IQRA Editorials

Still no headway (অগ্রগতি, সামনে আগানো) in investigations
Coordinated efforts of security agencies crucial
The Daily Star, 06-10-2015

It is of concern that little palpable (স্পষ্টভাবে অনুভব করার মত) headway has been made in the investigations of the killings of Italian aid (সাহায্য/সহযোগিতা) worker Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi that took place within a span (দূরত্ব) of five days. Although it has been established that both foreign nationals were murdered in a premeditated (পূর্বপরিকল্পিত) manner, intelligence and law enforcement agencies seem to have hit_a_snag (বিপদে পরা) in terms of finding the killers. Meanwhile, a flimsy (ঠুনকো) claim by supposed (কল্পিত) IS militants has created a sense of panic and confusion.

This is worrying for Bangladesh on several_counts (বিভিন্ন বিবেচনায়). Apart_from_security_alerts (নিরাপত্তাজনিত সতর্কতা ছাড়াও) from several countries to their nationals in Bangladesh, there have been reports of international retailers (খুচরা বিক্রেতারা) postponing (স্থগিত করা) meetings in Dhaka with garment makers because of security concerns after the two murders. The possible_linkage (সম্ভাব্য যোগসূত্রটা) to IS militants is spreading paranoia (ধারণামূলক বৈকল্য/সমস্যা), smearing (নষ্ট করা) our image internationally. Such connections should be properly probed (গভীরভাবে অনুসন্ধান করা) into with conclusive (সমাপ্তিকর/পরিনামক) results to allay (লাঘব করা) the fear of IS targeting foreigners on Bangladeshi soil.

The killing of foreign nationals must be treated as special cases and investigated expeditiously (দ্রুততার/তৎপরতার সাথে). The investigations are being led by the CID and DB and we understand that other agencies are working on them too. We think it might be more expedient (নীতিবিরোধী হলের কার্যকর/উপযোগী) to coalesce (একীভূত করা) all investigative resources and entrust one single agency to lead both investigations. If need be, assistance (সহযোগিতা) can be sought (খোঁজা) from international agencies. These might help the government unravel (উন্মোচন) the mystery (রহস্য) faster.

Teachers' protest continues
Their grievances (দুঃখ দুর্দশাসমূহ) need immediate redress (লাঘব করা)
The Daily Star, 06-10-2015

TEACHERS from the university to the primary levels have been agitating_for (আন্দোলন করা) over a month. In the background of the World Teachers' Day that was observed yesterday, we feel sorry to see the way teachers at public schools, colleges and universities are treated in the country. Manhandling and physically abusing teachers at educational intuitions by goons belonging to some student organisations have been on the rise. As though these ghastly incidents are not enough, the new pay scale approved this year deprives the teachers of some perks they have been enjoying for a long time.

So grave is their predicament that the teachers have been forced to resort to protests to make home their demands against the eighth pay scale. However, their demands, it seems, have fallen on deaf ears. They are set to abstain from administering admission tests slated to start in two days. The primary school teachers might not take part in the primary terminal examinations this year.

It is indeed surprising that while public servants have witnessed a significant rise in their salary under the new pay scale, teachers, who build the future leaders of our country, have been deprived of some facilities that they had been enjoying.

In its electoral pledge, the Awami League had promised a separate pay scale for the teachers. It is high time that the government came good on that. We earnestly hope that it will sit with the teachers to address their legitimate demands, sooner rather than later.

Anarchy (নৈরাজ্য, বিশৃঙ্খলা) in city transport fares (যানবাহনের ভাড়া)
Commuters (ট্রেন, বাস ইত্যাদিতে নিয়মিত যাতায়াত করে এমন লোক) being taken for a ride
The Daily Star, 05-10-2015

Dhaka commuters are in_a_fix (অচল অবস্থায়) as bus operators, human haulers and other transports have hiked fares arbitrarily. Investigative journalism by a leading Bangla daily reveals (উন্মোচন করা) that most bus operators have not bothered to put up government-fixed fare charts in their buses and fares are being charged as per the will of owners of privately owned buses. The situation gets more chaotic (নৈরাজ্যিক) when one takes into account smaller transports like mini-buses and the so-called “legunas” and “human haulers”, which conveniently (সুবিধাজনকভাবে) fall out of the purview (সীমা, ব্যাপকতা, এলাকা) of any government oversight (সতর্ক দৃষ্টি). This is a failure of enforcement by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and something needs to be done about it.

While the government increased fare by Tk 0.10 per kilometre with the increase in CNG prices, we are witnessing increases far greater than what has been decided by authorities. According to the revised fare charge, a trip from Mirpur 1 to Motijheel (via Farmgate), a distance of 13 km, should be Tk 21 per passenger. The interesting thing is that prior_to (পূর্বে) raising of fuel prices, the fare was already Tk 23, which has now been raised to Tk 27 by bus operators.

