This Article of mine appeared in the January 2008 issue of the Purple magazine.
As I board the Commuter Shuttle Train at the Gulshan station, I look at my communication device. It should take me about 20 minutes to reach downtown Dhaka’s Bhaluka station. Just in time for me to receive the guests from Ireland who are arriving at Gazipur International Airport to attend the Economist Magazine’s conference titled “Learning from Bangladesh’s Economic Transformation.” They have a lot of learning to do over the next two days.
The year is 2040. Bangladesh is in the heart of the South Asia’s booming economic zone. Dhaka mega-city itself is a huge metropolis that houses a population of 50 million. The last 30 years have been a wonderful journey for a nation one time called “a bottomless basket” by Henry Kissinger. The transforming few years of early 2000s laid a foundation to an exponential growth curve. Today Bangladesh’s economy is a gateway for all economic activity for the Indo-Chinese world.
We had played our cards just right. After realising in 2007 that confrontational politics was tearing our nation into pieces we set ourselves a goal for going through a transformation that would surpass that of post WWII Japan or that of the erstwhile Asian Tigers. Our leaders at that time very rightly decided that a quantum change required new thinking and a new mindset. Wisely they brought in a cadre of capable and professional young Bangladeshi’s to infuse life into the roadmap of growth.
Known as Gen71, this group of enthusiastic young minds set about the transformation process with a passion not seen in Bangladesh since the War of Independence. They focused their energy into three areas – Reform, Education and Industrialisation.
It was self evident that the first hurdle that needed to be crossed was the bureaucratic misalignment that defeated almost all of the positive changes that were being taken. Rapid movement towards e-governance and dissemination of information brought transparency and honesty to the functioning of the government, judiciary and other branches of authority. At the same time it ensured that businesses followed the regulatory framework that were laid out to protect consumers and workers.
The other pillar of the Bangladesh miracle was the huge investments that were made in Education. It was a no-brainer that the 150 million population of that era needed to be made employable. Massive IT, mathematics and multi-language education centres were set up. Education curriculum and methodology was completely overhauled. Emphasis was given to ensure that the young population had enough skill sets to play an aggressive role in the rapid industrialisation that was on the drawing boards.
On the economic side Bangladesh was astute to stop listening to the socialist economists that were still married to their Stalinist pasts. Yes Bangladesh was once an agrarian society, but being the world’s most densely populated country the only way to ensure economic growth was through unprecedented industrialisation. Basic industries like steel and electronics were encouraged. Ancillary businesses grew up to support these. The RMG sector, which was even then, the powerhouse of the economy continued to grow strongly. Businesses in that sector consolidated and became some of the leading players in the world market. However the raw talent of our youth meant that ICT now rivalled RMG as the export earner for the nation. Utilization of huge coal reserves and discovery of both on and off shore Oil and Gas deposit turned Bangladesh into a net exporter of these commodities and of Power. A robust stock market and a liberal financial and foreign exchange policy ensured that Bangladeshi companies could take advantage of this energy. Run-away remittance earnings and FDI fuelled on the economy. Many of our entrepreneurs and corporations bought up companies big and small around the world. Bangladesh had arrived.
As did Bangladesh Biman’s non-stop supersonic flight from Dublin. I rapidly closed the active channels of the all-enveloping Net coverage that was beaming the world into my comdevice. I wondered if the Irish guests would be able to tell if the bottle of Guinness they had on board actually came from the industrial area of Rajshahi.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Elections ’08: Power to the People
Ambassador Butenis bemoaned recently that she could not see “free and fair” election in Bangladesh before leaving for her new assignment in Iraq. I too share the good ambassador’s frustration. As a Bangladeshi citizen I too would want that our nation could move forward down the democratic path with another of our free and fair elections. After all is not democracy the ultimate destination of any free nation? But then I got thinking? Are we actually a democratic country? Were we ever a democratic country?
I know it is fashionable to say that we have been a practicing democracy since the elections of 1991. After over throwing an autocrat through a popular people lead revolt, we truly had a democratic election. Well participated and actively contested, this election offered hope to the citizens. Unfortunately it has been a downward slide for the nation since then. Though we have had two more “democratic” elections, I am afraid we have not achieved “democracy”!
One definition of the word democracy is “the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of government, often practiced by electing representatives of the people by the people.” So have we had free participation? To an election I suppose, but what about then to the governance afterwards? Have even the Parliamentarians we elected been able to participate in the process we elected them to? Now I am sure I don’t need to debate here the utter failure of the experimentation. Even the ardent supporters of the past regimes will agree with me, that the failure of democracy to live true to its definition is unquestionable.
