The Pursuit of Real Democracy in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is on the verge of 10^th national parliamentary election. But an ambiguousness in the constitution of this republic has been developed over the tenure of Awami League (AL) led government on the issues of interim government in election time and the maturity of the assembly. Though, the one and only valid explanator of the constitution is the Supreme Court but many a quarter including constitution specialists therefore lawyers and politicians are explaining it from different angles. The prime opposition party is holding a stubborn position about not going to elections under the current system of voting while the government is also rigid in their stance. This standoff is apparently leading us to an unexpected calamitous situation where everyone desires for peace and a peaceful transition of power.

What is happening in this country now deserves an in-depth look.  How have we come to this point is a question of general citizens, voters and obviously the civil society. Back to January 2009, Awami league came to power with a landslide victory of 230 seats among the 300 seats and with a huge popularity. The opposition, BNP, had virtually no power in the parliament with few public representatives to interfere in the government’s actions of passing laws or changing sections of constitution. Although it was a big blunder, but the opposition chose to leave the house and occupied the streets. Nobody is concluding that the government, in and out of the parliament, did all wrong with the huge power but the list of mistakes or corruptions is not short as well. The AL led government has contributed a lot in the development of the country in different sectors like electricity, gas, agriculture, education, production and so forth that our country has ever seen. The construction of fly-overs in Dhaka city within a single term is highly commendable. The achievements of sea area after the suit with Myanmar, huge amount of free supply of books in primary school level are some of the accomplishments of the government. From a political valuation, the handling of the situation after BDR mutiny, the settlement of Hifazat’s long march and their Dhaka occupying movement, the rigid position against radicalism is highly admirable success of the government. The implementation of justice in Bangabondhu assassination case, the revival of war crime tribunal and arresting of the alleged criminals are some valiant step of the AL government. On the other hand, the flacks against government are often too severe. World Bank- Padma Bridge, Weak diplomatic negotiations with India, quick rental, stock market scandal, Hallmark- Sonali bank scam, Rampal power plant, Teesta-Tipaimukh dam are few to name from a long list of accusations. Now the time of election has come and it is the choice and responsibility of the citizens and voters to value the success and failures of government and opposition, determine the political parties’ competence and most importantly to send a party to power for next five years to run the country.

Parliament House of Bangladesh (A symbol of democracy)

To focus the opposition party, they left the government in a playground with no rivalry. They felt comfortable in the streets and in the talk-shows instead of parliament. They chose to stick to a party of alleged war criminals and remained silent in the times of moral crises. There are lots of examples where they showed violence instead of wisdom. They didn’t stand against the government with the national issues like they stood up for their narrow partisan interest. Even in some cases, they failed to capture the public sentiment while government was in a backward situation. From a bird’s eye view, the opposition wasn’t careful enough to resist the government from their autocratic moves.

Hence, for the currently ongoing political deadlock, both the government and the opposition are equally responsible. The government has changed the constitution legitimately and the election time is very near now. However, it is very understandable that without the participation of BNP the election will not be fair and acceptable. And as a developing country we cannot afford that type of election and reelection again; what the current opposition and the then government, BNP, showed us before in 1996. The politicians do not have a good experience with unelected caretaker government after infamous 1/11. But the formula that the AL government has developed is not a perfect one. And it has become almost impossible for the government to revert the changes made in the constitution. So, whatever the acceptable solution is must come out from a participative dialogue. It is also to remember that, all power including the vote, in a democracy, is held by general public. Hence, powerful neighbors or third parties have nothing to determine the fate of this country. But unfortunately, both the parties are acting very rigid and childish which will bring no good for the future.

A real democracy is where the parliament holds a balance. For instance a 170/130 or similar wining makes a balance of power. What our voters do is not to vote for the candidate rather they vote for the logo or the memories of iconic leaders or the party. This happened in 2001 and again in 2009. That’s the exact reason why democratic political parties become autocratic and a weaker opposition occupies the street and takes the path of violence. Whatever the situation has lately been developed in our country must not be solved by bloodshed or machetes. Wisdom, toleration and an intention to sacrifice are expected from all political parties, smaller or bigger.

In the 43 years of liberation, we experienced assassination, military coup, unelected government, bloodshed, attack and resilience. We want to believe that the time of darkness has been over. In this decade our generations are dreaming of a bright future and holding passions to go forward. In this context, we implore to the political parties not to hold our back but to show a bit of wisdom and sagacity. The path of going forward is not smooth; don’t make it worse anymore, please. 

October 25, 2013

This article is directly uploaded to [www.asifreza.blogspot.com]

Don’t destroy the Sundarbans

Authorities all over the world are continuously justifying their wrongdoings in the name of the greater good. This time, the Sundarbans has become the victim of that notion.The mangrove forest is about to be sacrificed in the name of the greater good but at a price that we cannot afford. It was not long ago that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly accused developed countries for their contribution to global warming and urged them to compensate the sufferers, i.e. developing countries like Bangladesh, but now she has signed the death verdict on the Sundarbans.

The human race has been honoured with the highest dignity not just because of its independent thinking but for its ability to take care of wildlife, nature and the environment. But the intentional destruction of the Sundarbans is not only a suicidal move, it is also a violation of natural laws. It will make Bangladesh more vulnerable than we can imagine. The Sundarbans, shared by Bangladesh and India, and the largest mangrove forest in the world, is an enclosure for the coastal areas and gives the country protection from major natural calamities, such as past hurricanes like Sidr and Aila.

It is enriched with huge natural resources and is a safe-house of diverse wildlife. Most importantly, it is a natural holder of the ecological balance and our ecosystem. It provides livelihood to a great number of local inhabitants. In spite of all this, the government is advancing to install a coal-based thermal power plant of 1,320 MW capacity which will occupy almost 768 hectares of land and is barely 9km away from the Sundarbans.

