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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

[mukto-mona] people votes for cancellation of Education Policy



 
Dear all
 
salam
 
The following results shows that peoples denied the present education policy.
 
with best regards
 
Kazi Mohammad Ismail Pavel
 
 
 

 
2009-09-28 (3376)
yes no no comment

cÖ¯—vweZ wk¶vbxwZ ev¯—evqb‡hvM¨ bq e‡j gš—e¨ K‡i‡Qb mv‡eK wk¶v Kwgk‡bi †Pqvig¨vb Aa¨vcK gwbi"¾vgvb wgTv|

Avcwb wK Zvi m‡½ GKgZ?

2327 930 119



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               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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[mukto-mona] There is no end to Modi's blood thirst?



"All of them were kept and tortured in different rooms. The police beat them all over the body with lathis, two men stood on Iqbal's thighs, legs stretched wide and beat him up brutally, Iqbal was given electric shocks on his waste down-words, abused using the filthiest language possible. Zaheer was stripped naked and given electric shocks all over his body many times a day. They caught him by his hair and banged his head against the walls repeatedly. Abusing him, they called him a Taliban and a terrorist, and degraded his community and mother and sisters. Zaheer's hands were tied to the roof and he was not allowed to sleep for days"

 

More Human Rights Violations In Gujarat

Press Release

30 September, 2009
http://www.countercurrents.org/pr300909.htm

In a pattern which has become increasingly familiar in many parts of India, but particularly in Gujarat, once again in the run-up to the assembly by elections in Gujarat, a number of Muslim youth were picked up by police officials in plain clothes, illegally detained and severely tortured, before they were sent to judicial custody. The youth who were picked up by the police were:

1. Zahir Abbas Amiruddin Shaikh resident of Hathikhana Patel Faliya , Opp. Bismilla Mutton Shop, Fatima complex,

2. Usmangani Alias Nawab abdulGaffar Ansari, residing at Kalriwad, B/s. H. M. Batliwala, Fatepura, Baroda.

3. Amin Razzak Sha, residing atB/208, Richmond tower, B/h. Convent School, Fatehgunj, Baroda

4. Iqbal alias Ikku Majidbhai Shaikh, Age – 39 years, residing at 109, Rashida Apptt., Hathikhana Patel Faliya, Baroda.

5. Mustak Ismail Shaikh, 34 years, residing at Gujarat Mention building , Hathikhana Patel Faliya

They were illegally picked up by plain clothes policemen:

Zahir illegally picked up on Sep 1, 2009 shown arrested on Sep 6, 2009

Mushtak illegally picked up on Sep 1, 2009, shown arrested on Sep 6, 2009

Usmangani illegally picked up on Sep 3, 2009, shown arrested on Sep 6, 2009

Iqbal illegally picked up on Sep 2, 2009, shown arrested on Sep 6, 2009

Amin illegally picked up on Sep 2, 2009, shown arrested on Sep 6, 2009

All of them produced in the court on September 7, 2009.

They were formally presented to the magistrate after a gap of 5 or more days, during which they allege that they were blind-folded and taken into a farm-house at Sivasi Gotri Road, in Village Sindhrot and brutally tortured. The police charged them for planning to bomb the Ganesh Vijarjan Yatra and for possessing Sutli bombs and rocket launcher. Police claimed to have recovered these items from a closed hand cart . Police Commissioner called for a Press Conference on September 7, 2009 and all local newspapers flashed the news in bold headlines .

A team comprising Shabnam Hashmi, Harsh Mander Rahul Rashtrapal met family members of many of the affected youth on September 25, 2009 and Gagan Sethi and Shabnam Hashmi met with the family members on September 26, 2009. They all testified to versions of the same story: that youth invariably with no criminal records, were picked up by people wearing plain clothes, sometimes using force, sometimes taking them under false pretences. They were taken blind-folded to a farm, and subjected to torture. Family members were not informed about their whereabouts. Family members searched for them in various police stations and hospitals. After Mohdbhai Vora, the local counselor took a delegation to the DCP Rakesh Asthana, he was informed that the youth were safe and in their custody, even then he did not divulge where they were kept or why they were picked up. The same late evening some parents were asked to meet their sons at the police station. They saw them from a distance and were not allowed to talk to them. It was visible from their appearance that they were badly tortured, some of them could not even walk on their own. Police secured varying terms of police remand, followed by judicial custody. The youth were threatened with dire consequences if they told the judge about the torture. The families were threatened not to contact any one otherwise more cases will be put on their sons.

 

It is relevant to point out here that the alleged terrorist attack on the Ganesh Visarjan processions never actually took place, and we have only the police version, that such attacks were planned, to rely upon. The fact, that the statements of the accused were obtained under duress and torture, the whole police case and the motives behind these become even murkier.

 

A team constituting Rahul Rashtrapal, Dushyantbhai, Sachin Pandya and Shabnam Hashmi went to the Baroda Central Jail and met two of these youth Zaheer and Iqbal on September 25, 2009. Both youth testified to grave torture. Zaheer and Iqbal were blindfolded and taken to a farm house about 10-15 kilometers away from Baroda. They were brutally beaten up along with three others who were also arrested. All of them were kept and tortured in different rooms. The police beat them all over the body with lathis, two men stood on Iqbal's thighs, legs stretched wide and beat him up brutally, Iqbal was given electric shocks on his waste down-words, abused using the filthiest language possible. Zaheer was stripped naked and given electric shocks all over his body many times a day. They caught him by his hair and banged his head against the walls repeatedly. Abusing him, they called him a Taliban and a terrorist, and degraded his community and mother and sisters. Zaheer's hands were tied to the roof and he was not allowed to sleep for days.

 

Both Zaheer and Iqbal were not allowed to break their rozas till 11pm. The youth alleged that the police kept on forcing them to admit that they were going to bomb the Ganesh Visarjan procession and kill people. Zaheer pleaded with the police to spare him as he was innocent and he had no idea about the allegations. The policemen taunted him and said if you are tired of torture we will shoot you dead and made him run across a field all the time aiming at him to shoot him down.

 

The team also looked at the newspaper coverage. Divya Bhaskar's headline read accused picked up in possession of the rocket launcher had foreign connections. Sandesh newspapers wrote: 'When the accused used to come out of the mosque after praying he used to get into frenzy to destroy the Ganpati'

 

Rakesh Asthana, the Police Commissioner, Rakesh Sharma the ACP, J. D. Ramgadia. PI Crime Branch, D.R. Dhamal, PI of Baroda city, Halsika PSI SOG were all involved in this illegal picking up, detention and torture of youth.