Ambassador Butenis, I am sure will soon find out in her new posting, that an election for the sake of an election is no indication of people’s will. It is easy to hold an election but quite different to usher in participation in the political process. So if “free and fair” elections do not necessarily give us democracy, should that be our only goal? Or should our aim be of a higher calling? Maybe to ensure that participation of a vast majority of our citizens in government and the processes of governance should be the ultimate aim of any reform process.
Over the last thousand years, Bangalees have not had much autonomous democratic control of their destinies. We have been ruled during this time from Delhi or London or Islamabad. Even since 1971, our political leaders have often been autocratic leaders. So theoretically speaking we have had at best 15 years in the last 1500 years of free rule. Given this, should we be so sure of what democracy or which model of democracy suits us best? Should we not even spend some time on deliberating on our structure of government and representation?
Let us assume for sake of argument that you good readers have said yes to the questions above and have opted for some debate on the path to democracy we should take. In that case could I offer an alternative roadmap to democracy?
I am a firm believer in the power of the Demos in democracy. That is the common man in the street (or in this case villages) should not only have a say in but also participate in the political process. In our previous incarnation of government, even in the best of light, was limited to 300 or so parliamentarians. Mind you I am not even getting into the debate of Article 70, which in effect, coupled with megalomaniac leaders and ineffective party structure, concentrated power in the hands of, at best 5 people! This concentration of centralised power lead to its wide-scale abuse. Now say if we could divorce the unbridled authority that the legislative members have on the development cash cows and disseminate that to local authority, we would be achieving two things. One we will allow local citizens to have a direct say on what development priorities of a local area should be. And secondly we would allow legislators fulfil their number one task – to legislate.
This simple relook at what democracy actually means will achieve to give power back to the people where it should have come from the first place. Local Upazila Parishads will be allocated a development budget which they will decide on without the interference of the, till date, ever powerful MP. As UP leadership in vast majority of the cases live in the local area and come into interaction with their constituents on a day to day basis, I believe they will be more answerable than the absentee landlords of our previous Jatiya Sangsad. This devolution of power from the central authority to many local authorities will have the most pliable change in the fabric of governance in the nation. And that my friend in my book is the best example of democracy I can think of.
So if keeping to the Caretaker Government’s announced timetable, we have local authority elections by December 2008, we fulfil pledge we took as a nation on 1/11 ’07 of transferring power to an elected government at the earliest possible time.
Now now, I am sure there are puritans amongst us who will equate only Parliamentary elections to democratic handover of power. But why is that the only criteria, the only benchmark of democracy? With my local authority elections (and mind you, effective devolution of power) we are achieving a far stronger participation in governance than any Parliamentary elections under our old structure will allow us.
I am sure the next question on everyone’s minds is, does the unelected Caretaker Government stay on forever? Well of course not. Say we give the elected UP a year to settle in and find their foothold in government. In December 2009 (or Q1 ’10) we hold an election to a “Constitutional Assembly”. I am sure I have a few perplexed readers on my hand. Why do we need to do this? Well easy, we are not sure of what model we should follow. Do we have, say, two houses of Parliament? Or should we replace first-past-the-post with proportional representation? Or even how do we ensure equitable participation of citizens regardless of gender, religious beliefs or ethnic bias? And thousand other questions like this need to be asked, and more importantly debated and answered. Only after this process (say near the end of 2010 or early 2011) we should be bold enough to venture into a Parliamentary election.
I know many of my readers are sceptical of allowing an unelected CTG stay in power for so long. But the solution to that is in two folds. Firstly as discussed often, we need to broad base the actual cabinet. The idea of a National Unity Government (NUG) drawing from a larger cross section of political parties and apolitical activists (I did not want to use the word “civil society”) seems quite attractive a proposition. Secondly on a supervisory role we have a “Panel of Elders”. Say a body of 10 prominent and acceptable elders who act as a national conscience. The NUG will fix policy and implement them and the Panel of Elder will offer advice, guidance and most importantly critic.
The election for the sake of an election is not and cannot be the only answer to democracy. It is through a creative re-evaluation of what the ultimate objective of the reform process is, will we be able to fix priorities that will help us achieve a robust and long-term solution to the problem that have plagued our race for a millennium. There is an earnest effort for the citizens of Bangladesh to break out of the endless cycle of cynicism and corruption. Our friend Ambassador Butenis and her colleagues I am sure will appreciate this desire for self-rule that yearns in the heart of most Bangladeshis. And hopefully they will accept the paradox that for the emergence of true democracy, the only target cannot be the speed at which we attain it.
I know it is fashionable to say that we have been a practicing democracy since the elections of 1991. After over throwing an autocrat through a popular people lead revolt, we truly had a democratic election. Well participated and actively contested, this election offered hope to the citizens. Unfortunately it has been a downward slide for the nation since then. Though we have had two more “democratic” elections, I am afraid we have not achieved “democracy”!
