Editorial-I

Reclaiming glory of jute

Jute, once called a golden fibre in Bangladesh as it had laid golden eggs for the national exchequer, is in the throes of death. When the jute industry is expanding worldwide, the country’s jute industry seems to be shrunk due to wrong policy guidelines. Today, the jute sector continues to cut down its production capacity instead of retention of capacity, which is termed by many as a suicidal programme for the national economy. This may lead to the abolition of a natural and agro-based industry with nearly 100 per cent value addition, according to experts.
It will be worthwhile to mention that actual production of traditional jute products (excluding yarn and diversified products) recorded gradual decline over the years particularly during the years after large-scale denationalisation of jute industry in 1982-83. Main reasons for decline in production were partial running of private sector mills and closure of most of the mills, closure of 5 mills under BJMC for around last 10 years and downsizing of production capacity of some big mills under BJMC as per recommendation of the World Bank and closure of Adamjee Jute Mills.
As a result, the overall loom operation in BJMC and BJMA mills had decreased to only 11318 as against 23677 in the year of 1982-83. As a result jute goods production also decreased. There is every scope to increase the export of traditional products from Bangladesh at least to a level of 350 thousand tons from the present level of nearly 200 thousand tons. It will increase the export earnings by Tk 500 crore. But, this cannot be achieved at the present state of affairs. Moreover, when private sector jute industry still could not come up as a formidable force. After liberation of Bangladesh, jute industry could establish a significant position in the world market and increase its market share to nearly 60 per cent facing throat-cut competition in the world market. It is time that the caretaker government takes steps to regain the earlier prestigious position jute had enjoyed as a foreign exchange earner.
The latest decision of the caretaker government as to leasing of state-run jute mills in Bangladesh to minimize losses these have been incurring needs to be monitored very carefully. We do not have many industries using local produces as one hundred per cent raw material. Jute is grown extensively all over the country if the raw jute thus produced can be absorbed by our mills the value addition would be tremendous. It will generate new employment, make significant contribution to our GDP and also improve the economic conditions of our rural population. Therefore, the first consideration should have been turning around the industry through better management and infusion of funds if necessary. Has the government tried any of these?

Editorial-II

Unidentified manuscripts

It is very shocking to note that thousands of manuscripts have been lying in the Central Library of Dhaka University for decades. According to a news item, the authorities are taking no steps to identify and decode the precious documents. There are more than 30 thousand old texts written in different languages including ancient Bangla, Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Arabic, and Maithili. These are part of the collection since the establishment of the university in 1921. A committee formed in 1925 collected many old texts from various places in the subcontinent. Only 60 of the texts had been deciphered so far. The oldest manuscript preserved in the library is Sarada Tilak that dates back to 1439, the time of the Pal dynasty. The texts need to be properly identified, decoded, and listed.
We are sure that the scripts contain the history of this region. They are therefore very valuable to the people of the sub-continent. But the university authority has not even bothered to preserve a collection of literature relating to the texts. Funding shortfalls may be one of the reasons behind this deplorable situation. But the main reason is, perhaps, the lack of interest of the authorities.
Nobody can deny that the manuscripts are extremely valuable. They can focus light to our history and civilization. We therefore have a moral responsibility to preserve and decipher them properly. Publication of the texts is also necessary. The university can allocate a fund in its budget for these purposes. If not, time may destroy them. That will be a great loss. We cannot afford to incur that loss. The authorities must understand that the manuscripts are more valuable than the library building. If the building collapses, they can reconstruct it. But if the manuscripts are destroyed, there will no way to remake them. So the university should take appropriate steps to preserve them. We hope the authorities would surely respond to the issue immediately.

Post-I

Why oil crisis?

Oil at $150? Very likely and could be soon. How about $170, or even $200? That is possible before the end of this year, writes Osama Al Sharif

