Letters
A Request To The Government
First of all, I would like to thank the government for all the strict rules it has implemented recently in regards to roads and highways. The government has decided that from 1 December 2011, CNGs will have to follow certain rules in order to stay on the roads. CNG drivers will have to go where the customers need to go and not follow their own whims. They will also have to run their meter instead of deciding the fare beforehand, sometimes charging double the fare it would normally cost. Not only is this illegal, it causes hardship for many citizens. Unfortunately, the drivers may still break these rules quite easily and because of the high demand for public transport, people will not stop traveling by CNGs. If the government forces them to paste leaflets bearing these new rules on their vehicles, it may help out the customers a little. Hopefully, these new rules will make a difference.
Md Foyjul Islam
Nikunjo-2, Dhaka
No More “Hartals”
 |
Photo: Star File |
What does democracy mean? We know that full-fledged democracy is almost impossible to achieve for any country in the world. One of the main reasons for this is that democracy is a relative issue. However, it is also not necessary to follow all forms of terms and conditions of democracy, as some of them may not be suitable for the development of the country. In our country 'Hartal', one of the most harmful events for the economy as well as the worst cause of endless sufferings in our lives, is a part of democratic right claimed by so called politicians who have no concern about the country and its people. But is this right for the general people or for only a limited number of politicians? It is said from all sides that law can't be made to contain Hartal as it is against the democratic right. Will we agree to destroy our economy for the sake of this so-called democracy? We don't want such democracy. When will all political parties of Bangladesh become united to serve the interest of the country rather than their own interest?
Md Akram Hossain
University of Dhaka
Advantages of Open Pit Mining
 |
Photo: zahedul i khan |
In the last The Star Magazine issue, Md Abu Bakar Siddique (Sohel) expressed his opinion about open pit coal mining and mentioned its ecological hazards. I agree with him. Every day we are in a deficit of 2000 MW of electricity and our gas resources will deplete by 2014 or 2015. Because of this, our present government established 14 rental power plants which are very costly and are looking for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to import. But our neighbouring country India produces two-thirds of their electricity from thermal power created by coal. The Germans also use open pit mining for exhuming coal. There are five coal mines in our country that produce 2.5 billion tons of coal. Though Open pit mining has some ecological hazards, isn't it wise to exhume 40 percent or 5 percent of our coal to overcome the present scarcity of power and energy? It will also help support our balance of payment (BOP). Last year's machinery import reduced significantly due power crisis and frequent power cuts at the same time hampering the production of our ready-made garments (our largest export item). Are these any less than ecological hazards in such a poor country like Bangladesh? How long will we be suffering from power crises, when we can easily establish a coal based power plant!
Md Hasib
University of Dhaka
Discoloured Image
The development of a country depends on its people. People elect a leader to run the country successfully. It is up to the leader to present a country in the best possible way to other countries in the world. Bangladesh has no record of this. Our leaders can do anything. They like criticising internal political matters while visiting other countries. They never try to learn from their past misdeeds. A country may have political conflicts internally, but the leaders should learn to solve these matters by themselves. What happens if they disclose internal political chaos to other countries? Nothing but embarrassment for our country and its people. You will never hear president Obama talk about his country’s internal political matters with outsiders. While the other countries are advancing towards millennium development, we are too preoccupied with petty internal political issues to move forward. We expected a lot from the current government. With the passage of time our hopes are disappearing. Neither the ruling government nor the opposition party is playing fair. Hartals, tender manipulation, inactive parliament, egocentric attitudes, political violence etc, are again rampant in our society. Other more pressing national problems like gas, electricity and water shortage, price hikes etc are all being ignored. We would like to see these problems addressed on talk shows rather than the drama between the prime minister and the opposition leader which is petty and a waste of our time.
Probir Chandra Das
Govt Titumir College, Dhaka
Humbug talks of our politicians
The so-called 'leaders' of our country seem to be engrossed in 'mucky politics'. It's surprising to note that that they have forgotten 'one-eleven' so fast and are back to square one, screaming for power. The recent political developments demonstrate that the country is heading for another round of turmoil. Hartal seems to have become the only weapon of the opposition party. It has become a political culture to call for hartal for very silly reasons. It's true that the opposition party is quick to show the number of hartals called by the current ruling party in the past. But they have failed to notice that they have taken a road of revenge, instead of applying positive politics. They don't give a single thought to the trouble hartals give to the general population. We have to admit that in recent days our economy is showing some positive signs. However, the aggressive attitudes of our politicians, both ruling and opposition parties will block the progress. As we are about to celebrate the Ruby Jubilee of the independence of our nation, it is high time for our 'leaders' to work for the country, leaving behind their humbug politics!
Ripon Rozario
Piazza del Gesu
Roma, Italy
Submission Guideline:
Letters to the Editor, Star Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While The Star welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. The Star does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups ranges from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
All materials should be sent to: The Star magazine, 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <thestarmagazine@gmail.com>
It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to The Star take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine
Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2010