 

We have also heard that the Farm House where the youth were taken and tortured belongs to a close associate of the Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana.

 

We urge the NHRC, NCM and the Govt of India therefore that these grave allegations are independently investigated and the guilty police officers severely punished.

 

We hope suo moto action will be taken against the Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana for flouting the Supreme Court DK Basu guidelines and for using the premises of a private farm house for illegal detention and torture. Not following these guidelines constitutes a contempt of the Supreme Court, which is a serious offence, punishable by Imprisonment and fine

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D.K.Basu Guidelines

In view of the increasing incidence of violence and torture in custody, the Supreme Court of India has laid down 11 specific requirements and procedures that the police and other agencies have to follow for the arrest, detention and interrogation of any person. These are:

l Police arresting and interrogating suspects should wear "accurate, visible and clear" identification and name tags, and details of interrogating police officers should be recorded in a register.

l A memo of arrest must be prepared at the time of arrest. This should:

µ have the time and date of arrest.

µ be attested by at least one witness who may either be a family member of the person arrested or a respectable person of the locality where the arrest was made.

µ be counter-signed by the person arrested.

l The person arrested, detained or being interrogated has a right to have a relative, friend or well-wisher informed as soon as practicable, of the arrest and the place of detention or custody. If the person to be informed has signed the arrest memo as a witness this is not required.

l Where the friend or relative of the person arrested lives outside the district, the time and place of arrest and venue of custody must be notified by police within 8 to 12 hours after arrest. This should be done by a telegram through the District Legal Aid Authority and the concerned police station.

l The person arrested should be told of the right to have someone informed of the arrest, as soon as the arrest or detention is made.

l An entry must be made in the diary at the place of detention about the arrest, the name of the person informed and the name and particulars of the police officers in whose custody the person arrested is.

l The person being arrested can request a physical examination at the time of arrest. Minor and major injuries if any should be recorded. The "Inspection Memo" should be signed by the person arrested as well as the arresting police officer. A copy of this memo must be given to the person arrested.

l The person arrested must have a medical examination by a qualified doctor every 48 hours during detention. This should be done by a doctor who is on the panel, which must be constituted by the Director of Health Services of every State.

l Copies of all documents including the arrest memo have to be sent to the Area Magistrate (laqa Magistrate) for his record.

l The person arrested has a right to meet a lawyer during the interrogation, although not for the whole time.

l There should be a police control room in every District and State headquarters where information regarding the arrest and the place of custody of the person arrested must be sent by the arresting officer. This must be done within 12 hours of the arrest. The control room should prominently display the information on a notice board.

These requirements were issued to the Director General of Police and the Home Secretary of every State. They were obliged to circulate the requirements to every police station under their charge. Every police station in the country had to display these guidelines prominently. The judgment also encouraged that the requirements be broadcast through radio and television and pamphlets in local languages be distributed to spread awareness.

Failure to comply with these requirements would make the concerned official liable for departmental action. Not following these directions constitutes a contempt of the Supreme Court, which is a serious offence, punishable by Imprisonment and fine. This contempt of court petition can be filed in any High Court.

These requirements are in addition to other rights and rules, such as:

*The right to be informed at the time of arrest of the offence for which the person is being arrested.
*The right to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours of the arrest.
*The right not to be ill-treated or tortured during arrest or in custody.
*Confessions made in police custody cannot be used as evidence against the accused.
*A boy under 15 years of age and women cannot be called to the police station only for questioning.

The Constitution

The Constitution of India, which is the basic law of the country, provides protection to all persons from ill treatment and torture by the police and other state agencies.

Article 21
Guarantees the right to life and personal liberty to all persons.

Article 22
Lays down the rights available at the time of arrest and detention. These rights can be enforced by directly approaching the High Courts and the Supreme Court of India.

 

With Regards

Abi
 

"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst"

- Aristotle




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"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




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RE: [ALOCHONA] Re: Fw: RE: Jalil says 'sorry' for Hasina rant



ATTN: musasarkar
--------------------

what happened in Bdesh  during 1972 to 1975, that prompted change of a corrupt govt
by brutal force and unfortunate loss of lives?
who was sk. moni?

cheers.

khoda hafez.







To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: m_musa92870@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:49:15 +0000
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: Fw: RE: Jalil says 'sorry' for Hasina rant



These imperialist and hegemonist powers are the ones who murdered Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, created a right-wing fascist party called BNP and fully rehabilitated 1971 war criminals in Bangladesh.  A right-wing extremist like Zoglul should not bark at his and his party's godfathers.  What happened to right-wing's gratitude these days?

Like many AL leaders, Jalil also said Hawa bhaban was involved in Aug 21, 2004 grenade attack at AL meeting.  Jalil also said thousands of other negative things about BNP, Khaleda, Tarek etc. in last 10-15 years.  So what the most pious and truthful politician ever Jalil said about the 21 Aug murders and the murders of 2 prominent AL MPs, about the rise of Jongi extremism, about Khaleda's no interest for a free and fair election (Jalil squarely blamed Khaleda for the failure to create an atmosphere for free and fair election before 1/11) should not be obliterated based on Zoglul's assesment below.  After all we should be fair and honest to all sides.  The following was published in Daily Samakal in Jan, 2009, the remarks of the ambassador of Saudi, one of the main backbones of BNP-Jamaat right-wing politics in Bangladesh:


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, Isha Khan <bd_mailer@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> --- On Tue, 9/29/09, Zoglul Husain zoglul@... wrote:
>
> No amount of Jalil's retraction will obliterate what he had said! Ershad said it before, he said that without the support of the military, the present government would never come to power.
>
>  
>
> Jalil simply confirmed what the informed circle already know, that it was the most rigged election in Bangladesh. India, the US and their allies claimed that it was the most free, fair and credible election, which are a load of rubbish and a pack of most unadulterated lies. We all remember their lies about WMD as a pretext to start the Iraq war.
>
>  They certified the election as they are the ones who engineered one-eleven 2007 and it is them also who engineered this rigged election through the government of four Uddins (Moeen Uddin, Masud Uddin, Fakhruddin and Iajuddin), DGFI and EC in similar ways as they did in Iraq and Afghanistan. Down with these imperialist and hegemonist powers!
>  
>
>
> Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:18:12 -0700
> From: bd_mailer@...
> Subject: Jalil says 'sorry' for Hasina rant
> To: dhakamails@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Jalil says 'sorry' for Hasina rant
>  
> Syed Nahas Pasha, UK Correspondent
>
> London, Sep 29 (bdnews24.com)â€"Former Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil has said 'sorry' for his recent comments about the party, chief Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet, and the general elections.
>
> The disgruntled ruling AL MP said he still suffers from trauma caused by the torture by the military intelligence DGFI during detention, which makes him say things that he wished he had not uttered.
>
> "It pain still drives me mad. That's why I had sought justice in parliament and before her.
>
> But he did not get justice and often has often has a fit for that, Jalil said, trying to explain his raving.
>
> "I may have said things that welled up from the anger, I'm sorry for that," he said in the 15-minute interview.
>
> Continued Jalil: " I will hope that my leader Sheikh Hasina will redress this torture."
>
> "I'm 70 years now. My father, while he was alive, didn't ever take me to task, didn't beat me.
>
> "It's painful how DGFI had misbehaved with me after taking me into custody.
>
> "I'll be in politics, will pursue Awami League's politics under Sheikh Hasina. I believe and respect her."
>
> He blamed a 'stubborn' BNP chief Khaleda Zia for the failure of the dialogue between him and former BNP secretary-general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in 2006 .
>
> "Khaleda Zia didn't want a fair and neutral election," said Jalil, currently on a visit to the UK.
>
> 'Never questioned polls credibility'
>
> He refuted his claim that the government had come to power by striking a 'compromise' with the military-installed caretaker government.
>
> "The elections could not be held if there was no 'deal'. I wanted to mean that a situation was created for the elections, like, my leader was arrested. Khaleda, ourselves were also arrested.
>
> "There was a talk with the leader (Hasina) to conduct a fair election.
>
> "This is what I wanted to mean.
>
> "I didn't say anything about the election process. This was the most fair election among the all I have ever witnessed in my entire life... in the history of Bangladesh, and even during the Pakistan period.
>
> "About the deal I wanted to mean that there was a mutual discussion with then president Iajuddin Ahmed, while there was a movement to conduct a fair election.
>
> "The advisers had meeting with the [AL-led 14-party and BNP-led 4-party], which were not successful.
>
> "The next caretaker government came as the earlier discussions failed. They stayed for one-two years. There was also a meeting about a fair election through which we've achieved a fair election, this is what I meant.
>
> "I didn't mean someone put Awami League to office, and I didn't say so, I don't even believe that."
>
> 'Torture'
>
> Was he really tortured?
>
> "Definitely," Jalil says. "They tortured me physically, psychologically, made me to sign, didn't they?
>
> "They took me to remand for 5, 6 days, made tapes and sent those abroad through Concord.
>
> "How could this tape fly abroad if they didn't send it. I asked them, 'How (did it happen)?' They said a journalist has stolen.
>
> "I asked, 'how did a journalist get in there?' I said, 'You are lying'."
>
> The AL frontbencher said the pain renders him restless sometimes.
>
> "This is why I spoke about it in parliament, I asked for the constitution of a parliamentary committee hoping to have justice for their (DGFI) misusing power.
>
> "I've got no redress yet. I hope someday my leader will redress this.
>
> "I can't digest it that a man, who was never beaten by his parents, never rebuked, he is tortured by a DGFI staff... for whom I pay... they are paid by my taxes."
>
> The veteran was reminded in the interview that it was Hasina who had made him the general secretary, a technocrat minister when he failed to get elected in 1996 and made him the head of a standing committee.
>
> So, why does he rant and rave against her?
>
> "No, no, I don't have any grievance. I didn't say anything about grievance or protest. I think I don't deserve more than what she has given me.
>
> "She made me general secretary, a minister, I could not be those without her blessings.
>
> "But my pain is that she gave me punishment. I wanted to know why she did so. She can do that, even hundred times, for she is my leader.
>
> "But I wanted to know what mistake I made.
>
> "I was the only person to speak for the leader when everyone was speaking about reforms to exclude Sheikh Hasina from politics.
>
> He asserted that he was still on her side.
>
> "Yes, I'm. 'Boat' is not someone's own asset. It's owned by Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina and the people who are with it.
>
> 'Khaleda is responsible'
>
> Questioned why he and Mannan Bhuiyan did not agree in that 2006 dialogue, Jalil blamed it on Khaleda.
>
> "Khaleda Zia is responsible for that. Because, if you recall, we sat for 10 minutes in the last day, where we agreed that we'd sit again on one point.
>
> "Bhuiyan was asked to come with his leader's consent and I with the 14 parties', and we'd meet again for half an hour.
>
> "I got the nod of my leader and 14-party alliance. She said, 'Go ahead', she gave me permission.
>
> "I was waiting all day, but couldn't reach him. It was 11:30pm when I found him. I asked him to sit for 10 minutes, saying that journalists were moving around.
>
> "He said, 'Jalil Bhai, you've got your leader's consent, but I couldn't contact her (Khaleda). What would I say there if I don't see her or get permission?'"
>
> "The leader later sat with the 14-party on the point we agreed, endorsed it and told me, 'Go ahead and tell the press'."
>
> "But Bhuiyan couldn't come due to the stubbornness of Khaleda Zia. She didn't want a fair election that time.
>
>
> Asked if he would be in active politics after his return home, the AL MP said: "Certainly, why not? I represent a constituency.
>
> "Why won't I do politics? Certainly I'll and it'll be the politics of Awami League, under her leadership.
>
> "I rate her very high and I don't believe that there won't be any change in the country under her leadership.
>
> "So I said out of frustration that there has been no success in the nine months."
>
>
> Flak from the across the board
>
> Hasina said in New York on Sunday that Jalil should as well resign from parliament before he questions the credibility of the Dec 29 elections.
>
> "He was given the party ticket and has been elected," added Hasina.
>
> "Has he been elected that way? He should resign first before making such allegation," she snapped.
>
> She referred to domestic and international recognition that Dec 29 elections were the fairest and the freest in Bangladesh's history.
>
> On whether the party would take any action against Jalil, Hasina said: "I don't have any headache about it."
>
> She said Jalil has been saying many things, and "let him speak."
>
> Earlier on Tuesday, chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda dismissed Jalil's comments on the 'election deal' as outpouring of a man utterly frustrated.
>
> Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Monday said Jalil's remarks were aimed to smear the credibility of Hasina.
>
> Outburst
>
> Now reduced to a member of the party's advisory committee, a body without much say in the organisational matters, Jalil
> first spoke to bdnews24.com on Wednesday.
>
> He said he had made a mistake by not going against the party chief, Sheikh Hasina, on his return to the country to protect his post during the 2007-08 caretaker government regime.
>
> Hours before, a London-based ethnic TV station had aired excerpts of an interview in which Jalil repeated his trademark tirade against the military intelligence outfit DGFI.
>
> "It was my mistake not to go against her. My offence was extreme loyalty to her," Jalil said in an interview with bdnews24.com in London on Wednesday.
>
>
>
> "Sheikh Hasina ordered me from America to take rest," he said of her pre-election decision, adding he did not protest the leader's command.
>
> "My decision was wrong. I should have taken her head-on."
>
> Jalil said the party advisory council has no function now and there is no chance to make it effective.
>
> Terming himself and other veteran AL leaders mere 'activists', Jalil said it was a ploy to oust the 'activists' from politics.
>
> He said '90 percent' ministers of the incumbent government are 'reformists'--people who propagated the so-called reform moves in the party to sideline Hasina, allegedly with the patronage of the military-installed interim government.
>
> "Ninety percent members of the cabinet were supporters of the reformists."
>
> Asked to elaborate on his comment on alleged "deal" between the AL and the caretaker government on the elections, he said: "It might have happened."
>
>
>
>
> Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 Optimised for MSN. Download Now
>




