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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
Letters to
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Keep the Tigers roaring
B
angladesh has made a welcome return to winning ways, in the opening match of the ICC T20 World Cup. After a series of disappointing competitive matches, it was essential the Tigers made a solid start in the opening match of the tournament against Afghanistan. To the delight of the crowd, Bangladesh bowled Afghanistan out for 72 runs and roared to victory with 9 wickets and 8 overs to spare. It is a relief to see the home team regain form as the nation holds its biggest ever T20 series. To make it through to the key Super 10 stage with the eight top test–playing nations, nothing short of three victories have to be played for and won. With the standard of competition ever higher, as Afghanistan, itself a welcome new team in the World Cup, showed recently by beating Bangladesh at home in the Asia Cup, the Tigers cannot afford to allow room for any doubts now about their form. Congratulations then to the Bangladesh team for their crowd– pleasing performance and due commiserations to Afghanistan’s fans. As World Cup fever begins to spread and Bangladeshis cheer with camaraderie and flash mobs, this is the best possible start for T20’s leading cricket tournament. It bodes well for a great atmosphere in the weeks ahead. May this just be the beginning for the Tigers.
Bangladesh has made a welcome return to winning ways. May this just be the beginning
CEC complacency on poll violence unacceptable
T
he third phase of the upazila parishad elections has seen serious, substantiated allegations of polling violations, and widespread violence in which three people were killed. In the face of this, it is unacceptable for the acting chief election commissioner to tell reporters the EC is 100% satisfied with the polls and to comment that: “When holding elections, some stray incidents may take place.” This statement overlooks the hundreds hurt and downplays allegations made in various polling centres of ballot boxes being stuffed and party activists capturing voting centres. We acknowledge that the ultimate responsibility for this lies with the political parties who allow or enable their activists to behave lawlessly. However, the EC should have learned lessons from the earlier phases of the polls to help the police maintain order. Moreover, it is disquieting that candidates belonging to the AL won almost all the seats where there were allegations of vote-rigging and violence. These results contributed to an upsurge in its wins, with AL leading in this phase, in contrast to the first two polls where it lagged behind the BNP. As similar credible allegations were made in the previous elections, the EC has to become more forthright about its investigations into complaints and allegations made against all the parties. The EC needs to demonstrate that all incidents are properly investigated and that there have been or will be consequences for wrongdoers. It should take this week’s deaths as a wake-up call for action to prevent similar incidents tainting future polls.
Monday, March 17, 2014
the Editor
LETTER OF THE DAY
Getting only 10% water from Teesta barrage March 14
The Teesta barrage was built in 1990 for the irrigation of 6 districts in the north. But around 60,500 hectares of agricultural land in the 12 upazilas of Nilphamari, Rangpur, Dinajpur are facing severe problems due to lack of water for irrigation. India has been diverting water from their river, so we have been getting only 10% water from the Teesta barrage. We are supposed to get 5,000 cusec of water, but we receive only 500 cusec! Our government has failed to ensure we get our share, while the public awaits to see what the AL government is going to do next. Israr Istiaque Isti Rajshahi
Confronting Jamaat the smart way March 9
Lonewolf One of the sadder recent developments has been the almost total alliance of Jamaat and BNP at the street and student level. A decade or so ago, they were as likely to be at each other’s throats, than together; now it seems that BNP believes that they can never win without Jamaat. Ronnie Lonewolf: I often wonder (and fear) if this is really entirely true. In many ways, it appears rather obvious that the alliance (at the student/street level) has been deepened (often outrageously, with Jamaat dominating). But I still sense that, despite appearances, BNP hasn’t completely hitched their political star on Jamaat, yet. And I’m not a “lone wolf” among the party’s supporters who believe BNP can absolutely win, without Jamaat – if only they could be persuaded to try. nds I totally agree with the author that banning Jamaat by executive order will simply misfire. It will help them to have public sympathy which they don’t deserve. Civilised they never would be because they have an embedded anathema for anything even remotely related to civilisation. Besides, civilisation would be suicidal for them. Taking steps to get them marginalised is a better option but that would also be next to impossible in this society. I think that was the reason why the
author’s parents and grandparents had chosen the better option to leave this country. Those who cannot afford to have accepted it as something that cannot be cured but must be endured. KMAK According to the author of this silly opinion piece, the smart way of confronting Jamaat involves lumping Jamaat together with other religious fundamentalists and attacking madrasa education a la Kemal Ataturk style. It is ironic that in expressing his fear of fundamentalists who, he presages, will denounce him as an apostate, the author’s suggestions, especially his idolisation of Kemal Ataturk, make him out to be a secular fundamentalist whose dislike of Jamaat is simply a cover for his dislike of religion. Ronnie The author’s stance is pretty close to where I reckon I stand on this issue. Banning unsavoury, extremist political parties of whatever stripe is an ill-conceived, anti-democratic, doomed endeavour. Nor is relentless repression of such parties any more advisable. I agree with Mr Sohail’s prescriptions of dealing with Jamaat & Co with greater pragmatism and certainly democratically – not in a fascist, equally extremist manner that many people advocate. I only wonder if Jamaat can ever really make that leap of faith to “civilise” themselves as the author insists they must as the only option they have to survive politically in Bangladesh.
Mother kills daughter’s stalker March 13
Sanzida Rahman How corrupt are the police that they did not arrest the stalker and throw him in jail, but when the mother went forward to protect her daughter, she got arrested. If the police had done their job properly, all this wouldn’t have happened! Ziaul Haque Instead of being punished, the mother should receive a medal for bravery. Salute.
Bangladesh plans trade deals with Nigeria and Mali March 10
As a Bangladeshi living in Nigeria, I can vouch for the great potential Nigerian market has for Bangladeshi products. Nigeria is the 6th largest oil producer in the world, with immense consumer potential. Nigeria imports consumer goods mainly from India, Lebanon and China, but there are hardly any products from Bangladesh (including garment products). In order to diversify the Bangladeshi economy, we need to identify emerging markets and focus on trade with them rather than depending on the West. Deshi
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Pry head teachers’ status upgraded March 10
Not enough! Pay the teachers a decent salary so parents do not have to pay extra fees to so-called coaching
centres, managed by teachers to increase their meager income! Vikram Khan
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CALVIN AND HOBBES
The EC needs to demonstrate that all incidents are properly investigated and that are consequences for wrongdoers
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU Across 1 Male deer (4) 3 Furniture item (4) 7 Fresh (3) 8 Stoppers (5) 11 Vend (4) 12 Intended (5) 13 Happening (5) 15 Circle (4) 18 Torn (4) 19 Pitworker (5) 20 Harvests (5) 21 Neat (4) 24 Respond (5) 25 Church seating (4) 26 Camera part (4)
Down 1 Soldier (6) 2 Quickness of perception (6) 4 United (3) 5 Of the cat (4) 6 Boring tool (3) 9 Well-born people (6) 10 Posed for a portrait (3) 11 Chevron (6) 14 Italian city (6) 16 Mad (6) 17 For nothing (6) 19 Spoil (3) 21 Faucet (3) 22 Early freshness (3)
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword
How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.
Sudoku