That privately owned bus operators can and do charge whatever fare they feel like is a direct challenge to the writ (আদেশ) of BRTA. So who looks after commuter's_interests (যাত্রীদের লাভ, স্বার্থ) if not the BRTA? Why should commuters be left in the lurch (বিপদের সময়) because the authority responsible for enforcing a government decision fails to live_up (পূরণ করা) to its obligations (নৈতিক বা আইনগত বাধ্যবাধকতা)? The situation is unacceptable and we hope remedial_measures (প্রতিকারক/সংশোধক পদক্ষেপ) are going to be taken against errant (ভ্রান্ত, বিপথগামী) operators.

Yet another foreign national murdered
Law enforcers must act promptly (ক্ষিপ্রতা বা তৎপরতার সাথে) and decisively (চূড়ান্তভাবে)
The Daily Star, 05-10-2015

We are aghast (ভয়াকুল, ভীতিবিহ্বল) at the killing of yet another foreign development worker on Bangladeshi soil, only five days into the murder of an Italian citizen in Dhaka. The Japanese national, Kunio Hoshi, was shot dead in Mahiganj area of Kawnia Upazila, reportedly (প্রতিবেদন অনুযায়ী) in the same manner as Cesare Tavella.

We have no words to condone this dastardly_act (কাপুরুষোচিত কাজ). Japan has been one of our closest development partners, and one with whom we have cultivated a long and fruitful_relationship (ফলপ্রসূ সম্পর্ক). This murder casts (নিক্ষেপ করা) a dark shadow upon us all.

Although we do not have all the facts at hand, it is reasonable_to_conclude (সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়ার উপযোগী/যুক্তিযুক্ত/যুক্তিসঙ্গত) that this act of violence was carried_out (সম্পাদন করা) to hurt the image of the country. One could draw a link between the murders of Tavella and Hoshi, which is to create panic and convey_a_negative_picture (খারাপ চিত্র বহন/প্রদর্শন করা) of the law and order in the country to a global_audience (আন্তর্জাতিক মহল/দর্শক).

At a time when the US, Canada and some European countries have already issued travel alerts to their citizens regarding_Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশের পেক্ষাপটে/ব্যাপারে), and the Australian cricket team has delayed its tour on_grounds_of_security (নিরাপত্তা ইস্যুতে), the gruesome_murders (বিতৃষ্ণাকর/ভয়াবহ হত্যা) of two foreign nationals in such a short period of time will no doubt have very serious_ramifications (গভীর চক্রান্ত) for Bangladesh.

It is thus crucial (চরম) that the perpetrators (অপরাধী) and the motive (উদ্দেশ্য) behind these killings be unearthed (উৎঘাটন করা) immediately to allay (লাঘব করা) any and all apprehensions (শঙ্কা, উৎকণ্ঠা) both in the country and abroad about rising extremism in Bangladesh. This is the time for our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to prove their efficiency (দক্ষতা, সক্ষমতা). Needless to say, they are now under international_spotlight (আন্তর্জাতিক লক্ষ্যকেন্দ্র/লক্ষ্যবস্তু).

Murder of Italian national
IS 'link' remains unproven
The Daily Star, 01-10-2015

We condemn the killing of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella and express our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. That the killing was pre-planned and carried out by professionals is obvious.

It is the alleged IS link that has lent credibility to the claim by some quarters that Bangladesh is linked to international terrorist operations. We seriously question the veracity of this claim and echo the doubts expressed by our Prime Minister. This view of the global media, we are constrained to suggest, is mostly based on a single source, which is a website called Site Intelligence, specialising, putatively, in monitoring Jihadi activities, and not verified through any other sources. Therefore the claim of an IS link remains very tenuous. We, therefore, urge the global media to re-examine and re-verify the veracity of the source.

The killing has occurred at a time when the Australian cricket board, Cricket Australia, has delayed the Australian tour of Bangladesh on grounds of security. We are not sure what has prompted the US, Canada and some European countries to issue travel alerts to their citizens regarding Bangladesh. The government should seek specific information from these countries regarding the 'threat' in Bangladesh, if not done already. And our agencies should seek active collaboration of their counterparts in these countries to get the facts in order that appropriate countermeasures can be initiated and fears allayed immediately. It is absolutely imperative that we put to rest any concerns about Bangladesh becoming a haven for global militancy.

