Message in a Bottle

Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

The only thing we expect from the political parties is that they have the willingness to compromise and it has been expected of them since our independence 42 years ago. We're not a subjugated people, now nor are we at war; no foreign enemy has attacked us but it seems that the political situation is going to get even worse. Ours is an independent country. In democracy, we must learn to appreciate the opposition, as well as diversity of opinion, culture, language, class and religious views. As the political parties are maintaining their uncompromising stance, we're also following their footsteps. We try to coerce people to agree with our views. There was a time when our national leaders had to play an uncompromising role for the independence of Bangladesh. But now in this independent country the government and opposition parties should learn to compromise for the betterment of Bangladesh. This is the only solution ahead of us in the ongoing and possibly the present and future political turmoil. When will our leaders realise that "I'm the only right one", "you are wrong", "they are wrong" - these standpoints are destroying our country. The country belongs to everyone; we cannot just let it bleed further into violence. Let’s make our independence worth it by restoring peace so that the sacrifice of millions does not go in vain.

Sabidin Ibrahim
Via email

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Auto Disaster Management 101

The article on car insurance published last week in the Star was informative. However, I have so far never heard from anyone who has been recompensed with insurance money after having their cars vandalised during hartal. Recently, my friend’s car was stolen. Later, the skeleton of the vehicle was recovered with the help of the police. However, she told me that the insurance company has not paid fully for the loss yet. As far as I know, a person has to settle an insurance policy right after purchasing a car and according to the policy, the insurance company is liable to pay the owner in full. Is there a difference between having the car vandalised or damaged due to some other accident? When should an insurance policy cover the entire cost of the car? I hope the Star will shed more light on this issue in future.

Dilshad Rahim
Baridhara, Dhaka

Photo: Palash Khan

How many More ‘Seven’

As the article 'Seven' (published in the last issue of the Star) mentions, accidents happen because of grave mistakes made by drivers and faulty roads. Some reasons, however, remain unknown because proper investigations are never carried out. We hardly have a day without news of road accidents. Government officials are apathetic, so are we, having lost our senses as if we do not find incidents like these shocking anymore. An accident due to negligence is definitely a crime and they have become quite frequent because the criminals successfully get away almost always. The concerned authorities will be able to understand the pain of losing someone only when they themselves become victims of road accidents.

Md Joynal Abedin
Fazlul Haq Muslim Hall
University of Dhaka

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In Pursuit of Justice

In the country where most crimes go unpunished, it is only natural that the families of victims would shy away from the legal system for seeking justice. I do not know if any organisation has carried out a survey across the country to take people’s opinion about our legal system regarding how much they could really rely on it. Powerful people often file false cases against their enemies just to make their life a living hell. The only time I hear people seeking legal help is when they need to harass someone or avenge personal feuds, mostly in villages. As the story has noted, an elite law enforcement agency like the Rab is now using the same tool. The Star’s article placing Biswajit and Limon’s cases next to each other clearly indicates the sorry state of our legal system. It has loopholes that allow powerful people to use it against others. I wonder whether such abuse of power will ever stop.

Sonia Islam
Kafrul, Dhaka