The Election Commission at its dialogue with Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) yesterday agreed in principle to ban religion-based politics in the country constitutinally.

The EC also agreed in principle to make war criminals as well as anti-liberation forces (individuals or institutions) ineligible to contest elections.

“Today, we reached a consensus in principle to ban religion-based politics… Now we’ll have to see how it can be made effective,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda told the JSD delegation at the dialogue.

A 12-member JSD (Inu) delegation, led by its president Hasanul Huque Inu, yesterday morning sat with the EC to discuss draft reform proposals on electoral laws.

The demand for banning religion-based politics and preventing war criminals as well as anti-liberation individuals or institutions from contesting elections is growing since the EC has started its dialogue with selected 15 political parties on September 12.

Earlier, the EC sat with seven political parties – Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL), Ganotantri Party, Jatiya Party (Manju), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab), Jamaat-e-Islami

Bangladesh and National Awami Party (NAP-Muzaffar). They all, excepting the IOJ and Jamaat, suggested a ban on any religion-based political party and anti-liberation forces, mentioning the name of only Jamaat.

“The Election Commission will look into the issue with importance,” Huda told the JSD delegation when it placed their proposal for debarring war criminals and anti-liberation elements from contesting elections. Quoting the Constitution, the JSD delegation said doing politics in the name of religion is illegal and religion cannot be used for gaining political purposes.

The JSD leaders said it is the duty of the EC to uphold the Constitution and it would be violation of their (Commissioners) constitutional oath if they allow religion-based political parties to get registered.

“The Constitution (Article 66) has to be amended for making war criminals and anti-liberation forces ineligible… The matter can be treated as academic one, but won’t be effective,” Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain told the delegation.

Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain was also present at the dialogue.

“We dislike the war criminals and anti-liberation forces, they are hated persons… But it’s difficult to take legal action against them… We need evidence, court orders, specific evidence to disqualify any contestant,” CEC Huda told the JSD leaders.

Banning the war criminals and anti-liberation elements is largely a political matter to which the EC got involved somehow, he said, adding that somehow it couldn’t do it in 36 years (of independence).

“Meanwhile, the Law Adviser said the matter has got complicated in the course of time. It’s true… Resolving the issue is more of a major duty of the government than the Election Commission. We’ll do whatever falls under our jurisdiction.”

CEC Huda said the EC would prepare some specific matters in consultation with all the political parties and compile their suggestions. “And the reform proposals will be finalized after sitting with the political parties all together once again.”

Emerging from the dialogue, JSD president Inu told the newsmen that the EC should have power to ban religion-based political parties.

“The next elections should be free from war criminals and anti-liberation elements… They’re beyond mercy.”

“The Election Commission will send its recommendations to the President in this regard and the government will implement those,” he added.

Mentioning the name of Jamaat, Inu said the party is an identified party that committed war crimes directly opposing the country’s liberation war and “raping women, committing massacres, looting and arson attacks in the name of religion in 1971″.

However, the JSD delegation placed some new proposals on electoral reforms at the dialogue, though they agreed on most of the EC’s proposals like banning student and other professional front organizations as well as foreign units of political parties.

But they were against the proposals of using traditional ballot boxes, disclosing the sources of electoral donations from any individual or institution, and direct as well as secrete balloting within parties for picking up leaders for elections.

JSD suggested introduction of representative government system based on the proportion of obtained votes instead of constituency-based elections, not having the provision to contest by one candidate from more than one constituencies, holding elections in more thanone days and electing president based on the cast votes of all the representatives, including the local body.

Suggestions were also made to keep aside 100 constituencies for women for direct contest, delimitating constituencies, making the EC fully independent and formulating voter list for the Chittagong Hill Tracts as per the CHT peace treaty.

The EC will sit with Jatiya Party (Ershad) on November 1, Bangladesh Awami League on Nov 4, Workers Party on Nov 11, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Naziur) on Nov 15, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on November 22, CPB on Nov 25 and Samyabadi Dal on Nov 29.

Source: The New Nation

The judiciary finally embarks on a historical journey today as it comes out of the control of the executive organ of the state.

The much-demanded implementation of the separation of the judiciary is now expected to ensure justice without any hindrance as in the past when justice often used to be delayed and the judiciary process controlled by the government.

The magistrate courts across the country come out of the executive control today and continue operating under the authority of the Supreme Court (SC).

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the Dhaka District Judicial Magistracy and the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistracy at 10:30am today at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

Lawyers across the country will observe the day as the Judiciary Separation Day.

However, while the separation nourishes big hopes, a few lower court judges told journalists yesterday that to make the separation meaningful cooperation is necessary from all sections of people, especially the police and administration.

The constitutional provision could be implemented much earlier had the successive political governments worked with goodwill. A non-partisan caretaker government is now implementing the provision for separation of the judiciary following the 12-point directive of the Supreme Court given in 1999.

