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EDITORIAL
Welcome release of varsity teachers, students
The nation heaved a sigh of relief at the welcome release of the Dhaka University (DU) teachers and students on Tuesday afternoon after over four months' detention. With protest march, human chain, wearing black badges by students going on every day during the past months, the situation on the campus could be likened to a ticking time bomb. Against the backdrop of explosive rallies indicative of fomenting wrath the presidential clemency is a sensible action manifesting benign magnanimity to avert a grave crisis. However, trial continues in seven cases filed with police stations in Dhaka in connection with the August 2007 campus protests and flare-up after the withdrawal of 13 cases, including one partially.
Universally recognised as central to all human advancements, education forms the moral fibre of a nation and is one of the most essential key indicators of a country's growth and progress. Students drew inspiration from the actions of their counterparts in different countries in the West. But the highest seats of learning here have been bedeviled by feuds, conflicts and sometimes mortal clashes among student groups belonging to diverse political parties over the past three decades. What is unheard of outside Bangladesh is, even a section of teachers are involved in party politics at the Dhaka University (DU) resulting in three clear divisions --- Blue, Pink and White panels.
Inflexibility of rabble-rousers can let loose inferno. Indeed, a drama was enacted by a section of student activists instigated by some teachers at the highest seats of learning in Dhaka and Rajshahi, consequent upon which an orgy ensued leaving in its wake a nightmare.
But the history of students' organisations is a glorious one. The All Bengal Students Association formed in 1928 at Calcutta inspired Muslim intellectuals of Dhaka; and in 1932 the All Bengal Muslim Students' Association came into being under the guidance of no other personality than Dr Muhammed Shahidullah of Dhaka University. Later on, in 1938 All Bengal Muslim Students League was formed with Abdul Wasek of Dhaka as its President.
For many good reasons Bangladeshis took pride in the student movements before and during the Liberation War as the varsity students played the vanguard's role giving voice to the woes of the masses in 1948, 1952, 1962, 1969 and 1971.
Since her inception the country has undergone much travails and tribulations as also predicaments, but it seems the polity here has not learnt any lesson. Regarding the DU detainees the new education adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman, understandably in good spirit, had hinted at finding a way out; but some elements magnified the contentious aspects more than the well-intentioned initiative. This was sheer muddying the muddled situation perhaps with an axe to grind. Was there a monkey business? When you have an opportunity you make best use of it, burying the technicalities. Ignore a minor evil to ovoid a greater one --- that is maturity. It is time for us to be considerate and thoughtful.
Mentionably, from 1942 to 1968 there were only two deaths on the DU campus: the first victim was Saidur Rahman killed in a communal clash and the other was Pach Pattur. After the Liberation the DU campus has been the theatre of internecine fratricidal gun battles emanating from politicisation of student groups of the Awami League, the BNP, the Jamaat and left wing parties. Conflicts and clashes began bloodying the dorms and campuses soon after the Independence. The bloodiest seven murders near the Shamsunnahar Hall in 1974 shuddered and sent a wave of horror across the country. Since then, terror never ceased.
What we crave for is peace and proper academic atmosphere for smooth prosecution of studies and functioning of the varsities. We assume the Caretaker Government backed by the Army has the same intent. The trouble mongers are a small fraction of political activists, maybe 1 or 2 per cent of the total number of students. They ought not be allowed to carry on their unruly wildness.
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PRICES OF ESSENTIALS AND I
Consumers' resistance, solidarity only answer
M. Tajul Islam
At last I was derailed from my pledge after religiously sticking to it for long three decades. In early 1972, as a proud young citizen of a just freed nation, I had taken a solemn vow that "I shall not purchase imported items of basic needs", especially essential food items as these are produced in my own country like rice, lentil, potato, onion, fish, eggs and the like even if the imported ones cost less.
