Special Correspondent

The hosts won the fifth gold medal in the 11th South Asian Games Thursday as the Golf Group team of Bangladesh clinched a gold on the seventh day of the Games, the private TV channel Desh TV reports.
   Earlier, Bangladesh grabbed four gold medals in different events, including air rifle group (men's and women's) and weightlifting.
   The opening ceremony of the eight-nation South Asian Games (SAG) 2010 was held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) in a befitting manner Friday last. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated it by releasing a white pigeon at the big bowl.
   The state-owned Bangladesh Television telecast the gala opening ceremony live from the Stadium.
   At the inaugural ceremony, the contingents from the eight participating countries took part in the march-past. The athletes and officials of Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh entered the BNS holding aloft their respective flags and moved around the ground.
   As part of the celebration, singers Sabina Yasmin, Andrew Kishore and Shuvro Dev moved around the ground riding on a van and rendering the theme song of the SAG 2010. Former renowned footballer, President of South Asian Football Federation and President of Bangladesh Football Federation Kazi Salahuddin formally lighted the torch of the SAG 2010, the Olympic of the eight South Asian countries.
   Then, skipper of Bangladesh National Football team Aminul Haque and national athlete Nazmun Nahar Beauty conducted the oath session on behalf of the participating athletes.
   Earlier, Bangladesh successfully hosted the 2nd SAF Games also in 1985 and the 6th SAF Games in 1993.
   However, students put up a spectacular display showing White Lilly (National Flower of Bangladesh) and danced showing Butterfly with the song of Prajapoti, Projapoti…….
   The performers also put up a display on the action of the Liberation War of 1971, the National Mausoleum of Savar, boat racing and paddy harvesting festival.
   Later, the popular song “Bishwakabir Sonar Bangla, Nazruler Bangladesh, Jibanander Ruposhi Bangla, ruper je tar neiko shesh , Bangladesh” was rendered by a singer.
   The performers displayed the portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Seven Bir Sreshthas by using cards at the eastern gallery.
   Later, popular songs like Melay Jaire and Allah Megh Dey Pani Dey were also rendered by the performers and the artistes presented the scenes by using their physical techniques.
   Finally, there were fireworks lighting up the evening sky to the utter satisfaction of the spectators at the ground, the gallery and those, who watched it from outside the stadium and on the TV.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

Many investors, few IPOs, record turnover at bourse

Faisal Rahim

The country's secondary capital market is on steady rise with market index hitting six thousand points last week leaving behind the moribund situation of the past several years. But the most noticeable setback in the bourse is the limited number of prospective chips with very few IPOs in offer compared to the growing number of investors crowding the floor and with huge inflow of funds.
   Market analysts say it is high time the government should take definite moves to bring IPOs of more public sector entities to the market. There is no doubt the government leadership is also speaking of such move but without matching action in the ground. Here the paradox is that Bangladesh is now having a minister for industries coming from the country's communist household. He is opposed to privatisation of any sort and even partial off-loading of public enterprises at a time when free market economy is in the driving seat.
   The Awami League-led grand coalition government's populist policy not to make the labour unions hostile to the establishment has thus resulted in an almost total blockade to privatisation and bringing public entities to stock market, notwithstanding what the leadership is saying in public about it.
   
   Victim # 1
   The country's stock market has become the number one victim of such populist policy approach without helping to make the foundation of the bourse broad-based with participation of more public entities to the stock.
   Market analysts say, politicians, government leadership and bureaucracy enjoy state support and benefit of its financial and economic institutions for being closely involved in running the state. This is the charm of democracy with its inclusive nature benefiting the elite. Here the common people can only get a chance to benefit from such democracy and the national economy and its business if more corporate houses and state entities become public through the stock.
   There may be a true democracy only if the benefits of national economy start reaching the public. Here the government is not matching its words with actions, analysts say and demand quick step to bring more public entities to the market to establish a sort of democratic participation of people in business dealing with national wealth. Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), the two main trading floors dealing with investors showed new record level business turnover last week, however, with the market index falling early in the week.
   
