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| Volume 11 |Issue 14| April 06, 2012 | |
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Letters Some rights reserved for our freedom fighters
We need to value our freedom fighters to retain the spirit of freedom among our new generation and instil in them patriotic ideals. They should get the dignity of first class citizens. Everything should be free for them. We should reserve some seats in every kind of transport and provide free treatment to the freedom fighters. They should get free entrance to cricket matches, amusement parks and so on. We can invite our freedom fighters to prize-giving ceremonies or school functions. This will automatically increase our children's interest in the liberation war and make them more patriotic. During the month of March and December, we become more patriotic. We celebrate our Independence Day or Victory Day graciously, but our real heroes always remain out of focus. I propose that all TV channels bring freedom fighters in their liberation war related programmes. Our electronic and print media are very strong, and do stories on many social problems. They can reserve some air time once a week where freedom fighters will share their war experiences; they can also highlight the plight of the freedom fighters who are still suffering. Zakaria Democracy and the Government We know that democracy is a system of government whereby the people elect representatives to oversee and protect their rights. It means fair and equal treatment of every citizen without social class divisions. It is a system in accordance with the people's will, according to which people enjoy their basic rights to food, clothing, shelter, education and medical treatment. As Abraham Lincoln once famously said, democracy is government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” We are miles away from real democracy. Almost at all gatherings and meetings, the prime minister or other ministers express that only the ruling party exercises and protects democracy. No other party in Bangladesh, they claim, is as thoughtful as the ruling party. But when we judge the government's responsibilities, activities and behaviour, we find that their claims aren't justified. Our government has forgotten that it shouldn't just serve the interests of a few, but that of all the people of our country. We can see that if someone has the power, s/he can do anything s/he wants. We can ask whether AL's act of preventing people from all over the country to attend the last big conference of the BNP was not against democracy. The mystery murder of the journalist couple, along with the instability of the capital market and price hike in almost everything are constant reminders of the failure of this government. It is high time to take the essential steps to control the instability that is plaguing our country. Saiful Islam Roaring Tigers
The Asia Cup fever gripped the whole nation. Forgetting all distinctions, people from every walk of life enjoyed the match with utmost enthusiasm. The cricket-crazy Bangladeshis once again proved their passion; but sadly enough, the last part of the grand finale disappointed the people. The whole nation expected a terrific triumph. Though the result was upsetting, we must not forget that we started the competition as an 'underrated underdog', only promising to play our best. The successive two victories over India and Sri Lanka raised our expectations. The tearful eyes of numerous fans after the shocking two run defeat tell the inner desire of the people. We must remember that, despite our losses, we achieved a lot during the tournament. The whole cricket world was stunned to see the Tigers fight with such bold confidence. The young Tigers were determined to prove their mettle. What more could we have gained when the opposition itself commented that it was like “fighting Australia” or when it credited Bangladesh as the “most promising emerging side.” Our young Tigers have rarely encountered such a nail-biting and nerve-racking final. It was a tough test for the players. All the apodictic cricket nations like India, Pakistan, South Africa etc. have lost so many finals before they finally came out victorious. So we have just started our mission, as the Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim so rightfully stated. We have to wait with forbearance and must control our unbridled excitement. We hope that this single failure will spur the spirited young Tigers to take us to the peak of success. The day is not far when we will participate in a contest as one of the hot favourites to bring home the glittering crown of glory and pride. Shahadat Hussein Rab Insanity We strongly criticise the assault by the unruly members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on a university teacher. Once again, the heinous act carried out by the members of this professional law enforcing agency has proved that they are getting used to abusing power. Muhammad Saif Uddin Khan, a lecturer of the Finance department of Dhaka University, was beaten because he requested the RAB men to move their pick-up van that blocked the movement of the road. In response to this request, what the Rab men did bore signs of insanity. They only said, "How dare you say that? Don't you know it's the Rab's car?” and beat him so violently that he had to be admitted to the hospital. We are worried that it is not the first time that such incidents have taken place. Prior to this occurrence, last year, Limon, a college student of Jhalakhathi district, while returning home, allegedly came under attack of RAB men who termed Limon a terrorist. Limon lost his leg, and the Rab earned much criticism from different quarters. The worst thing is that the authorities concerned did not even feel the need to express their sympathy to the victim and his family. However, after such a brutal incident, the chief of this agency verbally promised to probe into allegations of torture and abuse of power by its members but he has failed to live up to his promise. We urge both the Rab chief and the government to seriously take such incidents into consideration and punish those hot-headed members by taking strict steps instead of throwing dust into the eyes of common people. A shocked student
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