One definition of the word democracy is “the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of government, often practiced by electing representatives of the people by the people.” So have we had free participation? To an election I suppose, but what about then to the governance afterwards? Have even the Parliamentarians we elected been able to participate in the process we elected them to? Now I am sure I don’t need to debate here the utter failure of the experimentation. Even the ardent supporters of the past regimes will agree with me, that the failure of democracy to live true to its definition is unquestionable.
Ambassador Butenis, I am sure will soon find out in her new posting, that an election for the sake of an election is no indication of people’s will. It is easy to hold an election but quite different to usher in participation in the political process. So if “free and fair” elections do not necessarily give us democracy, should that be our only goal? Or should our aim be of a higher calling? Maybe to ensure that participation of a vast majority of our citizens in government and the processes of governance should be the ultimate aim of any reform process.
Over the last thousand years, Bangalees have not had much autonomous democratic control of their destinies. We have been ruled during this time from Delhi or London or Islamabad. Even since 1971, our political leaders have often been autocratic leaders. So theoretically speaking we have had at best 15 years in the last 1500 years of free rule. Given this, should we be so sure of what democracy or which model of democracy suits us best? Should we not even spend some time on deliberating on our structure of government and representation?
Let us assume for sake of argument that you good readers have said yes to the questions above and have opted for some debate on the path to democracy we should take. In that case could I offer an alternative roadmap to democracy?
I am a firm believer in the power of the Demos in democracy. That is the common man in the street (or in this case villages) should not only have a say in but also participate in the political process. In our previous incarnation of government, even in the best of light, was limited to 300 or so parliamentarians. Mind you I am not even getting into the debate of Article 70, which in effect, coupled with megalomaniac leaders and ineffective party structure, concentrated power in the hands of, at best 5 people! This concentration of centralised power lead to its wide-scale abuse. Now say if we could divorce the unbridled authority that the legislative members have on the development cash cows and disseminate that to local authority, we would be achieving two things. One we will allow local citizens to have a direct say on what development priorities of a local area should be. And secondly we would allow legislators fulfil their number one task – to legislate.
This simple relook at what democracy actually means will achieve to give power back to the people where it should have come from the first place. Local Upazila Parishads will be allocated a development budget which they will decide on without the interference of the, till date, ever powerful MP. As UP leadership in vast majority of the cases live in the local area and come into interaction with their constituents on a day to day basis, I believe they will be more answerable than the absentee landlords of our previous Jatiya Sangsad. This devolution of power from the central authority to many local authorities will have the most pliable change in the fabric of governance in the nation. And that my friend in my book is the best example of democracy I can think of.
So if keeping to the Caretaker Government’s announced timetable, we have local authority elections by December 2008, we fulfil pledge we took as a nation on 1/11 ’07 of transferring power to an elected government at the earliest possible time.
Now now, I am sure there are puritans amongst us who will equate only Parliamentary elections to democratic handover of power. But why is that the only criteria, the only benchmark of democracy? With my local authority elections (and mind you, effective devolution of power) we are achieving a far stronger participation in governance than any Parliamentary elections under our old structure will allow us.
I am sure the next question on everyone’s minds is, does the unelected Caretaker Government stay on forever? Well of course not. Say we give the elected UP a year to settle in and find their foothold in government. In December 2009 (or Q1 ’10) we hold an election to a “Constitutional Assembly”. I am sure I have a few perplexed readers on my hand. Why do we need to do this? Well easy, we are not sure of what model we should follow. Do we have, say, two houses of Parliament? Or should we replace first-past-the-post with proportional representation? Or even how do we ensure equitable participation of citizens regardless of gender, religious beliefs or ethnic bias? And thousand other questions like this need to be asked, and more importantly debated and answered. Only after this process (say near the end of 2010 or early 2011) we should be bold enough to venture into a Parliamentary election.
I know many of my readers are sceptical of allowing an unelected CTG stay in power for so long. But the solution to that is in two folds. Firstly as discussed often, we need to broad base the actual cabinet. The idea of a National Unity Government (NUG) drawing from a larger cross section of political parties and apolitical activists (I did not want to use the word “civil society”) seems quite attractive a proposition. Secondly on a supervisory role we have a “Panel of Elders”. Say a body of 10 prominent and acceptable elders who act as a national conscience. The NUG will fix policy and implement them and the Panel of Elder will offer advice, guidance and most importantly critic.
The election for the sake of an election is not and cannot be the only answer to democracy. It is through a creative re-evaluation of what the ultimate objective of the reform process is, will we be able to fix priorities that will help us achieve a robust and long-term solution to the problem that have plagued our race for a millennium. There is an earnest effort for the citizens of Bangladesh to break out of the endless cycle of cynicism and corruption. Our friend Ambassador Butenis and her colleagues I am sure will appreciate this desire for self-rule that yearns in the heart of most Bangladeshis. And hopefully they will accept the paradox that for the emergence of true democracy, the only target cannot be the speed at which we attain it.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
S Nahoum Ali: A Question of Friendship
"...In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man...
...Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can...
...No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam...
...Good Times, Bad Times, you know I had my share..."
- Led Zepplin
When Nahoum called me few months ago to remind me that it was the 10th year anniversary of the time I “saved his life” after a very bad car crash, I joked with him if he wanted to thank me or curse me.
Last few years have been extremely bad for him. Life often doesn’t turn out the way we want it. Not that I ever thought Nahoum had a plan in life. Well actually I’m lying. We had a million plans on how we will become rich. And I can bet you that majority of them would succeed. His capability of looking at a situation and finding a solution to it for one to make money is absolutely amazing. Or I actually should say, “was”. He died today.
How are we supposed to deal with a friend dying? I remember how sad my father looked a few years back when his best friend passed away one fine afternoon. I don’t re-collect him ever looking sadder. Some friendships are supposed to be forever. We are supposed to grow old together. We shared a past and a life that was supposed to ensure a future. And then one day without any warning I have to erase his number from my speed dial list!
Through his bad days Nahoum became a loner. Crying out for some companionship. It was a spiral that he went down. Deeper he was in trouble the more he needed his friends. But more we judged him and more he stayed away. And more he needed us. Ironic for a person who would do anything for his friends, he was short of them in the last few years.
I never did figure how to handle him. I knew the trouble he was getting into. He chased that elusive rainbow. He could not handle the fact that when he thought he got close, it turned out to be another mirage. I used to joke with him that he was a man who could not stand happiness. Whenever he was happy he had to go out and search out pain. I saw the growing dependence on things that would bring him that fleeting moment of bliss. When I complained he went away for a few weeks. But then I would remember he needed me. And in some subliminal level I needed him. I needed to know that my optimism could conquer his gloom.
But where was that balance going to be? For every taka of mine that he abused, there was a minute of conversation that kept him sane. Was I wrong? Did I not do enough to help him? What should I have done? Questions. All going through my head now are questions.
Some who did not know him could not understand why I kept being generous with him. The easy answer is that he too would have done the same if I were in his shoes. But I think from that day 1997 on Airport road when I saw him lying on the road in a pool of his own blood; I believed I was his lifejacket. I was selfish. Every time his name came up on my cell phone it was like the “bat signal” calling out for the superhero to ride out to the rescue. And there have been many phone calls - some that the whole world jokes about and some that not another soul knows. Long drives and longer conversations; large and small amounts of money; big plans and bigger disappointments; crazy dreams and wild despair – an endless list of reasons to call us friends.
But what do I do now? Should I have done more? Could I have done more? Would things be different if I was in Dhaka during his last momentary lapse of reason? I guess it will haunt me for rest of my life. But maybe it won’t. Maybe life would go back to normal. As I said earlier, some friendships are forever. He might just always be there. Looking down with that grin, with that take-on-the-world attitude and laughing to see his friend here crying, devastated that I could not be his lifejacket.
I miss you Gutu! Keep a space for me in Heaven, my friend.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
No Laughter Please, we are Bangladeshi
Sometimes I wonder why humour hasn’t caught on in Bangaldeshi advertising. We (the advertising fraternity) are actually a very funny. Most of the creative directors (or aspirants) I know have a rib-tickling capability to lift one’s spirits. This coupled with the fact that life and reality around us is so overwhelmingly serious I would have thought humour would be the natural aphrodisiac of life.
Over the last half-year we attempted to inject humour in some of the Mojo advertising we are doing. Our “Hamba” ad where we gave away a cow for Qurbani and the “Abdul Quddus Bond” series for the Cricket World Cup used humour to make our carbonated beverage advertising stand apart viz a viz the song and dance routines of rest of our competitors. The result I think has been largely positive. The talented actor in the TVC, Noyan has turned out to be quite a celebrity. And I think it is a surprise for all of us on how he is hounded for autographs wherever he goes.
I do hope other advertisers pick up on this experiment and turn it into a trend.
On a lighter note (pun of course intended!) I thought I’d tell you readers of this marvellous young Bangladeshi talent - Naveed Mahbub. An engineer from BUET by training he is now trying break out in America as a stand up comic. I kid you not! Recently to conquer his fear of public speaking he went through one of those life changing experience. Now he is on a reality show [www.Famecast.com] competing to be the best comic in the US. And guess what, he has made it to the top 10!
To take him to the next level he needs us to vote for him. It won’t take too much time for you to register on to Famecast.com and vote for him on the Comedy Stage. Go on make us proud…
Websites:
FameCast site : http://www.FameCast.com
FameCast Comedy Stage http://www.famecast.com/contest/centerstage.php?stage_id=6&round_id=59
Naveed Mahbub’s webpage: www.naveedmahbub.com
Unfortunately the voting closes on 14th July - so hurry!
