Interviews
‘Administered prices don’t work’
The government has to have an updated understanding of the realities of the supply chain
‘Workers must be allowed to speak up’
In light of the recent development in the RMG sector, where factories have started to open, Taslima Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati (BGWS), talks about the workers’ protest and their demands and plights in an interview with Aliza Rahman of The Daily Star.
‘July victims are entitled to truth and justice’
The last thing we want is for the process of justice to be derailed
In conversation with Syeda Rizwana Hasan: ‘It’s been most challenging to reach those marooned in Feni’
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the environment ministry, speaks with The Daily Star about the ongoing floods.
'Any vice-chancellor or teacher is expected to stand by students'
Professor Gitiara Nasreen talks about ways to end the current stalemate in our public universities and the reforms needed to ensure a better educational environment with The Daily Star.
'No political decision should be taken without students’ input'
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, talks with The Daily Star about the current political situation of the country.
113th Birth Anniversary of Sufia Kamal / The Poet Speaks
A reprint of an interview of Sufia Kamal by Mahfuz Anam.
Are we ready for generic drug names on prescriptions?
Dr Syed Abdul Hamid, professor of IHE and moderator of the dialogue, talked to Tamanna Khan of The Daily Star about the pros and cons of using generic drug names.
Creative solutions to poverty
Shameran Abed, Senior Director of the Brac Microfinance and Ultra-Poor Graduation programmes, talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about Bangladesh’s progress in reducing extreme poverty and the challenges ahead, how Brac’s Ultra-Poor Graduation (UPG) programme has fundamentally changed how we look at the ultra-poor, the importance of innovation, women as agents of change, and what the Covid-19 crisis has taught us.
Will Trump’s USD 400m debt be a threat to US national security?
A report by The New York Times that US President Donald Trump did not pay federal income taxes has raised the question about how much impact it will have on the upcoming US election. Ali Riaz, distinguished professor of politics and government at Illinois State University in the United States and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, talked to Golam Mortoza of The Daily Star on the issue. The interview was taken before the presidential debate held on September 30.
The importance of WikiLeaks worldwide
First of all, Julian Assange’s US extradition case is a direct attack on the First Amendment by the US government. This is the first time the (US) Espionage Act is being used to prosecute a publisher.
Democracy in decline?
Dr Ali Riaz is a distinguished professor of political science at Illinois State University (USA) and a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council. In this interview with Eresh Omar Jamal of The Daily Star, professor Riaz talks about the old and new challenges to democracy and whether democracy globally is on the retreat.
‘Commercialisation of education will only increase inequality in society’
Mujahidul Islam Selim, president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), talks to Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star about the spirit of the 1962 education movement, the current state of our education system, and how commercialising it helps create further inequality in society.
We must address the issue of plastic waste to avoid another pandemic
Personal protective equipment (PPE) which comprise of gloves, masks, cover-all, etc. are all essential items in our fight against the coronavirus. However, they may also become contaminated after use and their disposal is a matter of grave concern. Dr Mubarak Ahmad Khan’s latest innovation, now at the conceptual stage—a biodegradable, non-toxic material to make PPE (cover-all) which can easily be discarded without causing any harm to the environment—is a game-changer.
‘Revolutionary change needed in existing systems’
Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, a leading public intellectual and academic of the country, talks to Emran Mahfuz of The Daily Star about the government’s handling of the impacts of Covid-19, inequalities and injustices in society, future threats and the need for reforms. The following is a translated excerpt.
‘We need to use water to our advantage and learn to live with it’
Marina Tabassum, a seasoned architect who won the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Jameel Prize for designing the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, talks to The Daily Star’s Naznin Tithi about the future of housing in flood-prone and coastal regions as well as the importance of local knowledge for a sustainable solution to housing.
‘We have to strongly assert our rights now’
In this instalment of The Daily Star’s interview series that aims to give readers an idea of what changes to expect in a post-Covid-19 world, Dr Shahdeen Malik, advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, talks to Eresh Omar Jamal about the right to freedom of speech and expression and the limiting of human rights by governments.
‘Centuries of scientific, technological and economic progress maybe lost in the next few decades’
This week, in The Daily Star’s new interview series that aims to give readers an idea of what changes to expect in a post-Covid 19 world, Dr Quamrul Haider talks to Badiuzzaman Bay.