Illegal occupation of public space
When will this trend stop?
The Daily Star, 01-10-2015

The sight of horse carts and horses occupying main thoroughfares in Dhaka city further crystallises the reality that is the dangerously shrinking public space in the capital. The photograph of mules being kept under a major flyover in Old Dhaka, along with the horse carts, published yesterday in this daily, illustrates the extent of the problem.

Although the practice of misusing public spaces isn't anything new, the gravity of the situation increases by the day in light of a growing population, buildings and number of vehicles on the streets. This paper has highlighted over the years the illegal encroachment of public space by small businesses, adding to a long list of contending issues Dhakaites have to live with everyday.

That millions of inhabitants of one of the fastest growing megacities in the world should have to navigate roads taken up by livestock is absurd. Such actions not only diminish public space but also exacerbate the degrading environmental conditions and poor air quality, posing the threat of respiratory diseases and other ailments. With reeking garbage carelessly piling up on the streets, parked horse carts and livestock add to the filthy smell polluting the air.

Along with crises of waterlogging, scarcity of drinking water, waste mismanagement, traffic congestion and power cuts, dwindling public space is yet another avoidable, public nuisance that affects ordinary people the most.

The municipal corporations and relevant authorities can no longer continue to ignore their responsibility of preventing thoroughfares and pavements from illegal occupation by horse carts, welding shops, food carts or what have you. The authorities should move quickly to free the roads encroached upon and restore them to their rightful users.

Three years after Ramu
Why the delay in catching the culprits?
30-09-2015, The Daily Star

It is disheartening (হতাশাজনক) that three years after the horrific (ভয়ানক) attacks on Buddhist homes and places of worship in Ramu, Cox's Bazar, little progress has been made in terms of meting out justice to the perpetrators. The attack left 12 pagodas and 50 houses completely destroyed. The government has promptly (তাৎক্ষনিকভাবে) restored the destroyed pagodas, which is commendable (কৃতিত্ব দেওয়ার মত) but that alone cannot restore the confidence of the Buddhist community of the locality.

Despite three probes (অনুসন্ধান) ordered by the HC following two public interest writ petitions filed by two Supreme Court lawyers, no headway (অগ্রগতি) has been made due to technicalities. Meanwhile the reluctance (অনিচ্ছা) of witnesses to appear in court has prevented the lower courts of Cox's Bazar to start trial proceedings in the cases filed after the vicious (নিষ্ঠুর) attacks.

We acknowledge that bottlenecks in the legal system accounts for the general delay in cases to be disposed of. But the Ramu tragedy is a special case that needs special attention from the authorities as it is related to the security concerns of a minority community and also because it has denigrated our image to the rest of the world.

The three probes have found officials in the local administration, intelligence and law enforcement agencies to be responsible for their failure to prevent the mayhem. No action has yet been taken against them. Law enforcers had arrested 483 people in connection with the incident but almost all of them are out on bail.

We urge the government to step in to make sure that the witnesses are not intimidated into refusing to testify and all those who were responsible, for the atrocious attacks, are brought to book. This is the least that the government can do to ensure the rights of the minorities.

Materialisation of a dream
School for the underprivileged
30-09-2015, The Daily Star

It is not every day we get to hear a story like this. Bijoy Rahul Paul, whose father is a bicycle mechanic and mother works in a tea garden, was born into a life of hardship and had to drop out of secondary school due to poverty. Yet a decade on, we witness Paul running a community school for the underprivileged children of tea workers, so that they may never have to interrupt studies because money was in short supply. His journey to finish school was no mean feat. Having had to put in back breaking work for two years just to collect fees for SSC and then wait another four years to save up for HSC, his story is one of resolve and perseverance that stands apart from the norm.

Paul worked two jobs – one in the tea estate where his mother was employed and the other meant putting in hours daily to repair bicycles; this rigorous regime prepped him both physically and mentally to do what needed to be done to fulfil his dream of completing his education. Coming from a family where three square meals were not always guaranteed, we salute this young warrior who is now employed as a Mutation-cum-Certificate Assistant employed by the government.

The Chhota Dhamai Ideal Academy was set up in January, 2011 where some 60 children now study. The operational expenditure of the school comes out of his salary, as do the stipends for meritorious students. We applaud his efforts in achieving the unthinkable and hope that he and his institution will receive some recognition for making “education for all” a reality for the downtrodden in society.

We mourn (দুঃখ প্রকাশ করা) the deaths at Mina
Daily Prothom Alo, 28-09-2015

We deeply mourn the deaths of the Hajj pilgrims who were trampled to death on 24 September, at Mina near Makkah. We pray for the departed souls and extend our condolences to their grieving families.

According to the international media, 769 persons have been killed in the incident, the largest stampede in 25 years, since 1990. A total of 934 have been injured. The Bangladesh embassy in Saudi Arabia states that 98 Bangladeshis remain missing. Nine are confirmed dead.

