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Thursday, August 19, 2010

[ALOCHONA] On when judges become the enemy of democracy and the people



On when judges become the enemy

of democracy and the people

 

 

In an earlier article I expressed my distaste for the Acting Editor of Amar Desh, Mr. Mahmudur Rahman, who I felt was intellectually arrogant, pompous and a self-publicist who possessed a knack of popularizing issues through clever editing and presentation.  If anything he is merely a showman who has a gift for selling newspapers but unfortunately not of ideas which takes a much more substantial intellect and character to do with any true success in terms of leaving a tangible imprint on the national consciousness. However, the ruling of the Supreme Court against Mahmudur Rahman for Contempt of Court was an act of utter folly with a bench of `by-chance' judges (who in any other civilized country would not make it beyond the first tier of the judiciary) passing judgment on a `by-chance' acting editor of a popular bangla daily. A clear case of the mediocre passing judgment on the mediocre.

 

It is my opinion that of the two mediocrities it is the judges on the Supreme Court who has committed the graver offence by placing themselves above the law and the Constitution. There seems to be no legitimate restraint on the higher judiciary or any avenue for constructive criticism of their rulings nor any redress for their excesses and certainly no possibility of their being held accountable. The foundation of the courts is no longer based on law but purely on political expediency and the whim of the Prime Minister. Let us not be fooled but the Supreme Court is now merely an instrument of executive power and therefore a threat to both democracy and the people. While the judiciary had in the past been the protector of the fundamental rights and liberties of the citizens this Supreme Court is a usurper in that it has unilaterally accorded itself the means to subvert the true meaning of the Constitution (however flawed an instrument) and undermining the rights of the people of freedom of speech, expression and association. Many other rights are likely to be taken away in the coming months simply through legal fiat rather than executive order which had been the preferred tool of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - soon to be our compulsory or should that be our surrogate father?  

 

The Supreme Court being an unelected body cannot make law which is the sole prerogative of Parliament but that is exactly what the court has been doing in the last few months as it impulsively strikes down one Constitutional amendment after another. The courts function is limited to interpreting law and not to annulling laws and constitutional amendments that were validly passed by Parliament. In doing this the court has now become the de-facto supreme law-giver as it now holds more power than even Parliament which is the elected body assigned by the Constitution to do this particular job. Simply put the Supreme Court acting in excess of its powers accorded to it by the Constitution is a threat to both democracy and the people whose rights are now being gradually eroded through legal technicality rather than by open political debate and discussion. The Human Right Commission Chairman Prof. Mizanur Rahman was absolutely correct to lament that the Rule of Law does not exist in Bangladesh. More precisely the Rule of Law was murdered by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman but then resurrected by Ziaur Rahman after the former Presidents assassination in 1975. The Rule of Law was then emasculated by H.M Ershad during the 1980's and was then again rendered comatose during the period of democracy from 1991- 2008.  Finally the Rule of Law is having a wooden stake driven through its heart by this present Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Fazlul Karim – a name that will become synonymous with infamy and the betrayal of the people and democracy.

 

Sohail Taj

 

(Now a postgraduate student of UCL)

 

 

 

                                            



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[ALOCHONA] Shayan: gradual rise of an artist



 

 