   Recovery to profit-making
   But the situation changed almost dramatically as investors moved to shares covering banking, insurance and mutual funds which remained so far weak from last year and beyond as investors' confidence stood shaky from the days of the Caretaker Government. People holding shares and debentures in these sectors and suffering from a sense of losing core investment showed smiling this time with the market recovery turning to profit-making last week.
   But the crucial question dominating the capital market is why new corporate houses are not coming up with IPOs (initial public offerings); and moreover, why the major public sector enterprises are not off-loading shares to become fully or partly public.
   The overcrowded off-loading of GrameenPhone showed that more such telephone companies may achieve the same rate of success. But their management is not willing to involve public investment to beef up their resource base either to repatriate profit to their home countries or use it otherwise without going public.
   Government leaders have also remained evasive to take privatisation seriously as part of its labour politics; but since the partial divestment of Titas Gas, no such move is in sight. The high prices of Rupali Bank shares, a state-owned bank which is rather in a poor health compared to other state-owned banks like Sonali, Agrani or Janata Bank, showed the real prospects of public attraction and investment in those banks.
   The former Caretaker Government tried to move these banks towards making public by corporatising their management. But the finance ministry is not taking any credible step now towards off-loading their shares on the plea that they should in the first place become profitable and recover stuck out loans before going public.
   But critics believe this is just a pretext to keep them away from becoming public as neither the bureaucracy nor the trade union operating in these banks want their divestment taking place. Media reports sounded highly critical as the country's stock exchange showed fatigue of operating with limited number of chips with an otherwise overcrowded floor by the growing number of investors awash with funds.
   
   Vested interest
   There are many more such public sector entities such as Bangladesh Biman, Railway or WASA having the potentials to attract public investment and thereby relieve the government of their poor management and recurring losses.
   But government officials are in fact running them as their area of vested interest, they do not want to lose their grips on them and their source of ill-gotten earnings under the cover of different billing system or unjustified tours abroad, a section of newspapers reported last week. Participation of private sector directors on the management boards of such entities requiring transparency in operation and accountability in transactions is the last thing that the bureaucracy would like to see happening.
   Again the issue of leadership failure or indifference comes. It looks strange, they say, to see the government ministers speaking of raising capital from stock market to set up new power generation plants or build infrastructures projects like city flyovers and not acting accordingly. The government is speaking of public-private partnership projects, but failing to use the bourse will not bring success to such initiatives, they said demanding opening the door of public sector enterprises to the bourse.
   
   SEC needs overhaul
   Observers say, in doing so if the SEC leadership is not capable to deliver it has to be replaced; if bureaucrats are impediment in the way they should be removed and if the required institutional setup is not here it should be immediately put in place. Mere public statement will not serve the purpose. When the government is not taking the right step, the bureaucracy, especially the regulatory authority (SEC) overseeing the bourses is often making interventions in the stock bringing more confusions than corrections.
   Here analysts say, the government is acting in haste with the 1996 market crash phobia in mind that the political blow that a repeat of such a crash may bring on the present Awami League government. It may be pointed out that investors at that time held the Awami League government responsible for it as some top businessmen belonging to the party were the key figures manipulating the market leading to the crash making windfall gains out of it.
   Analysts feel that such careful approach is good but doing nothing substantive to bring new public sector IPOs to the market will not help much the new generation investors pouring in money in the bourse. It looks strange to watch that the government instead of opening new public sector entities to private investors to the bourse is rather taking backward steps to stop divestment of public sector entities; which were on the list of privatisation in the past.
   The divestment may take place by outright selling of such public entities to private sector ownership. It may also offer partial divestment through the stock market. However, if the political leadership is sitting idle doing nothing, it would not only hamper growth of the market but also put the investors in jeopardy.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

