U.S. PRESIDENT OBAMA

Let his Nobel Peace Prize usher in world peace

Maswood Alam Khan

If a scientist would have invented an effective vaccine to prevent AIDS, I could bet the last coin in my pocket that he or she would have won Nobel Prize in medicine, chemistry or even peace instead of one who could at the same time have invented the most efficacious medicine to cure AIDS. If one earns Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending a world war his efforts should be deemed less admirable than that of someone else whose efforts had contributed in thwarting an issue that could spark off another global war.
   Medicinal vaccine tested in a science laboratory is shot in a human arm and is not usually dependent on public opinion. Political vaccine nurtured inside a leader's brain is later implanted in people's mind to mould or live up to public opinion in favour of what is good to life on this Earth. Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama is 'a shot in the arm' to prod him to run, run and run to achieve what the world community has so far been too fatigued even to dream about: Peace, not war, among humans and a greener Earth.
   If a scientist would have invented an effective vaccine to prevent AIDS, I could bet the last coin in my pocket that he or she would have won Nobel Prize in medicine, chemistry or even peace instead of one who could at the same time have invented the most efficacious medicine to cure AIDS. If one earns Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending a world war his efforts should be deemed less admirable than that of someone else whose efforts had contributed in thwarting an issue that could spark off another global war.
   Obama, who has been US president for less than nine months, has been awarded this stunning honour not for his achievements he has made during his short tenure in office but for his vision and his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples, in particular for his genuine efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Obama evoked a new dream among people of the world by waking the world leaders up.
   A few Republicans or a few shallow Americans may feel unhappy that not a white man could achieve this extraordinary award and may also raise questions like how a man can be judged before he could achieve anything. They may even equate this judgement with awarding an athlete a gold before the Olympic is held.
   But, they are the minority compared to the people of the world who observed each and every speech Obama made before and after the US presidential election. Those shallow critics did lend their deaf ear when in his historical speech in Prague earlier this year Obama vowed to pursue a world without nuclear weapons or when in Cairo in last June he reached out to Muslim world with the Arabic salutation "Assalamu Alaikum" and sought to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
   Obama has pressed the reset button to set a fresh tone and tenor to overhaul the psyche of the world leaders with a view to singing songs of peace instead of beating the drums of war.
   Obama's efforts to shift the global attitude from war to peace has earned him the Nobel Peace Prize that has seated him in the company of Mikhail S. Gorbachev who won the same prize for his efforts to bring an end to the cold war; Nelson Mandela whose efforts brought an end to apartheid; and Professor Yunus of Bangladesh who evoked a dream to send poverty to museum.
   
   "Deeply humbled"
   On October 09, 2009 Barack Obama said he was ''surprised and deeply humbled" by the Nobel Committee's decision and described the award as an "affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations". Obama accepted the award declaration as "a call to action." "To be honest," Obama said "I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many illustrious figures who have been honoured by this prize, men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."
   Rabindranath Tagore was also vexed by the uproars and drumbeats that followed the news of awarding him the Nobel Prize for literature. On November 18, 1913 Tagore wrote to his friend William Rothenstein: "The perfect whirlwind of public excitement it has given rise to is frightful. It is almost as bad as tying a tin can at a dog's tail, making it impossible for him to move without creating noise and collecting crowds all along. I am being smothered with telegrams and letters for the last few days and people who never had any friendly feelings towards me nor ever read a line of my works are loudest is their protestation of joy."
   We the people of the world would continue singing songs with joys, uproars and drumbeats praising Obama for his earning Peace Prize from the Nobel Committee until he delivers us the Peace Prize from his own account.
   Obama is an American President; such a description gives only a minor part of his image ---because men's and women's fancy and imagination about this leader conjure up the major part of his comprehensive image all over the world. Obama is not simply a leader of the world; he has emerged as a saviour to rescue the world from a probable apocalypse. Nobel Prize Committee could not afford to miss the rare chance to engage this rare leader to repair this fractured world.
   By awarding Obama Peace Prize the Nobel Committee has made a huge down payment to him mortgaging his intention to achieve peace for humanity by thwarting unrest among nations and by immunizing this Earth against global warming.
   