I looked away from the Indian daal, fat ruhi fish, big onions during my regular visits to bazaar or Pakistani vermicelli and other things during Eid shopping. Paying a little more, despite my being a salaried person, satisfied my ego. I couldn't help but imagine 'them' making money out of us and at the same time laughing at us saying: "They can't even feed themselves with simple rice and daal; we are feeding and making them survive and how come they talk big all the time, huh!' A speaker at a seminar recently echoed the same feeling when he said, "Our soil is so rich, there is no dearth of water, the farmers toil so hard but I feel so bad and ashamed that we have to import our common food items like rice, daal, onion, fish, oil and cow for beef."
I broke my vow
I could no longer continue but break my vow two years ago as the ever increasing limitless price hike of essential commodities exceeded the capacity of my purse despite periodic pay hike all these years. One day with heavy heart, I told the shopkeeper "Give me these potatoes and those onions", pointing towards the big ones. "But those are not deshi, Sir!" he said with surprise. I know; I will take those. And with that my long cherished vow was washed away. Isn't it sad? "It's economy, stupid!"
In every country prices come down before main festivals--in India before Puja, in the West before Christmas, also in the South-East and the Far East. The people go on the festival shopping spree happily and the sellers make money merrily.
Price spiral in Ramzan
Ours in the only country on this planet where prices go up on elevator before Eid during Ramzan and the poor buyers, including the salaried ones, have no other way but to buy with sour face to meet social obligations and to make their near and dear ones happy. In the month of self-restraint and purification, the dishonest traders seal their conscience in the locker to make the life of the fasting fellow faithful hell during the holy month. No law, no price fixation by the authorities make any dent on the greedy merchants' intent.
Not only during festivals, every now and then, prices of the essential commodities jump on one pretext or another. "Sir, hartal, so price has gone up......Heavy rains sir, so price is up....Today no rains, too hot sir, so the price has gone up!"...and it goes. I am waiting to hear, "The whole seller's wife had a fight with him sir, so he raised the price sir, hi, hi, hi!" So the people have lost faith in laws. We have too many of them but no one bothers because enforcement of law is very weak.
CAB's conference
Last Monday, I attended the National Conference on Consumer Movement-2008 organised by the Consumer's Association of Bangladesh (CAB). I have known my friend Borhan Ahmed, President of CAB for a long time. By I did not know that CAB had such a big network throughout the country. Speakers spoke about the devilish power of the hoarders, the syndicate, the whole sellers, the racket and all that, the urgent need for Consumers' Rights Law and many other things that should be done to control price. The Chief Guest Dr. Akbar Ali Khan made the audience aware of the non-violent consumers resistance. There is nothing more effective than the power of people, to be more precise, the cosumers' resistance--passive, non-violent.
Consumers' resistance
I remember an incident a few years ago in the United States. This may be food for thought for Borhan, with his countrywide network of volunteers. Beef Producers' Association decided to raise the price of beef on some excuses. The Consumers Union (or Association) sharply reacted describing the beef producers' excuses as lame. They had a couple of dialogues with Beef Producer Association with no result. The beef traders were adamant.
Then one day the President of the Consumers' Union called a media conference and made an appeal to the people of America. "My dear fellow consumers, you cannot let them get away like that. There are so many food-items other than beef.....chicken, eggs, fish, vegetables and what not. We will not die without beef. Let us show the power of consumers' resistance. Let us unite and decide not to buy beef from next Saturday till the price comes down to normal." Saturdays and Sundays are the weekly shopping days in the West when the people, especially the housewives buy their provisions for the whole week. The beefwallas were smiling and watching the fun.
All NGOs, civil society organisations, professional bodies, and trade unions expressed their solidarity with the Consumers Union's appeal. It was a hot cake for the media. On Saturday morning the newsmen, photographers, TV cameras of national and local media gathered at the chain and small stores all over the country. Customers as usual started pouring in since morning to shops and super markets, filling their trolleys with varieties of items like wheat, bread, chicken, eggs, potato, onions, vegetables, toiletries and what not except beef.