The Saudi authorities haven’t made any official statement concerning the cause behind the tragic incident. They have ordered investigation into the matter. Once the investigations are done, they will issue an official statement.

In 2006, a total of 360 hajis had been trampled to death underfoot. Muslims of various countries and cultures assemble at Makkah to perform Hajj. When about two million pilgrims were performing the ritual of stoning the devil, disorder erupted and the stampede took place.

It is obvious that further security measures need to be adopted and the Saudi authorities must take this into cognizance. All security measures must be stepped up to ensure such a tragedy is not repeated in future.

The pain and loss of the families of the deceased pilgrims is immeasurable. Even so, the Saudi authorities should look into the possibility of providing some sort of compensation to the families of the victims.

Salish shouldn’t save criminals
Daily Prothom Alo, 28-09-2015

Having abducted a schoolgirl, in the village Phulbari of Lalpur, Natore, the accused are now putting pressure on to have the case withdrawn. The local police are playing a shady role too.
According to a report by Prothom Alo’s Natore correspondent, Abdul Jabbar Ukil of Phulbari filed a case against Shariful Islam and Faruk Hossain of the same village, accusing them of abducting a schoolgirl. The two accused were even arrested. Recently, however, they were released on bail and were putting pressure on Abdul Jabbar to withdraw the case. When he refused, they called for a salish or arbitration.

The arbitration, however, sided with the accused. There was also a public announcement that if anyone spoke to Abdul Jabbar or his family, they would be fined for one thousand taka. The accused also poured toxic pesticide all over Abdul Jabbar’s masur dal (lentils) fields.

Not able to fight in legal manner, the accused have adopted all sorts of illegal means. The local police station remains blind. In fact, they have supported the move to have Abdul Jabbar apolgise and withdraw the case.

Such a compromise cannot be accepted when it involved the abduction of a schoolgirl. The crime must be tried and the criminals must be punished.

SDGs reflect universal aspirations
Fulfill the pledge for common action
The Daily Star, 29-09-2015

The world has adopted a bold new agenda to end poverty and preserve the planet. The ambitious 15 year plan, adopted unanimously by 193 member states of the UN, comes with great challenges, the biggest of which is funding the efforts to realise the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are accompanied by 169 specific targets. Implementing the goals is expected to cost a whopping $3.5 trillion to $5 trillion every year until 2030. Member states will therefore have to now work out the details of how this huge amount will be raised. This will no doubt, involve significant financial commitments from international financial institutions as well as sincerity of all nations to spend available funds as efficiently and as transparently as possible.

For Bangladesh specifically, it is laudable that the country has made significant inroads into several areas of social development. This includes decreasing child mortality, increasing enrollment of girls in school, successful disaster management, achieving food self-sufficiency and reducing extreme poverty. It is however, important to acknowledge that it is not enough to just meet goals that are measured in numbers – the ultimate target has to be to bring qualitative strides in each area of development.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the way of realising SDGs is widespread corruption in every sphere of development. This is true of most developing nations that all too often are held back by poor governance. Most of these countries, Bangladesh included, are working hard to fight poverty through innumerable projects and programmes. But unless there is a sincere effort to eradicate the systemic bottlenecks, such efforts will be nullified and the prospect of meeting the SDG targets will be all the more difficult.

Patients suffer on Eid again
Why are hospitals understaffed?
The Daily Star, 29-09-2015

A report published in this daily yesterday revealed firsthand accounts of the untold sufferings patients at government hospitals had to endure during the Eid holidays. With most doctors and nurses having gone on leave for Eid, patients in some five major hospitals reported upon had to wait in long queues and resort to emergency services as outdoor services remained closed on Thursday and Friday. At Dhaka Medical College Hospital, basic facilities such as X-ray at the emergency were unavailable which forced critically injured patients to look for other alternatives. Unfortunately, this dismal picture has become something of a routine every Eid holiday.

It is incomprehensible as to why the hospital administrations kept these hospitals understaffed, even if it was for a short period of time. That patients who travelled to the capital with the sole purpose of seeing a doctor should be turned away by officials and told to come back when hospital activities returned to "normal" is unacceptable. The lack of access to the most rudimentary facilities such as X-ray, and that too in the emergency section, is baffling. Furthermore, the statement of a relevant official that he was unaware of any anomaly in the hospital services during the Eid holidays sheds doubt on the sincerity of the higher-ups about delivering proper services.

Healthcare services, being a basic need like electricity and water, should be prioritised accordingly by health officials. On major holidays, special arrangements should be made so that adequate staff is ensured at all times. It is of paramount importance that the issue of staffing, along with proper maintenance and availability of equipment, is given due attention.