One of the most popular contemporary singers Shayan has earned popularity for her unique rendition style, ability of composing unique music and writing lyrics. The transformation of this little, curious girl to a wondrous musician has not been sudden but through a gradual process. The writer talks to this enigmatic persona and reveals the secrets of her evolution.
   Listening to music of the legendary singers of the subcontinent, her devotion for music grew up at an early stage of her life. 'I was highly influenced by Shahnaz Rahmatullah,' Shyan says, 'I received some sort of training from my mother and elder brother Ershad. But, truly I have been self-taught.'
   'During my stay in Canada (1997-2001), I experienced different forms of music–– Rabindranath, Bob Dylan etc. By then I developed my opinion. I actually enjoyed the short stay of four years there after I realised it,' adds Shayan.
   Explaining the struggle during the release of her first album, Shyan says, 'I had a struggle of seven years as all the tracks of my first recording were lost. So, I restarted the recording in Calcutta and finished in April that year when it was released.'
   'There is another twist in the story', she adds, 'That was the market demand. I didn't know whether or not my work would suit the market. I did not care about the consequences. My destiny was to release my album.'
   'My friends, seeing how ardently I pursued my passion, created a production called Gaan Poka to release my album Shayaner Gaan. They said they didn't care whether or not anybody bought the album. They just wanted to help me out with all that they had.'
   'For music, I had to quit my job, live in Calcutta. But, at the end of the day the prospects were really low. The company formed by my friends was done out of emotion and lacked professional expertise and marketing strategies. So, the album could not be publicised widely. Yet, I was content. At least my album was out.'
   'On 12 September, 2008, I was called to a phonolive in ETV. About four months after my album was released, I got the platform I was craving for. It was the first time I connected with my audience.'
   'The show began at 12:00 at night. It was the time of Ramadan. It was a wonder as you would expect people to have fallen asleep by then, but no. Due to public demand, the show was extended till 3.30 am. It's also one of the most popular videos in youtube.'
   Shayan released a double CD last year. About her current plans, she said, 'We are working on a family album Just Wahid. Each of us will put two songs and pay tributes. Like Ershad I will pay tribute to my uncle Ferdous Wahid and Habib to my father.' The tracks Shayan is releasing here will be Ar Koto, Koto Ar and Kolbalish. The lyrics of both of these have been composed back in her teens. The tribute song she will be doing for the album would be Jodi Jantam by Ferdous Wahid.
   'When I am sharing music with myself, I am amalgamating–the element was always there.'
   'My target was to succumb to music. At some points of life, most of the things are discovered. Music can knock on your conscience. A person can relate to it with inspiration. I just knew that this was meant for me, and here I am today.'


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[ALOCHONA] Scorching prices



Scorching prices


Khamin visits the kitchen markets and shops during the first few days of ramadan and writes about the woes facing customers
 
 
It is now a tradition that during every first week of Ramadan, the general public will face an increase in prices of daily consumption commodities, like Chhola (chickpeas), lentil, oil, powder milk, sugar, green chili and aubergine. Artificial crisis of these goods in the market, created by profiteering businessmen during this time of every year, increases the prices of these essentials, leading to severe problems for people with limited incomes.

   Despite repeated pledges and promises, every single government initiative has failed over the years to control price hikes. People from the middle and fixed income groups, however, believe that the failure is due to the lack of fair political motive and if the government really has the intention to control the commodities' prices in the market, it can still do so.

   'Is the government really looking into our comfort during Ramadan?' asks Nurul Hasan, a resident of Indira road in Farmgate. 'Rather, the government has provoked businessmen into selling at a higher price than usual,' he adds.

   Nurul was referring to the government's fixing the maximum price of each kilogramof unpacked soybean oil at the mill gate at Tk 76 and in the retail market, at Tk 80 at best, on August 5. Prior to this, the price of unpacked oil was from Tk 72 to 73. The price naturally jumped by three takas after the government declaration.

   The price of each kilogramof unpacked super palm oil was Tk 72 and normal palm oil, Tk 69 at the mill gate. The government declared the price of these at Tk 76 and Tk 73, respectively.

   However, despite the price fixing, this Xtra correspondent found the prices of oil varying in four different markets. Unpacked super palm oil price is Tk 77 in Shewrapara bazaar and Tk 82 in Kazipara bazaar. Market prices of unpacked oil differ between the markets in Kazipara and Shewrapara, which are separated by a distance of only five minutes walking.

   'Just five days ago, before Ramadan, the price of the same oil was between Tk 70 and 72,' says Rezaul Hoque, a resident of Shewrapara.

   The price of rice, milk, aubergine, green chili and others, vary despite the negligible distance from one market to the other. While the prices of these products are at a wholesale rate and therefore, low in Karwanbazar, the prices of the same products are higher in the markets of Farmgate and Hatirpul.

   The trend is similar in case of departmental stores also. A 400-gram powder milk brand is Tk 195 at Marjia General Store while the same milk brand of equal size is being sold at Tk 160 at Dipti General Store, just two shops down the line to the former, at Farmgate. Besides this, five litres of a well-known Soybean oil brand varies from Tk 470 to 480 while good quality chickpeas' price fluctuates from Tk 52 to 55 per kilogramme. There is also a worse quality of chickpeas, consumed by the lower income group, currently selling between Tk 40 to 44 per kilogram.