Though, the government is considering this as a safe distance, the partner of this project, India, has passed its own law where they are not allowed to install such plants within the 25km radius of forests in their territory. Ironically, they are doing just that in our homeland and our government is acting like our resources belong to India, not to us. If this plant is installed, a huge amount of coal will be transported through the Possur River. The noise pollution and other waste produced from the plant will damage the biodiversity substantially. The fish in the confluence of the rivers will face extinction. The area will become uninhabitable, and the air will be so polluted that no living creature will be able to breathe there. The water of the rivers will be contaminated. The climate, topography, faunal and floral diversity will be destroyed. Allegedly, the materials which will be used in the plant contain hazardous chemicals such as sulphur, carbon dioxide, cadmium, radium, arsenic, lead, mercury and nickel.

These toxic chemicals could affect the health of the inhabitants, even those living in government-certified safe areas. According to rough estimations, this plant will immediately displace about 5,000 families from their land. A large number of forest-dependent poor people like honey-collectors and fishermen will get unemployed. The Sundarbans is a tourist attraction, a sector which will take a hit once the project starts.

Mangrove forest and it faunal diversity

Many studies have already been done by different think-tanks, researchers and journalists but no one could credibly claim that the benefit of this plant will outweigh the costs. It is true that our demand will increase day by day, but that does not mean that we should destroy all our natural treasures just to satiate our demands. There are many other viable options to produce energy. Solar power, windmills and biogas are options. The Sundarbans are unique and irreplaceable. As a lower riparian country and with low lands, we are vulnerable to coastal floods, cyclones and hurricanes. Without the Sundarbans our people cannot survive. We Bangladeshis are very good at seeing the near future and short-term benefits which cause us to lag behind other nations. It is high time we gained some wisdom. We must act before it is too late. Protesters of the initiative have been labelled “impractical” and “anti-development” by ministers and government advisers.

Other than the Hasina administration, not a single person has supported the idea of generating power at the cost of the destruction of the Sundarbans. This project will bring no benefit to our unborn generations, and the Sundarbans is not just an asset of Bangladesh, it belongs to the world. It is a world heritage site and the home of the world-famous endangered Royal Bengal Tiger. I implore all Bangladeshis as well as the world community to not turn a blind eye on this issue, but to listen to their conscience.

This is a time of moral crisis.

The article has been published in The Dhaka Tribune/ Op-ed/ Oct 12, 2013

 Link: Click Here for newspaper version

** Photographs are copied from Internet.

Quota system in civil service: An unjust solution

The preliminary test result of 34th BCS examination was recently published and has resulted in controversy, and mass disappointment, amongst the candidates. This year, the quota system was applied during the preliminary test, a change from previous years. The idea of the quota is already under dispute. In the BCS, 55% of seats are allocated for candidates who fall under quota, and 45% are for general students under meritocratic recruitment. Merit is virtually disregarded for quota holders, and this is unfair to the majority of students. There are quotas for freedom fighters’ children, women, indigenous people, etc. And the grades achieved can vary substantially between a passed quota holder and an unsuccessful general candidate.
 

The exam has three phases. The first stage is preliminary exam, consisting of multiple-choice questions that test variety of knowledge. The second is the written exam, which tests the capability of the candidates to express their views. The last one is viva Voce and that tests the adaptive and situational skills of potential candidates. The final stage is a background and security check. The government one of the largest institutions of the country, provides qualified persons through the BPSC (and thus through the BCS examination system) to the justice department, foreign cadre, police, tax and audit, and the different ministries. The government also oversees monopoly some utilities such as electricity, water and gas. Moreover, in every sector government has some business concerns like banks, insurances, telecoms and so forth.

To run this whole apparatus, the most important thing required is merit and excellence of staff. In the age of a market economy, diplomacy and competition, it is very hard to remain competitive and that is the exact reason quality, competence and excellence of the government personnel is needed. But the system of quota runs contrary to the above. Let’s have an in-depth look at the quota systems from both the government and general perspective. It is understandable that the quota system was inducted to mitigate inequalities among the citizens of our country. But this original reason has become outdated. The job of the government includes, but is not limited to, assisting indigenous people, who lag behind others, through the tribal quota of 5%, to pave the way of woman empowerment by reserving 20% for the ladies and to honor the memory of the freedom fighters and to recompense their family for their heroics through a quota of 30%. This system has opportunity costs. The government is losing the best possible workforce, and are instead employing less qualified people in highly challenging positions. That deprived meritorious workforce joins the private sector and are competing against public sector organisations. Consequently public ventures are becoming less profitable, as they lack qualified staff and management. The examples are apparent when one compares private banks and public banks or the telecommunications companies like Teletalk and Grameen Phone. Most of the public concerns are becoming backbenchers in the long term. The multinationals (MNCs) are using local talent and grabbing profits of public companies, and ultimately a large portions of the profits are siphoned away from the country. In another case, less qualified people in governmental jobs cannot compete with their counterparts in India, the US, or Europe in international negotiations where quality, competence and efficiency are regarded as resources, and are given highest priority. So, from a simple calculation we can clearly see that the government is losing much from quota system.

Instead of enforcing quota system, there are several other ways where the government can provide benefits to the quota holders. There are lots of non-cadre jobs which would be suitable for quota holders that would provide steady income and address inequality. Meanwhile the BPSC should reduce the quotas to 20%, and recommend that the government utilise the best human resources in the nation, in the best interests of the nation. If women and minorities are given the opportunity to go to school, college and university, then gender equality and empowerment will come about naturally and the quota will not be needed. BPSC, the government’s recruiting agency, should contemplate publicising the threshold marks in every phase of examination to make the whole process transparent, formulating a protocol where candidates can only apply to several posts that are compatible with their academic background, for example where an accounting major can apply only for audits and accounts, and tax cadres, candidates with a major in political science, international relations or public administration, can apply only for BCS administration, police and foreign affairs. That is only how the government can implement specialisation and can get the best service.

BPSC must shun any kind of political manipulation and influence in this highly important recruitment process. It is high timeto bring the entire system under scrutiny, and being it in line with international best practices so as to reap the highest benefit. Against this backdrop, if the government annuls the quota system then obviously some stakeholders will be disappointed, but it should be remembered that government’s responsibility is not to take a popular decision, but to take the right decision, which will best serve the attainment of the country's collective interests. 