Oil at $150? Very likely and could be soon. How about $170, or even $200? That is possible before the end of this year. There are those who see the price of a barrel of oil hitting $300 and even $500 in the next few years. Impossible you say, well just remember that last year a barrel of crude was selling at $70 and even then the markets were complaining that it was already too high.
The oil conundrum is playing havoc with local, regional and international markets. The producers say it’s not their fault and consumers blame speculators and a battered dollar. Others point to the current crisis between the West and Iran, which in recent days moved from rhetorical ranting to sabre-rattling. There is confusion, fear, mistrust and greed in the oil business today, but what else is new?
Oil has been a central pillar of international politics and trade for decades, and the West has traditionally played dirty games when it came to preserving the life-line of its economy and civilisation. Cheap oil enabled Western societies to flourish and expand, the United States being the most notorious example. Wars were waged, coups staged and regimes toppled in order to maintain control of production, exploration rights, distribution and price.
It is unlikely that the rules of the game have changed in recent years, but it is now a fact that the new economies of China, India, Russia and others are competing ever more with the West for a bigger share of available oil. Economic displacement is a matter of time, with studies predicting that China will unseat the US as the biggest world economy in 30 to 40 years if not before.
This is probably why China is now eyeing Africa as the next source of new oil finds and is investing tens of millions of dollars in Sudan Chad, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. According to US energy sources the Chinese now account for more than 40 per cent of total growth in global demand for oil and have replaced Japan as the world’s second largest oil importer, after the United States.
It is not all speculation that is driving energy prices to new territories, although President George W. Bush and a number of prominent experts would disagree. Try conspiracy and behind-the-scenes power struggle between the United States and China. The US economy is officially in recession and is unlikely to recover for years. Meanwhile, China, along with India and other emerging economies, are trying to prevent their markets from overheating. But investments are still pouring in and the shift will continue to move from the north to the south.
But expensive oil is hurting the US economy as much as emerging ones. That is true, but with trillions of dollars - generated over the years by trade surplus - in the coffers of China, Russia and India, these countries may have a better chance at weathering the current storm. The question then is who is twisting the other’s arm? In this game of finger biting China and others may be the ones who will be left standing by the end of the day.
According to Charles Biderman in a recently published article in Forbes, what is happening now could spell a financial disaster for the US. He writes that at present levels the US consumes 21 million barrels of oil per day. “At $135 per barrel, the US spends $1 trillion per year on oil, which is equal to 15 per cent of the $6.8 trillion in take-home pay of everyone who pays taxes. If oil prices rose to $200 per barrel, the US would spend $1.5 trillion per year on oil, which would be equal to 22 per cent of take-home pay. In other words, the US will be broke long before oil prices hit $200 per barrel, and the rest of the world would be sure to follow.”
But if this is the case then why can’t governments work together to chase away speculators who are driving energy prices through the roof? There are few indicators that consumers and producers are doing just that. The US insists that the crisis will go away if senior Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) members, such as Saudi Arabia, increase production. In fact the Saudis did just that recently, but prices continued to soar.
There are other reasons behind the unchecked rise of oil prices besides speculation. One is the weak dollar and another is the ailing state of the US economy where investors have given up on stock markets and embraced commodity futures. It is a strange situation that we find ourselves in today; ample supplies of oil, slow growth at global levels and yet soaring energy prices.
Opec has rebuffed calls to increase production citing mismanaged US economy as one cause for current speculative run. But with the recent tension in the Gulf over a possible Israeli strike against Iran, speculators have another good reason to push prices north.
In all it seems that bad US policies have contributed to the dire state that the world finds itself in today. If the US wanted to derail the Chinese economy by “allowing” prices to rise to these dangerous levels, they have failed to achieve their goals. If they thought that applying pressure on producers would force them to increase production, they have failed to do that as well. Meanwhile, the US economy is hurting and whether the Americans know who is behind the crisis or not, they certainly have done all the wrong steps to contain it.

—The writer is a veteran journalist based in Jordan.

Post-II

Hundred days of inaction

Since its March installation, the cardinal sin of the Gilani government has been its inability to comprehensively and competently engage with Pakistan’s fast multiplying problems, writes Nasim Zehra

