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EDITORIAL
Victors and the vanquished
A resounding electoral victory with an overwhelming number of 262 Jatiya Sangsad seats is going to put the Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina in the driving seat of the country's next government. Indeed this is an august occasion for her AL, Bangladesh's oldest party that spearheaded the Liberation War, and the grand alliance components to celebrate as the result score far surpasses their expectation.
We wish Sheikh Hasina Godspeed in her onward journey.
As we understand, the attractive pledges in the AL's election manifesto and repeated utterances appealed to the common people beyond measure. The masses saw in the promises a ray of hope in the widespread gloom of bleakness over the past two years of the military-backed Caretaker Government (CG) during whose tenure they lived a dog's life when skyrocketing prices of rice, wheat and other essentials made their survival almost impossible.
After her party's landslide triumph Sheikh Hasina reiterated that she would turn the country into a prosperous, peaceful and Information Technology-based 'Digital Bangladesh' and also ensure rule of law and good governance in the country. Like her predecessor, Khaleda, Hasina urged the opposition to accept the polls results and urged all political parties to shun the past tradition of politics of vengeance.
For the winners who are going to form government probably on January 10, it is advisable that they endear themselves to the people through humility. Over-charged effusion must not blind them as is being reported: at least four persons have been killed and 200 injured in post-poll violence. The Dhaka University dormitories have been occupied by pro-AL Students' League activists and similar actions are likely to take place elsewhere unless the high command reins in.
Sheikh Hasina's government should get down to its avowed task from day one to eradicate the underworld that has been keeping innocent citizens in constant fear. For this a real Mr. Clean should be chosen to be the Home Minister whose singular goal will be to ensure law and order without harassing or incriminating opposition political workers.
As regards the Judiciary, Sheikh Hasina herself learnt the hard, horrible way -- like Khaleda, her co-traveller in politics -- what a macabre Kangaroo court is. Here comes the question of appointing a sound, humane legal brain as Minister for Law and Justice. Concerning Foreign Affairs, Hasina as the daughter of a brave and daring nationalist leader of Asia, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will do well to be firm in protecting her nation's interest first considering the extremely intricate geopolitical chessboard on the basis of the State's doctrine as stipulated in the Constitution: Friendship to all, malice to none. Understandably, the road is well-nigh fraught with perils and challenging issues call for great prudence and wisdom.
Victor has many admirers while the frustrated vanquished is a loner. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, who had ruled the country twice winning popular votes, in her public reaction termed the national election a stage-manage one. Obtaining 32 seats is simply incredible with 37 per cent votes cast in BNP's favour. She should introspect and do a lot of soul-searching why her party had to face the debacle. While in opposition in 1996 the BNP bagged as many as 112 seats as against 27 this time. True, there might be irregularities in places for which the Election Commission (EC) should be held answerable. It is true, nowhere ever in the democratic history of the world a poll conducting body, in our case the EC, made itself so much controversial an institution by its rather discriminatory quixotic decisions and pronouncements, as if it was being dictated from backstage to act against the BNP. While the actual nemesis responsible for the defeat has to be found out and examined, the BNP leadership must realise that on the media front the party had more enemies than friends, and its public relations activities have at all times been miserable. Securing power and authority with a brute majority entails accountability. At the outset, the Awami League-led alliance government must work towards making parliament fully functional and effective, particularly by ensuring the opposition's presence,
The bottom-line is: Victory with humility, defeat with grace.
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Pirates: Are they terrorists?
Barrister Harun ur Rashid
Some legal authors consider pirates as terrorists. The similarities between terrorism and piracy have prompted some jurists to rename "piracy" in favour of "maritime terrorism." Both are international crimes and any nation can prosecute them.
In 1985 the Palestinian terrorists seized the cruise ship Achille Lauro and held its passengers hostages. President Ronald Reagan called the highjackers "pirates". Recent evidence reportedly showed that Somali pirates hand over a part of their millions in ransom money to Al Shabaab rebel group that has links to Al Quaeda.
What is piracy?
Piracy is robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on shore, without permission from a nation. Piracy can also be committed against a ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state.
The Roman lawmaker Cecero defined piracy as a crime against civilisation itself, which English jurist Edward Coke redefined it as "hosti human generis"-enemies of human race.
Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft.
The shipping world - as well as the navies patrolling the region's waters - was stunned in last November when Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned tanker fully laden with 2m barrels of oil, ($100 million worth of oil) more than 420 nautical miles out to sea. The attack illustrated the boldness and capability of the pirates, who capture ships for ransom, of about $25 million dollars.
