Letters
Congratulations Mr Clean!
All's well that ends well. The Chittagong City Corporation election was held freely and fairly amid great excitement and enthusiasm among Chittagonians. Many voters both young and old cast their vote spontaneously despite inclement weather. BNP-backed candidate M Manzur Alam, Chittagong's Mr Clean, defeated his nearest rival ruling party backed A.B.M Mohiuddin Chowdhury by a huge margin. Manzur Alam shocked his former mentor, the long serving pro-government mayor, beating him by 95,528 votes.
Alam obtained 479,145 votes with Chowdhury lagging far behind with just 383,617 votes.
It was not an easy task for BNP and Manzur Alam to defeat the veteran Mohiuddin. Actually this is the verdict of the people. No one can deny it. Despite some pundits predicting a Mohiuddin win, many voters tipped Manzur Alam to be victorious before the election for his clean and honest image. Moreover, as Mohiuddin was conceited and headstrong in his behavior, the verdict went against him. However, it is now the time of Manzur Alam. He has to shoulder the great responsibility of running Chittagong City Corporation. As we know he had a great reputation of being honest while he was the acting mayor of CCC. Now he has to retain his veracity and utilise his past experience as a stand-in mayor. Chittagong is plagued with lots of problems like waterlogging, garbage disposal, insufficient healthcare facilities, mosquito problem, increasing traffic congestion, potholed roads etc.
The people of Chittagong have done their duty by giving their verdict in favour of Manzur Alam, now he has to honour their verdict by solving the problems of the city one by one. Therefore my earnest request to the newly elected mayor of Chittagong: 'Make hay while the sun shines'. The government should also come forward in this regard so that he can ensure the development of the port city. Finally I, on behalf of all the inhabitants of Chittagong, would like to congratulate M Manzur Alam for his huge victory. May this herald a new dawn for our beloved Chittagong.
Mohammad Zia-ul-haque
English Department
International Islamic University, Chittagong
The Golden Fibre
Once upon a time our country was called “The country of Golden Fibre” because of the huge demand for jute all over the world. Unfortunately that fame did not last. This once-promising sector has been demolished day by day. The jute farmers have almost given up, and famous jute mills have closed their doors. But now the decoding of the jute genome has breathed life into the jute industry. A group of Bangladeshi researchers of Dhaka University's Biochemistry and Biotechnology departments, led by an expatriate, Dr Maqsudul Alam, has accomplished this feat. Without a doubt this discovery is an achievement not only for scientist Dr. Maqsudul Alam but for all Bangladeshis.
Our soil is suitable for jute cultivation so it is very important to increase emphasis on growing and processing jute. We must concentrate not only on cultivation but also on its marketing to the world market. By developing this sector we can change the fate of our farmers, earn more foreign currency and make a vital impact on women's empowerment by recruiting them in producing various jute products. Bangladesh could once again become known for its golden fibre.
Bandana Amir
Uttara, Dhaka
Why Hartal?
“Black will take no other hue” is universally true. I do believe and also perhaps the whole nation would agree with me that this proverb is appropriate for our political leaders. Political unrest is the main reason that hampers our economy as well as our development. Don't our political leaders realise it? On June 27, 2010 BNP has called hartal to raise its voice against the government. My question: is it the proper way to protest the corruption, nepotism or inefficiency of the government? Before the election we have got many valuable commitments from those parties but now they are changing their mission steadily. These activities portray that our political leaders make promises to the common people to acquire power. Hartal plays a spoiling role to interrupt the smooth operation of the country and causes huge loss. There are many ways to protest legitimately, so why should we choose the most harmful one? We the common people want a nonviolent country. To develop our nation the opposition can play a vital role, that's why our government should listen to the suggestion of the opposition. The ruling party should pave the way for the opposition to participate in sangsad as well as allow them to voice their opinion on other important issues of the day. Our country should be freed from the curse of hartal.
Raju Kumar Das
Dept. of Business Administration
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet
World Cup Mania
The football World Cup is currently underway in South Africa and it has taken Bangladesh by storm. We see people putting up flags of their favourite teams, and staying up late to watch the matches. Bangladeshis mostly back Argentina or Brazil. Some traders have given up on their regular jobs to sell flags and make sizeable profit. To ensure unhindered viewing on television, the authorities have asked shops and businesses to close when matches are played to prevent blackouts. This shows how soccer frenzy is taking over our nation. Is it not surprising that a country that has failed to qualify for the World Cup is shutting down the factories on the pretext of saving electricity to be able to watch the matches? Is it a good decision from an economic perspective? We should not forget that it is a sport after all. I wonder whether people in Brazil and Argentina are as excited as we are about their teams?
Shahadat Hossain
Jurain, Dhaka
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