Letters
A Take on SWM
I am writing to thank you for your efforts in putting out a magazine of consistent quality week after week, providing a mixture of interesting and informative, not to mention enjoyable content, under sometimes difficult circumstances. I have particularly enjoyed some of the work done by the staff writers.
However, the quality of the columnists for the magazine is not always as satisfactory. While there are some who consistently turn out interesting columns, there are others whose work is so boring that it is difficult to stay awake while reading! I think that the editorial team at the magazine needs to be more critical in its approach to assessing these contributions. Columnists like Andrew Morris or Sharbari Ahmed seem to be able to write about a range of issues, including their personal lives and idiosyncrasies in a way that makes almost anything interesting. But I for one am not particularly interested in reading about over-privileged people who have to travel out of town in order to buy a kitten, or others who complain about 48-hour days in which they seem to achieve absolutely nothing of consequence... Perhaps I would find even these topics amusing if they were well written, as is the case with Andrew or some of the other columnists and staff writers.
I hope these comments will be taken in the spirit in which they were made, namely with the aim of further improving the quality of an already excellent publication.
Ena Zahir Islam
By email
The Ceftriaxone Issue
Recently a critical dilemma has begun between two authorities on an issue of quality and quantity of a sophisticated antibiotic, ceftriaxone inj. It started when two physicians of BSMMU claimed that they have tested ceftriaxone inj. of 17 manufacturers of Bangladesh. In their report they also claimed that all these brands do not contain the ceftriaxone within the range it is claimed on label. They also added that this low quality antibiotic is a great threat for patients suffering from severe infections.
On the other hand after getting the news the Drug Administration collected some brand samples (without informing the manufacturer) from the market and these samples have been tested at the government drug testing laboratory. They found all these samples containing the active ceftriaxone within the limit as per USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) and BP (British Pharmacopoeia) formulation reference.
The two reports are completely contradictory. For the greater interest of the pharmaceutical industry and our economy it is necessary to come a conclusion immediately. I would like to draw attention of the respective government authorities to sit together and come to a conclusion about the quality of this medicine and take necessary actions.
M. Zakir Hossain
M. Pharm. DU
Our Hope and Aspirations for the New Year
2007 was a remarkable and eventful year for all of us. We have seen the fall of many corrupt politicians who literally destroyed the very institutions they represented. Even though it's hard to believe for the common people that these politicians are now languishing in jail for their misdeeds, nevertheless the caretaker government needs to be praised for taking this bold initiative and thus giving us the people something to cheer about. Our armed forces once again did a good job of safeguarding our democracy and avoiding a civil war like situation. They were able to stop the anarchy, which plagued our economy.
Apart from this, the general people wholeheartedly appreciated this government for giving freedom to the Anti Corruption Commission, separating the judiciary from the executives, executing the top level leaders of militant outfit JMB, helping the Election Commission in preparing a flawless voter list with photographs.
This New Year our first and foremost duty should be to help the Election Commission in preparing a flawless voter list. Moreover without any hesitation we can now say that the people are eagerly waiting for the trial of the war criminals. We do hope that the government would give priority to the sentiment of the mass people and speed up this process without further ado.
Our country is blessed with many talented individuals and together we can make this land peaceful and harmonious. If we all worked with sincerity, dedication and honesty 2008 will be a fruitful year for us.
Nazmus Saquib
Stamford University, Dhanmondi
******
Although it's a dream, I do believe Bangladesh has the potential manpower to transform this country into a developed one. What we need is a well-structured system. This will provide an environment to our meritorious citizens to develop and hone their knowledge and skills.
It is hoped that the caretaker government will take all the necessary steps to initiate the development of a well-structured system this year. The prices of essentials need to come down and the war criminals need to be tried. Political parties need to recognise their faults and nominate only those candidates who deserve it. If elections are held according to the roadmap democracy will be restored.
Jhalok Ronjan Talukdar,
Dept. of Social Work, SUST
Skyrocketing Prices of Essentials
When prices of essentials like rice and edible oil soar three or four times in a couple of days and the people's income remains the same as it was five years ago we have reasons to doubt how efficiently our administrators are running the country. A top bureaucrat has not helped the situation by saying that the government cannot do anything more to reduce the price of rice. A government that can easily incarcerate corrupt politicians with or without substantial evidence is periodically failing to keep prices of essentials from soaring out of people's reach. The task of bringing the corrupt businessmen to justice and restoring normalcy in market prices seems to be a daunting one. We dream of a corruption free society but if achieving that means that the people will not be able to eat even once a day due to rising prices of essential food items perhaps that will always remain a dream for us.
Nayeem Islam
The Aga Khan School, Dhaka
Injustice To a Thrust Sector!
Tourism is considered a thrust sector all over the world. It's a shame that we can't explore and widen the prospects for our tourism sector competently for national development. We should learn from our neighbouring countries on how to best capitalise from our natural resources, which would be a great contributor to our GNP.
The road and transportation amenities are incredibly pitiable in Sylhet. It is extremely difficult for tourists to reach Madhobkunda (the place of the beautiful waterfalls) from Sylhet without private transportation. Jaflong is another eye-catching spot where it was once possible to reach by BRTC's 'tourist bus'. For some reason they have now stopped the service. Lack of trained guides, toilet facilities, hygienic eateries and security are also a great hindrance.
The government and private investors should be conscientious about these issues. It's possible to generate great returns on very low investment. If proper steps are taken to develop and maintain our natural beauty, this can truly become a thrust sector.
Md. Abdul Hamid
Dept. of Business Administration, SUST
Submission Guideline:
Letters to the Editor, Dhaka Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While SWM welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. SWM does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups range from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
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