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Despite acute crisis at home, corrupt traders exported edible oil to India
Faruque Ahmed
It is difficult to believe that at a time when an exasperated government is finding it impossible to import adequate quantity of edible oil to meet local demand, a group of dishonest businessmen exported 20,000 metric tons of edible oil at a throwaway price to Indian importers. What is more difficult to believe is that the goods in question were formally exported with permission from the relevant government agencies.
Two top edible oil importers and refiners have been identified as having exported 20,000 metric tons of edible oil to India in November 2007 at a throwaway price of Taka 48 per litre while the same was being sold in Dhaka at Taka 90 per litre. Investigators have already found that those two businessmen exported their consignments through Sylhet, Akhaura and Bibir Bazar land ports.
A high-powered committee formed by the commerce ministry has been able to detect this mind-boggling commercial crime. However, instead of putting the identified business into custody, a commerce ministry official said that this committee on ‘detection of high level corruption and crimes’ is further investigating into the matter.
However, one question comes into one’s mind is that how the central bank, the NBR or for that matter the customs and the concerned bank officials who handled the export of the commodity did not take note of this ridiculously low price. If it is a simple case of lack of vigilance, how come so many agencies could simultaneously lower their guard. Clearly it looks as if all those people who were involved allowed themselves to be manipulated by the interested groups for some reason. Informed insiders say this could be a clear case of money laundering by the involved businessmen and a lot of palms were profusely greased.
It happened at a time when global edible oil market has remained volatile over the past year making it difficult for the importers to secure supply at competitive rates and its prices are on steady rise.
Informed sources tend to suggest that this has happened at a time every efforts of the government to reign in the surging prices of edible oil is facing snags as the importer, refiners of its wholesalers are purportedly taking the public hostage to their endless greed.
Adviser for commerce Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman made frantic efforts over the past two weeks to win the support of the business cartel to put a break on the prices but in vain. Every time they sat with him and senior government officials and made a promise, they broke it on the very next day.
Many wonder how this reckless exploitation of the common people is taking place at a time when the country is under emergency rule and the government has visibly undertaken serious campaign against corruption to clean the society from this scourge.
Some observers believe that the government should set up an appropriate ‘commission’ to work as watch dog on the
free market players and stop them from becoming exploiters, monopolists and syndicate cartels. Such commissions are in existence in the developed economies such as Germany and other European countries.
Germany has a minister for consumers’ affairs. In Malaysia the ministerial portfolio for the consumers is very powerful. They have created the institutional mechanism as they care for the wellbeing of their consumers who are the voters. They have not left the consumers open to the vagaries of the free market forces and regularly enacting legislation to protect and uphold the buyers interest.
In contrast, countries like Bangladesh, the administration is poised to serve the purposes of the vested business interest and therefore the government keeps itself aloof from making effective legislation and creating mechanism to safeguard consumers interest. This is why after three successive popularly elected democratic governments this caretaker government is failing to make progress in framing the consumers’ protection act.
Top businessmen dealing in edible oil made their last promise with the commerce adviser last Tuesday as they agreed to maintain the retail price of soyabean oil at Taka 106 per litre and palm oil at Taka 99.50. But the next day, retailers sold soyabean and palm oil at Taka 110 and between Taka 100 and 104 respectively alleging that as they are buying at higher prices so they have to sell at higher than the promised prices.
Incidentally, the importers used the country’s scarce foreign exchange to import the product and then exported the same to the Indian buyers at less than half of its import prices. The question is for whose benefits the local exporters quoted such low prices for export? One wonders if it is a case of money laundering to pay for other illegal business or take their ill gotten money out of the country?
Observers believe that the government should immediately put all those businessmen under the bar for their alleged crime and once the charges are proved, they be given exemplary punishment to warn other black marketers, money launderers and the members of the so called syndicates.
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‘SLIPPED TARGETS’ CAUSE CONCERN
CEC reaffirms polls will be held in time
Abdur Rahman Khan
Initiating the second round of dialogue with the political parties last week, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda said that the election commissioners do not want to become national traitors by reneging on the commitment to the nation for holding the stalled ninth parliamentary election before the year end.
“We are in if there is an election, and if it is not there, then we are out,” CEC Huda asserted to dispel doubts about holding of the parliamentary poll within the timeframe stipulated in the electoral roadmap announced by the EC.
This was enough to assure the public about the holding of election that is said to be scheduled sometime in December this year.
The CEC during his meetings with political leaders said the EC was annoyed at the doubt expressed repeatedly by various quarters that the elections may not be held by December 2008.
“We are really fed up with such repeated apprehension,” Huda said, pointing out what the political parties at separate meetings referred to as ‘public apprehension’ about the possibility that the polls might not be held by December.
In a bid to dispel the growing uncertainty in the public mind over holding of the stalled ninth parliamentary election in keeping with the electoral roadmap, the EC sought the parties’ suggestions on a tentative timeframe for the poll after having the voter list ready by the end of October this year.
The talks resumed on February 24 without BNP. The CEC admitted to the political leaders that the completion of the talks was delayed because of the BNP issue. The EC on November 5, 2007 invited M Saifur Rahman-led faction of BNP to the first round of electoral reform dialogue with it on November 22, prompting Khandaker Delwar Hossain-led faction, loyal to detained Chairperson Khaleda Zia, to challenge the commission’s decision in the High Court (HC).
The matter is still pending with the HC, resulting in the EC’s failure to hold even the first round of talk with BNP.
“We examined BNP’s constitution and our findings are not going to be very pleasant for the party leadership. We will disclose our findings later in a news conference to tell all why the commission did not invite the BNP chairperson nominated secretary general to the talks,” Huda told the political leaders.
However, BNP chairperson’s adviser Hannan Shah on Tuesday squarely blamed the Election Commission for creating confusion over EC-BNP dialogue to hold back polls. He demanded immediate resolution of the issue. Hannan Shah demanded release of all the political detainees, including the two former premiers — BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina.