Since its March installation, the cardinal sin of the Gilani government has been its inability to comprehensively and competently engage with Pakistan’s fast multiplying problems. Its sin has not been the creation of these problems.
Some problems have been spawned from an accumulated inheritance of many decades, others were aggravated by the bad politics and the unrepresentative character of the previous regime and then the external factors. For our own past historical baggage combined with a penchant to perpetually mismanage our affairs, we are the frontline nation in the global triple meltdown — security, economy and politics — hence suffering the most.
So does this pose for us, as a nation, an insurmountable set of problems?
Absolutely not. Pakistan has all the ingredients it takes to battle hard times. Above all, a people who are still steeped in a collective good mindset, PROVIDED they can see that those leading the ‘collective good’ moves are sincere and capable.
With all the cribbing when it comes to the crunch, it is a nation still willing to sacrifice for a larger a higher good. Two, we have the competence in the many fields ranging from commerce, agriculture, education, industry, science, technology, security required to arrest the slide urgently in many areas.
Three, among these competent and skilled people majority are not dollar-greedy, thousands are willing to chip in to make a credible effort at reviving our fortunes as a viable, vibrant and self-respecting nation. Four, we have models of excellence in every area ranging from industry to education and from technology to health.
Five, by virtue of the stark unfolding realities right in front of their own eyes and combined with the media presence, there is a greater degree of awareness among people about the complexity of the problems and hence the expectation of instant miracles is absent. However, will this maturity become an asset for those national forces managing the nation in these tough times? Or will this maturity, repeated disillusioned, transform into cynicism and reactionary mindsets and bloody actions?
Six, the national restiveness and resentment has made people feel they can no longer bank on the State alone to provide the answers, hence alongside peoples’ disappointment and disgust, there is also renewed and motivated collective energy looking for ‘new answers.’
Who taps it is the million-dollar question. Those who want to create their own sub-states amidst a dilapidated State structure or those who may want to revive the Pakistani state to ensure better administration? Lastly, while pain and disappointment are beginning to spread, the national spirit is intact; the belief that we can still ‘turn it around’ lingers close beneath the spreading depression.
Indeed, linked closely to the presence of these ingredients needed to pull us out of our current State is the dreadful reality of all of this going waste, indeed going sour. Signs of the eventuality of the Chronic Pakistani optimism and the Eternal Pakistani dream of ‘turning it around’ all sliding into chaos are too present.
This clearly means that now we, as a state, a government and a society, especially the privileged section, no longer have the luxury of functioning in our ‘business as usual’ mode. The question then is who can stop this slide?
Obviously the political government alone can ensure that. A legitimate mode of functioning is not one that only is manned by elected men and women. Instead it is one that also delivers successfully on peoples’ legitimate expectations and on other the national challenges. Successful functioning involves good politics, competent management and honest and credible leadership. Especially within Pakistan’s context where the problems are mounting and expectations need to be managed unless the leadership through active personal example will show that it will ‘walk the talk’ itself too, a disgruntled problem-crushed public will turn to other ways of problem-solving presented to them. It doesn’t matter whether it is the Taleban, the labour unions, the Jamaat-e-Islami or ethnicity-based politics. Whatever the framework for conflict resolution, be it Baloch nationalism, Shariah enforcement, Marxist approach, people turn to the messiahs who promise deliverance.
Lack of political coordination can translate correct steps into half-failures. For example lets take the issue of the crisis of internal security. As Pakistan’s government continues to grapple with an acutely complex and compromised security situation, its primary and immediate focus is on how to revitalise the two law enforcement mechanisms; one in the settled areas and the other in the tribal areas.
Steps in the right direction, combining dialogue with the local traditional powers, with the new emerging groups and backing this by smart and sporadic application of force has been made. Yet the national chorus is mostly against the steps taken. Mostly this opposition is a reflection of the government’s failure to convey the parameters of the Operation and its objectives to the media and through it to the public.
Likewise the government did not fully take its allies on board, especially the PML(N). Interestingly, while within NWFP the political coordination was better, no real coordination existed at the national level .
What is missing in the present government? Lack of accountability of those who are exercising power, the absence of the parliament as the main forum for policy debate, the failure to develop a workable mode to coordinate policy-making among the ruling coalition, no politically bipartisan Working Groups on issues like the Lal Masjid issue and the A Q Khan issue that require special handling are there. On key issues including economic crisis, Balochistan, Tribal Areas, Internal Security collective political effort with technocratic input within a Task Force framework is still missing. More transparency in key public and bureaucratic appointments is needed etc.
These are the minimum steps that the elected government must take to present itself as the legitimate representatives who can pull the country out of the current state. It can be done. It merely requires political will. Pakistan does not have the option to go back to the tried and failed system of a military government or to look towards failed khaki rulers of the past as messiahs for the future.

—The writer is a fellow of Harvard University Asia Center, Cambridge, Mass. and Adjunct professor at SAIS Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC.