   'The price of mutton is Tk 390 per kg now when it was between Tk 350 and 360 before Ramadan,' says Kamrunnesa, a resident of Geneva Camp, in the Mohammadpur kitchen market on August 13. 'It's tough to find anything within our affordability in the markets during Ramadan as prices of almost all essentials have increased within the past four to five days. The traders do not seem to have the slightest consideration for people like us who are fixed earners,' she adds.

   Two days before, on August 11, Salim Ullah bought a kilogramof beef at Tk 260 and chicken at Tk 150 per kilogramfrom Mohammadpur Town Hall bazaar. 'Only on the day before yesterday, beef was being sold at around Tk 245 to 250 per kilogram while chicken varied between Tk 130 to 140,' he says.

   'I am suffering as I had planned to do my grocery shopping a day before Ramadan, as I felt, the prices would be at an affordable level with the government planning to fix them then,' he laments.

   The price of green chilli is fluctuating the most. On the day before Ramadan, the price was Tk 160 per kilogram and Tk 180 on the first day of Ramadan. The price dropped to Tk 120 per kilogram the day after.

   Aubergine's price is seeing a similar trend, leading to increased difficulties for customers. On August 14, the price of aubergine was Tk 30 per kg in Karwanbazar. However, in Hatirpul bazaar the price of the same aubergine was Tk 60 per kg. In markets of Kazipara and Shewarapara, the price was between Tk 60 and 70 while in Palashi bazaar, the price of chili and aubergine was Tk 160 and 70 per kg respectively, on the day.

   Despite the bumper production of rice across the country this year, the price of rice has doubled before Ramadan. Aromatic rice varieties like Najirshail, Chinigura and Basmati is already out of the reach of the middle class. On the other hand, the prices of rice consumed by lower income groups are also on the rise.

   There is absolutely no variety of rice priced at less than Tk 33 per kg in the stores of Dhaka. 'Although we can buy rice at Tk 28 per kg from the government trucks, which is a fair price, the lack of shops offering fair prices in the rural areas is leading to increased suffering for residents in these areas,' says Mahibullah, a tea stall owner at the Dhaka University (DU) campus.

   However, wholesale traders are not anxious about price hikes as they feel that the market has adequate rice stocks to ensure a steady supply. 'As there is a sufficient rice stock to meet the consumer needs during Ramadan, hopefully there will be no increase in prices during this time,' says Abdullah Baki, a wholesaler at Babu Bazaar in old Dhaka.

   However, rice sellers in different parts of Dhaka complain to this Xtra correspondent, that the wholesalers are actually increasing the rice prices. 'Wholesalers are also the culprits behind the increase in prices of oil, sugar and other items,' says Nuru Mia, a shopkeeper at Shewrapar in Mirpur.

   'Being small sellers, we cannot buy in bulk and eventually we are not provided with good bargains as opposed to sellers who buy in bulk, availing a discount of one to two takas per kg. I know most of the people in my area and personally, I don't like it when they suffer by paying through their teeth for food and essentials during Ramadan,' Nuru says.

   'I still do not know why the government is not taking proper steps to identify these wholesalers and stopping the hike in prices. Selling rice at a fair price from trucks is not the solution,' he adds.

   The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) officials feel that the government should conduct drives against such traders making unnatural profits, during Ramadan. 'We are not the authority for market monitoring,' says Khalilur Rahman, the chairman of TCB, when asked whether they are monitoring market prices. 'We are just trading essential commodities and ensuring proper prices. To ensure that the price is at a tolerable level, we have assigned around 1,900 dealers across Bangladesh,' he adds.

   'The government's commerce ministry is supposed to monitor the market. Hence, actions like seizing stocks, cancelling their trade licenses and so on, against such traders are also to be conducted by the ministry,' he mentions.

   General customers observe that the lack of effective market price monitoring and the presence of middlemen in the supply chain are largely responsible for the price hike. Stock piling and hoarding are also said to be among the major causes.

   The TCB authorities assure that they have adequate stocks of sugar, oil and lentils in the TCB stores for the next one month. They are also confident that the consumers will not be affected at all as they have stocked twice the essentials than last year and as TCB is already functioning in the market with private traders.

