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Monday, October 6, 2008

[chottala.com] their decision to stay within the 14-party fold appears no less opportunistic


Editorial
Saying 'no' to 'grand
alliance' not enough

SOME leaders of the left-leaning 11-party alliance insist that they will not enter into the 'grand alliance' cobbled together by the Awami League although they will continue to be part of the AL-led 14-party alliance, so says a report front-paged in the Bangla daily Prothom Alo. The left leaders attribute their stance to the inclusion of the Jatiya Party led by the 'deposed despot' HM Ershad and the religion-based Islami Oikya Jote in the alliance, saying sharing the same dais with the communal forces and an autocrat merely for vote-bank politics will be detrimental to both elections and politics. While the position taken by the left leaders against mere vote-bank politics and the 'grand alliance' is commendable, their decision to stay within the 14-party fold appears no less opportunistic. Let us explain why.


   The people of this country fought the war of independence in 1971 with a view to securing for themselves a sovereign nation state built on secular-democratic principles; establishing therein representative democracy through sustained opposition to religion-based politics on the one hand and militarisation of politics on the other; and introducing an egalitarian economic order whereby they will be ensured equal access to public resources. Regrettably, the ruling elite or, in other words, its political parties have steadily veered away from the spirit of the war of independence into the clutches of illiberal politics and neoliberal economic policies, led worldwide by the United States and the international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank.
   While the mainstream political parties such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Awami League, the Jatiya Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh somewhat gleefully acquiesced to policies prescribed by the US and the neoliberal international financial institutions, the left-leaning forces have been no less culpable for allowing the slow but sure abdication of the spirit of the war of independence by the ruling elite. They have failed to put up effective resistance to such a practice on the one hand and hobnobbed with the mainstream political parties at different times on the other.
   The rationale the left-leaning parties put forth for choosing one major political camp over the other has been tenuous as well. Indeed, the BNP is no longer the centrist party it professes to be and is surrounded by Islamist and anti-democratic forces. However, the Awami League has also not hesitated to either sign a memorandum of understanding with the Khelafat-e-Majlish, a political party which makes no attempt to veil its aspiration to see Bangladesh transformed into a theocratic state, recently or recognise Jamaat as a democratic force back in the 1990s and take it on board in their movement against the BNP government. It has also welcomed into the 'grand alliance' Ershad, a deposed military dictator who drove the last nail into the coffin of the people's secular-democratic aspiration by making Islam the state religion.
   Hence, the decision by the left leaders to stay in the 14-party alliance but not join the 'grand alliance' may be high on feel-good factors but essentially smacks of the kind of political opportunism that they castigate the mainstream political parties for. If they really want the national politics restored on the secular-democratic ideals, they should dissociate themselves from the opportunistic political parties right-away and rally the secular-democratic forces in society. It might not take them to the corridors of power immediately, but will surely give rise to an alternative and progressive political stream that they themselves envisaged when they formed the 11-party alliance a few years ago. Society needs such a political stream to keep the aspiration for a return to the ideals of the war of independence alive.

 

http://www.newagebd.com/2008/oct/07/edit.html

অদক্ষতা, অযোগ্যতা আর তাবেদারীর মাধ্যমে দেশের হাজার হাজার কোটি টাকা ক্ষতি করার জন্য ওদের আর হেলপারদের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা ,আর ওরা গ্রেফতার হবে কবে?

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[chottala.com] Google maps interface is being populated slowly with Bangladeshi towns

Google maps interface is being populated slowly with Bangladeshi towns
 
So far, detailed local roads of these following towns have been added to google maps:
 
Bagherhat
Chittagong
Cox's Bazar
Dhaka
Lal Monirhat
Patuakhali
Rajshahi
 
 
If you are not sure what we are talking about, go to this link:
http://maps.google.com  and zoom in to Bangladesh and its different regions. If you zoom in enough, you will find the details of local roads of the above-mentions cities and towns already existing in the site.
 
Not sure, exactly how this incremental development is progessing, but it is pretty sure that it is not result of any centralized initiative that is responsible for this. Rather it shows the result of peoples' small initiatives on their part - a step at a time.
 
One could say it is very insignificant, whats the big deal about a local map of Patuakhali being uploaded to the Google maps? If you are one of those who ask the question, you are missing a big point.
 
It is the individual people who are ultimately responsible to decide our destiny, not the authority. Thats what is showing up in these individual efforts - slowly but surely.
 
Don't be surprised if one day find all the local maps of all the district towns and upazillas and unions show up in different maps software and are accessible to the whole world. A government initiative to make the digitized information available at different government owned site under e-governance initiative would make this transition fast. Hopefully someone in the government will make sure that its branches are not run with same mentality which left us without a submarine cable connection for a long time.
 
Also, these maps needs to be complemented by further information about historical artifacts, social / festival locations and natural locations that could be very useful for our planned social tourism and eco-tourism. On the national level, the maps still don't show the locations of forests - not even the Sundarbans.
 