On the first day of the second round of electoral reform talks, the EC last week sat with Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Samyabadi Dal, and the Workers Party of Bangladesh, separately at the EC Secretariat. The EC also met separately with Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Jatiya Party, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu), National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and some other smaller groups having no representation in the parliament.
Addressing a press briefing, Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) last week demanded holding the polls under the supervision of a ‘national government’ comprising all political parties, except the anti-liberation war elements, to make the election acceptable to all.
The present caretaker government will not be able to conduct a free and fair election, the JP leaders said. “The election will be acceptable to all if it is held under a national government, consisting of all patriotic political parties and professional bodies,” Sheikh Shahidul Islam, secretary general of the party, told the press briefing.
Participating in the talks with the EC, political parties demanded a specific date for the parliamentary elections and not to hold any local government polls before the parliamentary elections. Political parties also urged the government to lift the state of emergency immediately and to try the war criminals in special tribunals.
The EC assured the political parties that registration of eight crore voters will be completed by February 28 and the voter list will be ready by October this year.
Responding to the political parties’ demand for lifting the state of emergency, the CEC reiterated that the government must lift or relax the emergency regime to create an environment conducive to holding the polls. “We already asked the chief adviser to create an atmosphere where candidates may campaign for votes freely,” he added.
Meanwhile, LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal said the government has asked the EC to hold elections to 102 municipalities where polls will be due by June. He, however, said the government has not announced any date for holding the elections. “It is the Election Commission which is mandated to decide it.”
The EC is planning to hold the polls to four city corporations and seven municipalities in April with an expectation that it will boost its confidence. “But the polls to those local government bodies will in no way hamper the preparations for holding the parliamentary election on time,” the CEC told the political parties.
The EC is planning to make some recommendations to the government regarding some other crucial issues such as Article 70 of the Constitution, an increase in the number of parliament seats, introduction of a bicameral parliament and initiating trials of war criminals which requires a lot of political exercise.
Leaders of the Awami League said on Tuesday they had found the EC sincere enough during the second round of dialogue about holding the polls as per the roadmap. They hoped that the government would demonstrate similar forthrightness in this regard.
Referring to the assurances the CEC gave them during the talks on Monday that the EC did not want to be branded ‘national betrayer’ by skipping the election roadmap, the AL leaders said such attitude was positive for the polls.
But the sincerity of the EC alone cannot ensure holding of the polls in time unless the other factors were in favour, they observed.
The AL leaders also demanded that the state of emergency should be lifted and political leaders, including Sheikh Hasina, should be released to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the elections.
Meanwhile, introducing a new element of doubt about the election process, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and 10 of her cabinet colleagues were implicated in a new case of corruption. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Tuesday filed a case against detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 15 others including 10 former ministers from BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami for graft in awarding Barapukuria coal mine operation contract to a Chinese company.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its key ally in the 2001-06 coalition government Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh have said implicating former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her cabinet colleagues in the coalmine graft case is a step to repress and harass them politically. This is the continuation of harassment on the former prime minister and members of her family and the party as well. They termed it nothing but a ‘repressive measure’ by the government against political leaders.
On the other hand, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the High Court judgement that stalled the trial of an extortion case against Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina under the Emergency Powers Rule. The Appellate Division also accepted the government’s leave to appeal against the High Court judgement.
A special court on Tuesday rejected the petition that sought bail for detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the barge-mounted power plant case. The special judge’s court set up at the Jatiya Sangsad complex, also deferred till March 3 the hearing in the framing of charges against Hasina and seven others in the case.
However, the trial of the MiG-29 corruption case against detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going on in the Dhaka divisional special judge’s court in the old part of the city.
Unconcerned with the fate of two most popular political leaders of Bangladesh, Khaleda and Hasina, European parliamentarians have said the Bangladesh caretaker government should live up to its political obligation by lifting emergency rule to allow political activities and political reform.
As “friends of fair and democratic Bangladesh”, they have reminded the government of its obligation to hold free and fair elections. The observations were made at a seminar on ‘The Roadmap to Parliamentary Elections” held Monday at the House of Lords.
The speakers at the seminar said human rights violations and lifting of emergency rule must be placed on the reform agenda as a top priority and the government must respect human rights of its citizens and ensure no torture takes place.
European Parliamentarians have reminded that according to the electoral roadmap, talks with political parties were to be completed by the end of 2007, and the reforms to the laws on elections were to be passed by March. “These targets have slipped,” he said.
Now it is the turn of the players at the helm of power and their partners to read the signals properly and act accordingly for good governance under an elected parliament in Bangladesh.
They will also have to be convinced whether the elections process could be completed with a “slipped target” by keeping the two top leaders away from the process and whether the elections could be meaningful in their absence.
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Benazir killed with laser gun?
Holiday Desk
The controversy over former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination took another turn with a section of her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) claiming she was targeted with sophisticated “laser beam technology”.
Bhutto’s wounds were caused not by bullets but by some sort of laser weapon, The Nation newspaper said quoting sources in the PPP.
The newspaper quoting PPP leader Babar Awan said that a laser gun was used to kill Bhutto.
“The X-ray reports suggested that there were two to three tiny radio densities under each fractured segments on both projections which were in fact invisible electromagnetic radiations. After these medical reports there was no need for further post-mortem or exhumation,” Awan reportedly said.
The sources also claimed that both the gunshots and the bomb blast in the attack on Bhutto “were a trick to hide the real shooters”.
When Bhutto was admitted to Rawalpindi General Hospital shortly after the fatal attack on her on December 27, Dr. Musaddiq Khan, a physician who treated her, told a PPP leader that he had seen “such a case for the first time in his life”, sources said.
Bhutto’s wounds were not caused by bullets and she had died before reaching the hospital. A part of her brain and blood had spilled out from her head, they quoted the doctor as saying.
The paper further quoted the sources as saying that the militant leader Baitullah Mehsud and the Taliban, blamed for her assassination by the government, did not have such technology.
Mehsud had sent two messages to Bhutto after the suicide bombing of her motorcade in Karachi on October 19 in 2007 in which he said that he had no hostility against her and would not make any attempt to kill her, they said.
