Letters
Milk Safety
The reports from the World Health Organization have expressed deep concerns over outsourced milk (processed chemical compound) that is not safe for children. All these reports provide evidence that the children who live on artificial milk are more prone to heart attack, diabetes, obesity, gallbladder tone, cancer and so on in their later age. The recent melamine hazard is only an instance of these reports. Melamine mixed milk is an unethical profit seeking practice of the multinational corporations. The multinational corporations are taking the opportunity of lax control. Feeding powder milk has become a culture to our so-called educated families. This is the result of a wrong impression created because of eye-catching advertisements.
After six months mothers should feed their babies with homemade food for normal growth. Today, thousands of children all over the world are endangered because they do not have mother's milk. If the mothers are aware and the governments are able to stop the unethical practice by multinationals, the children will be saved and not deprived from mother's milk.
Md.Anowar Hossain (Sabuz)
Finance & Banking (4th year)
University of Chittagong
Great Answer Indeed!
It is a great answer to the ICL warriors who have cast away our nation's interest for the sake of their unlawful ambition.
Yes, it is a great answer to the people who thought that Bangladesh have lost its power due to the absence of some experienced players. One is bound to admire our tigers to turn over every kind of previous predictions. It will be inscribed in the history of Bangladesh cricket.
After finishing a tough tour of Australia, the confidence level of our cricketers reached the bottom. Then a sudden storm (i.e. ICL episode) destroyed our cricket. Needless to say this win against New-Zealand was a crying need of the situation. Moreover, the role of Ashraful as skipper is notable as well.
On the other hand, it is a great lesson for the Kiwi side as they thought that Bangladesh might not fight against them. Neither will it be an exaggeration nor a hyperbole, if I confess it is the greatest win in the history of our cricket.
We hope that the Bengal warriors will march forward with their confidence and experience. We need a continuing development otherwise these successes will be short-lived.
Aiman Bin Shaofiqul Hamid (Jasim)
Dept. of English
International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC)
Rationale for Population Boom
The Population is increasing at a very alarming rate. As a result, new problems are arising daily. A decade ago about four infants were born every minute and I'm sure its no less than ten a minute now. The issue of the population boom has been discussed many times but has not drawn the attention of the authorities concerned. Unfortunately most people are living below the poverty line. It has become very difficult for impoverished people to survive by managing the basic needs as the price of almost every commodity has shot up beyond their reach. So while they cannot afford to eat properly, how can they afford contraception? According to a news report, last year only five million contraceptive sheaths were allocated against the minimum requirement of ten million. This of course resulted in uncontrolled population. Overlooking this issue will result in uncontrolled population very soon. This issue deserves immediate attention from the responsible authorities. The authorities concerned had better make its family planning department more active to bring down the population statistics to a balanced position.
H. M. Abu Hasnat, AIUB
Banani, Dhaka
In Search of Good Leadership
We need honest, educated, hard working, patriotic, visionary and dedicated persons to run our country. We need people with good leadership qualities who will work from the top to the bottom for national development. The political parties in our country make promises to work for the people but fail to sustain democracy. In the past we have witnessed much political turbulence that only brought uncertainty and blocked all expectations of moving forward. After a long time when this military backed caretaker government assumed power, there were many reforms for which the people praised them though there is now confusion about the success of these reforms. Now people want a change. But who will bring about the change? We don't have an Obama who has magnetic promise for youth? Obama represents a class of bottom-up politicians who can inspire and unite the younger generation to dream of a better tomorrow. We need to find a way to make Obamas, instead of the present process of dynastic and inherited politics? The current reforms will bring no change of political culture due to having absolute power of ruling party in democratic process. We have the potential, we require time setting decisions, opportunities, plans to make uninterrupted journey towards sustainable development. The wants and dreams of the young generation have been ignored, as a result, the talented young people are going abroad for education and livelihood, and not coming back for the lack of opportunities. There don't seem to be any radical changes in the political structure that can make way for good leaders to come in. That's why we need a system that can produce new leaders by creating political space for the new generation.
Badruddoza Jewel
Department of Bangla, CU
Methodical Madness
I would like to commend Elita Karim for her article on the latest madness of religious bigots around demolition of sculptures (Advocating Madness, SWM, Oct 31, 2008). The sculpture madness, close on the heels of anarchism around the women's development policy, cancellation of Mumtaz's concert, and attacks on the Ahmadiyyas; and now the move to build a mazar in Ramna Batamul, speak of a chilling method to this madness. Even a cursory reading of the genealogy of anti-women, anti-culture and anti-communal movements in this Sub-Continent, starting from Maududi's founding of the Jamaat-i-Islami in the early 1940's till now shows us a very clear, predictable, methodical pattern. Exercises in such "madness" follow this pattern almost to a script : make inroads to state power through "soft" targets women, culture and marginalised groups. The pattern repeats itself each and every time the Government capitulates, whether in centimetres or yards, to anti-development, unconstitutional forces. Unfortunately, once again we see, the present Government like every one before it, following the script of appeasement to the hilt. This capitulation is nothing short of suicidal, taking back the nation and every citizen in it, many years. It attacks the founding principles that we as a nation stand on. It reverses important gains brought about by the struggles of the human rights and women's rights movement. I think it was Edmund Burke who said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." We have gone past the moment of reckoning for our silences: whether at the level of the state or organisation or individual conscience. While we must start computing the cost of every inroad allowed these agents of evil, we must also, whoever we are and wherever we are, continue to rally around the spirit of a pluralist democracy our very raison d'etre.
Faustina Pereira
Lawyer and Human Rights Activist
Dhaka
Correction
"As per United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) guideline tolerable daily intake for melamine is 10 milligram per kilogram in our kind of product. But we don't want to misguide our consumer per such data. Our product is melamine free and safe", says Quality Analyst Manager Charanjeev Singh Kohli on behalf of the Managing Director of Nestle Bangladesh Limited in response to the cover story of last The Star Issue.
Announcement
We have changed our email address. Our new email address is <[email protected]>. Please write to us at our new address from now on.
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.
All materials should be sent to: Star Weekend Magazine, 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215, Fax: 880-2-8125155 or emailed to: <[email protected]>
It is recommended that those submitting work for the first time to the SWM take a look at a sample copy beforehand. Our website is: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2008