The Sirius Star was heading towards the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, but the majority of attacks have taken place in and around the Gulf of Aden, causing some shipping companies to avoid using the Suez canal. 13 vessels are currently held by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, while the navies of a dozen nations pursue them helplessly.
The international waterway is critical to the Egyptian economy and in the last fiscal year it earned a record $5.2bn, making it the nation's third highest source of foreign currency revenues behind tourism and remittances. The canal already faces a reduction in traffic as a result of the global economic crisis.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) maintains statistics regarding pirate attacks. Their records indicate hostage-taking overwhelmingly dominates the types of violence against seafarers. For example in 2006, there were 239 attacks, 77 crew members were kidnapped and 188 taken hostage but only 15 of the pirate attacks resulted in murder. In 2007 the attacks rose by 10% to 263 attacks. There was a 35% increase on reported attacks involving guns.
Causes of piracy
Piracy takes place in conditions of political unrest. Somalia has been without central government since 1991. Some observers say until Somalia gets politically stabilised, piracy may not be eliminated. The attack against the U.S. cruise ship the Seabourn Spirit offshore of Somalia in November 2005 is an example of the sophisticated pirates mariners face.
A recent surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the United States to patrol the waters near the Horn of Africa to combat piracy. While boats off the coasts of North Africa, Iran and the Mediterranean Sea are still assailed by pirates, the Royal Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard have nearly eradicated piracy in U.S. waters and in the Caribbean Sea.
Security analysts say that the ease with which Somali pirates have captured a huge range of vessels illustrates how global shipping is more at risk to terrorism than the airline industry. They argue that many of the vulnerabilities that have encouraged a higher rate of pirate attacks include inadequate coastal surveillance, lax port security, a profusion of targets, the dependence of maritime trade on through congested choke points and an increased tendency to staff vessels with skeleton crews. Furthermore world's navies are handicapped by conflcting laws on the high seas and some suggest that a comprehensive legal framework is imperative to stem piracy.
On November 25th, Fadel, the head of the Suez canal urged navies patrolling the pirate-ridden waters off the east coast of Africa to take greater measures to protect ships, such as forming convoys and providing escorts for vessels vulnerable to attack. In response to a growing number of attacks this year, governments from around the world have deployed ships to the region in a bid to protect sea lanes. Nato also sent a task force, but after the hijacking of the Sirius Star, navies now face trying to patrol 2.5m square nautical miles.
India deployed the INS Tabar to escort Indian ships after the country's shipping firms said they were losing $US450,000 a month on cost overruns and delays in meeting deadlines. On 12th December, the Indian navy says it has arrested 23 Somali and Yemeni pirates who tried to storm a ship in the Gulf of Aden. The captured pirates had a cache of arms and equipment, including seven AK-47 assault rifles, three machine guns, and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. The pirates would be handed over to the appropriate authorities, Indian navy spokesman added. A navy spokesman also said it had responded to a mayday call from MV Gibe, flying under the Ethiopian flag.
Consequences of piracy
Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue with estimated worldwide losses of US $13 to $16 billion per year, particularly in the waters between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off the Somali coast, and also in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year.
Piracy on merchant vessels would further raise insurance premiums. The impact of Somali piracy on premiums shows the extent to which costs can suddenly spike. It is reported that special risks insurance levy for crossing the Gulf of Aden has leapt to $20,000 per vessel per transit from $500.
An attack aimed at shutting down a major port like Singapore or disrupting a key shipping line like the Strait of Hormuz which as much as 40 per cent world's oil passes could do real economic damage. Security experts say it's not a matter of more naval ships on the high seas. Pirates need to be attacked on their land-bases. This approach requires better intelligence on who is behind the ongoing attacks on shipping.
On 10th December the US circulated a resolution in the UN Security Council that would allow foreign forces to attack pirates bases on land. That means if it is adopted by the Council, military action might be taken on pirate-bases in Somalia with the agreement of the fragile government of Somalia. The reality is if pirate land-bases are eliminated, experts say piracy would be much reduced on the seas. Furthermore most ships could outrun the pirates if they would take more preventative measures, like pulling up their ladders when at sea and perhaps placing armed guards on board.
Former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.
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VIEW POINT
SINKING DHAKA AND DRINKING WATER
Need for a surface water treatment
plant at Khilket
Col. (Retd) Mirza Shafi
By all indications, Dhaka is sinking mainly due to excessive extraction of ground water. According to an expert, a professor of the Geology Department at Dhaka University, lifting of water mindlessly by DWASA and some private parties both permitted or otherwise -- is suicidal for the city as it is increasing the risks of landslide and earthquakes. Again, due to rapid filling up of low lands and wetlands in and around the city the situation the scope of recharging ground water has been lessened.