On the eve of the New Year 2010, the Israeli Embassy in Athens, Greece sent three bottles wine to Theodoros Pangalos, Member of the Greek Parliament as a festive gift with the best wishes of Ambassador Ali Giachia. The Greek MP Theodoros Pangalos returned this gift and thanked the Ambassador with the following letter:
   “Dear Mr. Ambassador, Thank you for the 3 bottles of wine that you sent me as season's greetings.
   I wish to you, your family and everybody in the Embassy a happy new year.
   Good health and progress to you all.
   Unhappily I noticed that the wine you have sent me has been produced in the Golan Heights. I have been taught since I was very young not to steal and not to accept products of theft. So I can not possibly accept this gift and I must return it back to you.
   As you know, your country illegally occupies the Golan Heights which belongs to Syria, according to International Law and numerous decisions of the International Community.
   I take the opportunity to express my hope that Israel will find security in its internationally recognized borders and the terrorist activities against Israel territory by Hamas or anybody else will be contained and made impossible, but I also hope that your government will cease practicing the policy of collective punishment which was applied on a mass scale by Hitler and his armies.
   Actions such as those of these days of the Israel military in Gaza remind the Greek people of similar Holocausts such as in Kalavrita or Doxato or Distomo and certainly in the ghetto of Warsaw.
   With these thoughts allow me to express to you my best wishes for you, the Israeli people and all the people of our region of the world.
   Athens, 30/12//2009
   
   Theodoros Pangalos
   Member of Parliament (Greece).”

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

Wake-up call for BNP still goes unresponded

Amanullah Kabir

With heaps of issues on its shoulder, the lame duck opposition BNP appears to have finally decided to climb down from the fence and start moving somewhere. Long delayed but successful holding of council session of the party from the grassroots to the national levels with the exception of Dhaka and Chittagong – because of debilitating inner-party conflicts – has apparently injected a new life into it.
   Likewise, after a long wait the BNP has started responding to the demands of its activists who have been suffering from a siege mentality because of the ruling Awami League's opposition-bashing politics since it came to power. Though late, still it is encouraging that the BNP central leadership is beginning to be assertive. Finally the workers' plea for political programmes that fell on deaf years for too long is being attended to.
   That BNP is signaling its participation in the upcoming session of the Jatiya Sangsad to air its mind and ventilate its reactions particularly to the recently signed Dhaka-Delhi agreements. It is a step in the right direction. The parliament is the highest national forum to discuss and ventilate the party's opinion on important policy matters and especially such an accord signed between Bangladesh and India at the highest level. The ruling Awami League (AL), because of its brute majority in the parliament will be able to get it ratified disregarding the opposition, but to record its dissenting views analyzing why and where it differs with the government should not be considered as an exercise in futility. This will be a swing from the Opposition's timid defensive policy to loud offensive in the face of the government's opposition-bashing tactic which has in fact, pushed the Opposition back to the wall.
   In a country like ours where democratic culture is yet to gain root deep in the minds of the politicians, politics is often driven by autocratic attitude if the Opposition camp fails to rise to the occasion.
