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Domestication of International Human Rights
Muhammad Habibur Rahman
The old aphorism of Sir William Blackstone that the law of nations is part of the law of the land is not honoured in his home country. Unlike a few countries like the Netherlands, international human rights are not automatically received as domestic laws. The history of the International Bill of Human Rights, and provisions for ratification with reservation, and non-ratification of an international covenant like ICCPR by big powers like the UK indicate that international convention for human rights need to be ratified for application in national jurisprudence... [ FULL STORY ]
National Security Council for Bangladesh?
Talukder Maniruzzaman
A section of the Civil Society particularly some of the former civil and military officers have been demanding the formation of a National Security Council (NSC) for grappling with the problems of security faced by the Bangladesh government. Recently in an article in a Bengali Daily, a noted columnist of Bangladesh wrote that the countries like USA, India, Pakistan and Turkey established National Security Councils to manage their external and internal security threats. Why Bangladesh should not have a Security Council? Bangladesh faces both internal and external security threats. Bangladesh's relation with her giant neighbour is not exactly a correct one at the present moment. Bangladesh faces internal security threats- fundamentalist and terrorist outfits like Jamiatul Mujahedeen, Allar Dal and extreme armed leftists. The columnist mentioned above wrote that those who disagreed with the proposal for NSC were old fashioned in matters of security thinking... [ FULL STORY ]
Quest for justice and need for strengthening judiciary
Dr. Kamal Hossain
The quality of judges of the Supreme Court cannot be expected to improve unless improved recruitment procedures are adopted so that the best available candidates may be recruited. This will call for effective consultation and adoption of objective criteria for recruitment which give due weight to educational qualifications, professional experience, sensitivity to human rights, gender sensitivity and reputation for integrity... [ FULL STORY ]
Trial in Bangladesh for alleged criminals for international crimes
Barrister Harun ur Rashid
Crime, although committed against a person, is an offence against a State and that is why state prosecutors (public prosecutors) pursue a criminal case. A person who allegedly commits a crime can always be charged until he is alive. Unlike civil litigation or disputes, length of time does not affect crime. In other words, it does not have statutory limitation... [ FULL STORY ]
Society and political development
Humayun Morshed
Ideology is composed of an idea and a method. Democracy is the best form of government. Capitalism as an ideology is based upon the idea of separating religion from life. This idea is its doctrine, its intellectual leadership and its intellectual basis. According to this intellectual basis man lays down the system for this life, so it is necessary to preserve for man the following types of freedom: freedom of belief, freedom of opinion, freedom of ownership and personal freedom. The capitalist economic system resulted from the freedom of ownership, so capitalism has become the most prominent feature in this ideology and the most prominent matter that resulted from the doctrine of this ideology... [ FULL STORY ]
Man and Ideology
Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Modern man is at a loss except those who do good deeds, and are firmly established on truth and steadfastness. In his zeal to appear secular, materialistic and modern, he has forgotten that he is not composed of material, physical elements like flesh and blood alone, but also of immaterial, metaphysical elements like nafs (soul, carnal self) and ruh (spirit). As a result, like a pendulum he went from one extreme experiment of ideology to another. Thus, when he got tired of the tyranny of the medieval Church, which had become unbearable with its degradation of man, his essence and status in the universe, it was all too natural to witness his unquestioning embrace of western fallacies like Marxism and secular humanism in which God was rebuffed or played petite role. But then again he realised that he was missing something too fundamental to his innate nature. So, he rushed to bury Marxism. We are, therefore, not surprised today to witness an onrush of religion in once Godless, communist societies... [ FULL STORY ]
Crisis of leadership in Muslim world
M. Afsar Ali Farajee
Till 1990, the world was practically bi-polar, but after the fall of the Soviet Union communism is practically dead and the world has turned into a fully unipolar one. The only leader of the present world is USA which is dictating the whole world in the name of democracy and protection of human rights... [ FULL STORY ]
Election in a multicultural nation
Dhiraj Kumar Nath
On one fine morning of late September, 2007 while walking near the Danforth and the Main station of East York, Toronto, an accomplished gentleman gave me a leaflet after shaking hand with a smile. After walking a while with a cup of coffee from Tim Horton's, I found the leaflet contain an appeal of Mr. Michael Prue to re-elect him as a member of Provincial Parliament in the ensuing election to be held on 10th October,2007... [ FULL STORY ]
Thoughts on proposed campus police
Razzak Raza
In the backdrop of the recent campus violence during which led to compel the government to declare a curfew in the major cities of the country, the formation of Campus Police has been the talk among the think tanks. Debates are going on in newspaper columns. Newspapers published their own views in their editorials. Articles are written by renowned column contributors. Letters by readers have also been published. I carefully studied the articles, editorials, and letters published in the newspapers. Analysing the recent opinions and proposals of the writers one may summarise them as follows:.. [ FULL STORY ]
Political developments in the subcontinent
Hasnat Abdul Hye
The sub-continent offers an interesting study on political develop-ments after the curtain came down on British Raj in 1947. The two countries, India and Pakistan, that became independent, resulting in a rump sub-continent did not take the same route for nation buildings; rather they went their different ways over determination of the polity and the manner of governance. One of these two independent states, Pakistan, broke-up after twenty four years, in 1971, bringing the number of sovereign countries in the sub-continent into three. This break-up was, in no small measure, the outcome of political development. The evolution of politics and development of political institutions have taken different routes in all three countries as a result of which there are very few similarities in the way political culture has developed in these countries and the manner they are being governed... [ FULL STORY ]
Politico-administrative renewal: Key to disaster and development management
Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley
Hurricane 'SIDR' lashed southern Bangladesh in full furry on the night of 15th November, took a heavy toll in life and property and reminded a shocked nation of the lessons learned and forgotten. By official count more than 3000 lives have been lost in the cyclonic storm and accompanying tidal surge. Hundreds of thousands homes have been destroyed. Millions have been made helpless. Profound grief for the near and dear ones lost mingle in heart-rending cry for safe water, food, medical help, shelter and livelihood support... [ FULL STORY ]
Fighting corruption in Bangladesh: From one myth to another?
