Letters
On the Brink of Catastrophe
I was shocked to read about the sufferings of hundreds of families in Dacope, Khulna due to an unplanned construction of embankments. What was supposed to protect people from flooding has become a curse in their lives. If the engineers knew that using saline water in the construction of the dam would weaken its structure, why did they use it in the first place? What is the point in building something that you know is not going to last? Who gave the right to waste taxpayers' money in such an irresponsible manner? Have they heard about something called 'planning'?
And now that the dam has developed cracks through which saline water has flooded and inundated arable lands, what measures is the government going to take to mitigate the damages? What programmes is the government going to undertake to rehabilitate the people who became homeless?
The least the government can now do is to try to reduce the needless sufferings of these innocent lives.
Shafiqul Mahmood Russell
Azimpur, Dhaka
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I want to thank the Star and the writer for the cover story for remembering hundreds of families going through untold sufferings for the negligence, incompetence and corruption of the government officials. However, in my humble opinion, the feature was not consistent with the standard of other cover stories the Star publishes. It reads less like a feature and more like a news article.
Tahmina Khatun Tinni
Dhaka University, Dhaka
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They Have a Dream
Bashar al-Assad
I share Chintito’s dream 'to see peace return to Syria without indiscriminate military action by forces inside or outside that may kill thousands of innocent civilians including children and women, and maim a few thousand more'. However, I find the writer’s suggestions a bit naive. Take, for example, his advice 'Put the ball in Putin's court because he has challenged your claim of Assad's chemical strikes. Ask the Russian president of Vladimir fame to dissuade Assad from the destructive path that he and his government has chosen.' Is the writer aware of the fact that this is exactly what the international community including the US have been trying to tell the Russian regime? The Obama administration has demonstrated unparallel restraint in launching any kind of attack against the brutal Bashar regime. Diplomacy has failed. Hence the latest American move to launch a 'surgical attack' against the regime. Also, the suggestion to capture Bashar with the help of US commandoes is an unrealistic one for two reasons. First, Bashar, is not a stateless terrorist like Bin Laden and second, Obama is not Bush who tried to rule the world with his irresponsible cowboy attitude. That is why Obama is seeking the approval of the US congress even if he has full executive authority to order such an operation.
Mohibur Rahman
Via email from UK
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Seeds of tragedy
Some circles in the society have blamed the English-medium education for Oishee's inexplicable behaviour. I would like to point out that it is an utterly preposterous claim. Although it is true that a large number of children attending English-medium schools in the country grow up to be oblivious to our culture and history, these schools by no means teach anything that may trigger someone to kill his or her parents. And there are those who claim that the real reason behind this kind of bizarre behaviour is decline of the influence of religion. The fact is Bangladesh is becoming more 'religious' every day. But unfortunately people are becoming more and more dishonest and corrupt. So what we need is an understanding of the true message of religion.
Shirajul Islam
Bashabo, Dhaka
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The Common Man's Burden
The writer of last week’s Current Affairs is known for his in depth analyses of the current political state of the country. Recently however, he has been writing articles that lack the insight of a seasoned columnist like him. This feature does not offer the reader anything that the reader has not known for the last several months. We expect better from him and the Star.
Mohammmed Wasim
Malibagh, Dhaka
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Photo Courtesy: Brave Men Campaign
Brave Men Campaign
I want to thank the writer for this well written essay. I also want to congratulate UNDP and NHRC for involving the youth to raise awareness for violence against women in our country. The idea of the 'Brave Men Diary' is brilliant. I am highly impressed with their message that true bravery lies in saving women from discrimination, not abusing them. It may be relevant to mention that some young students in rural areas of Bangladesh recently demonstrated this real heroism by stopping child marriages. One such hero has recently been honoured by the United Kingdom government. No social movement can succeed unless it has the support of the youth. History teaches us that. I wish this movement great success.
Lutfunnahar Uma
Banani, Dhaka
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Autumn
I enjoyed reading this beautifully written piece that reminds us of how deeply our parents love us and how they sacrifice everything for our happiness. Their happiness lies in seeing us happy. Let us appreciate their hard work and unconditional love for us and take care of them when they will are old and helpless.
Arifa Haq
Uttara, Dhaka
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The Pied Pipers of Jadur Shohor
I am glad to learn that Bangladeshi bands like Chirkutt are getting noticed by music lovers of other countries. Nagar Baul James made us proud when he worked as a playback singer in a critically acclaimed Bollywood movie. I wish Chirkutt more success in future.
Anuva Islam
Dhanmondi, Dhaka