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[ALOCHONA] Bangladesh disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC) going global



Bangladesh disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC) going global
 
Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Centre (BDPC) is going to transcend its origin to further cater to the cause of Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) by training 12 high level government officials of six African countries-Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, and Sudan-on Disaster Risk Management (DRM).
 
This will be a Training of the Trainers (TOT) programme to be held in Uganda from 5 to 10 October 2009, it's an initiative of EEFORM, a European Union funded programme for IGAD (Inter-Governmental Agency for Development) `region, a BDPC press release said here today.
 
BDPC was selected through an international competitive bid for the job for it's long experience in CBDRR.The BDPC's role in the 2nd Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) in June this year, especially that of it's director Muhammad Saidur Rahman as the moderator of the 'High Level Panel for Enabling Community-led Resilience Through Preventive Action', drew the global attention to BDPC.
 
GPDRR was participated by over 1800 people from 170 countries.
Bangladesh is a world leader in DRR. The African countries recognize the need for focussing more on disaster risk reduction/disaster risk management to harness the capacity and resilience of their people.
 
This is an opportunity of BDPC to train and thus influence the DRM policies and practices through the 12 top level government officials of IGAD region and contribute in consolidation of the global demand for CBDRR.
 



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[ALOCHONA] Smoking al Qaida and the Taliban Out of Pakistans Tribal Region



Smoking al Qaida and the Taliban Out of Pakistans Tribal Region

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Carl Ciovacco | January 05, 2009  

 

Increasingly, the focus on the War on Terrorism is turning to Pakistan's troubled tribal region. Both the current Bush administration and the incoming Obama transition team have singled out the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region as a high priority. This insightful article by Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's newly elected prime minister who previously served in that office from 1996 to 2001, and Carl Ciovacco provides policy makers struggling with this issue a template for successful action. – EDITOR, Armchair General magazine

 

 

Pakistan and Federally Administered Tribal Area. University of Texas Libraries.
Pakistan and Federally Administered Tribal Area. University of Texas Libraries.

 

 

As counterterrorism experts and statesmen around the world ponder the best strategy to defeat al Qaida and the Taliban, a nuanced approach at solving the ills of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) could provide the answer. By transforming the region from a lawless, drug supplying, smuggling epicenter bent on fighting the federal government and instigating international violence, to a rehabilitated province flourishing with schools, hospitals, and a legitimate agrarian source of income, al Qaida and the Taliban would find themselves without a home. This rehabilitation would usher in conditions inhospitable to drug and arms smugglers and terrorists. What bunker-busters and guns have failed to do to al Qaida and the Taliban hiding in the remote mountainous lattice, tribal area rehabilitation could accomplish. The success story of the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) tribal area of Bangladesh could serve as a template to heal Pakistan's tribal region and effectively smoke the terrorists out of their safe-haven.

 

 

Bangladesh and Chittagong Hill Tract tribal areas. University of Texas Libraries.
Bangladesh and Chittagong Hill Tract tribal areas. University of Texas Libraries.

 

 

The similarities between the CHT tribal region in Bangladesh and the FATA in Pakistan are striking. Both tribal areas are remote, autonomy-seeking, mountainous enclaves on the borders of their respective countries, and marginalized by the ruling majority party. They are extremely poor and only account for a small portion of their country's total land mass and population. Opium, weapons and drug smuggling, and armed conflict between the tribes and their government thrived in the CHT as it does today in the FATA. How then has the Chittagong become a law-abiding area that now produces corn for its country instead of opium while the FATA remains a thorn in the side of Pakistan, its neighbors, and the rest of the world? The answer to this question may supply a remedy to al Qaida and the Taliban's increased control and influence over the region and its opium trade. If Pakistan can make the FATA look more like the Chittagong, al Qaida and the Taliban will lose not only their base of operations but also the drug money that is helping fund their global terrorist network.

 

Currently in the FATA, al Qaida and the Taliban have teamed with the tribal leaders against the federal government. The tribes have vehemently rejected the federal government's plan to eradicate opium. Al Qaida and the Taliban have offered their services to fight alongside the tribes against government troops, namely the paramilitary Frontier Corps, in return for a portion of the opium proceeds. Drug sales and local support, coupled with the safety of the mountains, have aided al Qaida and the Taliban's recent resurgence. Furthermore, the tribal leaders' latest accord with the Pakistani government for more autonomy in exchange for the pledged safety of federal troops, has led to a flawed solution that fails to address opium, al Qaida, and the Taliban. Effectively signing away the federal government's ability to reign in the terrorists, this agreement has thwarted Pakistan's capacity to prevent future terrorist attacks.
 
For Pakistan to address the lawlessness, drugs, and growing terrorist safe-haven status of the FATA, it must become serious about effecting change. Once it decides this, the path that it could follow is that which Bangladesh tread in 1997 with the CHT.
 