Even the rich customers, to whom price is not a matter of concern, also refrained from buying beef to register their protest against the unjust price hike. The media interviewed the customers and shop managers to find out how much beef has been sold. The evening dailies and TV news coverage on the event disclosed that not a single gram of beef was sold anywhere in the country. The beefwallas commented that it was just a matter of 'one-day fun' of the consumers saying, "Everything will be alright tomorrow."
The tomorrow never came
Tomorrow came, and day after tomorrow, day after day after tomorrow past. There was no change in the people's attitude. The volunteers of the Consumers Union picketed peacefully with placards at various corners of the streets and in front of super markets and mega stores appealing to the buyers to boycott beef. Newspapers front paged the story everyday with regular TV footage. Next Friday came. The beef association commented that the Americans can live without beef burger or steak for a week at the best. From Saturday they will go back to their normal menu. But frowns started showing on their faces when there was no report of sale of beef anywhere in the country. The story did not change on Sunday. Hundreds of packets of beef, a perishable item, remained unsold in the shelves of every shop, heaps, rather tons of beef, pilled up in refrigerated warehouses across the country, cross country supply vans received no orders. In addition to loss of millions of dollars in beef business, thousands of people working in the beef chain started losing jobs. There was wave of protests throughout the country against the obstinacy of the beef producers.
Suddenly, in the middle of the second week the beef association president appeared on TV requesting for a meeting with the consumers union. The Consumers Union President refused saying, "Enough dialogues were held." On Thursday evening, after futile attempts to meet the consumers union, the beef producers association declared that from next morning (Friday) the price of beef will come down to what it was before.
Beef came back to the customers' shopping list.
* The author is Director, NGO Foundation.
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VIEW POINT
Trial of the war criminals
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
Recently there have been demands from certain quarters for trial of the "war criminals". Before such demand in the court of law perhaps it is necessary to find out first if the law of the country is operational for trial of war crimes and what the definitions for such offence are given in the law.
Recently, the court discharged a case filed against certain individuals on allegation of being war criminals. I am not against trial of any individual for committing war crime. I belong to a Shaheed family that suffered immensely during the Liberation War. Therefore, trial for committing war crime is also my foremost demand. But to term those individuals "war criminals" before conviction might give rise to various legal complications. As such perhaps it would not yield the desired result.
Trial could be sought against any specific crime or murders committed either against the country or any individuals after collection of enough evidence needed to prove their involvement which in my opinion would be very much difficult to get now after the passing of a long span of time. Otherwise if all those evidences could not be produced, I am afraid, the case will not hold good.
Everybody knows the AL government formed after the liberation was instrumental in declaring a general amnesty to the persons once opposed to the creation of Bangladesh. While no one objected at that time, why raising hue and cry now after a long time? Moreover, AL, Jatiya Party and BNP should be held responsible for their failure to try those opposed to the creation of Bangladesh during their 36 years' rule.
The most interesting part of the episode is that, lately the surviving Sector Commanders also have come up in strong way demanding trial of the "war criminals". Many of them were active members of both AL and BNP so the question remains what they have been doing during the last thirty six years?
Moreover, at least one of such commanders was a presidium member of a political party and shared his position in the Government along with those opposed to the creation of Bangladesh. He never raised a single objection nor made any protest in the past against those people. Now what prompted them suddenly to seek the trial is anybody's guess. Instead the Sector Commanders by dint of their social status could come in aid of the distressed and needy freedom fighters who were once their comrade in arms. There is a vast scope for undertaking rehabilitation for the depressed and many disabled freedom fighters although belated.
We have seen newspaper reports and photographs of many freedom fighters some were disabled, passing days in acute poverty along with their families. Some of them became rickshaw pullers or even beggars. It is a great shame for the nation for doing practically nothing for those who sacrificed everything to bring independence to our beloved country. Is it not the special duty of the Sector Commanders to try to do something good for their brothers with whom they fought shoulder to shoulder to liberate the country rather than seeking belated trial of the war criminals after such a long time?