The PPP sources said after the suicide attack, the “ambulance also picked up a dead body behind the stage of Liaquat Bagh”, the venue of an election rally that Bhutto had addressed.
Bhutto was scheduled to meet two US lawmakers after the Liaquat Bagh rally at 9:30 pm.
Bhutto usually used two bullet-proof vehicles and often changed cars during a journey if she received an important call. When the attack occurred, there was a distance of 20 to 30 metres between these two vehicles.
At the time of the attack, Bhutto and PPP leaders Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Nahid Khan and Safdar Abbasi were sitting in one bullet-proof car while spokesman Farhatullah Babar, Babar Awan and Bhutto’s security adviser Rehman Malik were in the other car, sources said.
Bhutto’s close aide Sherry Rehman has claimed Bhutto was shot in the head and rejected as “absolute nonsense” the government’s contention that she died of a skull fracture during the suicide attack in Rawalpindi.
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Constitutional debate awaits SC
M. Shahidul Islam
A constitutional debate awaits the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) as both the appellant and the defendant will reinforce their legal armoury to fight out an appeal hearing on the Azam J. Chowdhury-initiated extortion case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The staying on February 26 of an historic High Court judgment (of February 6) that had quashed the case’s proceedings under the Emergency Provision Rules (EPR) spells a partial victory for the government, but the final outcome of the case will be known after an exhaustive hearing on the appeal due from March 16.
Legal experts say the case has become a litmus test for both the Executive and the Judiciary and entails constitutional debates. It, however, may not end with an outcome to let the two captive leaders — Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina - off the legal clasp.
According to the appellant, the appeal was necessitated because the High Court verdict ignored greater public interest and the time and the context under which the EPR came into action.
It is also contended to have overlooked precedents and threw a patent challenge on the constitutionally mandated power of the President. The appellant also argues that public interest was grossly vitiated by the verdict as it carried the potential of holding in abeyance about 150 graft cases brought under the EPR while throwing into uncertainty the fates of about 50 verdicts rendered so far, and of another 50 cases being heard.
The appellant maintains that the government derived its legal mandate to arrest and put on trial so may people, including the two former prime ministers, from the authority vested on the Executive by the President. The Ordinance making power of the President is operative at any time when parliament is not in session or is dissolved.
The appellant also argues that the Emergency Ordinances have granted subsidiary legislative powers to the Executives to deal with such exceptional circumstances. Section 2(1) of the Emergency Powers Ordinance of 1974 afforded extensive powers to the Executive to make subsidiary Emergency Rules.
Sheikh Hasina and many others were arrested not only because complaints were filed against them during the statutory period, section 16 of the EPO empowered the ‘Law and Order Maintaining Forces’ to arrest any person on suspicion without warrant, while section 20 explicitly states that all personnel can “take any step including the use of force” to carry out any orders under these Rules.
A full panel of the Appellate Division is now expected to decide over the alleged pitfalls in the HC verdict by exhuming further the major arguments made by the learned judges. The Appellate Division will also examine why the court stated in its verdict that the case can not be tried under any other law.
In the verdict, the court observed, “The Emergency Powers Rules cannot be applied by any means to the incidents that have taken place before the declaration of the emergency.” Regarding the inclusion of an offence for trial under the EPR, the court observed that an offence cannot be considered to be of public importance based on the offender’s personal standing and social status.
Sound arguments and analyses constitute the fundamentals of any verdict in cases relating to constitutional disputes.
The verdict also noted, “The powers of the Supreme Court cannot be curtailed by means of the state of emergency…. and the emergency rules revoking the provision of seeking bail is ‘ultra vires’ of the Constitution. No laws can be made contradicting or undermining the fundamental rights of citizens guaranteed by the Constitution…. As per articles 31–35 of the Constitution, no law promulgated under the emergency rules can curb any civic rights, including bail.” The appellant says this line of argument bypasses the very reasons that compel a state to declare emergency. Emergency rules come into play under exceptional circumstances.
The upcoming debate in the SC will also entail arguments over a precise definition of ‘due process of law’ which has two vital segments: substantive and procedural. The appellant argues that the court in this instance weighed heavily on substantive matters, which any Emergency provision tends to curtail, and totally ignored the procedural ones that have empowered the Executive to bring to justice the very people who have for long been playing with the fortune of the languished multitude with gleeful impunity. The appellant now expects the judges to empathize more with the notion of public goods affected by the EPR, including matters as important as the independence of the judiciary which could not be materialized during the 37 years of the nation’s existence.
The appellant also maintains that the judges seemed overly preoccupied with the question of Hasina’s freedom than what she was accused of. One of the cardinal principles of natural law and justice helps overcome the contradiction in the idea of freedom by supposing that the conditions and circumstances of a person’s act compose a determinate background order that is normatively assessed. Personal responsibility extends not only to what a person does, but also to what he/she is, and all the circumstances of his/her life. In this particular instance, the primary concern can not be focused on individuals when preserving collective interest is the aim.
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OUTLAY OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, NO EXPERTS IN COMMITTEE
Biman needs wide-bodied planes, not new ones
Khurshid Alam Khan
Biman is now a public limited company, but it is still 100 per cent Government-owned. In other words, the same old wine in a new bottle. It only changed its name to “Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited”. By a written agreement with the Government of Bangladesh, it has inherited and accepted “the entire undertaking” of the erstwhile Bangladesh Biman Corporation.
It is unanimously accepted that Biman needs its capacity in terms of the number of aircraft because the number of seats in the aircraft should be significantly increased. The overwhelming majority of the Bangladeshis working abroad, the Bangladeshis in the country and the Bangladeshi Diaspora all over the world, when they need to travel by air, in spite of their thousand and one complaints against Biman, still pick Biman as the airline of their first choice.
The growth of the number of passengers in recent years is phenomenal: according to the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, “Nearly 600,000 people went abroad to work in 2007, nearly doubling from 2006. Another 230,000 people received work permits and immigration clearance and are now waiting to take jobs in the Gulf, Malaysia and Singapore.” By simple arithmetic we find the 600,000 Bangladeshi workers alone must have needed 3 jumbo-jet flights to full capacity per day for the whole year throughout 2007. (600,000 passengers divided by 365 days of a year divided by 543 seats in one B747-300 =3.)