The SC directive came following filing of a case–popularly known as Masder Hossain case–in 1995 by 440 members of the lower tier of the judiciary.

Masder Hossain, who is now inspector general of registration, yesterday said, “Oppressed people suffered a lot of harassment for getting justice. I only wish with the implementation of the separation justice seekers will get fair justice swiftly without spending much money.”

Law Commission Chairman Justice Mostafa Kamal, who was the chief justice when the SC gave its directives, yesterday told The Daily Star, “The caretaker government has been able to launch the primary work of separation despite resistances and I congratulate both the caretaker government and the Appellate Division for their accomplishment. At the same time, I cherish the hope that the distribution of work among all kinds of magistrates will follow the directions of the Appellate Division. No one wants a clash.”

LAST DAY OF EXECUTIVE JUDICIARY

Hundreds of executive magistrates yesterday performed their final judicial duties at the magistrate courts across the country while 218 judicial magistrates start their duties today.

Newly appointed Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) AKM Enamul Haque along with nine judicial magistrates took over the charge of the Dhaka magistrate courts from outgoing CMM magistrate Tariqul Islam. A total of 91,000 criminal cases have been pending with 25 magistrate courts in Dhaka.

SC Registrar Ikteder Ahmed on behalf of the lower court judges told reporters, “Appointment of 655 judicial magistrates has been approved and 218 of them have already been appointed. The Supreme Court appointed 202 judicial magistrates from the sessions judge’s courts while the rest joined the judicial service from the administration.”

Ikteder also said, “The authorities will welcome if magistrates from the executive wish to join the judicial service on deputation or through absorption.”

Ruling out anticipations that the backlog of cases will worsen due to lower number of magistrates, he said, “The executive magistrates used to perform the judicial task on a part-time basis while the judicial magistrates will be performing duties round the clock. So, the cases will be disposed of quickly.”

The SC registrar said four lakh cases have been pending with the magistrate courts at present.

He said they have sorted out 2,066 eligible applicants for the vacant posts of judicial magistrate and that the authorities have initiated the process to complete the appointments.

The SC approved withdrawal of the magisterial power of 170 of 173 administrative officials forwarded by the establishment ministry, Ikteder said, adding, “We did not approve withdrawal of the remaining three officials following their willingness to work as judicial magistrates.”

Asked if influence of the government or the executive organ would be removed completely from the judiciary, Ikteder said, “Such incidents have never taken place at the district judge’s courts. So, it seems that it will not happen in the magistrate courts either after the separation.”

He said action will be taken against magistrates if irregularities are found with any one. The district judge’s courts, the High Court, the Supreme Court and the law ministry will take the action in a combined way.

Masder Hossain also said, “I hope the nation will get rid of such allegations.”

Judicial Service Association President and Dhaka district judge AKM Ishtiaq Hussain was also present at the briefing at the SC.

“Coordination among the judiciary, police and administration is needed to make the judiciary separation meaningful. The separation effort cannot advance if the coordination does not take place,” said Ishtiaq.

Ishtiaq explained that the police are responsible for producing a witness before the court in a criminal case while the court issues summons to produce the witnesses. The case cannot advance if the police do not work in accordance with the court order.

Administrative officials are also involved with the case proceedings as the court may ask for documents in both civil and criminal cases or summon people from the administration if necessary.

The provision for the separation of the judiciary from the executive was introduced in the constitution after the country’s independence in 1971.

The demand also existed in the then East Pakistan as the 1949 draft constitution of the Awami League had pledged to separate the judiciary from the executive.

The Jukta Front also demanded the separation of the judiciary in the 15th point of its 21-point demand announced on November 4, 1953.

The then provincial legislative passed the law for separating the judiciary in 1957, but no gazette notification was issued to enact the law. In 1958, the Law Commission recommended following the law and bringing judicial magistrates under the direct control of the High Court. It identified coexistence of the judiciary and the executive as the main reason behind delayed disposal of cases.

Article 22 of the constitution of independent Bangladesh says, “The state shall ensure the separation of the judiciary from the executive organs of the state.”

Source: The Daily Star

Dhaka, Oct 31 (bdnews24.com) – The interim cabinet Wednesday approved a proposal to make the Anticorruption Commission an autonomous body.

The proposal is designed to amend the Anticorruption Commission Act 2004, which describes the graft watchdog as no more than ‘independent and neutral’.

“The amendment [after final vetting] will now make the commission autonomous as well,” the Press Information Department said in a statement.

The ACC had earlier sent the proposal to the Cabinet Division seeking autonomy.

Approval for the amendment will be effective after a vetting from the law ministry, according to a decision taken at a meeting at the Chief Adviser’s Office, chaired by Fakhruddin Ahmed.

The council of advisers also approved in principle the National ID Card Ordinance to introduce “modern and digitised” national ID cards to citizens at home and abroad.

The meeting addressed a number of other issues including the vendors agreement, which is necessary to transfer the assets and liabilities of Sonali, Janata and Agrani banks to public limited companies.