Off The Track

War memories fade in Afghan valley

Bilal Sarwary

For many in the West the picture they get of Afghanistan is one of unremitting gloom and doom for the average person. While there is no doubt that many people in the south and east are suffering terribly, for some the removal of the Taleban has meant that their lives have immeasurably changed for the better.
Take the case of 17-year-old Mohammad Fahim in the beautiful northern town of Charkiar for example. Under the Taleban, his entire village was burned down, causing him to seek refuge in Pakistan, where he worked as a child labourer in a brakes factory.
He has bitter memories of working tirelessly in the scorching heat of a foreign country. But now he has returned to his homeland - one of the most beautiful parts of Afghanistan - which is free of insurgents, free of violence and basking in its former glory. Today Mr Fahim earns about $15 a day selling water melons in the fertile Shomali plain - renowned for its wide range of vegetables and grapes.
“It’s from my own fields, it feels so good to earn money in your own country,” he told me. “A lot of people like our province, with its beautiful gardens and the Salang river. I am so happy that there is peace in Afghanistan. There is life because we have peace.’’
Please don’t just take Mr Fahim’s word for it. Like everyone else, I couldn’t resist the temptation of the sweet berries, and decided to sit down by the side of the wild Salang river that springs from the heart of the Hindu Kush.
It is not difficult to see why this strikingly beautiful area is known as Afghanistan’s paradise. For the people of Shomali, there is a visible economic boom in this former Taleban battleground.
‘’We sell our berries and yoghurt, and we rent our garden to people who come from Kabul to relax in the Salang valley,” another man, Rohullah, told me. ‘’During the time of the Taleban, people left everything behind, because Shomali was a battleground - thank God, today we are back in our homes and life is better.’’
During the fighting between the Taleban and their arch rivals, the Northern Alliance, Rohullah lost his father, when his village was caught in the midst of war. Almost seven years after the fall of the Taleban, life is improving for him and thousands of families who live along the busy Kabul-Mazar highway.
The road to northern Afghanistan from Kabul is lined with lush fields and dense vineyards. It winds through the rugged landscape and high peaks of the Hindu Kush, until it reaches the idyllic, nirvana-like Salang valley.
In the 1980s, the invading Soviet forces were constantly ambushed by the mujahideen forces seeking refuge in this mountainous valley. Today, there are other dangers - often in the form of reckless drivers searching for the best picnic spots. Over the decades, the valley has borne the brunt of much of the fighting in Afghanistan.
It was the front line between the Taleban and the Northern Alliance. At the time of the fighting, everything was destroyed as warring factions sought to limit their enemy’s choices for cover.

Letters to the Editor

Solar Power

We are highly encouraged to note from a news item that hundreds of solar power units set up in 100 remote char (islet) villages in greater Rangpur districts on the Brahmaputra, Teesta, and Dharla and other river basins have brought an overall change in life-style of the isolated people. More than 45 thousand char people are currently using some 4,500 solar power units set up by several private service organizations in past couple of years.
The users of these units do not feel the necessity of electricity any more. They neither suffer from low-voltage, nor get irritated because of frequent load shedding like the urban people. The char people getting rid of their superstitions and social curses as they are increasingly becoming aware about the realities of life by watching television programmes. They are also becoming more aware about the bad effects of child marriage, malnutrition of the pregnant women and children, reasons of maternal and child mortality, adverse effect of dowry and many other social odds. Solar power units provide power to their users at very low price and the services are quite simply excellent. Solar power has enabled the users to grow more maize, potato, boro, and many vegetables. Above all, it is totally environment-friendly.
All these points are very much important for our survival and progress. All concerned including the government must understand that establishment of higher capacity solar power units will work as substitute energy sources in the whole country. The country is hard hit by power and food crisis. Solar power can solve both the problems. The government must take effective steps toward that end.
Sulekha Bose
Mirpur, Dhaka

Noise Pollution

It sounds strange that the government has no policy for controlling sound pollution. Many individuals and organizations have continued to pollute the environment with loud and avoidable sounds though various environment pollutions including noise pollution are responsible for more than 30 human diseases.
It is unbelievable that automobiles blew high volume horns almost without any acceptable reason. Industrial units, including those situated in residential areas create sounds of dangerous decibels. Music shops do the same without considering the trouble it creates. These are only a few of the long list of violators.
The government has to react to this nuisance immediately and effectively. A publicity campaign should also be launched to create awareness about the harmful effect of noise pollution. Each and every member of the society should be conscious about the devastating effect of pollutions, noise pollution in particular.
Nobody should undermine noise pollution. It is no better than other pollution. People must have to avoid unnecessary noises. Then they must not make sounds beyond acceptable decibels. Residential areas and areas of schools, colleges, and hospitals must be freed from excessive noises.
Noise is a silent killer. We support the demand for formulation and implementation of a wise policy for controlling noise pollution. The nation has to be freed from the dangerous peril called noise pollution. We must make our country calm and noise pollution free. We draw attention of the government to the demands of the two voluntary organizations.
Keramat Ali
Sadarghat, Dhaka