If we add to these the number of passengers from the Bangladeshi workers already working abroad, the Bangladeshi immigrants and their families settled abroad, the Bangladeshis living in Bangladesh, and the non-ethnic passengers, the traffic load turns out to be indeed enormous. That Biman needs many more aircraft and that it needs much larger-capacity aircraft are therefore the issues that are conclusively settled and that require no further debate.
If Biman, though a PLC, is still required to tailor its services not to its greatest possible commercial interest, but “to the greatest possible advantage in the interest of the country”. Then it will better take note that the Bangladeshis working abroad sent home a record US$6.56 billion in 2007, a record in remittances that pushed up Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserve to US$5.5 billion, the highest since 1971. Biman’s service to these Bangladeshis will undoubtedly be as much in the interest of the country as in its own commercial interest.
Now, these Bangladeshi passengers and the others – that Biman would have in its view as its potential customers – hardly look for any luxurious amenities or high-tech gadgets on their flights; they hardly bother even what type of aircraft they are travelling by; they simply want the ease of booking and confirmation of seats on their intended flights, the on-time departure and arrival of the flights, the on-board traditional Bangladeshi meals and the on-board entertainment when possible of Bangladeshi music and drama.
Currently, these Bangladeshi workers have fallen victims to the reduced capacity of Biman and frequently disrupted schedule of its flight. The Biman’s loyal passengers are losing confidence in Biman, and are being forced to travel by other airlines.
Biman’s international competitors are operating to and from Dhaka the aircraft that have larger capacity than what the Biman aircraft have. Even the GMG Airlines --- which started its maiden domestic flight in 1998 and then going international in 2004 only and having as yet practically no aviation infrastructure --- has already started since 01 February 2008 its Middle East flights from the Zia International Airport with a Boeing747-300 vividly displaying the GMG logo. Interestingly, it is the same aircraft as Biman had leased for the just-concluded Hajj operation.
It is a damning snub to the myopic planners of Biman who have long been insisting Biman cannot generate enough traffic load to make its flight with B747 viable. The same planners of Biman in the early eighties could not welcome the induction of DC10s in Biman’s fleet as in their myopic vision they would not see enough traffic load in Biman’s network. And yet, in course of time, Biman DC10s have been re-configured from 274 seat-capacity to 301, and then to 314, and still as of now Biman has more passengers than it has the capacity to carry. If now the spectacular feat of the GMG has failed to prod the Biman’s planners into seeing the reality and recognising their folly, then one must say Biman’s VRS scheme has failed to weed out those who deserved to be done most.
Not all of Biman’s employees have been myopic. Biman’s incumbent chief of technical is on record to have recommended in 2007 to procure aircraft like Boeing 747-300 on long-term lease-cum-purchase. He had proposed, well before the last Hajj operation, that Biman lease a B747-300 on a long-term basis so that, before as well as after the Hajj flights, Biman could operate its scheduled flights on high-load high-yield sectors by the same aircraft. The lease rentals of the aircraft on a long-term lease would be much lower, almost half of what a lease exclusively for Hajj operation would involve. Yet Biman leased one Boeing747-300 for the short period of Hajj operation 2007-08 only and paid US$8 million as lease rentals – an amount close to the price of the aircraft itself.
Why keen on leasing?
Intriguingly, Biman management has always demonstrated its greater enthusiasm in leasing rather than outright purchase of the same aircraft. In the last three years, for Hajj operation only, Biman spent US$13.24m+8m+8m=29.24m as lease rentals. With this money Biman could have bought a couple of B747s, and operated the Hajj flights by its own aircraft.
The present market price of the B747-300 that Biman had leased for Hajj operation is about US$10m. In the year 2002 the PIA purchased from the Cathay Pacific six Boeing 747-300s for just US$63m, that is, for US$10.5m per aircraft. Today – six years after the PIA-Cathay Pacific deal – the price of one Boeing 747-300 must as well be US$10.5m, if not less. Betraying the same preference for lease, Biman has flown two leased DC10s for long 5 to 7 years paying off as lease rentals a total amount many times the price of the aircraft.
Biman trade union leaders are on record to have suggested to Biman management back in the year 2000, and in the subsequent years, directly and through articles in the national dailies, that Biman purchase the leased DC10s and not perpetuate the lease. It was shown then even if Biman would buy them with money borrowed from the bank, with interest payable at LIBOR + 2 per cent, Biman would still spend less than what it was scheduled to pay as lease rentals for just three years. But, for reasons that can only be speculated upon, Biman would not pay heed to such sensible suggestions.
Biman’s own aircraft as well as the leased ones are used every year for Hajj operation. This inevitably causes disruption of Biman’s scheduled flights which in turn puts Bangladeshi workers’ employment abroad at risk. Every year, an increasingly large number of Hajj-pilgrims have to be flown to/from Jeddah in a small period of time. There is therefore no alternative to larger-capacity aircraft to meet this requirement.
Why DC10 is grounded for years?
While Biman has always demonstrated its extraordinary enthusiasm and initiative for leasing of aircraft anytime in the last one decade or so, and for buying brand-new aircraft in the years 2000, 2004 and currently, Biman has been equally reluctant to keep all its aircraft airworthy all the time. It is a veritable indictment on Biman that it has deliberately kept at least one of its own aircraft grounded round the year for years together on the lame excuse that the engines or spare parts are not available in the market. Biman management must answer to the nation why it has kept one DC10 aircraft grounded for years together, while it always had all the resources to promptly lease aircraft from anywhere in the world. Could we not have done without at least one leased aircraft had we kept all our aircraft flyable, and thereby saved Biman’s valuable foreign currency?
The fleet committee that Biman recently formed for study of its aircraft requirement is already mired in many controversies. As is the standard practice with all airlines, the Director Flight Operations heads the committee as Chairman and the Chief of Technical officiates as the member-secretary. This time, in a gross deviation from the standard practice, the Director Finance, who is on deputation in Biman and who has no previous aviation experience whatsoever, heads the fleet committee.