The advisory council meeting also discussed proposals for further amendments to the Islamic University Act 1980 and Islamic University (Amendment) Act 2006.

In line with the amendments, the Madrasa Education Board will conduct the exams of Fazil and Kamil students who have signed up for a two-year course for academic year 2005-2006.

On the other hand, the Islamic University will conduct the exams of Fazil and Kamil students who have signed up for a three-year course for academic year 2005-2006.

Xian Zhu, World Bank Country, Director and Sandeep Mahajan

The recently published World Bank report, Bangladesh: Strategy for Sustained Growth, raises an important and consequential question - how can Bangladesh become a middle-income country (MIC) in the shortest amount of time? The answer to that, of course, lies in how fast the country manages to grow. For example, if GDP growth picks up to a sustained rate of 7.5% - something only a select few countries have achieved in recent history - Bangladesh can become an MIC by 2016. If average growth falls to the 3 percent rate seen in the 1980s, the MIC aspiration will have to wait for another five decades!

This report argues that Bangladesh is well poised to become an MIC within a decade or soon thereafter. Thanks to a combination of sound economic policies and the tremendous grassroots energy for which Bangladesh is globally renowned, GDP growth has averaged over 5% since 1990. The average income in the country today is more that 75% higher than in 1990. Remarkably, despite its vulnerability to natural calamities, Bangladesh has not allowed its per-capita income to fall in a single year since 1990, even in years in which there were severe floods. There are few countries in the world - developed or developing - that can match this record.

Farmer of Bangladesh
photography: Mohammad Khan

At the same time, a rapid transition to MIC status would demand an even deeper level of political commitment. With many of the first-generation reforms soundly in place, a new set of challenges is likely to emerge, requiring far more complex policy innovations. Any of the emerging structural issues - critically weak governance, urban congestion and mismanagement, overburdened port, power, and transportation facilities, and acute skills shortages - can easily become a binding constraint to growth. Slippages in macroeconomic discipline or inability to judiciously harness the vast potential from globalization can derail this transition by several years. Neither would continued lackluster performance of agriculture be conducive to the MIC aspirations.

It is a fair question to ask why we care so much about growth. Shouldn’t the focus be on tackling poverty instead? The answer is straightforward. We care about growth because across the world it has proven to be the most effective instrument in the fight against poverty. Benefiting from strong growth, China and other dynamic East Asian economies have successfully lifted millions of their citizens from the clutches of poverty. At the same time, the fate of the poor in many Sub-Saharan countries has worsened in recent decades simply because of their very weak growth records. Let’s just consider Bangladesh, where the most success in lowering the poverty rate came during periods of strong growth. Most notably, the poverty rate fell by a remarkable 9 percentage points over 2000-2005, a period over which GDP grew at just under 6% a year.

An important channel through which growth impacts poverty is employment creation. And for that, solid growth of labor-intensive manufacturing activity is particularly important. This sector is the most likely source of employment generation at a scale that can absorb a large number of unskilled workers, many of whom would come from poor backgrounds and rural areas. It is instructive to consider the remarkable impact of the rapidly growing garment sector in Bangladesh. Starting from an insignificant employment base, the sector today employs close to 2 million workers, mostly women from under-privileged backgrounds. The money these garment employees send back to their villages further lifts several others from abject conditions. Imagine for a moment if there were several other such dynamic sectors in the Bangladeshi economy!

How to ensure rapid growth of manufacturing? It is clear from the example of the garment sector, as well as from many of the successful East Asian countries, that deepening the integration with global goods and capital markets will be essential. Many have argued that Bangladesh should first respond to the demand of its own domestic market, before thinking about opening up and relying on exports. The benefits of having a large domestic market are clear, but that should not detract from the tremendous opportunities that access to global markets offers. What if the garments sector had only relied on the domestic market? Moreover, the transfer of technology and managerial skills that accompany foreign direct investment (FDI) are vital to efficiency improvements and to being competitive in global markets. Again, the example of the garments sector is instructive.

Finally, even if we accept the importance of export-led manufacturing growth, can we reconcile that with the state of urban management in Bangladesh? After all, such activities mostly thrive in urban environments which offer them important agglomeration benefits. In Bangladesh, Dhaka has been the engine of growth. But the growing congestion pressures in Dhaka and overstretched state of its service provision clearly indicate the current urbanization model will not support the kind of strong employment-generating growth Bangladesh seeks.

Dhaka, surely, will have the major role for future growth, and, for that, far-reaching improvements in its management and infrastructure are essential. However, in a country of Bangladesh’s size, it alone cannot carry the burden. Creation of dynamic and diverse urban centers is essential. To summarize, successful management of three transitions would be key to achievement of Bangladesh’s MIC aspirations. (1) A shift in the economic structure from agriculture to labor-intensive manufacturing. (2) Deepening of integration with global markets wherein internationally competitive Bangladeshi firms would be plugged into global supply chains. (3) Unleashing the growth potential of the major urban centers, Dhaka especially. Reform measures essential to these objectives include continuing macroeconomic stability; deepening financial sector and external trade reforms; and rebalancing the policy focus toward hitherto neglected structural areas - economic governance, urban management, infrastructure (especially power sector, ports, and transportation), and labor skills. The next part of the OpED discusses these challenges in more detail.