   No escape door to flee
   Obama is now indebted to the billions of his sundry creditors all over the world and there is no escape door open to him to flee through before he can deliver what he has promised.
   The present Nobel Committee seems to have been much more mature and diplomatic in their decision making than their predecessors. The Nobel Peace Prize has been conferred upon Obama when the countdown clock was showing the UN climate conference only 58 days away. The committee before declaring the award knew well that to receive the award the recipient of peace prize would be arriving in Oslo on December 10, 2009-just when he along with other world leaders is due to attend the 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen in Denmark. The garland of Nobel Peace Prize Obama would be wearing, the Nobel Committee hoped, would wrench from him the last drop of his efforts to secure the future habitability of this planet.
   It is none of our business to know how Obama would make the UN climate conference a success by declaring his country's share of sacrifice and by compelling other stakeholders in the developed and developing world to sacrifice theirs. He may fight a duel with the US Senate or the US Congress or apply the last tool of his presidential prerogatives or his veto power or the star power he holds over the globe.
   We Bangladeshis at the behest of the Nobel Committee want from Obama a strategy for a delivery of permanent peace among nations and a solid way for the world to act together to preserve the thin envelope of atmosphere, soil and sea which surrounds our planet and enables us to live, in the face of rising temperature which is now threatening to destroy the planet's habitability.
   The writer is a banker: maswood@hotmail.com

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Mohiuddin Babar

The government has come up with yet another prescription to heal the irritating pain of traffic jam in the capital. This time, it prescribes different schedules for private offices, schools and banks. It is not known how much it would ease the jams but the intended move would definitely impact the work life balance of the city dwellers. One thing is sure, the government at its highest level, is giving due importance to the traffic jam nuisance which has been socially, economically and environmentally deplorable over the years. A number of measures were taken from time to time to attack the menace but nothing seemed to have worked to beat the devil. The trial goes on.
   The new triple tier timings, as announced, stipulate revised schedule for English medium schools, private organizations like business houses and multinational companies. Banks will also come under the purview. Truly, schools have been one of the major reasons for adding to the colossal traffic jams. The English medium schools in particular have been in the forefront because if there are a thousand students studying in a school, almost a thousand cars would be on the roads to ferry the children. Even if children were coming from the same location, each one would come independently. It is irony that there is no sensible thinking in mooting cooperative gestures. In this context, the best would have been to enforce a regulation that each school must have their own dedicated mass transit transport which could solve much of the problem.
   It has been said times and again that mass transit facilities can contribute to a better solution of the problem. We are thinking aloud on mega solutions like underground railway, flyovers etc. A few days back a media reported about hundreds of double decked buses lying idle. Putting them back into wheels can ease much of the pressure. Those buses procured at high costs still have better life-cycle than thousands of buses on the streets now. According to the report, they only need some mechanical repairs. This is not happening because of some vested interest groups.
   The transport sector is one of the corrupt sectors where the flow of money is in continuous stream. We see worn out buses with no care for ergonomics for the passengers. Why should people be compelled to use those dilapidated transports with visible health and safety hazards? Effective measures to ensure better technical standards of the buses plying the city roads now would be much less cost effective and a better short-term solution. Construction of underground metro rail or overhead flyovers could better fit in as long term plans.
   Solving traffic mess in the capital should also incorporate several other aspects like planning of people agglomeration, location of community establishments like schools, hospitals, markets etc. Unfortunately what we see today is that there is a total mess in this aspect as well. It should be considered as uncivilized thinking to see chains of markets coming up in a particular zone, rows of schools developing in a particular area. This kind of development cause traffic nuisance. Mere solution of the transport modalities would do much to ease the traffic jams unless a coordinated solution is sketched. If not, we will keep on playing with the game of trial and error. The result will obviously be more irritating than the present irritations.
   babar.mohiuddin@gmail.com

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Holiday Report

Professor Dr. Shah M. Farouk, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) donated a cheque amounting to Tk. one lakh for the development of Qazi Fazlur Rahim Library under the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of the University.
   Vice chancellor Professor Dr. M. A. Sattar Mandal while receiving the cheque thanked Professor Shah M Farouk for this noble gesture which would help enhance academic and research work of the teachers, students and researchers, said a press release. An educationist of international repute Professor Dr. Qazi Fazlur Rahim was the Vice-Chancellor of the Bangladesh Agricultural University. Members of hid family had contributed for the development of a library which was named after him.

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MA Samad's death anniversary

The 4th anniversary of death of MA Samad, founder of the Bangladesh General Insurance Company, will be observed Sunday., October 17.
   Born in Kulaura of Moulavibazar district, MA Samad had joined the insurance service in 1946 after graduation from Presidency Collee, Kolkata. He had served Jibon Bima Corporation as its Managing Director and also the founder Director of Bangladesh Insurance Academy. He authored four books, both in Bengali and English language, on general and life insurance which received appreciation at home and abroad.
   His friends, admirers and well-wishers have been requested to pray for the salvage of his departed soul.

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