Boeing and co-option
Besides, two Biman pilots and BAPA (a trade union) executive committee members, though not holding any executive position in the hierarchy of Biman, have been co-opted as members of the fleet committee. It is alleged that one of the co-opted members is a sibling of a Biman director and that he has been included in the committee only to liaise with, lobby for, and look after the interest of Boeing by way of insisting on procurement of aircraft from Boeing only to the exclusion of aircraft from any other manufacturer.
The decision of the fleet committee will involve billions of dollars and hence the committee must have only the competent people as members and it must thoroughly study Biman’s route structure, traffic load, financial condition and all other related things before making a decision.
While Boeing has proffered to Biman four brand-new Boeing777-200ER and four brand-new Boeing787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, the Airbus has proffered different types of its products: A320, A321, A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. The B777s are to be delivered in 2013, and the B787s in 2017, while the Airbus aircraft are to be delivered between 2013 and 2020. The cost of acquisition of these aircraft and the financial modality of payment are still unknown to the general public. The moot questions today are: Should Biman buy these brand-new aircraft? Can it afford brand-new aircraft in its present financial condition?
It is speculated the deal with Boeing or Airbus will involve a sum of about US$1600 million. In the present financial condition of Biman, when it has just bottomed out from an economic free-fall, or of the Government, when it is constrained even to substantially downsize the ADP as it confronts the fallout of the calamitous Sidr and the two recurrent floods, it is well-nigh impossible for Biman or for the Government to arrange for the huge financial resources required for buying the proffered brand-new aircraft.
From the Biman CEO’s interview on the TV we know: Biman, after meeting all its expenses in the last one year, has now in its coffers Tk400 crore or approximately US$60m. If Biman opts to accept Boeing’s or Airbus’s offer involving about US$1600m for the cost of the aircraft, Biman in 10 years will ultimately end up paying US$3200m as principal plus interest, which will come to US$320m per year for 10 years. With new aircraft inducted in the fleet, if Biman’s cash in its coffers increases even by 100 per cent, it will reach US$120m only – still short by US$200m of what Biman will have to pay per year to the manufacturer.
If Biman takes a loan to meet the deficit, the interest on the loan amount will be added. It is highly probable Biman will default in its schedule to pay the installments. The manufacturer will go to the court and obtain a court order to impound the aircraft wherever they may be, and Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited – declared defaulter and or bankrupt – will be on its way to liquidation. The anticipated signing by the Government of Bangladesh of the Cape Town Convention and the Aircraft Protocol will only guarantee the aircraft, in such circumstances, will be impounded even from the ZIA, the Chittagong Shah Amanat or the Sylhet Osmani International Airports.
Biman should do well to consult its books of account related to its buying in 1996 of two brand-new Airbus A310s straight from the manufacturer, and then for more than a decade remaining overburdened with loan repayment. Historically, Biman’s financial crisis started with the buying of these new Airbuses, and the financial nosedive of Biman has till recent times remained relentless.
Biman does not need the gratuitous lectures or presentations of representatives from the international financial institutions or aircraft manufacturers to understand whether it is the brand-new aircraft or it is the used ones that are in Biman’s best interest, for from its own history it knows it has had the maximum return out of the minimum investment when it has purchased the 3 used DC10s in 1983-84 for US$63m, and it has had the minimum return out of the maximum investment when it has purchased the brand-new DC10 – The New Era – in 1989 for US$69m and the 2 brand-new Airbus A310s in 1996 for US$140m. Biman finance officials are fully aware when you have a debt-equity ratio of 83:17 – as Biman once had following the purchase of its brand-new airbuses – you are precipitously close to going bust.
Biman achieved the recent reversal of its financial crisis by waging an uncompromising crusade against corruption and mismanagement at all levels: it rationalized its routes and frequencies, plugged the drainage of its resources and earnings, stopped the chronic malpractices connected variously with purchase, leasing, maintenance and overhauling of aircraft, engines, spare parts and components at astronomically inflated prices, dismantled the nexus of collusion between certain airline officials and the vested quarters, and improved the overall management. Now Biman must consolidate its financial recovery and not relapse into the red by leaping – without a proper financial study on the repercussions of procurement of costly new aircraft – into the financial uncertainties through irresponsible deals with Boeing or Airbus.
The Air Transport Intelligence reported on 19 December 2007 that the Saudi Arabian Airlines put its nine Boeing 747-300s – configured in two classes of 424 seats and fitted with Rolls-Royce RB211 engines – on sale. It may be a worthwhile exercise for Biman to try its best to obtain a couple of these B747-300s as gifts from the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques and King of Saudi Arabia, or, alternatively, through purchase. The Government of Bangladesh and its diplomats in Saudi Arabia could be instrumental in this exercise. Pertinently, in 1980, Biman did in fact receive a Boeing707, later registered S2-ACK with CAAB, as a gift from the Emir of Kuwait thanks to the skill of Bangladesh diplomats then stationed in Kuwait.
The prevailing circumstances dictate Biman to go for procuring used larger-capacity aircraft that will make proper business sense and allow it to be in tune with the market demand and the Open Sky policy of the Government.
The CEO of Biman has just steered Biman out of its graveyard spiral and saved it from its imminent crash. Now it is time for the planners of Biman to come down from their ivory towers, recognize and accept the ground reality, and be dynamic and pro-active in charting a realistic course for Biman in the immediate and short terms before indulging in long-term perspectives. Biman’s urgent need of the hour is the keeping of all its aircraft flyable and the procurement of more aircraft – specifically, used aircraft like Boeing747s and not brand-new aircraft like Boeing787 Dreamliners.
The writer is President, Flight Engineers & Navigators Association (FENA), Bangladesh.