   Currently TCB has 20 thousand metric tonnes of lentil, 10 thousands metric tonnes sugar, chickpeas and adequate oil supply to seemingly address the price hike. However, the customers at the markets beg to differ.
 


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[ALOCHONA] New York Times - Courting the Bangladeshi vote in the Bronx



August 18, 2010

In Race for an Assembly Seat, a Challenger Courts the Bangladeshi Vote

By SAM DOLNICK

New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/nyregion/19bronx.html?_r=1&hpw=&pagewanted=print

 

Like most New York State lawmakers, Peter M. Rivera, a nine-term Democratic assemblyman, has never had to worry much about job security. He has won his last two races with more than 10 times as many votes as his rivals.

 

Still, that has not dissuaded another long-shot candidate from making a run for Mr. Rivera's seat in the 76th Assembly District in the Bronx. But this time, the Democratic challenger, Luis Sepulveda, is adopting a novel strategy that speaks volumes about New York's rich ethnic political stew.

 

Mr. Sepulveda plans to take down Mr. Rivera, a fellow Puerto Rican, by courting the district's growing population of Bangladeshis.

 

Since February, Mr. Sepulveda has attended nearly two dozen Bangladeshi events, visiting mosques, halal restaurants and picnics, and marching in parades.

 

He has pledged that, if elected, he would hire a Bengali speaker for his staff and to crack down on hate crimes against South Asians. He has promised to push for halal menus in public schools and Bengali lessons in the classroom. He has developed a taste for spicy curries and says he now knows as much about Bangladesh's founding fathers as he does about America's.

 

While Mr. Sepulveda, 46, maintains that he is embracing a group that has long been ignored, he is also candid about his political calculations.

 

"It's surgical," he said. "We know where we have to go to get the votes."

 

Inside New Jol Khabar restaurant on Westchester Avenue on a recent weekday night, as volunteers passed out registration cards in advance of the Sept. 14 primary and a Bollywood-style video played silently in the background, Mr. Sepulveda spoke to a crowd of more than 50 people.

 

"If we can get the Bangladeshi community to get out and vote," he told the packed room, "you will decide who is the next assemblyman."

 

He could very well be right.

 

Bangladeshi leaders hope to register as many as 800 voters. In a district where 5,167 people out of 53,521 registered Democrats voted in 2004, the last Democratic primary, that could be enough to tilt the election. There are more than 2,500 Bangladeshis in the district, according to census estimates, though community leaders say the number is far higher.

 

"If the Bangladeshi community can mobilize toward the primary, I think Rivera has a serious challenger on his hands," said Christina Greer, an assistant professor of political science at Fordham University. "Rivera has done English and Spanish and has essentially treated this small, growing community as nonexistent citizens. Luis has acknowledged them, and that may be enough to get him in office."

 

Mr. Sepulveda's Bangladeshi supporters — they call him Mr. Luis and enjoy plying him with heaping plates of buttery rice — say they sided with him, mainly, because he bothered to ask.

 

"The most important reason was because he was reaching out to us and asking what are your needs, what are your concerns," said Zakir A. Khan, a local real estate agent who has taken on the role of Mr. Sepulveda's liaison to Bangladeshis. "People are saying he is respecting us, he is valuing us."

 

For months, Mr. Khan pointed out, Mr. Sepulveda's campaign trucks have rolled through the neighborhood blaring slogans in English, Spanish and Bengali.

 

"This was the first time we're hearing our language on the loudspeakers," he said. "It was very exciting."

 

Mr. Rivera, 63 ,who has spent much of his 18 years in the Assembly focusing on Latino issues, has not allowed Mr. Sepulveda's strategy to go unanswered. His most recent newsletter included, for the first time ever, a small section tucked on an inside page titled, "Bangladeshi Issues in the 76th Assembly District," though it was written in English and Spanish but not in Bengali.

 

One Bangladeshi group — there are several such associations in the Bronx, many of which do not get along — recently held a fund-raiser for Mr. Rivera.

 

But though Mr. Rivera promises to help his Bangladeshi constituents however he can, he said he had no plans to focus on them as a potential swing vote. "I don't focus on this community or that community," he said.

 

Brooklyn and Queens have more Bangladeshis than the Bronx, but their numbers have increased there in recent years. The Bangladeshi population in the Bronx stood at roughly 2,100 in 2000, but had more than doubled, to nearly 5,500, by 2008, according to census estimates.