The article has been published in The Dhaka Tribune/ Op-ed/ July 14, 2013

 Link: Click here

Quotas in civil service: A too populist system

In most developing countries, the government is probably the largest employer with set rules and structured procedures for recruitments at various levels. In Bangladesh, the most prestigious public recruitment is that of the class one officers, commonly known as cadre employees. The recruitments are made through Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, conducted by the Bangladesh public service commission (BPSC). Very lately, the results of the preliminary test of 34th BCS have been published where a serious controversy has arisen among the candidates. It is found that the system of quota has been applied at the preliminary level of the test which was unprecedented until the current examination. The idea of quota has been a matter of discontent among many candidates for long. 

The reason can be well understood from the fact that 55 per cent of the posts are reserved for candidates under quota, while the remaining 45 per cent for candidates competing on the criterion of merit. Merit is virtually disregarded in case of those selected under quota and that is indeed frustrating for the majority of the candidates. The BCS exam has three phases. The first phase is the preliminary exam -- MCQ in nature. The second phase is the written test, and the last and final phase is viva voce. If everything comes out positively for the candidate through out the three phases, then he or she is through subject to police verification.

Since the government apparatus is the highest authority and largest institution of the country, candidates selected through the BCS exam should in all fairness be highly competent in order to be able to dispense important public functions from the very beginning of their career as civil servants. It is invariably so in case of all the posts, irrespective of the cadres. But the system of quota negates this very perception. It is understandable that the rationale of the introduction of quotas in civil service recruitment is to mitigate to a certain extent some prevailing social inequalities as well as empowerment of some sections of the society, such as women, tribal people etc. But the rationale has already lost some of its justifications and has become pointless in course of time. The job of the government includes welfare of all citizens and at the same time it has also to look after the special needs of people who lag behind. It is this consideration that has led to the concept of reserved quotas: tribal quota 5 per cent, woman quota 10 per cent and freedom fighter 30 per cent. Needless to say, experiences over the past decades reflect that this system has some opportunity costs.

The government is losing the best workforce and instead employing some less qualified people in responsible positions. It may sound a bit harsh but given the realities, we feel that there should be a reduction in the existing quotas, say to 20 per cent. Understandably, such a move may not be very well received, but we must not forget that this country is paying heavily on account of populist policies of the successive governments. Besides, in order to make the recruitment process more transparent, the BPSC should contemplate on publishing the results along with the marks obtained in each phase of the BCS examination, and introducing a system whereby candidates can only apply for posts compatible with their academic background.

For example, candidates with accounting major will apply only for audits & accounts and tax cadre, candidates with majors in political science, international relations and public administration can apply for administration, police and foreign affairs. 

That is how the government can implement specialisation and get the best service. BPSC must have to shun any kind of political manipulation and influence in this highly important recruitment process. It is high time to bring the entire system under scrutiny and to update it according to the standard practices followed in other countries.

 

This article has been published in The Financial Express/Views & Opinion/ July 13, 2013

Link : Click here

Rana Plaza tragedy: The issue of taking foreign help in rescue operation

The unfortunate and deadly factory collapse at Savar occurred on April 24 and the death toll is now set to cross 900. Another 500 are considered missing as per a guesstimate of rescuers assigned there. Around 3,500 workers were in the building before it collapsed. Building owner Sohel Rana, a powerful companion of local MP, forced the workers to return to work inside the Rana Plaza in spite of knowing the risks of collapse. In the first response after the incident, the common people of Savar rushed immediately to rescue the people trapped under debris. This was a nine-storey building which foundered suddenly from the level three. But it showed an ominous sign of visible cracks on the day before the collapse but was ignored by the building and factory owners. A bank branch in the level two, however, instantly evacuated its staffs and documents fearing the impending collapse. After the accident, the government swung into action immediately by assigning the Fire Brigade, the Army, the Rapid Action Battalion and the police with available logistics to rescue the trapped workers where common people assisted them with their fullest capacity. The whole Savar tragedy was telecast live by the satellite channels and the entire country was glued to the TV sets in utter shock. 

The collapse of 'Rana Plaza' in Savar is the most terrific building disaster in the country's history, which was not seen before. The rescuers lacked the required tools and equipment which were necessary to save people. Many organisations from Dhaka had collected blood, saline, oxygen and dry foods for the survivors. But the rescue mission was slow due to dearth of equipment and because of the horrible condition of crash and rubble where the accidental fire under the debris further debilitated the situation. On April 28, the UK-based The Telegraph reported that Great Britain along with some other countries offered rescue assistance to the Bangladesh government with teams of experienced rescuers and heavy lifting equipment. But Bangladesh rejected the offer as per the report. However, no official statement is still available from the government side. Later on April 30, the BBC also reported the same by quoting Home Minister MK Alamgir. The Telegraph claimed on the basis of a diplomatic source that it has documents which substantiate the communication with the Bangladesh Foreign and Home Ministries. Even it stated in its report that officials were due to deploy heavy machinery to clear the rubble away… having decided survivors would not last more than 72 hours. But after a public backlash, they delayed the plan, as more people were pulled out alive and yet more cries from survivors could be heard." But the rescue mission, led by the Bangladesh Army asserted that it did not go for massive operations, now going on, to lift the pile of rubbles before confirming the possibility of rescuing one more worker no matter how tough it would be.