The World Bank’s report does not offer any silver bullets for sustained high growth. It only presents a framework underpinned by solid analysis that can potentially help the country set its longer-term development vision. For the Bank, success of the report will be measured by its contribution to a stimulating national debate and, eventually, some sort of consensus on the set of priority reforms needed to ensure Bangladesh’s place amongst MICs in 10 years. If a broad consensus is reached, authorities and the people of Bangladesh would need to be mindful that some of the associated reforms will not be painless. Complexities and short-term costs notwithstanding, it would be useful to keep in mind that the longer-term goal itself is worth striving for.

(’Bangladesh: Strategy for Sustained Growth’, and Senior Economist, South Asia Region, Wolrd Bank)

It is highly misleading that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government pardoned all the war criminals and he did nothing during his ‘war ravaged reconstruction period’. The fact shows otherwise. In fact, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government started prosecuting the perpetrators of ‘crime against humanity’ or ’war criminals’ immediately after independence and he also passed the Collaborators Act (1972) and the International Crime Act of 1973 that barred re-entry of any collaborators to Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujib promulgated the Special Tribunal Order on January 24, 1972 (PO No 8 of 1972) after 14 days of his return from Pakistani jail to try those Pakistani collaborators/Razakers/Al-Badrs and other stooges of the Pakistani army. Under this order he arrested 37,000 collaborators amidst of strong opposition by left-leaning journalist like Enayetullah Khan [see his write-up titled ’75 million Collaborators’, the Holiday, 1972]. Out of them as no grievous criminal charges were filed against 26,000, therefore they were pardoned and released in a general amnesty. However, nearly 800 cases were completed and given jail sentences. Another 11,000 were in jail including Nizami, Abbas Ali Khan of the Jamat-e-Islam Party (JI), and their prosecution was at various stages of completion. In addition, those that were involved in ‘crime against humanity’ and against Bangladesh, they were denied of Bangladesh nationality and passport.

On November 4, 1972 all religion-based politics were abolished as per sections 12 and 38 of the Bangladesh Constitution of 1972.

Unfortunately, when General Ziaur Rahman, a valiant Mukti-judda emerged as a ‘strong man’ in 1975, he abrogated the Collaborators Act and released all the prisoners including those that were sentenced. For political/ personal reasons he allowed religion-based parties to operate and started reinstating and rehabilitating them. No wonder, those who were guilty of ‘crime against humanity’ and collaboration with enemy (Pakistan) state started returning from abroad especially Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and they were given Bangladesh citizenship and passport. Example, Golam Azam of the JI Party.

On those days I was working with the Bangladesh government and many individuals and their relatives that had no Bangladesh passport approached us for consideration. However, once General Zia took over, all of them were issued Bangladesh passport or ‘travel documents’ to return to Bangladesh.

It is sad that few vested quarters including Abdul Mannan Bhuiya, the ousted BNP Secretary General and current Law Advisor Barrister Moinul Hussein are misleading the public and the nation by stating that Sheikh Mujib pardoned them or shifting the responsibility by blaming why they did not prosecute them. In fact, Sheikh Mujib started the prosecution and he pardoned only those that did not have criminal cases against them. He did not pardon those (Razakers, Al-badr or Al-Shams) that had ‘criminal cases’ and those that committed ‘crime against humanity or war criminals’ such as rape, murder, and the like. Thousands of criminals were in prison during his time; however, many were absconding abroad including Golam Azam, the leader of the JI party and they were involved in anti-state activities abroad. He did not get time to complete the prosecution because of abrupt massacre.

After the massacre of Sheikh Mujib and his family plus his closed associates; Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam, Secretary General AHM Qamruzzaman and Home Minister Monsur Ali, the founders of independent and sovereign Bangladesh in 1975, one after another civil-military-technocratic or cantonment-based governments ruled the country basically till 1996. In 1996, when pro-people and pro-liberation government of Sheikh Hasina came to power after 21 years with marginal votes; it neither could reinstate the Collaborators Act nor could revive the original constitution of 1972. Secondly, it followed ‘judicial process and rule of law’ and therefore, it did not set up any ‘kangaroo court or special tribunal’ to prosecute the criminals. One can debate that as a weakness of the Hasina government or not.

Therefore, it failed to punish the war criminals and the culprits. But that does not justify that the criminals of ‘crime against humanity’ or war criminals should not face justice. It would be unfair if they are allowed to go free or untouched. Fortunately, now is an opportune moment to revive the clause that ‘no religion-based political party can register or contest in Bangladesh election’ and those found guilty of ‘crime against humanity’ to be fully prosecuted. Unless the criminals and murderers are fully prosecuted, you can neither establish ‘rule of law’ nor can stop political killing in Bangladesh.