 

Bangladeshi leaders say the community has not been especially active in local politics until now. Yet the group's presence in the Parkchester and Castle Hill areas, part of the predominantly Latino district that Mr. Rivera and Mr. Sepulveda are battling to represent, cannot be missed.

 

On Starling Avenue, the main Bangladeshi thoroughfare in the area, women in bright-colored saris pushed strollers past the Bangla Town Supermarket and the Dhaka Beauty Salon recently while bearded men in long robes and white skullcaps shopped at halal butchers. The neighborhood has seen a revitalization in recent years, and the Bangladeshis, most of whom are Muslim, have played a significant part.

 

Many Bangladeshi leaders have found the unexpected campaign appeals alluring, and have grown confident, if not cocky, about their growing political muscle.

 

"Which way this community is going to go is going to be the winning team," said Mahbub Alom, president of the Bangladesh Society of the Bronx. The registration drive among Bangladeshi voters, he added, has been making slow progress.

 

Mr. Sepulveda works as a lawyer for the State Senate majority's office and is assigned to State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., a strong supporter who himself is running for re-election and is also seeking Bangladeshi votes, though he probably does not need them.

 

Like most incumbents, Mr. Rivera enjoys a bigger campaign fund — he has more than $53,000 compared with Mr. Sepulveda's $15,500 — but Mr. Sepulveda, in his first run for public office, raised more money from January to July, according to the latest campaign filings.

 

The campaign has featured some testy exchanges. In a televised debate that quickly turned into a shouting match, Mr. Rivera called Mr. Sepulveda "a jerk" and accused him of running "a seedy campaign" for raising questions about his campaign spending and the clients Mr. Rivera represented as a lawyer before he entered politics.

 

Mr. Rivera, a former police officer, said in an interview that his record spoke for itself, pointing to his efforts to increase minority enrollment at New York colleges and improve access to mental health services in the Bronx.

 

"I think that I have proven after eight elections that I have the confidence of the people in my district," he said. Mr. Rivera has survived several controversies in his career, including reports that he received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the pharmaceutical lobby after he voted against a bill to create a preferred drug list for Medicaid recipients, and that he spent $54,000 in campaign donations on a Mercedes and an Audi.

 

At a time of deep public disenchantment with Albany, Mr. Sepulveda said he believed that Mr. Rivera was vulnerable and that a new voter pool was key to victory.

 

Three hours after the New Jol Khabar meeting was scheduled to begin, with the smell of mutton curry in the air, Mr. Sepulveda and Mr. Díaz argued that a vote for Mr. Sepulveda was a vote for Bangladeshis.

 

If Mr. Sepulveda wins, Mr. Díaz told the crowd, "I can assure you that every other politician in the whole borough of the Bronx will be looking for you."

 

"That is the way to get respect," he added. "You will put the fear of the Bangladeshi community in everybody's mind."



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[ALOCHONA] Pakistan Floods From Safoora Arbab



Here is a note on the Pakistan Floods from my friend Safoora Arbab who is now in Pakistan on leave from UCLA's Phd Program to take care of close relative who is recovering from cancer. Safoora is from Charsadda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which is one of the worst flood affected regions. Her family is running a small relief effort in the region. Please help if you can. You can also donate if you prefer to other charities whose contacts  are listed below.


-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Safoora Arbab
Sent: Aug 19, 2010 2:17 AM
To:
Subject: Pakistan Floods

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The monsoons, generally a welcome balm from the sun-scorched heat, has wrecked havoc in its wake this time, as you may all have heard by now. Though the death toll is not as high as other natural disasters the world has recently encountered, the devastation is far greater than any of us has as yet grasped. According to the UN it is one of the biggest emergencies the planet is currently facing, and considering the number and scale of disasters looming around the globe, the imagination has yet to grasp the magnitude of this. Even for us here in Pakistan--those of us not directly effected by the floods--it's hard to imagine. And being inundated with one calamity after another, both manmade and natural, its hard to rouse ourselves to face this as yet not fully fathomed, and unprecedented new disaster. But its in the aftermath of the floods, whose effects are only now being seen and felt, that will allow the imagination, most unfortunately, to grasp this new crisis. And hopefully propel us to to act to counter as much of its effects as we possibly can. 