Jakarta situation
In a recent study by the World Bank, it was warned that much of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, would be under water by 2025 and many of the large complex over there, in central Jakarta, have already been affected. This has forced the government there to ascertain whether these buildings are gradually tilting and the rates of their doing so. A team of geologists from the Banding Institute of Technology (IPB) reported that Jakarta had subsided by about 2m in the last 25 years, mostly in the city centre where these buildings are located.
The team blamed it partly on the extraction of ground water by resident and building owners in the city of 14 million. And they are going to have a legislation to curtail the extraction of groundwater and ensure that parties that extract it would have to inject the water back into the ground.
DWASA's 489 water pumps
DWASA collects nearly 150 crore litres of water from ground through a total of 489 water pumps and their total supply nearly 85 per cent comes from deep wells and the rest 15 per cent comes from the two water treatment plants. The daily water demand in the city is about 200 crore litres out of which WASA can provide 180 crore litres leaving a shortage of approximately 29 crore litres.
Here we must remember to add the quantity of water that is being extracted by certain factories, hotels/hospitals and by wealthy residents bypassing the city's water grid, to come to the total figure. We understand that due to such high rate of extraction underground water level is going down by seven to ten feet every year in different parts of metropolis and as result DWASA need to dig as low as 1000 feet for potable water.
It is high time that DWASA must complete their survey to know the state of underground water situation and have a water table ready for use in planning by concerned authorities. It is also desired that the concerned authorities must survey the land area of the metropolis and surrounding areas, where future expansion is envisaged, to ensure against the sinking feeling, as we have for with only a few cm of rain the city gets water-logged.
Surface water treatment
DWASA now have only one surface water treatment plant that was installed in 1997, which covers only 12.5 per cent of the city's requirement. However, with the implementation of the second phase at Sayedabad some improvement to our supply of water may be achieved.
DWASA must have other surface water treatment plants at Khilket and other suitable places, to immediately collect water from the river Meghna. In this connection we must remember that the river Buriganga is our lifeline and it must be saved from further pollution and its water must be made available for gardening and other uses for the people of the metropolis. Again, authorities must understand that filling up of low and wetlands of the city obstructs recharging of groundwater.
Empting of underground water could lead to sinking of the city as is the case with Jakarta and many other cities elsewhere. It also invites earthquake and landslide-experts say that even a three-centimeter subsidence of the city surface would cause a disaster to the city structures. Bangladesh is lucky to have a number of aquifers¾ a body of permeable rock able to hold or transmit water underground and these must be surveyed immediately. For as we have wars in order to dominate areas having fossil fuel, the future wars could be waged for want of water.
Environmental groups have already warned the government of excessive extraction of groundwater, saving our river, the Buriganga and over urbanisation of the city without any consideration to the environment. We hope the government would immediately form a taskforce to control extraction of groundwater and address other water woes.
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LETTERS
Uncle Sam can't resist 3 tsunamis
Dear Editor:
After the First 9/11, the rich, materialistic Americans are now experiencing a Second 9/11 [the betrayal of the mighty dollar]; which is going to change the American lifestyle for ever. The saintly US dollar is now acting as the great equaliser.
The isolation of the USA, sandwiched between the two mighty oceans, would disappear, enhancing the global perspective. The exploitation, since World War II, has to be paid back in several decades. It is time for other crowded and deprived nations to rise, relax, and stand and stare. This is the Law of Nature --otherwise known as the Cosmic Law of Compensation (reap, as you sow).
The progress of human civilisation is not in a straight line. Millions of human beings who suffered in different parts of the globe under various guises of colonial exploitation for centuries should have some form of recognition and reward; waiting with such patience, generation after generation.
Now there are two HRs in operation: Human Rights in Human Resources. The UN is un-united! Who gave whom the right to veto; and on what basis? The players at the top were the judges. You, as a player, can't be your own judge and referee.
This American ebb tide would cause flow tides elsewhere. Many would be caught unprepared, physically and mentally. There would be systems losses for quite sometime [in the have-not societies, not accustomed to the financial benefits and bonuses in life.
The Third 9/11 was witnessed in November 2008-the presidential election in the USA. Uncle Sam, you cannot withstand three tsunamis?
A Mahasen,
Dhaka.
Americans need aid!
Dear Editor:
Believe it or not, Almighty God has a sense of humour.
The $700 billion rescue is a drop of water into the inferno of Chaos. History repeats itself after 80 years¾ the Americans who were too haughty about their dollar are in a great crisis now.
What is the use of nuclear power, without human empathy? The car and housing markets are down and Buffet is playing dice investing $3 billion. We watch eating chira and moori.
AZ,
Dhaka.