More importantly, the International Crime Act of 1973 of Bangladesh is still active and Article 47, Section 3 of the Act allows trial of war criminals. Therefore, the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed that has started many essential reforms can try the war criminals and punish them provided it has the mindset and commitment. It is unfortunate that its Law Advisor is trying to guillotine the golden opportunity.

Secondly, Islami activist S. A. Hannan, a retired bureaucrat following the JI party line of argument tried to mislead the public by stating that there was ‘no genocide’ in East Pakistan in 1971.

Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, religious or national group. While precise definition varies among genocide scholars, the legal definition of it is found in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG). Article 2 of the CPPCG defines genocide as “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."[1]

In 1971 the Pakistan occupation army plus their collaborators like the Jamat-e-Islam, the Islami Chatra Sangho (currently renamed Islami Chatra Shibir) and their militant killing squads; the Al-Badr and the Al-Shams tried their utmost to apprehend and kill those that demand an ‘independent Bangladesh’. Since majority of Bengali speaking East Pakistanis (Sheikh Mujib got 167 out of 169 seats in East Pakistan) or ethnic group favored an independent Bangladesh, they waged a war with intent to destroy that ethnic group. The Pak army systematically opened fire on un-armed masses of Bengali ethnic group on the midnight of March 25th 1971 indiscriminately resulting which, as per various reports 19,000 to 25,000 Bengali ethnic people died on that dark night alone and over a period of 10 months, 3 million reportedly killed, 30 million were dislodged from their homes and 10 million had to take refuge in neighboring India due to cleansing operation, fear and repression. As per global ranking, Bangladesh genocide is second to that of Nazi genocide of Jews.

In order to cripple the whole ‘bangali nationalism and nationhood’ the Pak army in collaboration with the Jamat-e-Islam and few other such parties and their affiliates systematically and calculatedly murder the Bengali intellectuals, writers, doctors, journalists, educators and their political leadership. In addition, in order to cleanse the society of Hindu population, the Pak army and its collaborators calculatedly killed and/or uprooted them. No wonder, over 10 million East Pakistanis (out of 75 million) mostly Hindu minority took shelter in the neighboring India. When army captured me on April 20, 1971, they tested me whether I could recite ‘kolema’ (the 1st pillar of Muslim faith) and then they checked whether I had my circumcision, a symbol of being Muslim in the subcontinent. In addition, when the army forced us to lead them in their operations, they repeatedly asked two questions; find ‘Mukti’ (liberation fighter) and Hindu. If such are reported, they would immediately open their fire, weapons and mortars. Such is a testimony of cleansing of a religious group, a clear evidence of genocide.

Abdul Momen, Boston, October 29, 2007

BANE Election 2007
Symbols of “Unity, Trust and Commitment of Actions”

Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad
A Community Centre is our Mission Priority.
Help us to accomplish this mission.

Posted by;

[Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad]
Please give us a chance

Below are the details on our Mission Statement for your information.

Mission Statement

Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad (2008-2009)

We understand and recognize that “Bangladeshi friends and families” here in New England have become a vibrant, growing and rising community during recent years along with day to day increasing new issues over the changing times and circumstances in maintaining a successful family, community and social life. We, the “BELAL-SUJON-SHILU Parishad” is firmly committed to work closely and aggressively with each and every community member on the most pressing community issues; listen, value and address your concerns and sagacious opinions in coalescing the entire community under the glorious and historic banner of Bangladesh Association of New England (BANE) for its growth, success and prosperity. We shall preserve, protect and uphold the BANE Constitution at all times. Please give us a chance to serve the community with our commitments of hard works, honesty and sincerity. We assure our true commitments to you of being resolute on the following “plan of ACTIONS".

1. A Community Centre : Already with the commitments of about $45,000 (Forty Five thousand dollars) from our overwhelmingly interested community members; on the very first day in the Executive Committee, we ( BELAL-SUJON-SHILU Parishad) shall begin to work closely with all our community organizations, community leaders, businessmen, philanthropic agencies, local governments and general members to secure “DOWNPAYMENTS” for a Community centre of our own.

2. Disaster fund/ Funeral Home: Shall immediately establish a community “funeral home fund", a natural disaster fund and shall peruse the prospects of establishing a community banking facility “like Sonali exchange field office".

3. We shall firmly uphold and promote our family values, religious values and cultural value s at all time.

4. General meeting: Accountability and transparency would be our top priority . We shall invite at least one general meeting each year to listen and to address all the felicitous community issues, to report activities of the executive committee including financial updates to maintain our probity.