There were tens of thousands of people in the crashed spot of Savar including newspaper reporters, social activists, political groups, students, human rights organisations and local people but none questioned the efforts of the rescuers. But all of them were worried over the scarcity of equipment and technologies. It is not confirmed how fruitful it would have been had the expert rescuers from abroad come to the place of collapse. But if the report of the government's rejection was true, then it is certainly unfortunate. This proves the government's diplomatic naivety. This is because, the common people and the relatives of the dead and the survivors do not always expect miracles to happen. What they expected are recovery of bodies not decomposed, easy to recognise them. Expert rescuers know very well the techniques to recover the survivors and when infrastructures collapse whether from an earth tremor or another cause, they know how to pull people out alive. Mark Doyle, an analyst of BBC spoke of the incidents of Haiti and Japan where they accepted foreign assistance at the time of earthquake and tsunami. In fact, hundreds of rescuers converged on Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and also Japan, a far richer country, accepted substantial help after its earthquake and tsunami in 2011. If foreign rescuers were to be deployed then it would have been more focused in international media and would be a wakeup call for the non-compliant factory owners. Bangladesh is a garment exporting country with the lowest wage rate roughly around 40 USD per month at a time when the factory owners are substantially wealthy.

It is actually very tough to take decision when to stop looking for a few remaining trapped people and concentrate resources on the survivors. The media always create a pressure on the government and so do the relatives of the affected. According to a BBC report, the average time for the switch is between five and seven days, but individuals have been known to survive as long as 13 days of being trapped if they have access to water. Usually, the co-coordinating rescue team, the UN and the host country take the decision of stopping the rescue operation. 

The huge casualties under 'Rana Plaza' are a real tragedy, not merely an accident. Lax regulation, ineffective labour union and utter negligence of the blue-collar workers contributed to this mishap. The apparels industry, worth 19 billion USD, stands on the contribution of almost four million workers, most of whom are women. But it is observed that no authority including the government and the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association has a good level of attention for the safety and well-being of these workers. And lastly, it is proved that the government and also the private sector lack adequate and suitable equipment to face such a tragic situation. To our utter shock, every year the government fails to raise targeted income from tax due to rampant corruption of its officials but there is no money enough to arrange equipment for rescue operations. It is unfortunate.

[The Financial Express/Views & Previews/May 10, 2013]

Link: Click Here

Padma bridge project puts Bangladesh on trial

The government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the World Bank (WB) have developed a strained relationship over the issue of the Padma bridge project (PBP). Though the WB was earlier expected to be the single largest financier of the project with US$1.2 billion soft-term credit, the funding-support was finally terminated with a lot of drama, amid the withdrawal of the request by the GoB for reconsideration of the WB's cancellation of its soft-term credit on grounds of alleged corruption. 

But several questions still linger in many circles about this issue. Are Bangladesh and other developing countries helpless without the WB assistance or support of other international organisations? Did the cancellation of the WB fund on corruption charges, at Bangladesh's request, humiliate the nation? How the government handled its dealings with the WB following the snags over the PBP funding deserves a thorough analysis. It is necessary to understand the scope for development of infrastructures without assistance from such large multilateral organisations as the WB.
 
The WB is one of four institutions created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The then powerful countries including the United Kingdom and the United States of America, especially the latter, dominate its policy-making from the very beginning. The WB comprises two institutions named the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The IBRD aims at providing development support in the form of loans on commercial terms, to the middle-income and creditworthy lower income countries, while the IDA works exclusively for the world's poorest countries. The funding of the PBP was linked with the IDA which provides soft-term concessional loans, instead of commercial 'loans', only with a small 0.75 per cent service charge and apparently no interest. The government of Bangladesh (GoB) would not have any obligation to start payment within the first 10 years after disbursement but have to pay off the loan in 40 years. 
In retrospect, the conditions were highly favourable in consideration of the financing terms. The bridge was supposed to reduce distance to Dhaka by about 100km connecting 19 districts, facilitating easy movement of 30 million people and boosting the GDP by 1.2 per cent per year (according to the finding by Asian Development Bank). But allegation of 'corruption conspiracy' caused the cancellation of WB funding support to the PPP.

The PBP is very significant from infrastructural viewpoint as the bridge has the potential to accelerate growth and transform lives in southwest Bangladesh and across the nation. It was a highly weighted electoral pledge of the Awami League (AL)-led government. So, it is almost obvious that the AL has to take any action for implementation of the PBP at any cost to approach voters in the next election in 2014. But it procrastinated with this issue and killed valuable time. It had called upon the WB again to reinstate its financing but did not meet all the conditions put by the WB. Rather, the WB was castigated through many public statements. 

The local and international media were very critical on the issue of the 'corruption conspiracy' and many international newspapers had described Bangladesh as a corrupt nation. As a result, we have lost the best option of financing, precious time and have our image tarnished as a nation. The main alleged offender was a Minister, who was actually kept out of every major investigation initiated by the government through the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). However, the WB claimed that it had presented evidence of corruption in the PBP to the government of Bangladesh in September 2011 and April 2012 but it is under obligation to each member government including that of Bangladesh to maintain confidentiality of referral reports. The GoB could disclose these reports and related correspondences but it did not. Hence, many believe that the GoB has missed the best option for the PBP while trying to protect a particular person. Since the government is the most powerful institution of a country, it should have the best people at the helm of its decision-making, diplomacy and negotiation but the incumbents failed to handle the post-conflict situation with the WB. Now the WB is out of our reach and we need the best option to see the PBP implemented. Bangladesh can build the bridge from its own fund but it may lead to an uncomfortable situation in the economy. About three-fourths of the cost of the project will have to be paid in foreign currency and it is not sustainable by self-financing as some other areas of the economy are not doing well such as stock market and banks' capacity remains limited to lend and so forth. The next option is public-private partnership (PPP) which is perhaps the only option available. In making contracts with the private firms, the GoB should have a serious look into the options for long-term benefits and a win-win situation. 

The standoff with the WB has apparently delivered a message to the Bangladeshis that without its assistance, this kind of infrastructural development is impossible. In most cases, the developing countries require funding from well-known international agencies but there are also other examples as well. Malaysia once rejected an International Monetary Fund (IMF) offer of funding owing to its unfavourable terms. Recently, China also refused to accept the WB assistance in constructing a bridge over the Hoang Ho river. 

Against this backdrop, the task of implementing the PBP is really challenging for the GoB and the economy. If the country succeeds in developing such an infrastructure on its own, it will take it to a great height and enable local engineers and construction experts to gather skills, logistics and expertise, which may not be possible with the WB funding. However, all the positive stances do not necessarily mean that some corrupt people will enjoy immunity and every time the GoB will save the influential persons by sacrificing the nation's best interests. The Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) executive director said quite rightly: "We have bestowed the World Bank with a show-piece. The WB will use the Padma bridge graft as a show-piece for any corruption in the world."