People are organising their own relief efforts, or giving to reputable NGO's, as the government too is mistrusted with aid money. That too hampers the intent to help.  

My family has organised a small scale relief effort in our village in Charsadda--one of the areas in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa hardest hit by the floods. So far we have been able to gather enough funds to feed as many as possible with cooked meals through out the month of Ramzan. We continue to raise funds and hope to provide basic essentials, as well as water sanitising tablets, medicines for diarrhoea and cholera, portable stoves and cooking utensils, and clothing. 

If you would like to contribute to this fund you can do so via money gram or western union, or contact me with your suggestions for other means at safoora.arbab@yahoo.com

Here's a website that lists other organisations providing help: http://www.tonic.com/article/how-to-help-pakistan-flood-victims/


 Imran Khan has also started a relief effort, and I believe you can donate via paypal through his website: http://insaf.pk/

There are of course many relief efforts underway, try to help wherever and however much you can before we actually do fully fathom, and directly see, the magnitude of this new calamity that has hit the earth. 

Safoora 

PS. If you think it appropriate, please forward this appeal. Thanks. 
 












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[ALOCHONA] New channels offer nothing new



New channels offer nothing new

The news TV channels have failed to catch viewer attention

The new TV channel Mohona has been running its test transmission since last week. This is one of the 10 news channels issued licences by the present government. ATN News and My TV have already begun full-fledged transmission. ATN News is a 24-hour news channel while My TV is more of an entertainment channel with newscasts every hour.

So now there are a total of 12 private TV channels in the country. However, surveys show that none of these are particularly popular. The lackluster, unimaginative and run-of-the-mill programmes are hardly offering any attraction. Experts say that the new TV channels need to break out of the conventional mould and give the viewer something new and exciting.

Mohona is offering nothing new to the viewers. Its test transmission has made no waves. There is a lack of enthusiasm within the channel itself, it appears and this naturally comes across to those watching the programmes. Many are not even aware that the test transmission is on.

Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Chairman of Mohona and an Awami League MP from Mirpur, tells PROBE, "Mohona basically is an entertainment channel, but it has news broadcasts every hour. The channel will begin official transmission in September."

He informs PROBE that the channel operates from his own building in Mirpur-11 and that the programmes can be watched not only in Bangladesh country, but also the US, UK, Pakistan and the Middle East.

However, Mohona's transmission is hardly seen anywhere even in Dhaka, let alone overseas. Those who have seen it are disappointed. Says one such viewer in Rayer Bazar, "All they show is one Bengali movie after another. You can't run a channel like that." In this regard Kamal Ahmed Majumder says, "This is just a test transmission so naturally we aren't all that organized as yet."

However, it is the same with My TV. Most of the time they simply screen local films. As a deviation, they have 'Orchestra', a programme of Bengali cinema songs. The channel's manager Masud Azizi says, "Our surveys indicate that the viewers mostly want to watch Bengali cinema. This is particularly true in the case of small town mofussil viewers."

When asked if they then intended to continue showing Bengali movies most of the time, he hastily amended himself, "No, no, not at all. We will definitively introduce more programmes to attract more viewers. We are still planning this, but it will take time to come up with fresh programmes to increase our popularity."

The channel's other programmes include 'Amar Sukh, Amar Dukh', 'Charpattir Adda', 'Olosh Dupur', 'Ekhoni Shomoy', 'Turning Point' and the news.

My TV has been airing old plays and cinema since 1996. Later, when the present government came to power, it obtained a full-fledged TV licence and from April 15 began test transmission. In June it began official transmission. Its offices are at 55 CR Dutta Road, Bangla Motors.

Next comes 'Shomoy'. This channel intends to be a 24-hour news channel. It belongs to film director Murshedul Islam, brother of the incumbent State Minister for Law Kamrul Islam. It operates from Nasir Tower on Sonargaon Road. Interior designing is on at the office presently and they plan to begin test transmission from the end of this year. It aims at official transmission from February 2011. They do not have any significant set-up at the moment, just a few apprentice reporters who are undergoing training.