5. Review/Amendments of the BANE Constitution: Within 30 days in the Executive Committee, we shall constitute and nominate a 5-member Constitution Committee to review and evaluate the provisions in the constitution with the changing current needs and circumstances; and to prepare a report for public dissemination. Within 6 months, this report shall be produced before the community members in a General meeting for their opinions, consideration and predilection for appropriate actions and disposition on amendment decisions.

6. Provide assistance, guidance and counsel to our new immigrants and address our overall community issues with ACTIONS; like educating and helping on unemployment issues, public and affordable housing, health care services for the uninsured and low income families, appropriate public benefits guidance, employment guides and preparing for citizenship examination.

7. Shall invite Bangladesh Mission at least once year to help our community members locally on Passport renewal/Visa and related issues.

8. A Community Learning Centre: Establish a community learning centre to help the prospective college going students for SAT preparations, College Admissions and financial Aid guide. In addition, this centre shall provide assistance to needy and interested community members on writing/spoken English and Computer literacy. Shall create a fund to award financial assistance to our genius and needy College going students.

9. Tax Return Assistance: During Tax return season, we shall make arrangement for assistance in filing Tax Return to the interested community members.

10. We have NO propensity to any political party and thus shall NOT support, oppose and endorse any such organization in/under BANE platform.

11. Invite our business community: Once a year to assist our prospective and interested community members in opening their own new businesses. We shall also publish a comprehensive Community Directory.

12. Shall introduce the Community into the main stream American society that shall play an important role for the success and growth of all of us with the wide and collective participation in local, state and federal programs. We shall do so by keeping close contact with local, state and federal organizations and public representatives like Mayors, Governor, Congressman and Senators.



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Dhaka, Oct 29 (bdnews24.com) – Former finance minister M Saifur Rahman announced Monday he had been made acting chief of the BNP and Hafiz Uddin Ahmed had been appointed acting secretary general, in a major turn of events in the troubled party.

The announcement came from Saifur’s press briefing after a late-night meeting of senior BNP leaders at his Gulshan home.

In a written statement, Saifur said: “I have been made the acting chief of the party in the absence of the BNP chairperson because I am the most senior leader of the party.”

The decision taken at the BNP standing committee’s meeting will be sent to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia for approval.

“The BNP’s standing committee has faith in the ideology of Shaheed Zia [former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman] and in the leadership of Khaleda Zia,” Saifur said.

“The BNP will fight a legal battle for the freedom of Khaleda Zia,” he said, of the former prime minister who has been detained in special jail since September 3.

The meeting also scrapped Khaleda’s decision on the expulsions of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Ashraf Hossain and Mofiqul Hasan Tripti from the party.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain was earlier installed by Khaleda as secretary general, replacing Mannan Bhuiyan.

Both remain members of the standing committee, according to the latest decision.

Delwar was relieved of all responsibilities as secretary general for “health reasons", according to the meeting decision, said Saifur.

Bhuiyan was the last to arrive at the meeting. Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddiqui, RA Gani, Khandaker Mahbubuddin Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman and M Shamsul Islam were among the senior leaders who attended the meeting.

BNP’s acting office secretary Rizvi Ahmed opposed the new move, in an instant reaction.

“This decision is undemocratic and ill-motivated,” he told bdnews24.com.

Dhaka, Oct 27 (bdnews24.com) – Some 800,000 health workers and volunteers Saturday fanned out across the country to vaccinate about 25 million children aged 5 and under in a relentless effort to eliminate polio, according to a health ministry statement.

In the first round, children will also be given vitamin A capsules to combat night blindness in addition to their oral polio drops.

Health adviser ASM Matiur Rahman inaugurated the vaccination drive earlier on Thursday at the Extended Programme of Immunisation (EPI) building in Mohakhali through administering two drops of polio vaccine to a child.

Polio clawed its way back last year after a nearly six-year pause, prompting the government to launch a new series of campaigns in April 2006 with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization.

The government earlier vowed to continue its fight to check spread of polio. Health authorities in Cox’s Bazar recently vaccinated thousands of children against polio in the wake of reports of a new case in Myanmar.

The special drive in Cox’s Bazar was part of a campaign to reinforce efforts to prevent cross-border infections after the WHO recently warned Bangladesh about a 3-year-old boy who was diagnosed with polio in Myanmar’s Rakhine or Arakan state, just 10 kilometres across the border.

Fresh cases have been reported in some Indian states last year, according to WHO.

Saturday’s anti-polio drive is being carried out with the help of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative—a partnership among UNICEF, Rotary International, WHO and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

UNICEF and WHO helped the government conduct extensive polio vaccination programmes in 1995-2004. In August 2000, the country believed it had seen the last case of polio.

But the country’s efforts to be declared polio-free were dented last year when the virus left a 9-year-old girl paralysed in Chandpur.

It was not clear how she became infected, but the virus has also been found in parts of neighbouring India. Since then, the health ministry said, at least 16 other new cases have been found.

On Saturday, the officials are also camping at bus and train stations in the capital and elsewhere to make sure children who have no permanent address or are travelling are not left out.