Template for success
After winning the 1996 Bangladeshi general elections, we executed a carefully orchestrated rehabilitation strategy in our troubled tribal region. Understanding that the root problem had to be solved politically, not militarily, and that it could not be mediated by outside forces was central to the rehabilitation. The implementation of this strategy had three basic tenets: 1) a peace summit for the tribal, central government, and neighboring countries' leaders focused on highlighting competing concerns and identifying a common ground, 2) a comprehensive weapons turn-in program, and 3) replacement of opium fields with corn fields to make the tribes' livelihood more legitimate and provide severely needed food. In the end, the peace accord returned the more than one million Chittagong inhabitants back into the fold of Bangladesh, precipitated the return of 64,000 Chittagong refugees from India, produced a greatly needed food source in corn, and secured peace in the region that previously had seen over 20,000 deaths between 1976 and 1997.
 
The peace summit consisted of public negotiations in Parliament and secret, high-level meetings with the leaders of tribes and neighboring countries. While the Parliamentary Special Committee led by Abul Hasnat Abdullah made some in-roads, the benefits of bilateral meetings with the tribal leader Shantu Larma, the leaders of the Indian West Bengal State, and the Indian Prime Minister were much more fruitful. The crux of the summit was based on tribal acknowledgment of central government sovereignty in exchange for rehabilitation of the CHT. The accord outlined rehabilitation of the tribal inhabitants by building schools, hospitals, and roads. Incredibly important was having the federal troops work on these projects so that their image would change in the eyes of the tribes.
 
Unconditional surrender of the tribes' weapons ensured that elevated tensions in the CHT could not be sparked by a few divisive hot-heads. Although emotionally difficult for the tribes to turn in their weapons as they had fought with them for many years, once this roadblock was lifted, the rest of the process fell into place. At the turn-in points, we had journalists, diplomats, leaders from all political parties, and civil society to provide for the widest distribution of news about this momentous occasion.
 
The last tenet of the plan involved the destruction of all poppy fields in the region. Unlike the recent unsuccessful eradication attempts in Pakistan by government troops that have led to more harm than good, we implemented a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the opium farmers. All opium farmers received grants from the government for their lost opium crop and an agricultural loan to make the transition to a different crop. Under a program called Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), they received food ration cards for six months until they could harvest their new corn crop. Each month they received 30 kilos of food – 15 kilos of rice and 15 kilos of wheat. This type of humane treatment allowed our Border Rifles Regiment to clear the poppy fields without fear of attack.
 
Pakistan's next steps
Pakistan should attempt to operationalize portions of our tribal rehabilitation strategy in its FATA. It must begin by organizing a peace summit that assembles tribal members, provincial leaders, and the federal government. As a new government has assumed the reins in Pakistan, this would be an opportune time for such a summit. Furthermore, after the recent attacks in Mumbai by the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, now is the time for Pakistan to move forward on a counterterrorism plan nestled in the rehabilitation of its tribal region. Behind-the-scenes meetings must occur between the federal government, tribal leaders, provincial leaders of the Northwest Frontier Province, and its neighboring countries of Afghanistan, India, and China. The FATA should be demilitarized once the federal government provides an earnest assurance that rehabilitation and infrastructure development will occur. Lastly, a plan to burn the poppy fields must be complemented by payments and food to local farmers and training for an alternative crop.
 
In the short run, and acknowledging that the scale of opium production is much larger in the FATA than it was in the CHT, it is conceivable that a small portion of the poppy fields could be legitimized by selling the opium for medical purposes. This route should only be a temporary fix designed to provide a soft-landing as the FATA moves away from illicit drug sales. By legitimizing agriculture in Pakistan, al Qaeda and the Taliban will be cut out of the process by nullifying the need for the tribal leaders to ally with them for protection. A rehabilitated region with a sound local-federal working relationship would also prevent the terrorists from exploiting this divide.
Critics could argue that this rehabilitation process would take years to accomplish.
 
However, as demonstrated by Chittagong's six month peace process, change takes only as long as desired. It would be careless naïveté to think that this process would be free of growing pains, but without change, the current trajectory of the FATA points to increased tension with the Federal Government and increased entrenchment of the strengthening al Qaida-Taliban terror network in Pakistan. With the command post of the global jihadist movement enjoying a safe-haven within its sovereign borders, it is incumbent upon Pakistan to fix the FATA. As civilians flee the region in droves and NATO forces begin to exit neighboring Afghanistan, the status quo cannot remain. For the sake of the country and the rest of the world, Pakistan must look seriously at what we in Bangladesh accomplished in the CHT. If Pakistan does not act, al Qaida and the Taliban will continue to prosper in this netherworld that currently lies politically and militarily out of reach.
 
Sheikh Hasina, newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh, also served from 1996 to 2001. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party in Bangladesh, since 1981. She is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the secular leader and founding father of Bangladesh.
 
Carl Ciovacco graduated from West Point and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government with a Masters in Public Policy. He has specialized in International Security Policy and his graduate thesis was on al Qaida's media strategy. Mr. Ciovacco served as an Army officer in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. His article, "Al Qaida's Media Strategy" was published in the January 2009 issue of Armchair General magazine.
 



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RE: [ALOCHONA] Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings



Dear Mr. Kareem,

I have already stated repeatedly that I am NOT Sohail Taj the ex-State Minister and son of Tajuddin Ahmed. I am a simply student concerned at for the future of Bangladesh. Originally I had believed without question that India was our friend and benefactor and that the pro-Liberation forces were accurate in everything they asserted. After I tried to take on Barrister Munshi and his book but failed to obtain any support from the pro-Liberation forces I became despondent and doubtful. I then visited Bangladesh again and inquired further about Barrister Munshi and even purchased the second edition of The India Doctrine and my whole mind was forced to change. There is no question that we as a people have been hoodwinked by the Indians and the pro-liberation forces paid for by New Delhi. Bangladesh has been living a lie for the last 40 years. While Pakistan was certainly not our friend the Indians are much worse in every respect. The third secret report on the BDR mutiny reveals clear Indian inspiration behind the killings of our officers. In any other country this would be a declaration of war but because Bangladesh is controlled by a powerful clique of cowards, corrupts and fifth columnists we endure such humiliation at the hands of India. WHAT A SHAME! WE HAVE LOST ALL OUR HONOUR.

Regards

Taj

 
 







--- On Wed, 9/30/09, muhammed kareem <kareem871@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: muhammed kareem <kareem871@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings
To: "alochona magazine" <alochona@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 3:11 AM

 



Mr. Taj (pseudo I am sure),
 
I cannot fathom how Tajuddin Ahmed's own son would talk like that against India, specially since we owe our independence to them.
 