PS I’ll try and see how to master YouTube so that I can upload the TVCs for everyone to see.
Over the last half-year we attempted to inject humour in some of the Mojo advertising we are doing. Our “Hamba” ad where we gave away a cow for Qurbani and the “Abdul Quddus Bond” series for the Cricket World Cup used humour to make our carbonated beverage advertising stand apart viz a viz the song and dance routines of rest of our competitors. The result I think has been largely positive. The talented actor in the TVC, Noyan has turned out to be quite a celebrity. And I think it is a surprise for all of us on how he is hounded for autographs wherever he goes.
I do hope other advertisers pick up on this experiment and turn it into a trend.
On a lighter note (pun of course intended!) I thought I’d tell you readers of this marvellous young Bangladeshi talent - Naveed Mahbub. An engineer from BUET by training he is now trying break out in America as a stand up comic. I kid you not! Recently to conquer his fear of public speaking he went through one of those life changing experience. Now he is on a reality show [www.Famecast.com] competing to be the best comic in the US. And guess what, he has made it to the top 10!To take him to the next level he needs us to vote for him. It won’t take too much time for you to register on to Famecast.com and vote for him on the Comedy Stage. Go on make us proud…
Websites:
FameCast site : http://www.FameCast.com
FameCast Comedy Stage http://www.famecast.com/contest/centerstage.php?stage_id=6&round_id=59
Naveed Mahbub’s webpage: www.naveedmahbub.com
Unfortunately the voting closes on 14th July - so hurry!
PS I’ll try and see how to master YouTube so that I can upload the TVCs for everyone to see.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Do I stand behind the CTG? -part II
I think some are missing the point of the emergency. It is NOT to disrupt lives of the innocent. It is to bring order to a political climate that was out of bounds in the late part of last year.
In the initial stages at times the Emergency Powers were used a bit indiscriminately. However as time passed and rule of law established itself then the unintended damage it might have caused have come down. Due process that we were shouting about in the early months of this regime is something that is now being adhered to.
Again I am not saying whatever the CTG government is doing is the best, but it is making an honest, sincere and well-intentioned effort to make amends for the past mistakes.
The two examples that Nazzina has brought up are good. [ Pls refer comments of the post Do I Stand Behing the CTG?] Because in case of Mr. Richil an investigation has been put together. I believe his body was exhumed for another autopsy. Those responsible for this gruesome incidence will be bought to justice.
In case of Tasneem, the authorities maintain that he was NOT detained for his journalistic work, but rather because of receiving huge amounts of unexplained overseas funds. According to published transcripts it appears that he was planning to use that money to fund anti-state activity. Now I am not saying it is true or not. Tasneem never cleared it to me. [Incidentally I have tried to contact Tasneem many a times. I have left messages, sent sms and emails. I have been in direct contact with his father who is worried about his son’s welfare. Tasneem has decided to remain incommunicado. Hence the disclaimer and the benefit of the doubt rather than a full frontal attack on reported transcripts.]
As some of you know, public perception in Bangladesh is often tracked through opinion polls. Our studies have shown very high approval ratings for the CTG. Which brings me to Tanvir’s point. You are right CTG does not have an election that it needs to win. But to ensure that the reforms brought in are successful in the long run, it still needs to win the hearts and minds. For that they need to ensure that the citizens of our nation are fully behind the decisions taken. In my mind one of the shortcomings of the CTG has been to clarify the reasons for decisions they are taking.
Of course not having an election to be answerable to also allows the CTG not to be a populist government (as opposed to a popular government.) Some hard but necessary decisions can be taken and implemented. Take for example the Chittagong Port. Years of corruption and misuse have been reversed in matter of weeks. Productivity of the Port are at all time high and decisions are being made on the future of our export gateway.
I think it is a misunderstanding that we believe that arrests will be made if everyone of us speak out. That is not true. Bangladesh enjoys a high level of press freedom. I am at times amazed by the harshness of a lot of reports I read in many papers or hear on TV. Till date no one has been arrested for an opinion they have had. As explained in the Tasneem’s incidence, it is for his other alleged activities that he was questioned. Not because he had an opinion about the CTG.
In absence of any political opposition, it is journalist and blogger like us who can constructively critique the government. This will help them to moderate their actions and benefit from the collective wisdom of this nation’s quite capable human resources.
Supporting any government cannot be done blindly. Neither can opposing it. Decisions need to judged on merit of that particular case. Many progress have been made and many more remain. Some have gone to our liking, some have not. But at the end of the day we have a CTG that is dedicated in its effort to bring order and prosperity to our nation. And till that remains their objective, they have my full support. And I hope the support of every citizen who wants the same.