In the second round of vaccination scheduled to start Dec 8, children will be given their second dose of polio drops as well as Albendazol, a medication in single tablet form to fight intestinal tapeworms.

The polio virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It invades the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis within hours. It can be fatal in some cases.

The virus can cause permanent paralysis in the lower limbs and abdomen of the sufferer.

About 1,880 people were sickened by polio worldwide in 2005, down from more than 350,000 before 1988, when WHO launched a global anti-polio campaign, WHO said. In 2006, the worldwide cases reduced to 1,526, the statement said.

Date:
Sunday, 4 November 2007

Time:
05:00PM - 10:00PM

Venue:
Kennedy Longfellow School

58 Spring Street
Cambridge, MA 02141

USA

Description:
“Belal-Sujon-Shilu Parishad Campaign Committee” is organizing “Eid Reunion and Introducing Candidates to you". There will have dinner and cultural show to be performed by famous Bangladeshi artists (Uma Khan, Ahin Das).

What is your opinion to put Ban on political activities of Jammat in Bangladesh?

Leaders of different political parties sharply reacted to the Jamaat secretary general's claim that there is no war criminal in the country and termed it false. They also demanded trial and punishment of war criminals and ban on political activities of Jamaat.

While talking to newsmen after a dialogue with the Election Commission on the electoral reforms, Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid on Thursday claimed that there was and there is no war criminal or anti-liberation force in the country.

Discarding the claim, the leaders of different political parties including Awami League, said there were war criminals who worked against the Liberation War in 1971.

In an instant reaction, AL acting president Zillur Rahman on Thursday said, "It's is a history that war criminals killed 30 lakh people during the liberation war in 1971".

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Salim told The Bangladesh Today on Friday that the Jamaat leaders, who were the collaborators of Pakistani forces, are the war criminals.

Still they are committing crimes against the people as well as the country, the CPB general secretary alleged.

Talking to this correspondent, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) president Hasanul Haq Inu termed the Jamaat leader's claim false and said Jamaat leaders have told an utter lie in public, which is a denial of the history of Liberation War.

During the war in 1971 War, Golam Azam, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and many others supported Pakistan forces and worked against the liberation of the country, he mentioned.
They were also involved in serious crimes like mass killing, torturing and raping the women, the JSD president alleged.

After Bangladesh came into being, the governments pardoned collaborators but not the war criminals, Inu added.

BNP's expelled secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in his reaction said there were war criminals, rajakars, al badar and al Shams during the liberation war.

The governments that came to power after the liberation war did not identify the war criminals and bring them to justice, Bhuiyan said adding all the governments forgave the war criminals.

Asked whether an electoral alliance can be formed with Jamaat, the expelled secretary general said an alliance for election purpose can be formed with any political party.

Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee and South Asian People's Union against Fundamentalism and Communalism in a press release condemned the claim of Mujahid.

Pakistani evil forces in collaboration with Jammati-e-Islami, Muslim League and Nejami Islam killed around 30 lakh unarmed people and brutally tortured around two lakh women, the press release says.
UNB adds: Dhaka City Awami League on Friday strongly protested Thursday's remarks by Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid that they did not work against the liberation war in 1971.

Mujahid also claimed that there is no war criminal in the country.

In a statement, AL Dhaka City unit AL acting general secretary Advocate Kamrul Islam said Jamaat was directly involved in all the massacres, women repression and looting in 1971.

"Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid himself is a war criminal. No mercy for the war criminals," Kamrul said vowing to continue their fight against the war criminals until they are tried.

The cost of investment in Bangladesh is falling, although some hidden expenses threaten to erode the country’s competitiveness, a new survey reveals.

The 17th survey of investment-related cost comparison said Bangladesh has emerged as “the cheapest place” in Asia in terms of nine cost components, including legal minimum wages, social security burden ratio and charges of utility services.

“The relative position of Bangladesh against the components like salary of mid-level manager, legal minimum wage, rate of increase in nominal wage, telephone installation fees and call charges, mobile phone subscription fee, monthly basic mobile phone charge, cost of general use of per cubic meter gas, and cost of diesel has improved,” noted the survey, conducted by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO).

Jetro conducted surveys in 30 Asian cities according to the 32 cost-components.
But some hidden costs, which are abstract by nature but exist in matters related to legal, policy, procedural system and infrastructure, have been playing a vital role in case of elevation of cost of investment, the report noted.

It said the poor law and order situation, delay in the settlement of letter of credit (L/C) payment, sudden changes in government policies, inadequate infrastructure facilities, and problem related to Chittagong port need attention of the government to reduce the hidden cost of investment.
According to the survey, it is found that the mean order of all the components has switched to 2.44 from 2.49, indicating a very small elevation, which means Dhaka has become a little more cost-competitive from the viewpoint of investment costs.

