Solution has to be home-grown

Habibur Rahman

Former chief adviser to a caretaker government Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman yesterday said he wants to see a home-grown solution to the caretaker government issue.
“We have to solve our problems ourselves…. The solution has to be Made in Bangladesh,” he told newsmen after the inaugural session of the daylong International Conference on EU-Saarc Cooperation at the city's Cirdap auditorium.
His remarks came at a time when the main opposition BNP has been demanding restoration of the caretaker government system in the constitution, which was cancelled through a constitutional amendment last year.
In democracy, there will be difference of opinions; but there are also solutions to problems arising out of any issue, observed the former chief justice.
Habibur, however, did not proffer any probable solution. “I cannot say something new. You rather ask the youth for the solution. They think about the country much more than I do.”
Addressing the conference, the eminent jurist rated Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) as the weakest regional bloc of the world.
Realising the importance of regional cooperation, the European Union (EU) has made significant progress in socio-economic fields. They have also addressed many ethnic and minority issues, he maintained.
Prof Imtiaz Ahmed of international relations department at Dhaka University said the European nations have witnessed many wars and bloodshed in the past, but now they have a very different Europe.
“Look at Schengen visa of Europe. But there is a serious problem in our region. India and Pakistan appear to be at war even in cricket,” he mentioned.
Former adviser to a caretaker government CM Shafi Sami said despite having a common history and traditions, there are conflicts in South Asia over sharing of resources like water.
The Saarc, being a younger bloc, can learn from the EU how it had addressed the domestic political issues, supervised and implemented the regional projects for economic growth and social development, he noted.
In this globalised world only shared prosperity can ensure peace and security, said Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, first secretary at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
Individually, the EU has strong ties with the South Asian nations, but the EU-Saarc relation is not very strong, he pointed out. “There is a lot to be done here.”
Aamer Ahmed Atozai, fist secretary at Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, suggested more investment and transfer of technology from the EU to this region. Creating job opportunities for the South Asian youths in the EU could be an area of greater cooperation, he maintained.
Diplomats, academics and youths from different South Asian countries joined the conference, organised by South Asia Youth for Peace and Prosperity Society.
AG Abeysekera, minister at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Dhaka, and KC Aryal, deputy chief of the mission at the Nepalese embassy in Dhaka, addressed, among others.