In the initial stages at times the Emergency Powers were used a bit indiscriminately. However as time passed and rule of law established itself then the unintended damage it might have caused have come down. Due process that we were shouting about in the early months of this regime is something that is now being adhered to.
Again I am not saying whatever the CTG government is doing is the best, but it is making an honest, sincere and well-intentioned effort to make amends for the past mistakes.
The two examples that Nazzina has brought up are good. [ Pls refer comments of the post Do I Stand Behing the CTG?] Because in case of Mr. Richil an investigation has been put together. I believe his body was exhumed for another autopsy. Those responsible for this gruesome incidence will be bought to justice.
In case of Tasneem, the authorities maintain that he was NOT detained for his journalistic work, but rather because of receiving huge amounts of unexplained overseas funds. According to published transcripts it appears that he was planning to use that money to fund anti-state activity. Now I am not saying it is true or not. Tasneem never cleared it to me. [Incidentally I have tried to contact Tasneem many a times. I have left messages, sent sms and emails. I have been in direct contact with his father who is worried about his son’s welfare. Tasneem has decided to remain incommunicado. Hence the disclaimer and the benefit of the doubt rather than a full frontal attack on reported transcripts.]
As some of you know, public perception in Bangladesh is often tracked through opinion polls. Our studies have shown very high approval ratings for the CTG. Which brings me to Tanvir’s point. You are right CTG does not have an election that it needs to win. But to ensure that the reforms brought in are successful in the long run, it still needs to win the hearts and minds. For that they need to ensure that the citizens of our nation are fully behind the decisions taken. In my mind one of the shortcomings of the CTG has been to clarify the reasons for decisions they are taking.
Of course not having an election to be answerable to also allows the CTG not to be a populist government (as opposed to a popular government.) Some hard but necessary decisions can be taken and implemented. Take for example the Chittagong Port. Years of corruption and misuse have been reversed in matter of weeks. Productivity of the Port are at all time high and decisions are being made on the future of our export gateway.
I think it is a misunderstanding that we believe that arrests will be made if everyone of us speak out. That is not true. Bangladesh enjoys a high level of press freedom. I am at times amazed by the harshness of a lot of reports I read in many papers or hear on TV. Till date no one has been arrested for an opinion they have had. As explained in the Tasneem’s incidence, it is for his other alleged activities that he was questioned. Not because he had an opinion about the CTG.
In absence of any political opposition, it is journalist and blogger like us who can constructively critique the government. This will help them to moderate their actions and benefit from the collective wisdom of this nation’s quite capable human resources.
Supporting any government cannot be done blindly. Neither can opposing it. Decisions need to judged on merit of that particular case. Many progress have been made and many more remain. Some have gone to our liking, some have not. But at the end of the day we have a CTG that is dedicated in its effort to bring order and prosperity to our nation. And till that remains their objective, they have my full support. And I hope the support of every citizen who wants the same.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Do I stand behind the CTG?
A reader of my blog recently asked me
So you basically you stand behind each and every wrong doings this government is doing?
I think this needs a proper answer instead of being hidden in the comments section. So here goes:
Do I agree with each and everything my parents do? Or for that matter my sister? Or my wife? Or my friends? No! Do I stand behind them and support them whole-heartedly. Yes. Do I wish for their success? Do I hurt at their failure? Do I give them advice or a shoulder to cry on? Do we promise time and time again to hold hands and do the best we can? Yes, yes, YES!!
Do I agree with “each and everything” the CTG does? Of course not. They are making mistakes. Some silly, some serious, some willing and most unwillingly. But are they on the right track? Most definitely. Are they better than the alternative? (though it is setting the bar very low) Does anyone have any doubts?
Given our circumstances now, I think the CTG is doing its part in bringing order where there was chaos, in bringing peace were there was confrontation, in bringing patriotism where there was individual thievery, and in bringing hope where there was despair. At times they are succeeding. At places they will stumble. It is a lot of ill, a lot of dirt, a lot of filth that one needs to clean up. For every 10 task they undertake, maybe they will not get a few right. But as God is my witness I am so happy that they are doing what they are doing rather than the nightmare that waited us a few months back.
But it is not their task alone. Each one of us has to ask what part we can play in the effort. It is easy to criticise but when it comes to doing, it is a different ball game. Are we all ready to play? To paraphrase JFK “Ask not what the CTG can do for the country but ask what you can do for the country.”
So you basically you stand behind each and every wrong doings this government is doing?
I think this needs a proper answer instead of being hidden in the comments section. So here goes:
Do I agree with each and everything my parents do? Or for that matter my sister? Or my wife? Or my friends? No! Do I stand behind them and support them whole-heartedly. Yes. Do I wish for their success? Do I hurt at their failure? Do I give them advice or a shoulder to cry on? Do we promise time and time again to hold hands and do the best we can? Yes, yes, YES!!