Mr. Munshi is a fanatic anti-Indian guy, very much along the lines of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh followers here in the US. He takes liberty with facts and makes very broad assumptions that simply cannot withstand critical analysis. One cannot argue against wild speculation and conjectures.
 
If you still claim that you are indeed Sohail Taj, send me a private email with your tel number and I will find out within 48 hours who you actually are.
 
Please don't take us for fools.
 
Good luck hiding behind a veil. If you had any guts, you wouldn't hide behind a false identity.
 
R.
 
 



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[mukto-mona] Successful Dallas partnership walk



Successful Dallas partnership walk

 

 
 
 
.
Congratulations!
We are very proud of the successful Partnership Walk in Dallas.

It is through these initiatives we can change the world of the underprivileged. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting a tree that serves generations of wayfarers with fruit and the shade. The world is a better place today because of a good legacy bequeathed to humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world a little better than we found it, to usher an era of justice and peace. Taking care of God's creation indeed is a good deed. "The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct" Quraan 49:13.

The Walk is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) to raise awareness and funds to alleviate global poverty and promote partnership between America and the developing world. We thank HH Aga Khan for this great work. As a Muslim I see a change in a positive perception of the world about us, that Muslims are doing good things.

Jazak Allah Khair

Mike Ghouse
http://www.worldmuslimcongress.org/

6,000 WALK TO END GLOBAL POVERTY
AT DALLAS PARTNERSHIP WALK ON SEPTEMBER 27

DALLAS, TEXAS, September 27, 2009 – Over 6,000 participated in the Dallas Partnership Walk, an event held annually in major cities across the U.S. The Walk is an initiative of Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. (AKF USA) to raise awareness and funds to alleviate global poverty and promote partnership between America and the developing world.

This year’s Dallas Walk brought together families, friends, students and leaders in government, business, media and the arts for a day of learning activities, fundraising and culturally diverse performances. Dallas Partnership Walk raised $550,000. 100% of funds raised at Partnership Walk go directly to the projects supported by the Foundation. The cost of organizing the Walk is completely underwritten by AKF USA and in-kind contributors. No contributions are used for administrative costs.

The Dallas Partnership Walk was held on Sunday, September 27 at 12:00 noon at Dallas City Hall Plaza in Dallas, TX. Participants walked to demonstrate their support for ending global poverty. Nationwide, over 30,000 are expected to participate in the Walk in nine cities. At the opening ceremony Dr. Donald R. Bobbit, Provost and Vice President of Academics Affairs at University of Texas at Arlington, gave an inspiring keynote address discussing the vast benefits of education and our obligation to help those in need. “As those who are more fortunate, here in the U.S., it is our responsibility to share our abundant resources. When half the world’s population lives on $2 a day, less than my morning cup of coffee, it’s the right thing to do.” Media celebrities Bob Ray Sanders, Vice President and Associate Editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Arezow Dost, reporter, KTVT Channel 11 hosted the program that featured lively entertainment celebrating the d iversity of world cultures and educational exhibits. To view highlights from the event, visit the Partnership Walk website at http://www.partnershipsinaction.org/walk/

The 2009 theme for the Walk, “Education – The Universal Bridge” highlighted the impact of Aga Khan Foundation’s educational activities. Serving as a bridge to help individuals and communities build more productive, fulfilling and dignified lives, the Foundation’s educational activities span across a broad range of initiatives to help people in Asia and Africa reach their full potential, covering early childhood development, primary and secondary school improvement, and skills and management training for professionals, entrepreneurs and community members.

Aga Khan Foundation’s education programs bring to light the power of partnerships and reflect the Foundation’s enduring commitment to education. For over a quarter century, Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A. has worked in the developing world in the areas of health, education, rural development, civil society and the environment. These efforts equip people with life-long skills to overcome poverty and embrace the time-tested principle of helping people to help themselves.

Participants at the Dallas Walk traveled across bridges of progress and learning at the interactive Village in Action. Young and old enjoyed displays and hands-on exhibits from an extensive bridge constructed by volunteers to a petting zoo. Each exhibit spotlighted how the Foundation is implementing creative solutions to overcome poverty with projects that promote quality education and health care, expand microcredit opportunities and improve incomes and agricultural productivity in developing areas. The educational exhibits introduced walkers to the innovative ways that Aga Khan Foundation is alleviating hunger, disease and illiteracy.

AKF USA, established in 1981, is a private, non-denominational, non-profit international development organization committed to alleviating poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy. AKF USA is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org), a network of private, non-denominational, development agencies around the world, established by His Highness the Aga Khan to empower communities and individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities. The overarching goal of the Network’s programs is to help poor communities achieve a level of self-reliance whereby they are able to plan their own futures. The Foundation presently supports over 100 programs in 18 countries for the common good of all citizens regardless of their gender, origin or religion. The geographic focus of the Foundation’s development programs is in East Africa and South and Central Asia.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Martha Sipple, Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A.
(202) 293-2537 or cell: (202) 203-0838

Mr. Rafiq Lakhani, Media Volunteer for the Dallas Partnership Walk Team
(214) 293-2809
 
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENT AT:
 
 


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Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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[ALOCHONA] Re: Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings



The following article might clear up some confusion:

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/13815-bangladesh-intellectual-blueprint-islamist-traitors.html

The Intellectual Blueprint of the Neo-Razakars

Over the last few months I have been observing the increasingly monotonous promotion of the book `The India Doctrine' by the infamous Barrister MBI Munshi. His supporters and the books promoters are easily identified and include Isha Khan, Zoglul Hossain Zainal Abedin and Moin Ansari (a Pakistani national residing in New York). These are all well-known and renowned anti-Indians who at every opportunity spout venom at our big neighbour and try to create a hostile and militant attitude to New Delhi. If the opinions of these few individuals were kept within this small coterie there would not be much concern but the ideas and perspectives found in The India Doctrine appear to be spreading. If one reads the recent write-ups and speeches of such public intellectuals like Farhad Mazar, Mahmudur Rahman, Sadeq Khan, Prof. Mahbubullah, Prof. Ataur Rahman, Prof. Razia Banu, Shah Abdul Hannan and the anti-Indian stance of the BNP-Jamaat neo-Razakars you will see the adoption of the ideas contained in The India Doctrine. Similarly, several newspapers, magazines and journals such as the Naya Diganta, Sangram, Dinkal, New Age, Bangladesh Defence Journal, The Financial Express, PROBE, The Bangladesh Today and The New Nation have also been sponsoring or highlighting this new anti-Indian agenda initiated by The India Doctrine.

