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VOTERS SHOULD BEWARE OF ‘SEDUCTIVE TRAP’
Failed state syndrome in the offing?
M. Shahidul Islam
Never before in history has the regional and global brinkmanship mattered so much for voters in Bangladesh. And, never before have the signs of Bangladesh becoming a failed state appeared clearer.
The symptoms and the syndromes indicate that the coming polls remain the last hope for the helpless people of this turbulent nation to spare the nation from the precipice of what seems like a diabolic conspiracy to rule from without, as are being done in Afghanistan and Pakistan...[ FULL STORY ]
HOT AIR BLOWS IN AND AROUND
Jihadists angry with Khaleda for crushing JMB
Sadeq Khan
Begum Khaleda Zia, immediate-past Prime Minister in the eighth parliament and leader of the BNP-led four-party alliance, has been conducting a feverish election campaign and drawing large crowds at all hours of day and night as she tirelessly moved across the country. She had to at last opt for some rest. Her scheduled trip on December 24 to the port city of Chittagong was cancelled, as she was exhausted by campaign fatigue and cold. The whole time from Dec. 12 through Dec. 23, she has been campaigning non-stop notwithstanding a sore-throat and loss of voice...[ FULL STORY ]
Is establishment fair to BNP?
Faruque Ahmed
The electioneering campaign reached its climax last Tuesday with the attempt on BNP chairperson and former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s life at a public meeting at Chandina on her way to Comilla. The security around her, however, worked well and the attempt was foiled with the seizure of bombs, arrest of a member of the killers’ squad and escape of two others.
The attempt on her life sought to turn the country’s over-heated election campaign into a new bloody chapter. With it the forces behind the move tried to scuttle the election to further undermine the country’s fragile stability and derail its transition to democracy...[ FULL STORY ]
Anniversary Greetings
On the 44th anniversary of The Holiday we express our gratitude to our valued readers, well-wishers and advertisers.
NOTICE
The Holiday also takes this opportunity to wish the readers, well-wishers and advertisers hearty season’s greetings and a Happy New Year.
Today’s 36-page issue includes a 24-page 44th anniversary special supplement...[ FULL STORY ]
People want smooth power transfer
Abdur Rahman Khan
With all the preparations completed and all set for the general elections on Monday, the nation is eagerly waiting for a smooth transition of power to the elected government.
In an unexpected development, the Anti-Corruption Commission last week cleared both the former prime ministers, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, of the allegation of illegal wealth possession.
However, the nation during the past few weeks of election campaign witnessed sharp contrast in BNP and Awami League over the issue of criticising the caretakers...[ FULL STORY ]
What avails of promises in manifestoes
Abdul Hannan
The political parties have announced their election manifestoes with great fanfare and bravado. But are the pep talks about supremacy of Parliament, price control, economic development to improve the quality of life of people, jobs for the unemployed, poverty alleviation, women’s emancipation, healthcare, education and energy security anything more than rhetoric and known sound bites to dupe the ordinary unsuspecting voters and only to be forgotten after they have elected them to power?
The manifestoes did not mention any ban of hartals, boycott of parliament and student, teachers, lawyers and other professional front organisations of political parties as was widely demanded, nor did it mention any fixed tenure for which a person could hold office of a prime minister or party chairmanship. The Jamaat manifesto asserts that there is no Islamic extremist in Bangladesh but the threat is from the communists. It wants blasphemy law and to give military training to citizens between the age of 20 and 30 perhaps to be able to potentially ban music, dances, cinemas, arts and sculpture as un Islamic and raise its armed cadre...[ FULL STORY ]
Remittance flow increases, inflation major challenge: BB annual report
Special Correspondent
The remittance from Bangladesh expatriates increased substantially by 32.4 per cent during the last financial year July 2007- June 2008 .
According to the annual report of the Bangladesh Bank, the country’s central bank, the economy showed signs of resilience by maintaining a satisfactory growth momentum in the face of repeated floods, cyclones and a spike in price of oil, rice and most commodities in the global market...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
USCIRF describes Ahmadis as religious minority like others
Moinuddin Naser in New York
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has termed the Ahmadis ( known as Kadiani in Bangladesh) as a minority religious sect like Hindu, Buddhist and Christian. The USCIRF, which is a bipartisan, independent U.S. government advisory body, after its recent public hearing on “Bangladesh: Religious Freedom, Extremism, Security, and the Upcoming National Elections,” has published the summary of its findings.
The Commission has so far held three public event on Bangladesh. In its recently published summary report after the hearing held on December 4, 2008 the USCIRF has described Bangladesh, a South Asian country with a population of 150 million, predominantly Sunni Muslims but with significant religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Ahmadis. In its recommendation too, the USCIRF is silent about the demand of declaring Ahmadis as minority religious community in Bangladesh...[ FULL STORY ]
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