Do I agree with “each and everything” the CTG does? Of course not. They are making mistakes. Some silly, some serious, some willing and most unwillingly. But are they on the right track? Most definitely. Are they better than the alternative? (though it is setting the bar very low) Does anyone have any doubts?
Given our circumstances now, I think the CTG is doing its part in bringing order where there was chaos, in bringing peace were there was confrontation, in bringing patriotism where there was individual thievery, and in bringing hope where there was despair. At times they are succeeding. At places they will stumble. It is a lot of ill, a lot of dirt, a lot of filth that one needs to clean up. For every 10 task they undertake, maybe they will not get a few right. But as God is my witness I am so happy that they are doing what they are doing rather than the nightmare that waited us a few months back.
But it is not their task alone. Each one of us has to ask what part we can play in the effort. It is easy to criticise but when it comes to doing, it is a different ball game. Are we all ready to play? To paraphrase JFK “Ask not what the CTG can do for the country but ask what you can do for the country.”
Mahi B. Chowdhury's Stand
This morning Mahi B. Chowdhury resigned from his post at the Orgainsing Secretary of LDP as well as his Presidium post. His stated reason was that he was not elected to those posts. And if reform is to happen, and LDP or he is to talk about it, how would it look if they did not lead through example.
And it is a great example Mahi is putting out. I believe such a pro-active step is a sign of what the younger generation can bring to the table. I am at this intant not getting into Mahi's or LDP's politics (or their agendas). But what it shows is the willingness to reform. The willingness to accept the responsibility of making a mistake in the past and setting the agenda for the future. I do hope others will lead by his example.
Best of luck to Mahi B. I hope this is a sign of him maturing into a great leader.
Update: Mahi B. Choudhury launches a "platform" titled The Reformists. I belive it is not a political party but rather a "movement" to generate reform within politics itself. I look forward to seeing what he has up his sleeves.
And it is a great example Mahi is putting out. I believe such a pro-active step is a sign of what the younger generation can bring to the table. I am at this intant not getting into Mahi's or LDP's politics (or their agendas). But what it shows is the willingness to reform. The willingness to accept the responsibility of making a mistake in the past and setting the agenda for the future. I do hope others will lead by his example.
Best of luck to Mahi B. I hope this is a sign of him maturing into a great leader.
Update: Mahi B. Choudhury launches a "platform" titled The Reformists. I belive it is not a political party but rather a "movement" to generate reform within politics itself. I look forward to seeing what he has up his sleeves.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Mastery of Self: A playshop that will change your life
As some may know our company Nazimcorp Resource Gateway is involved in bringing various human resource and self development training / programs to corporates in Bangladesh. Amongst the most popular is the Mastery of Self playshop conducted by Ranjan D'Silva. It uses NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to help oneself overcome obstacles in life and achieve - for want of a better word - enlightenment. Sort of finding ways to "re-wire" yourself to help you set and achieve goals. I personally have done this course not once but twice and believe it is really an effective program. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to all.
Due to popular demand we have organised a public playshop (as opposed to only restricted to one company!) to be held in Dhaka over two weekends (June 9th-10th & again continued 16th-17th). It will be held at the Lakeshore Hotel and seats are limited. So I hope you take up the opportunity to take part in this fabulous playshop.
You could visit the site www.nazimcorp.com/masteryofself for more details
Trust me, it will change your life.
Due to popular demand we have organised a public playshop (as opposed to only restricted to one company!) to be held in Dhaka over two weekends (June 9th-10th & again continued 16th-17th). It will be held at the Lakeshore Hotel and seats are limited. So I hope you take up the opportunity to take part in this fabulous playshop.
You could visit the site www.nazimcorp.com/masteryofself for more details
Trust me, it will change your life.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
The World Islamic Economic Forum
Every time I mentioned that I was attending the 3rd World Islamic Economic Forum’s Conference, I noticed a perplexed face staring back at me. What in the world am I doing at an “Islamic” Forum?! True, I am not a your typical Islamophile – if there is a word like that! But hey I’m a true blue economist, ain’t I? (Thank God my Economics teachers don’t read this blog!)When I first read about this Forum I was very intrigued. What was it trying achieve? Figure out the Islamic side of Economics? Or maybe teach economics to the Islamic states? Or maybe even Islam to the Economists. To my amazement, after three days in Kuala Lumpur, I figured out it was all this and much more.
Formed as an offshoot of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), the WIFE basically has the mandate to encourage trade between Islamic Ummah to benefit the member nations and at the same time find ways to lessen the dependence of the usual trading partners from the “developed” world (OECD countries).
The big picture is very interesting. For example OIC nations have 21% of the World’s population but only 5% of the global GDP. The Muslim countries give to the world 70% of its energy requirement and 40% of its raw material. Trade between OIC nations are less than 15% of their total trade compared to 70% of intra-EU trade.
