: wind of change
Rory Carroll
IT
has been a week of announcements for Cubans from their new
president Raul Castro and on Friday shoppers gathered in
Havana malls to gaze for the first time at computers legally
on sale.
The computers cost almost GBP400 and the average wage is under
GBP10 a month so most were just looking.
But it is the other, less flashy reforms that may bring a more
profound impact - reforms intended to breathe life into Cuba's
economy by giving farmers incentives and freedoms. At May Day
celebrations the government announced it was shifting control
from the ossified agriculture ministry to 169 local
delegations. In a further assault on bureaucracy it may
abolish 104 unnecessary departments.
The Communist party newspaper Granma said the move was needed
to 'stimulate agricultural production, perfect its sale and
increase the availability of food and, in this way, substitute
imports'. Salvador Valdes Mesa, head of the Cuban Workers'
Confederation, reinforced the point. 'It is fundamental to
concentrate efforts on increasing production and productivity,
above all, of food,' he said.
The government has signalled a transfer of land to private
farmers, who are quietly recognised to be far more productive
than state-owned enterprises. The state, which controls 90 per
cent of the economy, is to further loosen its grip by allowing
farmers to buy supplies directly. It has also doubled and in
some cases tripled the prices it pays for some produce.
With Havana's hungry people packed on the plain below,
38-year-old Abel was having a bad day. Two oxen were working a
field of potatoes but a rod on the plough kept snagging in the
soil. Abel had no wrench or hammer so he did what his Old
Testament namesake might have done.
He picked up a rock and bashed the offending equipment. Cuban
agriculture is a disaster. Farms like this - a collective-run
enterprise - lack not only tractors but basic tools. This is a
fertile Caribbean island littered with dysfunctional farms
which cannot feed the 11 million population, let alone export.
The three biggest successes of the communist revolution are
health, education and sport, goes the old joke, and the three
biggest failures are breakfast, lunch and dinner. That could
change. If Raul Castro succeeds in boosting agriculture he
will bolster the post-Fidel transition. Nobody starves but
most Cubans struggle for decent nutrition. Farmers are
strangled by red tape requiring permission to buy as much as a
hoe.
'The handcuffs are being taken off, though there is still a
ball and chain around the ankles,' said one foreign expert in
the capital. Some 150,000 individual farms and co-operatives
are estimated to produce two-thirds of Cuba's food using just
a third of the workable land. Anaemic state farms occupy the
rest.
The government has experimented with reforms before, notably
after the 1991 collapse of its Soviet benefactor, only to row
back to Fidel Castro orthodoxy. Since stripping large
landholdings in 1959, starting with his father's estate, the
maximum commandante was loathe to relinquish state control.
Now Fidel is 81, ailing and eclipsed by the more pragmatic
Raul, the brother inaugurated as President last February. Raul
has studied in China and Vietnam where the regimes have
retained political control while freeing the economy. He wants
changes to boost output. 'The land is there to be tilled... We
must offer producers adequate incentives.' Cuba imports 80 per
cent of its basic food with a third coming from the United
States which exempts food from its economic embargo. The
imports cost GBP800m annually, a drain on state coffers set to
worsen as global prices rise.
Carmelo Mesa-Lago, a Cuba expert at Pittsburgh University,
fears that the reforms do not go far enough. 'Many Cuban
economists believe that in agriculture, only market mechanisms
and foreign investment will prove able to truly overcome
stagnation,' he said. But the mood among farmers was upbeat.
'We have been waiting for this for so long,' said Luis Pi,
head of a co-operative growing vegetables. 'We can do it if
they let us. Come back in a few months. You'll see.'
Source:
www.dawn.com
International
Quake in China
buries over 10,000 people in one city
AFP, Dujiangyan
At least 10,000 people remained buried Tuesday in a single
city in China's Sichuan province following a massive
earthquake, Xinhua news agency said.
The 10,000 were missing in the city of Mianzhu, about 35
kilometres (22 miles) southeast of the epicentre of the
7.8-magnitude quake that struck on Monday, it said.
The report also mentioned a separate "toll" of 1,500 for
the city, without specifying whether the figure referred
to deaths or all casualties.
State media had reported earlier on Tuesday that a steam
turbine factory in Mianzhu's Hanwang township was
destroyed by the quake as up to 6,000 people were at work
in the factory.
Hundreds were feared buried on the factory grounds, which
also included two affiliated schools that suffered heavy
damage, the China News Service reported.
The overall confirmed death toll from the quake has risen
to nearly 10,000, state media said earlier Tuesday,
quoting the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The quake struck in densely populated Sichuan shortly just
before 2:30 pm (0630 GMT) on Monday.
It was the worst to hit China since the 1976 earthquake i |