   The piled up issues before the nation are numerous. Besides the three security-related agreements and two MoUs signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's widely drummed up visit to Delhi —- permitting India to use the port facilities of Chittagong and Mongla, and Ashuganj as the ports of call—- the BDR mutiny and trial of several thousand mutineers; the High Court order repealing the sensitive Fifth Amendment to the Constitution; sharing of waters of the common rivers, and that of the Teesta in particular, blocking construction of the Tipaimukh barrage; trial of war criminals said to be aimed at containing the Islamists and prohibiting the religion-based political parties; killing and harassing of the opposition activists; and attempts to implicate Begum Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman in different cases.
   What is still appears important is that the Hasina government has yielded to the pressure of Delhi which has been demanding transit facilities through the territory of Bangladesh to establish land communication with its insurgency-torn north-east region.
   Even if a part of the Delhi agreements comes into force in the next four years of this government the national security of the country is sure to be exposed to threat.
   By signing the Delhi agreements and hanging five of the 12 persons convicted in the Mujib killing case only hours after the Supreme Court's rejection of the review petition, Sheikh Hasina has sent the year-end message that she is unyielding not to change her mindset with which she has come to power and will implement the remaining agenda in the same way during the rest of her regime's tenure. Her efficient maneuvering capability has left little room for her adversaries in the party to move and she has engaged a new political force with a core group ready to challenge and thwart it.
   Sheikh Hasina last week told an audience that execution of Bangabandhu's killers had strengthened the hands of her government and the war criminals must not be allowed to escape trial. The process of investigation may begin next month along with other necessary preparations. In one of her invective speech recently she made an obvious attempt to pass the blame on to the Opposition leader Khaleda Zia for the harrowing BDR mutiny in which 57 army officers and its chief were killed.
   However, in a recent interview with an English daily, the newly elected BNP senior joint secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said his party as opposition was playing a constructive role without explaining in detail how it was doing so. He perhaps tried to refer to his party's stage performance and the limited agitations in front of his party central office, which are designed to save its face and let the government go undisturbed. While the ruling AL leadership accuses BNP of playing its anti-India card, it (BNP) has so far failed to mobilise public opinion in its favour, though it rejected the Delhi agreements immediately after their release to the press, calling them worse than the past 25-year treaty with India undermining the nation's security. Concerns of the people about the national security issue have been responded simply with rhetoric by the BNP leaders who have again failed to express their analysis not only to the public but also to their grassroots level leaders and workers, who are the real forces to prepare ground for any concerted movement.
   Probably at the signal of the BNP chief's office at Gulshan, the party's younger generation has become more interested to see Tarique Rahman, the heir-apparent, in strong and effective position in the party. But they are yet to realize that only strong opposition role can save their party and leaders from the constant and targeted onslaughts of the ruling Awami League, which this time is more calculative and more well-equipped, both politically and organizationally. In comparison, BNP is still rather inert, though a large section of the people regard BNP as the last hope.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