Iftekharuzzaman
If there was a myth in Bangladesh that corruption was invincible, it seems to be giving way to another, looking at reforms introduced by the present Government, efforts of the Anti-Corruption Commission and Task Forces as panacea against the systemic and pervasive corruption prevailing in the country. All for good reasons no doubt, but the reality may be quite different... [ FULL STORY ]
Slave trade and forced prostitution
Trafficking of Bangladeshi women to India and Pakistan
Justice Naimuddin Ahmed
I happened to be in Kolkata, India, in the first half of April this year, having been invited to be the Guest of Honour at the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Legal Aid Services of West Bengal (LASWEB) held from 7th to 8th April by LASWEB's Chairman Mr. Justice D. K. Basu... [ FULL STORY ]
A study in perceptive
Political awakening of Bengali Muslims
Dr. Shireen Hasan Osmany
Human behaviour -- be it political, social, economic or cultural -- is primarily conditioned by the way he relates himself to cosmic frame of reference and to his fellow human beings. Like individual human beings, human groups also tend to place themselves at the focus of the universe and visualise everything else in reference to the centrality of their own security, peace and well-being. The same holds true for the Muslims of Bengal individually and collectively. The Muslims of Bengal ever since they arrived in this geographical location sometime in the ninth century, have always sought to establish a viable equilibrium with the local political and socio-cultural environment in the context of their faith, tenets and the concept of duties and responsibilities that follow as a logical extension of that faith... [ FULL STORY ]
The HOLIDAY's 43rd birthday
Dhiraj Kumar Nath
Holiday has completed 42 years of its journey with challenges of journalism to establish the freedom of press, free exchange of views, human rights and rights to literacy. During the late 60s and early 70s Holiday was the only Weekly English publication to uphold the spirit of liberty and project the voice of the people against any discrimination to the rule of law and common conventions of our culture and heritage... [ FULL STORY ]
HUSSAIN SHAHEED SUHRAWARDY
The charming democrat with wit and wisdom
K. Z. Islam
The death anniversary of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was on December 5 and I propose to throw some light on his biography by recalling the lighter side of his character. Unfortunately no one has recorded the countless witticism and examples of his humour or his repartees. However, I have managed to assemble a few which are fairly well known. The following anecdotes some of which I have picked up from Suhrawardy's biography by Begum Ikramullah will give us some idea of his wit... [ FULL STORY ]
Of saints and sinners
Mufleh Osmany
Vices and virtues add up to a reality (a virtual reality?) called human being. Saints pile up relatively more virtues, and sinners dwell in a world largely characterised by vices. But then the concept of virtues and vices become contested in a world where everything is in a state of flux... [ FULL STORY ]
The need is to unify, not demoralise the nation
Kalu Mia Sordar
'Road map' is a new phrase, first applied in the context of Middle East peace process. The irony is that road map is more talked about when the map itself is not clearly visible, destination is confused. In present-day politics of Bangladesh, provided everything went smoothly, no road map would be necessary as the Constitution itself would be the permanent guide and beacon and the pathfinder. And the Constitution is very much in force, it is in force now as much as it was before 9/11. Then what's the problem?... [ FULL STORY ]
Changing scenario and consensus
Tanzeen R. Doha in California
Views and opinions about the constitutional legitimacy of the idea of consensus government remain superficial because it fails to address the role of political consensus in terms of cultural discourse. What does consensus mean in terms of the alienation of the general masses from the elite? What does it mean in terms of the changing definitions of "democracy" within global economy? These questions are not being answered by the writers, activists and elitist politicians. But there is much talk about the "feelings" related to the notion of a consensus government. The rhetorical content of these "feelings" vary according to each person's political affiliation. Beneath these feelings are intentions of power, greed, and social/political control... [ FULL STORY ]
SAARC: Economic integration needed
Professor Mahfuz R. Chowdhury
Economic growth today is a collective matter in a very significant way. No nation, big or small, can think of going it alone anymore. In fact, the whole world has become so inter-linked that every event, no matter how small or where it happens, is having an instant worldwide effect. Earlier, the world had to deal with rising nationalism, and governments had to find ways to protect domestic industries from outside competition. Now, the world is increasingly dealing with globalization, and so governments have to promote the efficient management of domestic industries in order to withstand foreign competition... [ FULL STORY ]
Making a bridge of fire and shaming the devil
A.U.M. Fakhruddin
Great men think alike; in other words, great wits jump together. When it comes to speaking about journalism or views on the print media, this scribe finds a striking similarity between poet Rabindranath Tagore and some Western thinkers. In the words of eminent American columnist Walter Lippmann, there can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil, and remain detached from the great. He also said, "The theory of a free press is that the truth will emerge from reporting and free discussion, that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." But US president Nixon was bitter about the print medium; he said. "The press is the enemy." Today, in a Kafkaesque age of 'embedded' journalism not many are like that... [ FULL STORY ]
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