“Therefore, the government should remain vigilant in case of any change of cost-components in other countries and has to continue its effort to achieve greater competitive edge by adjusting the cost,” the report pointed out.

“The cost related to the usage of mobile phone has gone down because of internal stiff competition among the mobile operators which belong to private sector,” the survey noted.

“Due to the emergence of several new private cell phone operators, the new connection fee for mobile phones has become cheaper and it is anticipated that the call charge and monthly basic charge for mobile phone will further go down as new operator Warid Telecom of Dhabi Group commenced their operation in Bangladesh recently", the survey noted.

The wage for workers, salary of the mid-level managers, legal minimum wages, social security ratio, cost of land area of an industrial estate, telephone installation fee and call charges, electricity and water costs, and corporate taxes are among the other cost-components.

Bangladesh is, however, less competitive in the areas like cost of industrial estate land, monthly basic payment for broadband internet service, new connection fee for fixed telephone line, container transportation cost, and rate of corporate taxes.

Particularly, the monthly basic payment for broadband internet service in the country remains one of the highest in Asia.

Regarding telephone service, the charge per call in Bangladesh stands around the middle range among the Asian countries, but the new installation fee is quite high.

Regarding the container transport, the survey has been made for the routes from 30 Asian cities to the ports of Yokohama and Los Angeles and the result shows that even after offsetting the proportional cost due to geographical longer distance, the cost of transportation from Chittagong Port is higher than that from Mumbai Port.

“This is due to the fact that large container ships cannot come to Chittagong Port due to its shallow draft and, therefore, transshipment of containers becomes necessary either at Singapore or at Colombo,” according to the survey report.

The survey mentioned corporate tax in Bangladesh, being 40 per cent for non-listed companies, is one of the highest in Asia.

The rate is also highest among all 30 cities considered in the 17th cost survey. During the budget of 2005-06, the tax holiday period for certain industry has been extended until June 30, 2008 for four and six years depending on the location.

“That means, the enterprises which have been enjoying tax holiday so far will have to pay the corporate tax after June 2008, causing disadvantage to the investors,” the report noted.

The Jetro recommended further expansion of tax holiday system for attracting foreign investment.
“Bangladesh may lose its competitiveness if tax holiday facility is not extended further, while the facility exists in other countries,” it mentioned.

In addition, the survey report said that the government would have to take care of the existing foreign investors to attract more investment.

If the existing investors are not satisfied, then the probability of getting new FDI will gradually decrease in course of time and the prospective investors will go to other countries, the report warned.
The Jetro suggested that the government should conduct occasional surveys among the foreign companies on the degree of their satisfaction and try to resolve any existing problem for further improvement.

Financial Express Report

News articles follow their own style. This style is not the same as the style used in essays, feature articles, how-to articles, memoirs, or in fiction. When writing news articles, consider this guide to news article writing.

Style of a News Article: 1. Inverted Pyramid Style

Inverted pyramid style is the basis for all news stories. Picture a pyramid, and turn it upside down. What is now the top of the news story is where all of the meat is in the story.

The practical and historical reason for this stems from print news. Articles were written in column inches. Sometimes, due to space constrictions, editors had to cut parts of news stories. Literally, they had to parts of the article out to make room for other articles, advertising, or because the copy ran too long due to spacing in the column.

Because the bottom couple of paragraphs could be cut at any time, it was essential to include the most important facts right up front.

With the Internet, news articles getting cut from the bottom up is not an issue anymore. But readers still expect to get the news up front. They don’t want a big build up have to read three pages before getting to the facts.

Style of a News Article: 2. News Writing and the Fiction Connection

News writing is not like fiction. Forget the suspense building techniques and foreshadowing of fiction. Give the readers the facts right up front. Don’t save the good stuff for the middle or the end of the story. Approach the news story as if the average reader will only be reading the first three or four paragraphs of any news story.

On the other hand, one literary technique is applied to news writing. Similar to well-written, fiction, a news article may start “in medias res,” or “in the middle of things.” News stories are not always expressed in a linear fashion. News articles do not begin with “President Smith was born in 1945.”

Style of a News Article: 3. Keep Your Opinion to Yourself

When writing a news article, be as objective as possible. If you find yourself including your opinion,consider if you should instead write an Op/Ed piece about the event.

Sometimes writing an Op/Ed piece is the only way you will write about an event. After the Op/Ed piece is finished, the writer may be done with the news event. Or, once the op/ed is out of your system, you may be ready to sit down and right the facts.

Beginning news writers who have their choice of stories, may want to practice writing news stories by starting with events that interest them but have not emotional impact on them. By removing the emotional aspect up front, the writer will be less likely to include opinions in their articles.

As the beginning writer gains skill with news writing, approaching more emotional and visceral subjects will be easier to cover while still maintaining objectivity.

Reference:
Beginner’s Guide to Writing News Stories: Style of a News Article

More Helpful Link:
News Writing Tips from The Northern Star
writing news: a quick primer