Mosquitoes reign again

The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) seems to be indifferent to the suffering of the city dwellers hard hit by a mosquito menace.
The mosquito menace has appeared to be a regular annual event in the capital city. But the city administration shows no importance to it. In their netted rooms the peril has little chance to enter. So they think every one in the city are equally protected against the insect.
They are not right. The menace has reached almost an unbearable stage in the city. But the DCC is yet to take any initiative to combat the stinging menace.
According to an exclusive report by the News Today, the corporation lacks necessary supply of anti-mosquito medicine.
The report quoted city dwellers as alleging that the menace has become so serious that normality of their lives has been disrupted. They say that the tiny insect does not allow them to sit peacefully for a moment.
This is nothing new in the city. Mosquitoes infest the city every year in the winter. So the DCC could know that there would be no exception this year. In that case they could also procure adequate quantity anti-mosquito medicine in proper time. But the ultimate fact is that mosquitoes have infested the city and the DCC has no weapon against them.
This a big failure of the DCC. And the failure has become a regular feature of the Corporation. It cannot be allowed for long. The people responsible for the failure and subsequent human suffering should be brought to book. Immediate measures should also be taken to procure the medicine and start the anti-mosquito drive.
Helal Ahmed Khan
Zikatala, Dhaka

Medicine Prices

Prices of some locally manufactured life saving medicines have gone up from 33 to 350 percent in the recent times. Panelists at a discussion on recently said the medicine that cost three taka until recently is now sold at Tk four to Tk 14. Syndicated manufacturers have been able to raise the prices so much because of the silence of the Drug Administration that is responsible for fixing the prices of medicines.
According to a News Report, Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and Health and Consumers Rights Forum jointly organized the discussion. Distinguished people took part in the talks.
The naked truth is that the quality of health services is declining in the country day by day. The number of physicians devoid of values is also increasing. These physicians are giving wrong treatment to people. Then they slip through weaknesses and loopholes of laws. These often result in the death of patients. The panelists said that 41 people died because of these factors from January 2005 to June2006.
The soaring prices of medicines are a fresh blow against the consumers. Life saving medicines are not generally available at the government hospitals. And, poor patients cannot not buy them at so high prices. We understand that the government supplies all public hospitals with adequate quantity of life saving medicines. But the corrupt section of the hospital staff sells them out. This dangerous practice has to be stopped. Steps should also be taken against soaring prices of medicines. The drug administration should be made able to control the quality and prices of medicines. Stern action should be taken against physicians causing death to patients through negligence. Weaknesses and loopholes in the laws concerned should also be eradicated. The government should take these steps without further delay. The hospitals should be made healing homes literally.
Lily Haque
Malibagh, Dhaka

Union for the Mediterranean at a glance

PARIS, July 13: French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosts a summit of 43 leaders on Sunday to launch a new Union for the Mediterranean designed to bolster regional cooperation, reports AFP.
The only leader to boycott the summit is Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
Here are a few facts about the new Mediterranean club.
MEMBERS: The 27 countries of the European Union plus Albania, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Monaco and Montenegro. From north Africa, there is Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Turkey will take part along with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Syria.
It represents a combined population of some 765 million people, from the shores of Greenland, to the deserts of Jordan.
GOALS: The Union for the Mediterranean is designed to cement Europe in a partnership with north Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans. It upgrades the EU''s Barcelona process, launched in 1995, which had been bogged down by disputes over the Arab-Israeli peace process.
PROJECTS: Regional projects in six areas are under discussion. They are cleaning up pollution in the Mediterranean, building highways and sea routes, disaster response, developing renewable energies, mainly solar power, boosting higher education and research, and an initiative to help foster business.
WORKINGS: The UFM will hold summits every two years, with foreign ministers meeting annually. It will have a co-presidency, to be shared between North and South. Permanent offices are to be set up: a secretariat to manage projects and search for partners, and a joint permanent committee based in Brussels to prepare meetings and react to any unforeseen event that might require a rapid response from the group.

Suicide car bomb in Afghanistan kills 18

KANDAHAR, July 13: A suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into a police vehicle at a bazaar in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 18 people, a police commander told AFP.
Five of the dead in the attack in Uruzgan province were policemen and the remainder were civilians, provincial police chief Juma Gul Hemat said.
"About 18 to 20 people have died and more than 35 others have been injured. The number is likely to rise," he said.
The police vehicle was destroyed in the attack in the Deh Rawood area, which took place about 400 kms (250 miles) southwest of Kabul.
"The bombing was against a police car in the middle of the bazaar," local resident Abdul Habib, told the. "There have been lots of people killed and injured."
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but similar attacks have been carried out by Taliban militants, who have led an insurgency against the Kabul government since being ousted from power in 2001.
The blast came less than a week after a suicide bombing at the Indian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul, which killed more than 40 people including four Indian nationals, two of them senior diplomats.
The Kabul bombing was the deadliest suicide attack in the capital since the 2001 fall of the Taliban.
There are nearly 70,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan to help the government fight the insurgency but the violence has only escalated, with the insurgents making heavy use of suicide attacks.
The bombings are often aimed at security forces but kill more civilians.