After much irritating and incessant publicity surrounding this book I decided to purchase a copy from The Bookworm near Jahangir Gate. This is the only bookstore in Dhaka that actually sells the book. For those who support the ideals of the Liberation War and the sacrifices made by the people of Bangladesh one can only be repulsed by its contents. The book does not even leave Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman untouched by its scurrilous and repulsive innuendoes and second rate theorizing about a supposed and fantastic Akhand Bharat being allegedly pursued by Indian policy-makers since partition in 1947. What Barrister MBI Munshi does not discuss is the sacrifices that were made by India for the independence of Bangladesh. Barrister Munshi manages to disingenuously twist history to make India appear as the villain and not the murderous Pakistan army that raped and killed unarmed civilians in the erstwhile East Pakistan.

What is particularly aggravating is that none of the so-called defenders of our freedoms and secular ideals has come forward to contradict the objectives and ideas of the book. This is extremely dangerous as the anti-Indian tilt now appearing in Bangladesh could have very unfortunate consequences for the country. If New Delhi views its small neighbour as becoming hostile to its friendly overtures it could turn the screws and make things difficult for Bangladesh. Already many in India view Bangladesh as ungrateful. The secular intellectuals of Bangladesh must come forward and warn of the dangers of following the ideas contained in The India Doctrine.

The book essentially promotes an intellectual blueprint for instability and reversal of the secular gains made in 1971 which ultimately trashed the concept of the Two Nation Theory but which is still oddly propounded in Pakistan. After 1971, Pakistanis should have come to realize that the misguided ideals of the Two Nation Theory are no longer relevant – the creation of Bangladesh proves that point. Unfortunately the neo-Razakars in Bangladesh still passionately hold to this concept of the Two Nation Theory. The India Doctrine superficially provides them with an argument but it is indeed a weak foundation. The dream of India's disintegration (an implication made in the book) is just that – a dream. Instead we are seeing Pakistan on the verge of political collapse and Bangladesh with an uncertain future. It is without doubt India that will emerge as the regional superpower and elites in Pakistan and Bangladesh better come to recognize that reality or both countries will suffer the consequences. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh are too weak and internally divided to pose a threat to India's rise so why foster dreams based on an ill-conceived religious division which has done more harm than good. The meaning of Islam is submission so both countries should gracefully submit!

Sohail Tajul Islam
Student
Imperial College London

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, muhammed kareem <kareem871@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> Mr. Taj (pseudo I am sure),
>
> I cannot fathom how Tajuddin Ahmed's own son would talk like that against India, specially since we owe our independence to them.
>
> Mr. Munshi is a fanatic anti-Indian guy, very much along the lines of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh followers here in the US. He takes liberty with facts and makes very broad assumptions that simply cannot withstand critical analysis. One cannot argue against wild speculation and conjectures.
>
> If you still claim that you are indeed Sohail Taj, send me a private email with your tel number and I will find out within 48 hours who you actually are.
>
> Please don't take us for fools.
>
> Good luck hiding behind a veil. If you had any guts, you wouldn't hide behind a false identity.
>
> R.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
> From: sohailtaj2008@...
> Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:54:52 -0700
> Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Do you ask these questions because my comments are inconvenient to you? When I was criticizing Barrister Munshi 2 years ago none of you questioned my identity. Now that I have revealed the truth that the pro-liberation forces have been perpetrating a fraud and have tried to cover up the truth contained in The India Doctrine my identity is suddenly to be doubted.
>
> Why did no one come forward at that time to challenge the content of Barrister Munshi's work? Why was their utter silence on the issue which even after 3 years of publication still has not been broken? If the pro-liberation forces represent the truth why could they not have undertaken a successful challenge against The India Doctrine as I had proposed?
>
> Finally why does not the new report on the DeshCalling blog on the BDR mutiny stir our conscience into action? Why again have we stuck our heads into the sand? Is it because we are afraid of the truth that we have been living a lie? Does not the death of 57 officers pain us immeasurably? Why are we not ashamed of our silence? Have the Indians forever taken our voices and our courage? Are we a now only a nation of cowards and fools?
>
> Regards
>
> Sohail Taj
>
>
> --- On Mon, 9/28/09, muhammed kareem kareem871@... wrote:
>
>
> From: muhammed kareem kareem871@...
> Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings
> To: "alochona magazine" alochona@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, September 28, 2009, 12:54 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Could the moderators please confirm that this email is in fact from Sohail Taj and not from someone who is hiding behind that name.
>
> Sadly, we have too many imposters around and it is all too easy to adopt a screen name. Since the name in question relates to a well-known politicain and a man of repute, it is imperative that we ensure its authenticity. I am sure there are people on the forum who personally know Mr. Taj. Could someone kindly verify it from him personally whether he has actually written this email.
>
> for some reason, I have my doubts.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Reza
>
>
>
>
>
> To: alochona@yahoogroup s.com
> From: sohailtaj2008@ yahoo.com
> Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:28:08 -0700
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re- BDR Tragedy, True Findings
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Robin,
>
>
>
> As Barrister Munshi explained I sent him your comments on the BDR mutiny article to which he replied directly to me and then I merely copied and pasted back his reply to Alochona.
>
>
>
> I had originally been very hostile to Barrister Munshi after I read his book `The India Doctrine' and some of his other articles which I felt demeaned our liberation struggles in 1971 and also our secularist philosophy. I had asked many intellectuals, writers, lawyers, journalists and politicians (who I thought had similar views to me) to reveal the lies being perpetrated by Munshi. Not a single person came forward to protest his book and uncover the truth. I was extremely saddened and depressed by this response.
>
>
>
> A few months later I visited Bangladesh again and purchased a copy of the second edition of the book now titled `The India Doctrine (1947-2007). I realized that I had made the mistake about Munshi and that he was merely trying to expose the truth about Indian activities against Bangladesh. I have had to change my entire outlook due to this book and also because of the lack of support from the pro-Liberation lobby who by their failure to act accepted by default Munshi's interpretation of events before and after 1971. I think it should be made compulsory for everyone to read the book.
>
>
> Regards
>
> Sohail Taj
>



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[ALOCHONA] William B Milam remembers Saifur Rahman



 See at the bottom

 

View: Equinox and paradox

William B Milam

Daily Times

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C09%5C30%5Cstory_30-9-2009_pg3_5

 

William B Milam is a senior policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington and a former US Ambassador to Pakistan and Bangladesh

 

It is important to recognise that the US remains a cohesive and vibrant society at the micro level, very unlikely to unravel. That could imply that, sooner or later, the macro level, with strong visionary leadership, will begin to knit up also

 

Fall seems to have come again this year in Washington almost without notice. The Autumnal Equinox, when the sun is directly above the equator, marking the time when the nights start to become longer than the days, falls every year on September 22 or 23. But the equinox is just another day in Washington — the change it heralds is ignored. Aside from having to turn on one's headlights earlier, carrying an umbrella for Fall showers, sitting through innumerable discussions of the Washington Redskins — the only passion, apart from politics, in this town — the official start of Fall is a non-event.