Let us do something fruitful and constructive which will benefit the country and its people. Let us not live in the past, let us learn to live in the present and future for progress and prosperity. Unfortunately the attitude of some of us to try to live in the past by unnecessarily dragging some past issues has pushed the country backward economically and politically.
Having all said, my humble suggestion would be to leave it for the next elected Government to resolve the issue after taking into the cognizance of all pros and cons and legal issues involved in this respect.
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LETTERS
Pain, pleasure and religion
Dear Editor:
Whoever he or she may be --- a President or a Prime Minister, an engineer, doctor, an industrialist or a barrister, a bus driver, a nurse of a hospital, a film star, a first class gazetted officer or an MLSS, a farmer a millionaire or a beggar --- everyone comes across pain and pleasure, success or failure till the end of his/her life.
What a pleasure for different individuals, for a batsman when he hits a century in a cricket match, a businessman or a contractor when he/she earns a huge profit, a Rahim when he purchases a brand new car, a Laili when she builds a house, a mother when she sees the smiling face of her child, an unemployed person when he/she gets a job etc.
Similartly there are manifold pain. For a man or woman when he/she loses a leg in an accident, a Karim's Taka ten lakh is robbed by hijackers, a Rafiq is killed in air crash, a Taher's son fails in examination and so forth.
Above all when a group of people are fighting against another, there is no law and order in the country, a war breaks out or the country is affected by natural calamity the pains and sufferings of the people know no bound.
These are the universal realities and facts. The magnitude and quality of pain are however always higher than pleasure.
A man or woman and the people as a whole of a country can live in happiness and peace only if they do not commit crime, do injustice to none, lead an honest life and follow the teachings of their religion.
O.H. Kabir,
Wari, Dhaka.
Esho boi pori: appeal to book lovers
Dear Editor:
The students, youths and the community people established the Esho Boi Pori Public Library after the glorious War of Liberation in the coastal belts of the Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Sundarbans area. But it was seriously damaged and destroyed by cyclones and tidal waves several times. The library is situated in the Sidr-affected areas of 10 Garaikhali Union under the Paikgacha Upazilla of Khulna district.
Book lovers expect newspaper readers' cordial cooperation, help and assistance to built the proposed library building for the users, youths, school and college students, volunteers, NGO workers, community leaders and other people.
Library organisers feel the crying need for making a brick-built building; so they appeal to all conscious people to extend cordial financial assistance to light the lamp of knowledge of making a better society. They want people to participate in the making of a newer and happier Bangladesh at the grassroots level. People have been requested to send their contributions to bank account: Esho Boi Pori Public Library, Bank A/C:- 318, Rupali Bank, Garaikhali Hat Branch, P.O. Garaikhali, Dist: Khulna-9285; and by post to the Secretary, Esho Boi Pori Public Library, P.O. Garaikhali, Garaikhali Bazar, Dist: Khulna-9285. E-mail: mrahman@khulnaonline.net
Oil price shock & fallout
Dear Editor:
I refer to your report on the above subject on Friday January 11, 2008
Price of oil is connected to the galloping rate of inflation in the country which is between 7-8 per cent according to dependable source and or 10-11 per cent per annum according to some other sources.
As reported, on your coverage, the import bill for oil is US$ 854x3 million for 38 lakh ton consisting of 25.35 refined and 12.11 lakh tons crude oil in 2006-7. As oil price has crossed US$100 per barrel in early January in the New York stock exchange Bangladesh has to gear up to foot oil import bill of nearly US$ 3 billion end of fiscal year 2007-08
The question is, how to overcome this problem? One suggestion is by minimising the oil import bill. How? As suggested in you esteemed column, by importing more crude oil which is US$10/barrel lower in price and refined at lower cost within the country. The Eastern Refinery Chittagong is the only refinery in the country, with capacity to refine 15 lakh tons annually. The current import was less by 1.9 lakh tons. Would the import of maximum limit of crude oil meet the domestic requirement? And the import of crude oil is exposed to pilferage and other losses, as indicated in your write-up, in the absence of an oil terminal at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port. Should setting up of more oil refineries in the country with assistance from Iran or Abu Dhabi be a priority over installing the infrastructure at the port to enhance the efficiency of the existing refinery need serious consideration?