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U.S. PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
Nader, spoiler of 2000 election, reappears
A.H. Jaffor Ullah
The veteran consumer advocate, Ralph Nader, announced last Sunday (Feb 24, 2008) that he intend to run for the White House on November 4, 2008. He announced this on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He justified his decision to run as a third party candidate in the forthcoming presidential election by saying that many Americans are disenchanted with the two dominant parties, and that none of the presidential contenders are addressing ways to stem corporate crime and Pentagon waste and promote labour rights.
This is not the first time that Ralph Nader ran as a third party candidate. In 2000 presidential race Mr. Nader ran under the banner of Green Party while managing to steal about 2.7 per cent of the total vote mostly from Al Gore and aiding George W. Bush to win the majority of the electorate votes. Mind you, in that election the Democratic candidate, Vice President, received the majority of popular votes but still lost the election because the Supreme Court gave the verdict not to recount the entire votes cast in the state of Florida. Mr. Al Gore lost the election in Florida by a measly 543 votes. Ralph Nader received more than 97,488 votes in the State of Florida alone. In a close election, Ralph Nader’s participation as a third party candidate had cost the Democratic Party to lose the election and at the same time allowed George W. Bush to become the resident of the White House. For
Mr. Nader’s stealing the votes away from Al Gore, he was nicknamed Mr. Spoiler.
After the election in November 2000, Ralph Nader had not repented publicly to help usher in George W. Bush into the White House. It is ironic that Mr. Nader ran as a pro-environment candidate in 2000 and he helped to elect one of the most pro-business and anti-environment candidate as the president. If Mr. Nader’s goal was to see that a pro-environment candidate win the race, then it should not have eluded his mind that the Democratic Party’s candidate, Al Gore, had a pristine pro-environment record.
Quite a few cynics in America still think that Ralph Nader is a plant candidate by the Republican Party. The conspiracy theory merits some point because his participation costs the Democratic Party. In 2004 he again ran for the office but at that time the Green Party refused to endorse him.
Nader who was born in Connecticut in an immigrant Lebanese family made a name for himself in 1960s when he vigorously went after GM and other large US corporation bringing suit against them for unsafe products.
Ralph Nader knows that he is also known as “spoiler.” He however dismissed the idea that he could hurt Democrats when voters go to the polls in November. He angrily said, “If the Democrats can’t landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form.”
Interestingly, Mr. Nader is not paying attention to what Barack Obama is saying in his stump speeches. The Illinois senator is saying the way things are run in Washington D.C. should be changed. The corrupting influence of Washington lobbyists is a deterrent to good governance. Therefore, Obama is running his campaign on pro-people mandate. However, Mr. Nader is oblivious to Senator Obama’s call for overhauling the politics at national level.
Dr. A.H. Jaffor Ullah, a researcher and columnist, writes from New Orleans, USA.
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Sangbad editor Bazlur Rahman dead, laid to rest
Holiday Desk
Bazlur Rahman, veteran journalist and editor of Bangla daily Sangbad was laid to rest with state honour at the Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard at Mirpur on Wednesday. He suffered a massive heart attack Tuesday night and was taken to Ibrahim Cardiac Centre in Dhaka where doctors declared him dead.
He was 68.
Bazlur Rahman was the husband of Awami League leader, former agricultural minister and famed Dhaka University student leader of the early 1960s, Matia Chowdhury.
A soft-spoken intellectual, Bazlur Rahman joined Sangbad in 1961 as an assistant editor and stayed with the newspaper till his death. He also actively involved with the CPB. However, he left active politics in early 1980s on political differences but remained associated with a number of socio-cultural organisations.
He was amiable and a popular figure in the society. His body was laid in state at the Central Shaheed Minar and hundreds of people filed past to pay their last respects to him.
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Parliament will decide on anti-terror fight, says Nawaz Sharif
Jonaid Iqbal in Islamabad
US Ambassador Anne W. Patterson met former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif at the Frontier House in Islamabad on Monday.
Sharif briefed Patterson about his party’s agenda, including the restoration of the pre-emergency status of the judiciary, supremacy of the Parliament and strengthening of democracy, during the meeting at the Frontier House. Patterson congratulated Sharif on the victory of his party in the February 18 general election. The PML-N is set to form a coalition government with the Pakistan People’s Party, which emerged the largest group in the polls.
During the meeting, the envoy exchanged views with the PML-N leader on the new political scenario and the ongoing fight against terrorism following the February 18 elections, party sources said.
Nawaz Sharif said the ongoing war on terror is not in favour of Pakistan; accordingly, the new parliament will decide upon the strategy of fight against terrorism in future.
Nawaz Sharif briefed the envoy about the party’s agenda including restoration of pre-emergency status of judiciary, supremacy of the parliament and strengthening of democracy. PML-N leaders including Senator Ishaq Dar, Ch. Nisar Ali Khan were also present at the meeting.
Later talking to the media, Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan gives great importance to its relations with the United States. He said that his party condemns all kinds of terrorist activities but was of the view that negotiations provide a means to address the causes and find a solution instead of relying on force alone.
Nawaz Sharif said that if Pakistan could hold talks with India to resolve long standing disputes then there was no reason not to engage in dialogue with those involved in terrorist activities.
Responding to a question, he said the PML-N remains committed to restoring pre-emergency status of the judiciary and added that the heads of other political parties “are also with us on this stand.”
Nawaz Sharif said that his party gives full respect to the mandate of PPP in the centre while PPP would support PML-N to form government in the Punjab.
The PML-N leader said that his party had not opened its doors for PML (Q) as the masses “have rejected the policies of Q-League.” He said the PML-N believes in politics based on principles.
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LOCAL ADMIN PUSHES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS OUT OF HOME, JOB
Immigrants facing tough times in USA
Moinuddin Naser in New York
The wave of massive movement on immigration issue that was generated in the year 2006 and 2007 in New York, Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Boston, Milwaukee and Washington D.C has gradually been bogged down. As a result the anti-immigrants are being able to enact stringent law against the illegal immigrants locally. Meanwhile laws regarding not to employ the illegal immigrants and not to rent out house to them have been implemented in many immigrant dominated states. These measures are shrinking place for the illegal immigrants in the USA. Many cities, counties and states are making preparation to introduce new bills. At the same time the immigration departments are also active to arrest and deport the illegal immigrants. In one hand the drumming for election is going on, on the other hand swords of law are being extended on the immigrants who are respectful to law and hardworking.