Isn't it surprising that our tourism top-heads are campaigning among populace to vote for Sundarbans as one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, but we are not willing to share the very basic information (such as location of this natural wonder) with the world?
 
Also, there is another thing that is awaiting to happen.
 
We are yet to produce a locally hosted Bangla interface mapping portal to be used by the local people. We would hope somebody from our IT entreprenuers will soon rollout such a portal. If you want to consider to develop such a site - don't think its just a free labour. A proper business plan could make you earn a lot of money if you can develop a informative mapping interface of Dhaka or Chittogong with Bangla interface. Your exit strategy could be to develop the business groud up or you could be a target acquisiton of global players who are constantly looking for niche plays in emerging markets.
 
If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.
 
Thanks for your time,
Innovation Line
=======================================================
Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different internet based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members of new generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify yourself as someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column, please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for publishing the article as Creative Commons contents.
 
Dear readers, also, if you thought the article was important enough so it should come under attention of the head of the government please forward the message to them. Email address for the Chief Advisor: feeedback@pmo.gov.bd_ or athttp://www.cao.gov.bd/feedback/comments.php
 
Send it to Parjatan:
 

Let the members of TOAB and/or BTEF know about this, if you happen to have a direct relationship wtih any of them:
http://www.toab.org/memberlist.html
http://www.btef.info/index.php?view=member/member.php
 
Also send to your favourtie TV channel:
Channel i: http://www.channel-i-tv.com/contact.html
ATN Bangla: mtplive@atnbangla.tv_
NTV: info@ntvbd.com_
RTV: info@rtvbd.tv_
BTV: info@btv.gov.bd_
 
The more of you forward it to them, the less will be the need to go back to street agitation. Use ICT to practice democracy.
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[chottala.com] Alternative to Minus two: minus one through election


From newspaper report, it seems that this so called CTG, puppet of IMF, World Bank, India ,in  a word, all anti bangladeshi forces , is still trying to implement minus two formula.
 
 Minus two is a conspiracy, reactive decison and implementing it by force, trics or hipocracy  or torture will provoke  revenge and  the present powerfuls  may be target of Minus in future.
 
Instead of minus two minus one through election will be best and the process will also be nonreactive.
 
 I would urge the power behind minus two should  change their decison.
 
 we should follow the way followed by countries  developed in democratic culture.
 
The leader of the party defeated in national election resign from the  party leadership.
 
 In our case, this should be implemented.
 
 Both the lady should be allowed to take part in th next election with no obstacle in using their full potential to win the election  on condition that she who will defeat will resign from the party leadership.
 

 
অদক্ষতা, অযোগ্যতা আর তাবেদারীর মাধ্যমে দেশের হাজার হাজার কোটি টাকা ক্ষতি করার জন্য ওদের আর হেলপারদের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা ,আর ওরা গ্রেফতার হবে কবে?

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[chottala.com] Author of 'Asoka Chakra, Chanakya and RAW' killed in terrorist attack

In a tragic and horrific terrorist attack Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera was killed along with his wife and twenty others. He was author of the article 'Asoka Chakra, Chanakya and RAW' –


Maj. General Janaka Perera, his wife and 20 others killed in a suicide bomb attack


Mon, 2008-10-06 13:44


Asian Tribune: Sri Lanka Bureau


Colombo, 06 September, (Asiantribune.com): A bomb blast occurred around 8.45 a.m. this morning in Anuradhapura, killing Maj. General (retd.) Janaka Perera, Leader of the Opposition, North Central Provincial Council , his wife Mrs. Wajira Perera who was also a retired Major in Sri Lanka Special Forces and 20 others, in a suspected suicide bomb attack said to have been carried out by an LTTE suicide cadre.


According to reports, the bomb blast occurred during a function held to declare open the new UNP office in Anuradhapura, military sources said.


Among the dead were also the UNP Manager in Anuradhapura, Dr Rajah John Pulle and his wife. More than 35 others suffering injuries have been admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital.

The attack had been carried out near Anuradhapura bus stand, outside the Electricity Board office where Janaka Perera had gone to open a new UNP office.


Meanwhile our sources say Sirasa Correspondent of the Anuradhapura area Rashmi Maharoof was too killed due to the blast.


Sri Lanka Government blamed the Liberation Tigers for the suicide attack.


Janaka Perera contested the North Central PC election as the chief ministerial candidate from the UNP and received the highest number of preferential votes.


Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is coincidered as one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lanka.

After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia & Ambassador to Indonesia. He was the opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council till his death on October 6, 2008. He was tipped to take over the leadership of the UNP in the near future.


- Asian Tribune –

 

http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/13553

 

SEE ALSO –


'Asoka Chakra, Chanakya and RAW'

 

http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/13418



--
MBI Munshi

Facebook ID - Mohammad Munshi
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