Ahmed Jobaer is the Managing Director of the channel. He is an experienced and skilled journalist and had worked for ATN Bangla previously. His last job had been at the 24-hour news channel CSB. He says, "There is not too much to say about our channel's future plans, other than it will be an exclusively news and current affairs channel. We are building a team of new and old professionals. We are placing stress on the training of our news staff and will use the services of reputed international institutions for this purpose. We hope to be able to give our viewers quality programmes."

Channel Ekattur and Independent are also to be 24-hour news channels. In July Independent advertised for reports, news editors, news producers, and other posts. Its office is at Plot 19, Road 35, Gulshan 2.

Channel Ekattur has not progressed  towards transmission. It will set up office in Tejgaon, but for the time being it is using the office of Mozammel Babu's computer firm. Mozammel Babu is running the channel and along with him is news presenter and film director Samia Zaman. As to whether they have appointed any Head of News as yet, Mozammel Babu responds, "I am not like the owner of any other TV channel. I myself am a journalist. I understand what I am doing. I do not foresee any problem."

He goes on to say, "The TV channels which were given licences by February 6, 2010 must definitely start transmission by February 7, 2011 or else their licences will be cancelled. So our target naturally is to go on air before the deadline. We hope to start even sooner."

There is not much progress in the two other newly licenced channels – Channel 9 which belongs to Mahbooba Akhter, whose husband Brig. (retd.) Syed Shafayat Islam is the brother of Awami League's General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam; and Gazi TV of Golam Dastagir Gazi, proprietor of Gazi Tanks and Awami League MP. Similarly there is no programme in Bijoy TV, belonging to Awami League leader and former Chittagong Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury. The caretaker government had shut it down for unlawfully going on air. The present government has granted it permission, but it has not made any move ahead as yet. It has its offices in Chittagong, but plans to open up in Dhaka as well.

Among the news channels, ATN News is transmitting news round the clock. It began test transmission from May 1 and official transmission from June 7. It carries news and news-based programmes, talk shows and documentaries. Manzurul Islam is the channels CEO and Chief Editor. Munni Saha is Head of News. Others in the news section are Nadeem Quader, Bayzid Milky, Probhash Amin and Pranab Saha. Pranab Saha was previously Chief Reporter of ATN Bangla. He would often say that the channel will prove to be a success when no one phones up the newsroom for news anymore, but simply switches to the channel in the knowledge that the news will definitely be there. Has ATN Bangla achieved this degree of success? Munni Saha says, "We have a lot of plans and programmes to make this channel extremely popular. But we are unable to execute those plans and programme due to the lack of technical support."

 

Lack of enthusiasm

 

There is a surfeit of local TV channels but none seems to be able to grab the viewers fancy. M Hamid, TV personality and Managing Director of RTV, says "There was a time when BTV was very popular. People would like certain programmes and would wait for them at particular times. They would remember the programmes. Those who worked for BTV then were talented and creative. They were involved in art and culture, in literature. There is a lack of such people nowadays. That is why the viewers are losing interest."

He says, "The private TV channels are plodding along in a very mundane manner. All the channels have the same fare – plays, talk shows, music shows and news. The viewers are totally confused. They have no idea which channel is screening what and at which time. The programmes are hardly worth remembering. A TV channel has to grow a certain unique character to stand out from the rest. It has to be specialized. One cannot survive with these ordinary routine programmes."

 

News quality questioned

 

All the TV channels have newscasts, except Islamic TV. ATN is the only 24-hour news channel so far. The rest air news every hour. Among the new channels coming up, all will have news programmes, except Maasranga. Concerning the quality of news in this channels, Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Chief Editor of Manabjamin, says, "One can't discourage the TV channels which have news programmes, but it is simply not enough to have newscasts every hour. A certain standard has to be maintained. There are so many channels, but a dearth of efficient and skilled persons. They should first build up the skill or their personnel and for this there is no alternative to training. Plus, they must ensure news devoid of political influence. This can only be possible if those who run the channels and manage the news are conscious."

Asif Nazrul, Professor of Law at Dhaka University and who also used to be a journalist, says, "The bottom line is that the present TV news has no quality. The news now consists of press conferences and singing the praise of individuals. There are no investigative reports or analytical news programmes. And the news is Dhaka-centric. If the quality of news is to be improved, they have to move away from this trend. News has to be decentralized and the news persons have to be trained properly."


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