The current import bill is heavily skewed to price per barrel of refined oil the price of which has high jumped to >US$100 from US$8 in 1986. Unless the domestic demand for refined oil is redefined to minimise oil import bill payment, for example, perhaps be by restricting or banning the import of 'gas guzzling' motor vehicles. The path to recover from the oil price shock is surely bleak or a total blackout sans strict steps on superfluous consumption and correct action surmounting to putting the cart before the horse??
Farida Sheikh.
In quest of truth
Dear Editor
It may be interesting to have valuable comments of the knowledgeable readers of your esteemed weekly on the following questions.
Is it alright for the holders of the high offices in the government to have press interviews in their office chambers?
Is it alright for high officials to go abroad for medical treatment at public expense when such treatments are available at home?
Is it alright for the special assistants to the chief adviser to hold ministerial offices without oath of secrecy?
Is it alright for some teachers and students to consider themselves somewhat above law?
Syed Farhat Ahmad Roomy
New DOHS, Dhaka-1206)
Uncertainty and shifting wave of civilisation
Dear Editor:
What has gone wrong with Bangladesh (and Pakistan)? Common factor: the very birth! Why India [all a part of the former British Indian Raj] escaped such historical inflictions we are experiencing today? Pakistan, after the partition in 1947, was without a capital and experience of central government governance. Beside Rawalpindi, later Islamabad, the Pakistani capital was far away from East Pakistan. The communication, cultural, and distance gaps were huge; with a hostile, huge country, in between. The separation of East Pakistan (Bengalees) was a foregone conclusion. In just one generation East Pakistan was gone forever and sovereign Bangladesh came into being in 1971.
Today both Pakistan and Bangladesh are limping; but after China, India is emerging as an economic powerhouse.
We migrated to Dhaka from Calcutta, now Kolkata, soon after the partition, but some of our relatives did not. Today the presence of Muslims in Indian West Bengal is hardly noticeable in the Indian satellite TV channels -- in the news, talk shows, social events and cultural functions as seen from Dhaka on the screen]. The wounds have yet to heal.
The horrible standard of our political culture is no surprise-the have-nots cannot rule. There is no moral restraint to resist temptation-misuse of power and position.
In Dhaka, how many VIPs do you find who display the motto of plain living and high thinking? We have experimented for 26 years (one generation) - calculate the cumulative systems losses for 120-130 million people. We have a demographic problem-the highest density of population in the world; plus no provincial governance; and local self-governance is cunningly avoided by the successive political regimes. Spread corruption thick or thin? There is no choice in choosing evil plans!
I speak as a [double] pensioner. I am wondering about the future of our son-circumstances made him a virtual citizen of the world. Born in Dhaka, he had his primary education abroad (in an Asian country); graduated from Dhaka; worked for a few years in Dhaka [as a young executive in the private sector]; got fed up; and has gone abroad with his own funds, for the Master's. How many of our young educated generation come back (patriotism) - the grass is greener on the other side [Western materialism]?
The plight of Bangladesh [and Pakistan] are not isolated. Asia, Africa and South America are full of examples of struggling new nations coping with the options Western Democracy has to offer. The super power is not making it easier for the Third World to chart a decent plan of living. Bangladesh today is a hidden target of powerful vested foreign cartels, due to the shifting wave of civilisation, now moving from the West to the East. God has a sense of humour: He gives a chance to every one!
Why cyclone SIDR had to come now? Life is a mystery; but there are traps-and solutions. The divine Law of Compensation cannot be sidetracked-it would take its toll. The year 2008 looks gloomy and uncertain.
A Mawaz
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