The income disparity of this group is something that is very interesting as well. At one end there are rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and on the other Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali and of course my favourite Bangladesh. Some middle income countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and India (given their Muslim population makes them the third largest “Islamic” country) are doing well but still a long way to go.
These rich nations sit on trillions of dollars of petro-dollars that don’t often find useful venues of investment. The poor countries have millions of human resources that don’t have the opportunity or capital to be made productive. It doesn’t take an economist to see that by matching the two will lead increased prosperity for both.
Though trade; exchange of ideas; appreciation of each other’s needs; improvements of education; and flow of capital and labour the Muslim Ummah can achieve greater wealth and affluence for all its citizens. In a nutshell that my friend, is the basic lesson from the conference.
I hope in the near future elaborate of a few of the points that rose during the WIEF.
Friday, May 11, 2007
FREE TASNEEM KHALIL
DISCLAIMER: After reading transcripts of his email conversation with certain other bloggers, tt was indeed sad what Tasneem had to say about his stint with us in Adcomm. It is very disheartening that he needed to blatantly lie. We in Adcomm pride ourself in our professional integrity. It is on this reputation we have built Bangladesh's largest communication business.
I debate with myself on if I should take down this posting. But then decided against it on the grounds: 1) I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt till I get to talk to him. 2) By stooping myself down to his level I make myself a lesser of a person. 3) What I said holds true. If Tasneem was detained for his journalistic work he should have been released. Of course now it seems he was questioned for "anti-state" activity. While I am not sure if it is true or not, I understand the reasons for the authorities to question him. 4) This clarification hopefully will put to bed any questions on reader's minds. 5) Lastly the freedom of speech and of thought is of paramount importance.
If anyone wants further clarifications, please feel free to contact me on my email address.
Thank you for your attention.
:f:
I don’t know why the joint forces picked up Tasneem last night. One can of course guess but as I learnt over the last few weeks, it is often better not to jump to conclusions.
However here is the circumstantial evidence. Tasneem has been quite vocal against the human rights violations that have happened in the hands of the security force apparatus. His recent investigative piece on the Modhupur was very insightful. Not to mention the work he has done on RAB’s “cross-fire” incidences.
If his detention is a result of his journalistic work, it must be condemned. In the harshest words we must protest. The true character of a nation is its ability to accept varying viewpoints and dissent. By not realising this, the powers that be in Bangladesh today is showing that they are not capable of distinguishing themselves from the undemocratic administrations of the past. That will be a pity given the intentions and high moral standards that this Government has vowed to live by.
And it will be a tragedy for all of us who believe in our freedom of speech. I might not agree with Tasneem on many things, but I strongly believe he has the right to express what is in his mind.
Tasneem's Blog: http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/
For More Information
http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/05/10/tasneem-khalil-picked-up-by-army/
http://salamdhaka.blogspot.com/
UPDATE: Tasneem was freed 20 hours after his detention. I believe he is well. Will know details later. Good sense has prevailed.
I debate with myself on if I should take down this posting. But then decided against it on the grounds: 1) I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt till I get to talk to him. 2) By stooping myself down to his level I make myself a lesser of a person. 3) What I said holds true. If Tasneem was detained for his journalistic work he should have been released. Of course now it seems he was questioned for "anti-state" activity. While I am not sure if it is true or not, I understand the reasons for the authorities to question him. 4) This clarification hopefully will put to bed any questions on reader's minds. 5) Lastly the freedom of speech and of thought is of paramount importance.
If anyone wants further clarifications, please feel free to contact me on my email address.
Thank you for your attention.
:f:
I don’t know why the joint forces picked up Tasneem last night. One can of course guess but as I learnt over the last few weeks, it is often better not to jump to conclusions.
However here is the circumstantial evidence. Tasneem has been quite vocal against the human rights violations that have happened in the hands of the security force apparatus. His recent investigative piece on the Modhupur was very insightful. Not to mention the work he has done on RAB’s “cross-fire” incidences.
If his detention is a result of his journalistic work, it must be condemned. In the harshest words we must protest. The true character of a nation is its ability to accept varying viewpoints and dissent. By not realising this, the powers that be in Bangladesh today is showing that they are not capable of distinguishing themselves from the undemocratic administrations of the past. That will be a pity given the intentions and high moral standards that this Government has vowed to live by.
And it will be a tragedy for all of us who believe in our freedom of speech. I might not agree with Tasneem on many things, but I strongly believe he has the right to express what is in his mind.
Tasneem's Blog: http://www.tasneemkhalil.com/
For More Information
http://www.drishtipat.org/blog/2007/05/10/tasneem-khalil-picked-up-by-army/
http://salamdhaka.blogspot.com/
UPDATE: Tasneem was freed 20 hours after his detention. I believe he is well. Will know details later. Good sense has prevailed.
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