The immigration issue came up for discussion in 2004 election, but now the issue is being discussed in low key. Some candidates are raising the issue in a very soft voice just for fetching support of the Hispanic voters. The voice of about 12.5 million hardworking people are not being given due importance at national level.
When asked about that the organisers of human rights movement say that the roles that Senator McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton played respectively by raising the bill and supporting it, are absent now. The disunity is growing among those who are struggling for the rights of immigrants. Some are trying to realise demands by giving up a part of the demand, but the others want to realise the demands without giving any concession. So nothing is being done meaningfully. When the anti-immigrants understood that the passage of anti-immigrant law at the national level was not possible, then they adopted different strategy and started passing law at the local level. In this way if laws can be enacted at the city, county or state where immigrants are present, then it would not be possible on their part to live there illegally.
Meanwhile the latest stands of four top candidates of two parties are as follows. Hillary Clinton is supporting the comprehensive immigration bill which have guarantee for securing border. The bill should also make hard provisions against the institutions, so that they do not give job to illegal immigrants. Family Unification process will continue. Those who know English and can provide fee as per requirement may obtain legality.
Barack Oabama wants such a comprehensive bill, where there will be reflection of humanity. Besides, unification of family should be given priority so that those who are living illegally can obtain legality gradually.
Jhon McCain wants to give priority to the protection of border for the security of the Americans. He also believes that the federal government has failed miserably to protect the border. If he is made President he will first ensure protection of the border. He will introduce the system of providing the authority of certificate to state governor at the frontier states.
Mike Huckabee is firm on securing the border because that is the most important national security issue. He has got nine-point programme on national security issue. If he is elected president he will put barbed wire fencing on the border. He will increase the number of border patrols. The illegal immigrants must leave this country by enlisting their names within 120 days at the nearest immigration office. They will have to apply for visa from their native country. He thinks that if the institutions which are employing the illegal people are brought under penalty through law.
A conference of all human rights organizations of America was held from January 18 through 20 in Houston of Texas. This was held under the auspices of National Network for Immigration and Refugee Rights. The conference attended by about 500 organisers discussed the matters related to the crisis of the immigrants and the conference also submitted the recommendations about what should be done. They resolved that they would continue to work to consolidate the rights of all legal and illegal immigrants in the USA.
As per decisions of this conference, the relation between the organisations which are working about the rights of the immigrants and the leaders of those organisations will be strengthened and the organsational activities in the areas where the number of immigrants are increasing will also be strengthened. Different activities will be undertaken to strengthen the supports of the people to the immigration movement. But it is alleged that there was no initiative of undertaking strong programme at the conference, though the importance of the conference itself was enormous.
Meanwhile the federal court of the Arizona has given verdict that the law of canceling the license of the business organizations, if they employ any illegal immigrant, was legal. It may be mentioned that prior to that the local constriction business company and the organizations, which were working with illegal immigrants, jointly filed a case against the bill passed in Arizona State Parliament, which was effective on January 1, 2008 and the bull was termed unconstitutional and detrimental to the humanity. But the judge of the federal; district court Justice Neil V Wake rejected the case. Before that Federal Judge of the Missouri state Richard Waiver also gave such verdict regarding a bill which was passed by the Valley Park Administration of the state.
There hard measures have also been adopted against the institutions which give job to the illegal immigrants. Before that another case was nullified by the Federal Judge James H Pain in Oklahoma last December. The case was filed against the provision of scrutinising the status of the immigrants by the contractors before employing them.
Though in the New Haven city of Connecticut, the illegal immigrants were given identity card and they were offered an opportunity to live there safely, the Denver has initiated a reverse process . Mayor of Denver Mark D Boton said that the police of that city will cooperate with federal agents to arrest the illegal immigrants. Status of the immigrants will be verified by the immigration agents, as it is learnt from the administration source. Several members of the city council have proposed this option to the city mayors. The chief of the city police and the city attorney also have given such consent. Though anger has risen in the neighboring Green Port city of Long Island because of implementation of similar kind of law. The human rights organizations raised strong voices .
Meanwhile President of Mexico has come to the United States to protest the hard immigration enforcement after seven years.
As per latest report, President Bush has proposed to increase the number of guest workers in agricultural sector. Though this proposal has surprised many in this election year, that is very pragmatic according to the economists. The agricultural sector is now suffering from labour shortage due to anti-immigrant drive. Under guest worker programme visas will be given for several months. And after completion of harvesting of crop the immigrants will have to go back to their countries. As per proposal, the condition for giving visa will also be relaxed.
As the Congress has failed to pass the immigration bill during last June, the White House is adopting several ways to resolve the immigration problem. Many think that the proposal for bringing legal agricultural worker was given as a strategy to oust the illegal workers. Assistant Secretary of the Labour Department Leon Sequiara said if the guest worker programme is introduced ample opportunity will be created to oust the illegal workers through bringing workers legally. Meanwhile the farms of California are facing huge shortage of workers as the operation to arrest the illegal immigrants is continuing through invading at the work place. Sequiara further said, a survey shows that most of the 1.2 million —- total workforce 70 per cent —- are illegal farm workers.
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GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Mark Twain
K. Z. Islam
Mark Twain (1835-1910), or to give him his real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens, stands at the centre of American literature. During the period 1853-1862 he made his efforts as a humorous writer using several pseudonyms. In 1863 he adopted his pseudonym “Mark Twain” a river phrase meaning “two fathoms deep”. The pen name seemed to free Clemens’ genius and from that time on, his life was committed to the art of the professional humour. The event that gave him worldwide attention was his voyage in 1867 on the Quaker City, which was bound for the Holy Land on the first organised pleasure trip from the New World to the Old. The record of that trip, first written in the form of dispatches to San Francisco and then rewritten as The Innocents Abroad (1869) brought him fame as well as fortune. In quick succession followed Roughing It (1872), The Gilded Age (1873), The Adventure of Tom Sawyer (1876) and finally there was his masterpiece Huckleberry Finn begun in 1876 but not finished until 1884. Many other books followed but none in the class of Huckleberry Finn.