The ongoing decade is a window of opportunity for Bangladesh to get into the list of middle income countries. To keep the pace of its GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate at over 6.0 per cent, the PBP is a much-needed infrastructure and it should be built at any cost. 

We have given the mandate to the government to govern the country and serve its best interests but the government is expected not to sacrifice the nation's dignity at any cost. To become short-term gainer often exposes the risks of being a long-term loser. Hence, the government should make the proper cost-benefit analysis and simultaneously uphold our dignity among the nations by overcoming the narrow partisan interest of saving the alleged offenders. Let history be our guide, the Bangladeshis have successfully proved their resilience always.

Still we want to believe that every cloud has a silver lining.

The Financial Express [Views & Opinion, May 08/2013]

Link: Click Here

Facebook: Amazing tool of social networking

Facebook is the latest craze in the world. It is the dominant social networking site now. Inducted in 2004, it has a staggering one billion-plus subscriber base, which means one in every 7.7 people in the world has a Facebook account. If Facebook was a country and its population made up of its members, it would actually be 'the third largest country in the world' and, based on the current trend, it could be the second largest before too long. The principal founder of Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, a Harvard dropout, is only 28 years old who is now the youngest billionaire, thanks to Facebook ownership. According to statistics of alexa.com (last checked on 30/04/2013), a web trend measurer, Google is the most clicked site followed by Facebook and the time spent for a typical visit to Facebook is about 28 minutes. Hence, Facebook must have some magic which compels people to pass a good time on it and surely deserves a focus. Though it is a social networking site along with Google plus, Twitter, My space etc., those are not close competitors of Facebook. Actually Facebook differentiated itself from others by its intriguing features, much more importantly by its implications which are no longer enclosed in social networking. Moreover, Facebook captured the affairs of politics - both national and international. It has also formed a platform to amplify the voice of masses of the people including the minority.

The 'Arab Spring' started with the Facebook. The fall of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, the uprising against dictatorship at Tahrir Square in the country and the chain communication among the people were basically the outcome of this social networking site along with Twitter. In the USA, as reported by The Washington Post, "one message sent to 60 million Facebook users on the Election Day got at least 300,000 additional people to vote." Many people believe that Barack Obama's use of social networking as a campaign strategy in 2008 was enough to swing him into the presidential office. In India and Pakistan, political parties are using websites and social media to develop an alternative public space for 'image building' and to reach out to the socially-active citizens. It is highly predicted that the social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, are going to be the game changers in the upcoming elections in both the countries. Even in Bangladesh, the politics is now divided into two parts- on-the-street agitation and off-the-street expression. The latter way of politics is actually based on Facebook. The recent events including the Rana Plaza collapse, the Shahbagh sit-in and the Hefajat-i-Islam movement substantiate the observation. Political leaders, groups and activists have separate official profiles and pages where tens of thousands of people are followers and make their comments instantly, which is almost impossible in the virtual world. Sometimes the people greet the political clichés and blunders of different political groups or even the top brass of the government with a lot of flak. However, the TV channels, newspapers and online media have their respective pages and are also focusing much on Facebook activities.

Facebook subscriber Statistics

Facebook has attained a new height in information dissemination by offering its 'share' option. The amazing, funny, important and sometimes clandestine videos (including socio-political issues) are available to watch on Facebook from YouTube links or personal accounts. To the utter amazement, someone uploaded the live video of the recent Brahmanbaria cyclone to Facebook which is unprecedented apparently. Empirical evidence shows that if an earth tremor jolts your territory, you need not switch on your TV or call someone to know the magnitude, just log into your Facebook and everything is there. When any incident happens in any country, good or bad, the news feed of Facebook provides us with all the information even with trivial details. 

Facebook has proved its far-reaching consequences in the business world. Started in the developed countries but now rampant in developing ones, most influential companies are currently using the social media platform to accelerate profits by building relationships with their current and potential customers. This is all done by hiring employees who post up-to-date information and videos on their products, services and events. This has improved their customers' experience markedly by making the company more relatable and the customers more loyal. Even in the West, a new concept of 'Facebook Marketing' has been taking shape over time.

Nevertheless, everything has some dark sides and so has the Facebook. It's full of fake profiles, adult pages, unwanted materials, defaming statements and controversial posts on religions. It is addictive, at times time-wasting and helps develop aggressive narcissism. Sometimes it helps people become virtually extrovert while he is introvert in reality. But it should be acknowledged that a gun in the hand of a bandit is terrific while the same in a policeman's hand secures people. Against this backdrop, if people use Facebook constructively, then it could be a great platform for expressing ourselves, raising the voice against injustice, focusing on inequality and, most importantly, mobilising the 'power of we' against any kind of tyranny. To be candid, Facebook has proved its worth and momentum. 

**The photograph has been copied from an website

[The Financial Express/ Editorial/ May 06, 2013]

Link: Click Here

Learning languages: Towards becoming global

Two ways in this world to be great and successful are learning languages and learning mathematics. A person can access the world of invaluable knowledge, literature and philosophy if he or she knows the major languages of major nations. The other way is to learn mathematics which can enable a person to travel the galaxies, black-holes and the higher level of science what is unimaginable even in dream for the general people. The nation which is expert simultaneously in quantitative (math) and verbal (language) ability will be in a good position in the world including politics and education, for sure. World's history also substantiates this assertion.

Unfortunately, as a nation we lack the areas of becoming great and successful. From the very beginning of academic life, the average students have a fear for mathematics and most of the time it persists for lifetime. After mother tongue Bangla, we learn English only as a foreign language and the process of learning English is full of flaws since, we consider English as a similar subject like Physics or Chemistry. The focus goes much on raising high grades rather than developing effective communicating ability. Any spontaneous language learning process first includes listening, then speaking and then reading and writing. This is the procedure what we follow for learning mother tongue but we don't follow for English. That is why our English listening and speaking are worse compared to other nations. Hence, the academia must develop such a curriculum where English will be taught for developing communication, not for raising higher grades like mathematics or accounting. 