 

This year the equinox brought us cooler and cloudy weather, more of a harbinger of the coming season than usual. President Obama's mood appears to have cooled and clouded also, although that was probably not caused by the equinox, but one has to wonder if his mood shift also signals stormier political weather. He began his counteroffensive on healthcare with a big speech to Congress even before the equinox, and has continued it with a media blitz that began last Sunday when he appeared on five morning talk shows. This would be a physically impossible feat for us ordinary mortals (assuming any of us would ever get invited on these shows anyway), but for a President who stays in one place and lets the shows come to him, it is doable.

 

Last month, I described the pervasive mood of distrust, uncertainty, fear, and frustration that I had sensed when my brother and I drove across the US in early August. Many Americans, and not by any means just those who oppose the President politically, look upon any change that involves the federal government (especially when that change appears to threaten benefits the government provides them) with great scepticism. Government has lost their trust, and many question its motives, viz. the fear that it planned to reduce healthcare costs by euthanising the sick and elderly (a canard planted in their minds by conservative media stars).

 

This mood has created stiff resistance to the President's agenda for change, especially because the opposition seemed to have removed all barriers to hyperbolic discourse in their effort to inflict political defeat upon him. Despite his strong counteroffensive and appeals to reason and fact, which may be beginning to turn the tide on some issues, the general mood of the public on the macro level, i.e. the ability of government to play a positive role in their lives, remains ugly and resistant.

 

This mood is fed by changes that the public generally fears. First, the US economy has been changing fast — too fast perhaps for people to understand the reasons or direction — and this has, of course, been exacerbated greatly by the double whammy recession that has hammered the US in the past 18 months. In addition, two wars that the public disapproves of (Iraq for sure, and a growing unease about Afghanistan), generally inept performances in disaster situations such as Hurricane Katrina's inundation of New Orleans, and the huge pile of debt accumulated in the effort to overcome the recession as well as fight those wars, frighten the public and promote intense and shrill anger.

 

Hostility is mainly directed at the federal government, which is blamed for all these problems, and primarily at Congress, which is thought to be hopelessly corrupted by corporate money and unable because of "politics" to resolve any of the important issues that affect people's lives. (Obama, thus, retains a much greater popularity than Congress, but this does not appear to help him achieve his political objectives.)

 

This hostility builds on the reservoir of anger and distrust of Washington that surged in the 1960s over Vietnam and continued during Watergate in the 1970s. Of course, in America there has always been a strain of anti-federal government scepticism going back to the early days of the country — it is in our DNA, as one writer put it.

 

There is among the pundits a certain nostalgia for the "good old days" when things worked better and Congress could put aside its partisanship when it came to major political issues. The liberal New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently looked back fondly to the days of Richard Nixon's Presidency (at the time, Nixon was considered a villain by the liberals) as a time when, at least, things got done through the system of political compromise and corporate money was less influential in policy decisions.

Krugman also noted a paradox, however, "America is a better country in many ways than it was 35 years ago..." And this is the point I am trying to come to in this piece. On what I call the micro level, America is working very well — as well, or better than it used to. I saw this paradox first hand in my recent travels — while grid-locked at the macro level, on the micro level, Americans make millions of decisions each day that bind the society more tightly together.

 

By micro level, I mean non-government, mainly local, efforts to improve the daily life of the American people, meet the daily challenges that confront them, take care of those who can't take care of themselves, and importantly promote better understanding and empathy among individuals and groups in our country.

 

In Sacramento, I saw the dedication and special skills of those charged with care of the elderly and infirm; their devotion to their charge is truly astonishing. I know citizens who spend time and resources to ensure that the poor and hungry are fed and sheltered. I am aware that thousands of citizens groups in America are involved in almost every variety of social uplift, from helping disadvantaged children get a better start in life to teaching adults skills they need in the modern world, including the knowledge necessary to keep families to manageable size and to manage family finances.

 

Yet other friends and acquaintances work for environmental causes, from cleaning up toxic spills to preserving our wetlands, grasslands, forests, and wilderness. The list of micro activities performed voluntarily by American citizens in this country is probably longer than the drive I made across it.

 

I have seen films of interfaith gatherings promoted to bring those of different faiths together and increase their mutual understanding. Recently I watched the video that, I believe, was carried on GEO TV of an Iftar in Washington sponsored jointly by an Islamic organisation in the US and a Christian charity organisation, which was held at a synagogue. One comment I heard was that this could only happen in America. Beyond other religions, there is a hunger on the part of local opinion leaders in America to know more about other parts of the world. The number of active World Affairs Councils in cities across the US is surprisingly large, and these councils usually meet monthly to hear experts speak about their experiences.

 

The point here is not to paper over the serious macro faults that have brought sclerosis to a once-effective political process. But it is also important to recognise that the US remains a cohesive and vibrant society at the micro level, very unlikely to unravel. That could imply that, sooner or later, the macro level, with strong visionary leadership, will begin to knit up also.

 

IN MEMORIUM: I cannot end this piece without mention of the sad news of the death of the three-time former Finance Minister of Bangladesh, Saifur Rahman. He was killed in an auto accident on the Sylhet-Dhaka road in early September. He began his political career as Finance Minister in the government of Ziaur Rahman, and served twice in the same position for PM Khaleda Zia. In all, he presented 12 budgets to the Bangladesh parliament, and was the force behind the outstanding record of sustained economic performance by Bangladesh since 1990. Saifur suffered greatly in the last years — the tragic death of his beloved wife, his own struggle against serious illness, the decline of his influence in his own party and government to a now-discredited younger clique, but he continued to speak out for what he believed was right. South Asia has lost a remarkable economic policy manager, Bangladesh a voice of moderation and sagacity; and I have lost a great friend. RIP.

 



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