Ernest Hemingway’s famous observation in The Green Hills of Africa (1935) that Huckleberry Finn is both first and is a best book in American literature. Twenty years later William Faulkner said much the same thing.
Irony and ironies within ironies were used constantly by Twain in virtually all his works, often with a delicate sleight of hand that escapes all but the most attentive readers. With irony went the one-line joke, for which Twain had a genius. The one-liner has become the pivot of American humour, and it would be nice and convenient to argue that Twain invented this device. But that would not be true. Benjamin Franklin has some claim to being the inventor: “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes”; and his remark on signing the Declaration of Independence: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” And the one-liner became a feature of American politics in the generation after Franklin, Henry Clay being a notable exponent of the art, as was his enemy Andrew Jackson, who said on his deathbed: “The only thing I regret is that I didn’t shoot Clay and hang Calhoun.” When Twain was a young man, Lincoln was also dealing wholesale in the one-liner. But Twain was the man who made the one-line joke universally popular and respected, as a prime feature of American life. He used it as an eye-opener in short stories – the first sentence in “A Dog’s Tale” is “My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian.” He used it with enormous success for chapter-head quotations in his “dark novel,” Pudd’nhead Wilson. (These are allegedly from Wilson’s “Calender.”) If possible Twain liked to begin and end a story with a one-liner. I have counted over 100 one-liners scattered through his works. The true total is probably nearer to 1,000. Characteristic examples-both as to sentiment and as to construction (syntax, etc.) – are: “Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it.” “Man is the Only Animal that blushes. Or needs to.” “Familiarity breeds contempt – and children.” “Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” There is also his comment on the appearance of his obituary in a New York paper: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Twain used one-liners in his books and on the platform. Some he made up as he went along. Others he sweated over.
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IAEA CLEAR IRAN
Tehran reiterates its right to peaceful nuke programme
Special Correspondent
Iran reiterates its right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. Iran has no ambition for procurement of any weapon of mass destruction or nuclear weapon, the Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Mr Hasan Farazandeh asserted.
Addressing a press conference at his Gulshan residence in Dhaka, the Iranian Ambassador termed the western campaign against Iranian nuclear programme as ill—motivated.
Referring to latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran’s nuclear programme, Ambassador Hasan Farazandeh hoped that the global community would now understand the importance of the country’s peaceful programme with nuclear energy.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei presented a report on Iran’s nuclear program to the IAEA Board of Governors on February 22 which vindicated the country by reaffirming its nuclear transparency.
“The agency has been able to continue to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran,” ElBaradei said in the report.
Iranian Ambassador termed the western pressure on Iran as illogical and illegal since it was a legitimate right on the part of Iran to acquire science and technology in serving the Iranian people. He, in fact, demanded apology and compensation for the damage done to Iranian people by launching sinister campaign and threatening to attack Iran.
To reduce dependency on fossil fuel and diversify the energy sources, Iran went for its peaceful nuclear programme to meet the growing energy requirement, he clarified.
Iran had allowed thorough investigation by the UN watchdog, International Atomic Energey Agency and continued to carry out its programme in compliance with the IAEA guidelines, he said adding that the country also supplied with the extra information as demanded by the Agency.
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DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN U.S.
All eyes on Texas and Ohio
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Polls zeal is heating up and the questions that are now being feverishly asked are whether Hillary will win in Texas and Ohio? If not she should quit before March 4, the date scheduled for primary in Texas, Rhode Island, Ohio and Vermont. If Hillary wants to be in race she should win Texas and Ohio comfortably, at least by a margin of 10 to 20 per cent. All these issues are now being discussed among the political circle and interested political quarters, all over the United States.
US general election is scheduled for November 4 and McCain is the Republican candidate the Democrats primary remains the most attractive issue in the America. Because it is widely speculated that next Presidential term is for the Democrats he may capture the White House.
Barack Obama has by now surpassed Hillary Clinton in terms of polarity as shown in the surveys of different news media. Of the total delegates including support of 176 super delegates Barack Obama’s total number of delegates is 1360 out of required 2025. On the other hand Hillary Clinton’s total number of delegates is 1269 including 238 super delegates.
The senior democrats like Al Gore, Jimmy Carter who did not take any side may step into negotiation at later stage to keep the party unified. But day by day Barack Obama is getting more endorsement than Hillary Clinton. In Ohio both the Senators endorsed Barack Obama. The Republican campaigners are also intensifying attack on Obama, as they guess he will be the probable nominee.
Meanwhile John McCain of Republican Party got 994 delegates including 54 super delegates, while Mike Huckabee got 236 delegates including 3 super delegates. To ensure nomination of Republican Party one has to bag 1191 delegates.
The coming election, as it is seen will mainly be a verdict whether the Americans want their continued invasion in Iraq or not. In the democratic campaign the issue is the main issue as Hillary once voted to send troops to Iraq.
On Tuesday night in Ohio, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama clashed over trade, healthcare and the war in Iraq. Clinton said Obama’s campaign had recently sent out mass mailings with false information about her health care proposal, adding, “it is almost as though the health insurance companies and the Republicans wrote it.”
When it was his turn to speak, Obama said Clinton’s campaign has “constantly sent out negative attacks on us.” The tone was polite yet pointed, increasingly so as the 90-minute session wore on, a reflection of the stakes in a race in which Obama has won 11 straight primaries and caucuses and Clinton is in desperate need of a comeback.
Clinton also said as far as she knew her campaign had nothing to do with circulating a photograph of Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya.
“I take Senator Clinton at her word that she knew nothing about the photo,” Obama said.
The Democratic candidates have, naturally, already been asked about the entry into the race of the man some blame for former Vice President Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000, and their responses were not positive.
Hillary Clinton called Nader’s candidacy “really unfortunate”, while Barack Obama said, “Ralph Nader deserves enormous credit for the work he did as a consumer advocate.”
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