In the Middle East and Arab countries the prime and widely spoken language is Arabic. This is a big market for exporting human resources which has very crucial economic implications. Hence, a good command in Arabic might increase the acceptance of the real and potential expatriate workers in that region. 

In case of Europe the most powerful three languages are German and then Spanish and French. English is the prime language in Great Britain and Ireland but knowing one of the above three will give an edge to the people heading for Europe either for staying or for businesses. Normally educated people aim Europe for migration and it is a big market for our apparel industry. So, knowing German or French may help one enter into the European market. In the east, the China and Japan are also very powerful in world economy. Surprisingly, the Chinese official language 'Mandarin', the most widely spoken language on the planet is based in the most populated country, China. Beating second-place English by a 2 to 1 ratio, the speakers of mandarin is above 1 billion. Learning mandarin is tough but as China has become a dominant force in the world of business, a good reason to learn mandarin is to gain a favour when dealing with the Chinese delegates and market. 

Regardless of business perspective, there are many other reasons to learn two or three foreign languages. The great book of our religion, 'The Holy Al-Quran' is written in Arabic. To understand and absorb the knowledge of this great book, learning Arabic is a must. Many more powerful and great philosophers, poets and writers wrote their books in their mother tongue and the taste of which can never be felt in the translation. So to read those, learning languages is the only way without any short-cuts. Karl Marx, Max Weber, Immanuel Kant, Hegel, Gustav Fechner, Christian Wolff are some great names in the list of German philosophers. To taste and absorb their works and contribution to the world, one might learn the respective language by which they have written their masterpieces. Many magnificent foreign language movies are released every year and we are deprived of those owing to privation in that language.

Nevertheless, the importance of learning proper English is the highest. To be successful in studies, businesses and in career the contribution of English is needless to explain. But the conventional system put much emphasis on reading and writing where it should put the same weight on listening and speaking. What the students from any background should do include a) development of the habit to read more English novels and stories, blogs, magazines and newspapers, b) watching BBC, CNN, National Geographic, Discovery channel, English movies and serials, listening English songs on regular basis to develop the listening and capturing the expressions in various situations, c) trying to write blogs and share those on internet, d) using Google talk or Skype for making foreign friends and chatting with them in English. The internet shall be utilised in the best possible way to develop English. Moreover, the most important thing is to develop an environment and surroundings which is full of English. That is the apparent reason for why Bangla medium students drop behind by their counterparts in English medium. 

Against this backdrop, it is the responsibility of the government to the society to train students up in various languages. It should establish language training institutes in schools, colleges and universities to make the country's students adept in several languages. It should enrich its human resources by teaching foreign language with effective technical trainings and allocating more funds in annual budget for this purpose. If we notice India or Pakistan, they learn their mother tongue (Tamil, Pashtu etc.), state language (Hindi, Urdu), religious language (Arabic, Sanskrit) and foreign language (English). The context is same also in Europe. They know at least three languages on an average. Only we, the Bangladeshis, are lagging behind even compared to our neighbours. Eventually, for becoming global citizens and to compete with the people of various nations, learning languages could be our pivotal weapon to survive with power, dignity and acceptance in the era of globalization and competition.

Published in The Financial Express, Sunday, April 7, 2013 [FE Education]

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The new-age concept of 'sports economy'

When we use the term 'economy' in respect to a country, we visualise a picture of banks, insurance companies, the stock market, non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs), NGOs, the sectors of manufacturing, garments & textiles, pharmaceuticals, export-import etc. Actually in the modern age, the world economy encompasses so many elements that it sometimes seems esoteric to most of the laymen. One of the elements of economy might be sports. This assertion might seem weird initially upon taking a look at our local economy, but if we observe Europe or the USA, or even India, the whole matter will be clear. Cricket and football are the most popular and age-old games around the world. Except the two, the other popular games are tennis, golf, car racing, basketball, rugby and athletics. Football has a great market and acceptance around the globe and so has cricket. But South Asia and several other cricket-playing countries such as Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies, have a craze for cricket and this craze is at its peak in South Asia. On the other hand, football has dominance in Europe, and South and Latin America. The popular major tournaments of football, except the World Cup, include UEFA Champions' League, La Liga, English Premier League, Bundesliga and others. Like football, cricket too has its World Cup, T20 World Cup, Test Series and ODIs, Big Bash, IPL, BPL, SLPL, Champions League T20 etc.

The economy of Europe is greatly linked to sports. Cricket has a sparse attraction in Europe, while football is a permanent passion. Tens of millions of money are circulated over football. The football clubs spend millions of money for buying, selling and swapping players, and preparing them for playing the premier leagues. The players are highly salaried and also taxed by the governments of different countries. Except the football, lavish arrangements are made for the Tennis Series, golf and formula 1 racing. Everything there is under tax net, and that is a great source of income for the governments in Europe. But in the view of economics, apart from government revenue from taxes, the most important contributions of sports to economy in Europe are the circulation of money, promotion of tourism, the meteoric development of service industries (restaurants and hotels, the transport sector) etc. 

The second major trend is broadcasting of big sporting events on the television which has brought along with it a totally new industry, providing access of TV viewers to any significant international competition convened anywhere around the world. The latest development is the emergence of new information and communication technologies - NICTs (from Internet to the mobile phone and so on) through which photos and snapshots of sporting events can be promptly transmitted at any moment to any place, throughout the world. The outcome of all this has observed an increase in the economic significance of sports measured by its economic weight compared to gross domestic product (GDP). 

All these facts and their implications could be asserted for the USA's sports economy, where basketball, rugby and golf are the major games and more popular than football (also called soccer) and cricket. The economic ramifications are the same as aforementioned. The attraction of sporting events to the press emerged in the early 20th century, when sport events began to be broadcast live on radio. It was, however, not until after the Second World War that the genuine globalisation of the 'sports economy' took off. Sports are now consumed in many forms, such as: sport practice, sport shows, sports materials, sport sponsorship expenses, and the TV broadcasting rights issue raised by sport event organisers, fan-based clubs and so on.