February returns with haunting memories

M. Shahidul Islam

The month of February injects crushing fear in our hearts. February 21, 1952 turned into an emblem of sacrifice when our innocent heroic brothers had to die to save their mother-tongue. Exactly the same day in 1972, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched the Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini (JRB) as a parallel armed force by diverting much of the scarce resources from the newly-built military forces of a war ravaged nation.
   The JRB's creation having followed within weeks by the signing with India (on March 19, 1972) of a 25-year long Treaty of Friendship, the 27,000 strong, ill-fed and ill-equipped members of Bangladesh armed forces found themselves instantly thrown into a virtual spell of depressive shock and inactivity.
   More ominously, Article 10 of that Treaty having implied that an attack on India by a third country would be construed as an attack on Bangladesh too —- not vice versa —- our hard-earned independence became totally meaningless. That's how started the long-drawn 'politics of soldiers' in a new nation born out of a long and arduous struggle for democracy and self-determination. The game sooner transmuted into a perilous one.
   Soldiers are sinners by design; they kill not by instinct, but when asked to do so by political leaders who make crucial decisions of war and peace. Like it or not, war and peace are the two glittering sides of a single coin. According to Thomas Hobbes, human beings are in a perpetual state of war. That may be why diplomatic historians define peace as being an interregnum characterized by absence of war.
   Since independence, many of the great soldiers of our benighted land died either in war or during the peace-time political squabbling. In this month of February, last year, we witnessed the horrific death of 58 military officers during the Peelkhana carnage for which the nation is yet to hold a trial, despite promise to do so within weeks or months. That is the sordid irony.
   On January 27 five killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were executed at the stroke of midnight. To set the historical record straight, onus squarely lies on us to know afresh who these Liberation War veterans were and what they did for their country; not on that fateful night of August 15, 1975, but long before when an 'indecisive nation' underwent the pangs of a painfully fought liberation struggle.
   Col. Syed Faruque Rehman happened to be an outstanding armoured corps officer in the Pakistan army, handpicked as a young Lieutenant to organize an armoured regiment for the UAE army during those tension-ridden days of Mid-East history following Israel's occupation of lands in all neighbouring Muslim countries during the 6-day offensive of 1967. Upon hearing the news of the revolt of Bengali members of the Pakistan army in 1971, he hastened to join the War of Liberation, got promoted to the rank of Captain, and served as a staff officer to the Supreme Commander, General Osmany, at the exiled government's headquarters at 8 Theatre Road in Calcutta.
   Following the liberation, Faruque became a founder of the First Bengal Lancer Regiment in independent Bangladesh. It was the first armoured regiment of our nation. As a proud soldier, he carried that swagger and tinkle with puffed emotions, until death.
   Likewise, Lt. Col. Sultan Shahriar Rashid fought the War of Liberation as a Lieutenant and commanded independently a company of strong freedom fighters under what then was known Sector 6A. Following the liberation, he had had the laurel to be the founding commanding officer of 15 East Bengal regiment and the military's physical training institution. Lt. Cols Rashid and Mohiuddin Ahmed (arty), Major AKM Mohiuddin (armour), have all fought with distinction during the war while Majors Bazlul Huda, Abdul Aziz Pasha and Col Rashid became the founding organizer of the 2nd Field Regiment Artillery, after having fought the war.
   Absconding Lt. Col. Nur Chowdhury led Bir Shestra Hamidur Rahman to that fierce battle in Sylhet as a company commander of the Charlie Company of the First East Bengal Regiment and earned a Bir Bikram sobriquet for battlefield bravery. He is the one who wrote the citation of Hamidur Rahman to be decorated posthumously with the honour for highest level of battlefield valour and sacrifice made for the nation. Nur Chowdhury also served as an aide de camp to the Supreme Commander at Calcutta's 8 Theatre Road. Simply put: the Bangladesh military became an enviable fighting machine under the excellent leadership of these (and many other) great soldiers and they felt thoroughly betrayed by the creation of the JRB on one hand, and signing of a subservient treaty with India, on the other.
   Col. Ziauddin, another outstanding officer and a valiant freedom fighter, acted as the founder of the 46 Independent Infantry Brigade on which all the political governments banked for security ever since. He too was sacked and pushed into underground at a time when the regime prepared the signing of the 25-year Friendship Treaty with India. Another war hero, Col. Taher, died an unsung death when General Zia turned Taher's revolution of November 7, 1975, into an act of sedition and hung him by the neck.
   The list of such deaths grew longer with passage of time, the new generation not knowing what they did to create an independent homeland for our people. Besides building a national army and its integral components, the coup makers of August 15 had given the nation a multi-party democracy which had been buried by creating the one-party BKSAL in early 1975. Much of recognition for Bangladesh from the liberal democracies of the West followed the 15th August 1975 changeover. In return, they did not take charge of governance.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

