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| Volume 11 |Issue 21| May 25, 2012 | |
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Letters The Ugly Truth The Star focused on a very important issue last week for its cover story. The subject of unelected VCs in public universities is a very important one for the future of our country. Our four largest universities are autonomous institutions and should be run in a democratic way. As such, we should not tolerate unelected officials. Regular senate sessions, selection of panel for the VC and appointment by the president should be maintained as dictated by The University Act 1973. The elected VCs may not bring an immediate change to the universities, but conducting democratic elections would set a good example for the students. The recent incidents of JU have brought the institution's irregularities to the attention of our civil society and the government. Every political party may have its student wing in every university, but the government should not appoint unelected VCs to serve the ruling party' interests. On the other hand, students should learn how to question power and illegal authority, instead of compromising with power. Only then will we be able to improve the scenario in our country. Indrajit Kumar Das Latest Celebrities Last week's postscript reminded me of a poem by Kusumkumari Dash – amader deshe hobe shei chele kobe, kothay na boro hoye kaje boro hobe? (When will that boy be born in our country who will be known for his deeds rather than his words.) A few of our political leaders are of the opinion that Mohd Yunus didn't deserve to be awarded the Nobel Prize, but is the latest farce really necessary? Ministers like Sayed Ashraful can only further disgrace our country. How did he manage to become the general secretary of one of the country's most prominent political parties? His arrogant comments not only embarrass the nation but also humiliate the only Nobel laureate of our country. May Allah bless Mr Ashraful so that he can wake up from the dreamland he is living in! Mizanur Rahman *** Many ruling party leaders have embarrassed themselves by talking carelessly about Dr Yunus and the Grameen Bank affair. Syed Asraf is a case in point. He shocked the entire country by critisising Dr Yunus and his achievements. He should be reminded that Yunus is not the only person to have won a Nobel Peace Prize without “stopping a war”. There were other figures like Norman Borlaug, who won the prize in 1970 for developing a semi-dwarf, high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat variety and increasing food supply; Wangari Maathai, received it in 2004 for tree plantation and environmental conservation; Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri won it jointly in 2007 for creating awareness on climate change and global warming. Therefore, it is obvious that silencing gunfire is not the only way to establish international peace, nor is it the only benchmark for a Nobel Peace Prize. Asraf clearly misunderstands the term persistent fight against poverty; it's not a fight in a literal sense. It's a metaphorical fight, and the biggest one of this century. Undeniably, Yunus deserves the Peace Prize. The ruling party should realise the fact that Yunus is our national pride and any move to denigrate his stature would be a serious blow to our collective ethos. Md Jamil Akhter At the Whim of Politicians
Forty-one years have passed since the birth of our nation and yet we continue to suffer. We are victims of political instability, corruption and economic disparity. All these social evils have destroyed our modes and means of production. According to the cover story of the Star, published on May 11, 2012, most of our business men are reluctant to continue their businesses in our country due to the above mentioned reasons. Every year, we lose talented people from various sectors: education, agriculture, medical, engineering, agriculture, economics and so on. If the situation continues, Bangladesh will become a fascist state. People from various fields need to get together and help develop Bangladesh. Md NasirUddin *** Investment leads to an improvement in the economy. However, in Bangladesh, there are many obstacles for businessmen, such as, load-shedding, an instable monetary system and so on. Apart from these problems, the business community also has to deal with hartals. This has compelled businessmen to look at alternative ways to earn a living. We don't want to see any more hartals. We long for a society where investment and innovation are possible. The young and future business leaders are dreaming of a hartal and violation-free country. Nurul Kabir Teasing or Terrorising This letter is regarding the article, 'Teasing or Terrorising', published on April 20, 2012. I thank the Star for covering this issue. 'Eve Teasing' is almost like a disease in our society and hampers women's progress. I always assumed that only uneducated people partook in such practices, but I was proved wrong. There are educated people who do the same, while most girls are forced to remain silent. If anyone raises her voice against it, she doesn't get the proper support. This eventually leads to suicides. This is indeed a sad scenario. Concerned people should come forward to stop such acts and make our society a safe and secured place. Farhat Husnain
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