The cricket of Bangladesh is controlled by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and football by Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). Bangladesh cricket is always gripped by some problems as they have lacklustre concentration on the root-level cricketing. For this reason, they feel the absence of suitable substitutes whenever any key-player is benched owing to injury or other hazards. But all other cricket-playing countries have an emphasis on this aspect. BCB started BPL after a huge success of IPL by following the pattern of the later, but after its beginning some problems emerged about unsettled payments to several franchisees which undermined the BPL's image. The political influence on BCB and BFF is a major problem in the sports sector of Bangladesh. The politician-cum-sports-officials sometimes create unwarranted situation which is often fatal for sports. The condition of football is poorer than cricket. It has long lost its appeal to attract audiences to stadiums. But there was a time when people were overcome by an uncontrolled surge of emotion like that of el classico (the great battle) over the 'Abahoni vs. Mohamedan' match which is nowadays seen in Barcelona vs. Real Madrid matches.

Against this backdrop, the authorities concerned, both the government and the private sector, must come up with solutions to resolve the stalemate in the football sector of Bangladesh. Though the South Asia has a very lower financial status than Europe and USA, sports are immensely popular here, especially cricket; and then football. Bangladesh is a cricket-playing country with ODI and test status. It must be admitted that cricket has given our country an exposure among the countries in the world. We have international-standard stadiums and have arranged big sporting events --- even the cricket World Cup. But we cannot attract foreign spectators that many cricket-playing countries do. Lack of comfortable transportation service, five-star hotels and entertainment are the reasons behind it. Eventually, a structured planning is needed to resuscitate our sports sector, so that it can contribute its highest to our economy and can enhance the GDP growth of the country. 

In many parts of the world, where capitalistic or mixed economy prevails, even education and medical treatment are considered as products like mobile phones or laptops. Sports are no longer a solemn tool for developing international brotherhood. Then why will our government fall behind in recognising the sports sector as a part of our economy like banking or agriculture? 

Published : Saturday, 23 February 2013, The Financial Express, Bangladesh

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Emerging economies predicted to fare well in 2013

The year 2012 ended with the usual 31st night of gaiety. A New Year always brings new hope though future is always uncertain. But sometimes, to some limited extent, it can be predicted by analysing the past. Already the economists, financial analysts, business leaders and entrepreneurs are trying to predict the year 2013 to set their goals for achieving the better or to be safe from the recession.

Although 2012 was not exposed to the Mayan prophecy, recession in Europe, sluggish growth in the economy of the United States, and a sharp slowdown in China and in most emerging market economies, weak job creation, stagnant incomes, political blunders and persistent downward pressure on financial sectors worldwide and turmoil in the Middle East were marked. These are causing serious economic and geopolitical risks there and elsewhere and a resultant oil price increase hindered global growth. The US, Japan, China, Euro-zone, the UK and emerging economies viz. Brazil, India and Russia dominated the world economy in 2012. The economies are so much vigorously intertwined that a deep recession in any economy has the potentials to make vulnerable the others which affect the world economy highly, let alone the economies of the developing countries. 

But how will the New Year be affected by those factors or what are the optimistic words that will favour 2013 is a point to ponder. There are obviously some gloomy points, which show disappointment. The Federal Reserve of the USA and other central banks are clearly expecting a hardly vigorous recovery by keeping close to zero interest rates. Yet, stock markets do not show very optimistic signs. After the global financial meltdown, high unemployment remains as a significant problem for many Western countries including the US and some Euro-zone countries. In the US, almost five million people are long-term unemployed whereas the situation is worse in Europe. Italy and Portugal are in serious struggle with youth unemployment rates over 30 per cent while Greece and Spain have the rates crossing 50 per cent. The situation compelled many countries to resort to policies of austerity. The recession in Europe and the fiscal cliff of the US have cut off exports of the developing countries. As a result, the countries are facing shortage of foreign remittance, rigidity in capital, increasing risks to cover the fixed cost such as labour wages and salary, godown rent and so forth. The impacts are cyclical and some Third World countries are facing vulnerable situation due to recession in big economies. Except those weak drivers of growth, the weight of debt and the failures of politicians, Japan's snap vote, the reshuffle at the top of China's Communist Party and the US presidential election within a six-week period are significantly responsible for crippling the growth of the world economy as these are three largest economies representing 40 per cent of the world's GDP. 

If one side of the coin holds pessimism, then the other side must have the optimism. At an online debate titled 'Will the world economy be in better shape in 2013 than in 2012?', arranged by The Economist, Anatole Kaletsky, co-chairman and chief economist of GaveKal Dragonomics put forward three broad arguments for optimism about 2013: long-term trends in globalisation and technology, short-term cyclical forces; and expectations among businesses and investors where his opponent speaker Mohamed El-Erian, CEO, PIMCO (a global investment management firm), who was against the motion, also admitted and stated some points focussing stabilisation of the American housing sector, profitability of banks, strength of their balance sheets and robustness of the finances of large corporations. He also acknowledged that Europe has materially reduced the risk of financial implosion, with policymakers evolving from denial to more coherent decision-making while China's new leadership is committed to facilitating a soft landing for the country's economy. It has already showed signs of succeeding. The Economist Intelligence Unit anticipates that global GDP (measured at purchasing-power parity) will grow by 3.4 per cent in 2013, but an improvement on 3.0 per cent achieved in 2012. 

According to the latest GDP forecast estimates of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Macau will be the fastest growing economy this year and Mongolia will be in the second place Meanwhile, Europe will still be ailing, with Greece leading the decline. After Greece, the shrinking economies will be of Portugal and Spain. 