New move to bring back remaining coup leaders

Shahriar Noori

The ruling Awami League leaders have taken a move to reactivate members of civil society to act as lobby for arresting the six fugitive anti-BKSAL coup leaders and bringing them back home from different Western countries. When brought back they will be executed without any delay like the already hanged five killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said the sources.
   The move, if successful, will speed up the current drive that started after the 2008 parliamentary elections with the support of local and some foreign security agencies. Besides, for the first time the nation will see a Khatib of a grand mosque, who will be treated as a new member of civil society.
   The idea of organising the civil society came from a powerful minister following the issuance of reaction of Amnesty International (Al).
   The minister with some cabinet colleagues viewed that Al and some of the global lending institutions are maintaining close relation.
   However, the sources said, the minister —- known for anti-World Bank stance and who worked hard for the appointment of present Bangladesh Bank Governor—- at an informal meeting hinted that the government has to take some policy readjustment with the WB and other Western governments to rejuvenate the foreign lenders' trusted members amongst the civil society to get the desired result, said the sources.
   At present, the WB is unhappy with the government's procurement policy, running of the ACC and handling of the previous cases filed during the military-backed caretaker government, said this sources.
   The so-called members of the civil society including two powerful editors and an economist were in the forefront during the two-year military-backed caretaker government (CG) and expressed their full support to the implementation of the so-called Minus Two Theory, said the sources.
   The sources said, a government agency has assured the policymakers that they can get the nod of some media personalities for their future involvement in the plan. Due to their close relationship with the security agency, which was strengthened during General Moin-backed CG.
   But, some policy makers are not confident about getting full support from the desired persons because, it means they will be active again as they were at the time og the immediate past CG.
   
   Execution
   Meanwhile, the execution of the coup leaders and subsequent public reaction did not make two or three policy makers happy at all; they wanted more, said the sources. They expected spontaneous public wrath, and thought the bodies will be barred by the people from the Janaza.
   Rather, people disliked spitting on the vehicles carrying the corpses by AL activists, said the sources. Moreover thousands of people participated in their Janaza.
   Two activists were also expelled from a front organization for taking part in the Janaza of Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

Chhatra League in marauding mood

Special Correspondent

Many of the old leaders of Chhatra League proudly say that the history of Bangladesh Chhatra League is the history of Bangladesh. They try to portray Bangladesh's history synonymous to that of BCL with total disregards to the nation as a whole and the political roles played by the others.
   Definitely, they must be ashamed when they see their boys engaged in forcibly ousting general students from the dormitories, beating up the opponents on the campus, inciting violence in an ugly competition for sharing the booties of contracts and finally of the admission business by assaulting teachers and even chasing the admission seekers out of the campus.
   All the good utterances of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the police authorities in containing the campus violence involving Chhatra League have, however, proved a futile effort.
   It appears that either Chhatra Leaguers are more powerful than the government or the government is not sincere to rein in the BCL, which has now turned out to be a synonym of campus violence and anarchism.
   In the latest round of violence, Dhaka University student Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique died Wednesday, 30 hours after being wounded by a teargas shell fired by the police to stop a gunfight between rival factions of the Awami League's student wing at a dormitory the previous day.
   Bakar, a third-year student of Islamic History and Culture and resident of Sir AF Rahman Hall, was critically wounded in the back of his head, when the police fired teargas shells in front of his room [No-404] at around 2:30am Tuesday. He died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital at 9:22am.
   The general students of the university, outraged by the death of Bakar, who was not affiliated with any party, protested violently, clashed with the police and damaged many vehicles on the campus, said witnesses. The DU proctor's office was also vandalised.
   The leaders and activists of the AL-backed Chhatra League tried to intimidate the protestors, threatening them with dire consequences if they did not stop demonstrating, said campus sources.
   However, the students have become the worst sufferers as different educational institutions across the country have witnessed violent clashes between rival student organisations and factional fighting over the past 13 months that claimed eight lives.
   A total of eight students have been killed and several hundred injured in clashes involving the activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, BNP-backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Workers Party-backed Bangladesh Chhatra Maitree and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed Chhatra Shibir since the Awami League-led alliance assumed power on January 6, 2009, according to newspaper reports.
   Violent clashes involving activists of Chhatra League over tender grabbing, extortion and domination rocked different educational institutions, including Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute, Islamic University in Kushtia, Khulna Medical College, BL College in Khulna, Gournadi Government College in Barisal, Narail Government Victoria College, Feni Government College, Government Azizul Hoque College in Bogra and Chittagong Polytechnic Institute.
   It was Chhatra League that remained at the centre of most of the campus incidents in recent weeks. Only last week, a section of BCL men forced the authorities of some colleges to stop admission to bachelor's degree courses and also were taking money from the admission seekers. They were also putting pressure on the college authorities to keep a 'Quota” on admission for the Chhatra League. The viva voce for bachelor's first year admission to Dhaka College was suspended for the second time Tuesday as Chhatra League activists ousted the candidates from the campus.
   The nation stands appalled by the awe-inspiring show of arrogance and dominance by the ruling party student wing. The nation just wonders how long it will take to put an end to the campus muscle-flexing.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