Acting Chairman of JP
Dear Editor:
If a man has to remain absent from his office and perform his duty, a second man is given the charge of the first one for continuing the day to day's function of that organization. In this case the second person is called 'acting'. In a college if the Principal is absent for any reason and if the Vice-Principal is authorised to do the duties on behalf of the Principal, here the Vice-Principal is the "Acting Principal".
A few months ago Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud was made "acting chairman" of the Jatiya Party (JP) in place of its Chairman Ershad. But Ershad has been performing in full swing all activities of his party. Then what was the use of creating the post of "Acting Chairman"? Is there any "politics" here?
Harun-or-Rashid
Sobhanbag, Dhaka.
Teasing girls
Dear Editor:
A girl in our society is reportedly facing various harassments in different ways. 'Teasing' is one which even results in ending a girl's life.
To stop such evil activities to women, moral education needs to be placed in us, and this should be added to the text books as well.
Above all, all have to come forward and take a oath that all should keep themself away from committing such heinous crimes to women, who are mothers or sisters or wives of some among us.
Habibur Rashid Ismail,
Jamea Rahmania Fadil Madrasa
Choitenyarhat, Chittagong.
E-mail: habibur.rashid.ismail@gmail.com
Municipal reforms: No more 'backdoors'
Dear Editor:
Some months ago elections of municipalities/CCs were held. The polls of the major city corps (CCs) will be held later. No vote for corrupt candidates is not enough.
But there are no media reports on internal reforms on O&M (operation/maintenance and organisation/method) for public awareness.
The large area of Dhaka metropolis cannot be handled and run.
Why elect someone to work in corrupt environment? LGRD is sitting over the issue. Many Dhaka residents are in a fix buy a flat in Dhaka or move out.
The CCs are very keen to take up development and maintenance and operation projects during the five-year tenure.
But what is the quality of the output? The completion deadlines are breached in the majority of cases. The disciplinary actions are never announced. How the inspectors/teams work, and how their reports are processed? Secret! The new law on freedom of information should be enforced strictly.
All "backdoors" should be closed and watched electronically. The Project officers should face the press at regular intervals (Plus discussions in the JS).
There is too much political influence in decision making. Is neutral management possible in the CCs?
A Mawaz,
Dhaka.
Attention DCC
Dear Editor:
Sometime I wonder if our city fathers lack common sense. What is noticeable with naked eyes how can it miss their attention?
The large bill boards erected as panels and installed on both sides of some of the foot over bridges, blocking the public view from all around, that it becomes a safe haven for the muggers and malam party to easily prey on innocent passersby and commit any crime as if it has been deliberately created to facilitate the criminals and endanger public safety.
We all know the crime rate inside the public buses have gone down after enforcement of mandatory lightings inside during night movements. But none of the over head bridges is illuminated after darkness, rendering it more vulnerable. One at times feel very unsafe and become fearful while crossing the corridor. With the departure of emergency it has become more unsafe. Shouldn't the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) revise their decisions and make the pedestrian's movements through the foot bridge so that it remains visible all around? They should also initiate illumination of all such bridges considering public safety.
In the interest of public safety we also urged the DCC in the past to arrange illumination of all the public bus counters, located on the foot paths, where huge monetary transactions take place everyday. These counters are manned for a very limited hours during the night. But we failed to draw their attention. Simply by installing a single powerful flood light on top of the ticket counters in each of those locations, problem can be resolved to the relief of all.
We only hope our city Mayor will not let us down this time.
A.B.Mohammed Zakaria,
124 Whitley close
Stanwell, Staines
Middlesex TW 19 7 EY
Transparency of foreign loans
Dear Editor:
Since independence successive governments have taken huge amount of foreign loans from various countries and international organisations. But unfortunately we have never heard of any accountability and transparency of the foreign loans for the least 37 years.
We are disappointed and shocked that not a single government in power has ever published a comprehensive report or white paper on foreign loans intentionally or due to negligence of duty and inefficiency.
We strongly feel it is imperative that our government in coordination with our Ministry of Finance and Bangladesh Bank may publish a comprehensive report or white paper on the foreign loans for the period from the financial year 1971...1972 to 2OO6-2OO7 year wise for information of the members of the public in the greater national interest without further delay.
The comprehensive report/white paper on our foreign loans may include the following information: Year of the report, government in, Amount of foreign loan received from which country/organization, amount of foreign loan spent and on what purpose/work, Amount of loan/interest paid to the loan giving country/organisation, balance of loan in hand, total amount of loan outstanding since our independence etc.
The Chief Adviser to Caretaker government Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia finance adviser Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam and Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed should look into the relevant matters and take necessary action in the interest of the public.
O. H. Kabir,
Wari, Dhaka.
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