One of the big four audit firms Price Waterhouse Coopers, LLP (PWC) published its predictions about 2013 world economy in its website. As per their projections of PWC, the advanced economies are projected to be smaller than emerging economies in 2013 for first time since reliable records began. Emerging economies will be in the 'driving seat' of global growth in 2013. Cities of the emerging world will be expanding and these will be a gateway to young and new affluent consumers of the world. The US will be growing by around two percent but Euro-zone will still be flat at best. Commodity price instability will continue.

In 2013, China, India and Brazil will together add around one trillion dollars to the world economy in nominal terms. This is equivalent to the entire annual economic output of Switzerland. China alone will add $788 billion, equivalent to the annual economic output of the Netherlands. In 2013, Australia will overtake Spain to become the 12th largest economy in the world. The US and China will remain first and second while the UK will remain sixth, if PWC's predictions are to be believed. 

Against this backdrop, it could be said that New Year brings new expectations and new expectations mean new hopes. Everyone from a professional to a layman desperately wants 2013 to be better for the global economy than 2012. But there is a popular Bengali maxim: 'The days passed were better, the days coming are worse.' Since future is always uncertain, it is wise to be highly cautious despite favourable analysis. Lastly, to paraphrase Bette Davis in 'All about Eve', "Fasten your seatbelts, 2013 is going to be a bumpy year!" 

Published : The Financial Express, Views & Opinion, Saturday, 16 February 2013

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Passive smoking: Serving jail term for other's crime

Smoking has been the most deadly addiction of man over the centuries. It is a habit in which a substance, most commonly tobacco, is burned for its smoke and is inhaled. The smoke passes into the lungs through the throat. The smoke contains nicotine and is supposed to give a person a feeling of 'mental relief' for a brief period. At the same time, the main substances and other ingredients are of a varied nature and include, mainly, tobacco, and assorted things classified as narcotics, like cannabis and today's heroin, but the use of narcotics is mostly limited as they are commonly unavailable.

The most common forms of smoking today are cigarettes, mostly commercially manufactured and branded. Other smoking tools include pipes, cigars, bidis, hookkahs and vaporisers. The harmful effects of smoking are widely known, and the habit is prevalent worldwide. Side by side, campaigns are being made every day to warn people against smoking and simultaneously to persuade them to abandon the habit that leads to scores of life-threatening diseases --- the most common ones being related to the lungs and the throat. But to the hardened smokers, they bring little results. In contrast, the new generation knows much about the lethal effects of smoking and is keen to keep themselves away from it. However, in what way smoking damages health is not unknown to the thoughtful people in general.

But another matter of great worries is passive smoking, where a person does not inhale tobacco smoke actively but absorbs it from the exhaled fumes of an active smoker. This serious issue is not often highlighted as much as active smoking. Sometimes, we become passive smokers while passing time with friends, at home with relatives, enjoying the company of colleagues, sitting beside co-passengers or strangers. Passive smoking is also called second-hand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) coming from persons other than the active smokers. The focal point here is not the active smokers, because they merely know about the detrimental outcome of smoking but may not be able to abandon the practice as it is a prolonged habit or simply uncontrolled addiction. But many people are unaware of passive smoking and its harmful effects on human health. So, the active smokers must not enjoy the 'freedom' of affecting others' health. Passive smoking is directly linked to respiratory illness, memory loss, heart disease, malignant throat sore and lung cancer that are particularly dangerous for children, who are exposed to higher risks of sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia and asthma.

A report in the BBC News health section (24 November, 2011) insists that passive smoking kills 600,000 persons worldwide every year. According to World Health Organization (WHO), one-third of those killed are children, often exposed to smoke at home. Doctors have already confirmed that people who smoke frequently can damage their hearing. A latest study in the journal Tobacco Control, involving more than 3,000 US adults, suggests the same is true of passive smoking. (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ news/health-11758345). Tobacco fumes may disrupt blood flow in the small vessels of the ear which leads to depriving the organ of oxygen and as a result, it accumulates toxic wastes, causing damage.

Collected from a website of BBC News

In this context, many countries around the world have enacted effective laws to curb the evil effects of smoking, and consequentially they are also reaping benefits. Smoking is banned inside all airports, government offices, health clinics and workplaces in Australia. Restaurants and shopping centres in most states and territories are also smoke-free zones. In Canada, smoking levels are some of the lowest in the world, with some 21 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 reported smoking in 2002, according to government statistics. Public health experts say, the decline has been driven by tough anti-smoking measures adopted in recent years. In May 2008, in the run-up to the Olympic Games, a ban on smoking in most public buildings came into force in the Chinese capital Beijing. In Cuba, smoking was banned on public transports, in shops and other closed spaces from 7 February, 2005. The situation is safer in Europe and the USA. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/ hi/in_ depth/3758707.stm).

It is needless to say that these countries are getting benefits because of the effectiveness of the implemented laws. But the situation is worse in our country. Even in Bhutan, the sale of tobacco products has been banned throughout the country. In India, a ban on smoking in public places came into force in October 2008 in an effort to curb high levels of tobacco addiction. Anyone caught breaking the law will be fined 200 rupees. Bangladesh also has introduced several laws on smoking in public places and fixed an amount of fine on defying persons, but implementation of the laws has yet to be effective. Even a section of the law enforcers on duty are also sometimes seen smoking, though clandestinely, in public places, let alone fining somebody. Smoking is very much a conventional habit in our country, and sometimes people do not possess the minimum common sense that they should not smoke in running buses. Even when someone complains about smoking, they do not pay any heed to it, only because of the inoperative laws. The social movements against smoking cannot produce the satisfactory results owing to public apathy.

Eventually, the inoperative laws help people assume that abiding by laws is not something serious. The government should be extremely rigid and strict in implementing the laws to curb smoking, especially passive smoking. Metaphorically, to be harmed by another's smoking means serving jail-term for another's crime. Hence, people should come up with all-out efforts to curb smoking, so that it at least cannot harm other people. The highest number of people exposed to second-hand smoking lives in Asia, if statistics are to be believed. Therefore, to save ourselves from a lethal damage, let us fight our own battle.

Published : Friday, 01 February 2013, The Financial Express, Bangladesh

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