Govt. should develop nationwide chain of public libraries

Abdur Rahman Khan

Books open mind, broaden thought and reflect civilization. The number and quality books a nation produces also indicate the level of intellectual development of a society.
   In Bangladesh, we have got a world class publishing and binding technology. The number of books produced every year is also high. But what we lacking behind is due to the dearth of quality manuscript and the big readership to match the national enthusiasm, says Mohiuddin Ahmed of the University Press Limited.
   “We have a vibrant publishing industry that thrives centering around the month-long book fair organized in February every year to commemorate the great Language Movement of 21 February 1952. Ekushey is a popular emotion of our nation but the enthusiasm does not display the state of the art it should be,” Muhiuddin Ahmed old The Holiday. The emotions should be translated properly in terms of addition of knowledge and scholarly ideas to the reading public, he added.
   
   Lack of quality manuscripts
   During the last few decades, we saw publication of a lot of books particularly due to emergence of some popular writers in Bangladesh. There have been books on fiction, poetry, essays and popular subjects but the number of academic and scholarly books remained low due to lack of quality manuscripts.
   The market size is limited, so is the financial capabilities of the publishers, which affects production of quality books in Bangladesh.
   Amidst such limitations, University Press Limited (UPL), has been carrying out the task of publishing quality academic and scholarly books, mostly in English language, said Mohiuddin Ahmed adding that he has recently undertaken the job of publishing the literary classics in Bangla.
   Although the publishers and book sellers of the country are united in a trade body, UPL with 62 other publishers have launched a separate body called the Academic and Creative Publishing Association to promote the causes of intellectual development of the country.
   
   Export
   Since its inception in 1974, the UPL has got to its credit more than 1800 titles from national and international authors in Bangla and English. UPL publishes educational books for schools and supplementary reading for students. It also exports both Bangla and English books to several countries of the world where they have got the demand in the universities for supplementary reference works.
   “Our aim is to provide service to education, research and culture, and to continue to adapt to new circumstances, new needs and new areas of intellectual growth”, says Mr. Ahmed.
   The varied subjects UPL covers include administration, politics, international relations, language, life and leisure, public policy, anthropology, art, architecture and archaeology, biography, Bangladesh issue, agriculture and livestock, earth science, environment, education and public health, gender studies, history, media and communication, law, religious affairs, sociology and social studies.
   “While choosing the subject of a book, we try to assess what amount of new knowledge we are adding to the society, what new ideas and thoughts we are implanting among our readers”, he said .
   “For every new manuscript, we arrange an internal reading first and then give it to subject specialists for a further reading before finally selecting it for publication”, Mohiuddin Ahmed said adding that the rate of rejection of manuscript is very high with UPL.
   
   Readership isn't increasing
   According to the publisher, the success of a publication is better judged by the readers. But the readership is not increasing as desired and required for a healthy growth the publishing industry.
   “The readership starts growing from school level but the present system of education does not inspire the students to read more but obtain certificates quickly”, he regretted adding that the habit of reading among the teachers has also declined due to various factors.
   
   Satellite TV channels
   He termed the satellite TV channels and the Internet are detracting factors, but welcomed those as the means of gaining informal knowledge. However, there is no alternative to reading books.
   The traditional practice of maintaining library in educational institutes is largely ignored on the plea of space shortage and lack of inspirations. The habit of reading at home and local clubs have also declined in recent time due to lack of patronage from the educated and affluent persons in the society.
   In such a discouraging situation, publishers alone can not survive. The government has a responsibility to help promote book reading practice, develop a nationwide chain of public libraries for lending books to readers. The Government should also promote private initiatives in forming book clubs at institutions. The Bishwa Shahitya Kendra model can be a useful programme to promote reading habit.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE

---

Demand for solar panels increasing

Shamsul Huda

Solar power is gradually becoming an important alternative for energy demand. Since solar energy is available everywhere, this new technology may serve as a booster for rural electrification.
   Use of electricity generating micro power plant panels has changed lifestyle of Bangladesh's coastal zone people, where the government's grid is yet to reach. This environment-friendly energy is cost effective, portable and affordable. It getting popularity in the country with the support of Infrastructural Development Company Limited (IDCOL), private entrepreneurs and some non-government organisations. The IDCOL data reveals that at present 450,000 solar home system (SHS) units have already been installed in the remote and coastal villages, agricultural farms and in educational institutions where students can study in enough light and can use modern equipment, said Sohel Ahmed, general manager of the Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Limited (RREL).
   Demands for solar panels are increasing every day. To make the panels available the renewable energy company has planned to install a panel manufacturing plant at Gazipur with a cost of Tk.30 crore under technical support of American and German companies. Locally assembled panels will create a competitive market by providing 15-20 per cent lesser price than the imported ones. People related with this trade is yet to be properly updated in technological knowledge and manufacturing. Exchange of knowledge with foreign experts and more investment by many other entrepreneurs will make the business materialised with solar technology.
   Next year demand for SHS panels would be worth 8-10 megawatts. The government may take initiative to establish plants to generate power and provide them to the users at subsidized price.
   “Our plant would be capable to assemble worth 12 megawatts power generating panels. After meeting demands we plan to export the rest of the panels”, he said. In many countries of the world feeding tariff is popular among users. As major per cent of the total population is yet to get electricity facility from the national grid, this feeding tariff system would be effective for them with the support of the government through adopting megawatt plants. Due to global increased warming, solar energy is getting priority. Most of the villagers use kerosene at night. SHSs are replacing kerosene. Farmers and other people are getting high lumen of light at low cost. Environment is also getting less polluted.
   Apart from coastal and remote zones it should be introduced in the cities and towns. Solar and other renewable energy are the main source of electricity in many developed countries of the world. Whereas Bangladesh with its limited means, is spending millions of dollars every year by importing of fossil fuel. Solar energy does not require hundreds of miles of transmission cables, poles, transformers and other power infrastructure network for transmission and distribution (T&D).
   Except industry, different can be powered by solar electricity both in the urban and rural zones. It is clean, cost effective and does not require expansion at the cost of millions of dollars in T&D network, he said.
   In the capital Dhaka, a small part of two big offices are already powered by solar electricity. Three Red Rooms of the Prime Minister's Office building is using solar energy. RRE has successfully installed the solar power system in the PM's office. The existing system is capable to generate 21kwp electricity. RRE is also setting up another 21kwp solar power generating system at a small part in the Central Bank. In this process, corporate offices and other establishments could be under solar power system, he hopes.
   A solar panel can provide 20 years uninterrupted service with a minimum maintenance. Due to this long time durability, SHS is becoming popular everyday. Users who can not pay the full installation money at a time can enjoy different options facilitated by the system providers. It is saving their money as they do not need to purchase 1 or 2 litres of kerosene oil everyday.
   After dusk, productivity of the villagers is increasing. Agoras remain open until midnight where they share different things with each other. People can watch television, recharge mobile battery, clinics can carry out small surgical operation by using solar powered apparatus, Sohel said. Two decades long continued success of the company is leading its operation towards further diversification in use of solar panels.

^ TOP OF THIS PAGE ^ MAIN PAGE