Friday, August 14, 2020
Monday, July 27, 2020
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Friday, November 28, 2008
A New Dimension in Urban Terrorism(Published in 'The Daily Star', Bangladesh)
-By Major(Retd) Mahmudur Rahman, an International Relation and Security Analyst of ISSIT Ltd.
While it is early to know exactly what happened in Mumbai as the fog of war still blankets the city, multiple press reports from India allowing for a general picture to be painted. An estimated 12 to 25 terrorists are believed to have entered Mumbai City by sea on the 26th November at around 9: 30 p.m (local time). After landing, the Terrorists initiated discriminated attacks at a police station, then fanned across the city to attack the soft underbelly of hotels, cafes, cinemas, and hospitals. Civilians were gunned down and taken as hostage, while terrorists shorted out for people carrying US and British passports.
India's cities are no strangers to indiscriminate terror attacks. Such attacks have occurred at regular interval with steadily increasing frequency in the recent years.
The Mumbai city alone witnessed numbers of terrorist’s activities in recent past. It started with the series of thirteen explosions resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injuries on the March 12, 1993. Then on March 13, 2003, a bomb attack on a commuter train killed 11 persons. In another incident, twin car bombings killed at least 52 people and injured 150 persons. Again, seven bomb blasts occurred at various places on the Mumbai Suburban Railway, killing 200 on July 11, 2006.
In the current year alone, India embraced the highest number of terrorists bomb attacks including in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Guwati, Manipur etc in 2008.
Now the burning question, what is new about Mumbai, Attack in November 2008 ? This is the first time in Indian soil that the Westerners in particular the Americans, the British and the Jewish were targeted. So this attack got the highest global media coverage after the 9/11 incident.
The obvious novelty and uniqueness of the attack is the use of ‘frontal built up area assault’ tactics blending apparently the ‘Amphibious operation’ instead of timed explosive devices , one or more bombings at distinct sites is going to be a new chapter in the history of Terrorism. But it is not fully new symptom in India.
This is may be new in the urban Indian context. There was one similar incident - an attack by a five-man squad armed with rifles and grenades on India's Parliament in New Delhi in December 2001. The attackers were narrowly prevented by alert staff from gaining access to the building, where hundreds of parliamentarians and ministers were attending a session. This Delhi Attack led on almost to a war between India and Pakistan.
This ‘frontal built up area assault’ took place in Mumbai is known also as ‘Fidayeen technique’ in the terrorism history of Indian Subcontinent. The Fidayeen technique - a rudimentary form of "shock and awe" warfare - was introduced into Kashmir by Pakistani radical organizations that entered the Kashmir insurgency from the mid-1990s onwards. The large majority of Fidayeen attacks in Kashmir were perpetrated by one such organization, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, headquartered in Pakistan and founded and led by Pakistani religious radicals.
But the deployment of exactly the same tactic in central Mumbai shows that this technique has now found a new and even more dangerous theatre in which to operate.
The tactic is thus not without precedent, but the havoc in Mumbai may nonetheless mark a new chapter in the evolution of urban terrorism in India. The gunmen who attacked two luxury hotels, and a fashionable cafe frequently visited by the Westerners, have brought the "war" - as they see it - to India's elite class, and to affluent Westerners living in or visiting India's most cosmopolitan city.
An attack of this nature cannot be launched together overnight. It requires planning scouting, financing, training and a supporting network to aid the terrors. It is more than likely that the masterminds are seasoned operatives and that the foot-soldiers, young as they may have been, had undergone rigorous training for months and perhaps years. It is reported that the terrorists were so prepared and organized that they established an operational control room in Hotel Taj Mahal.
The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximize the media attention on a global scale. In other words, that was a method of the wilds’ bargaining with the humanity on earth .
Nevertheless, the Mumbai incident clearly brought India to a massive Intelligence and Security failure. In the first several hours after the incidents began, the response of the Indian authorities was very inefficient, slow and confused .The first forces sent to the scene were inexperienced local police officers equipped with poor arms and ammunition, who sustained heavy casualties as a result. Whereas the terrorists were well equipped with modern latest AK-47 Rifles, Grenades and other modern explosives.
It took long time before Indian military and police authorities realized the magnitude of the attack and deployed skilled forces including Army and Navy commando units, to the 10 affected sites . These units and in particular the National Security Guard’s,’Black Cats commando force, have an impressive operational record, especially in Kashmir and against the Pakistani army. It is hard to believe even these the commandoes also faced problems for being not having the knowledge of the layouts of such key installations.
The global intelligence and spy agencies had been reporting that this attack on India's financial capital Mumbai, bears all the trademarks of al-Qaida — simultaneous assaults meant to kill scores of Westerners in iconic buildings — but clues so far point to homegrown Indian terrorists supported by external forces like ‘Lashkar-e-Toiba and Joshe-e- Mohammad based in neighboring countries.
In some ways, the attack illustrated just how fluid the terror tactics have become since Sept. 11 — and how the threat has become more global in character. Al-Qaida's leaders on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border still provide inspiration but groups are becoming increasingly local. And one thing is clear they all work under the same umbrella of ideology that Al-Qaida had been trying to spread all over the world.
The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials. The name suggested the group was from the Indian state of Hyderabad.
One of the suspects reportedly called an Indian television station, speaking the main Pakistani language of Urdu, to demand the return of Muslim lands. That was a reference to Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Now the time has come to evaluate that India and Pakistan government should realize and cooperate with each other for facing the same enemy of global terrorism. If they continue the old political tactics with the blaming game, the umbrella of Al-Qaida will be strengthened and the pressure on them in Afghan border will be reduced .It is well to remember that the Al-Qaida desires to divert the global attention for increasing tension between Pakistan and India .
India itself should look into its own short coming in security apparatus to modernize the policing system and organize a national level intelligence to deal with the Terrorism effectively.
While it is early to know exactly what happened in Mumbai as the fog of war still blankets the city, multiple press reports from India allowing for a general picture to be painted. An estimated 12 to 25 terrorists are believed to have entered Mumbai City by sea on the 26th November at around 9: 30 p.m (local time). After landing, the Terrorists initiated discriminated attacks at a police station, then fanned across the city to attack the soft underbelly of hotels, cafes, cinemas, and hospitals. Civilians were gunned down and taken as hostage, while terrorists shorted out for people carrying US and British passports.
India's cities are no strangers to indiscriminate terror attacks. Such attacks have occurred at regular interval with steadily increasing frequency in the recent years.
The Mumbai city alone witnessed numbers of terrorist’s activities in recent past. It started with the series of thirteen explosions resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injuries on the March 12, 1993. Then on March 13, 2003, a bomb attack on a commuter train killed 11 persons. In another incident, twin car bombings killed at least 52 people and injured 150 persons. Again, seven bomb blasts occurred at various places on the Mumbai Suburban Railway, killing 200 on July 11, 2006.
In the current year alone, India embraced the highest number of terrorists bomb attacks including in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad , Guwati, Manipur etc in 2008.
Now the burning question, what is new about Mumbai, Attack in November 2008 ? This is the first time in Indian soil that the Westerners in particular the Americans, the British and the Jewish were targeted. So this attack got the highest global media coverage after the 9/11 incident.
The obvious novelty and uniqueness of the attack is the use of ‘frontal built up area assault’ tactics blending apparently the ‘Amphibious operation’ instead of timed explosive devices , one or more bombings at distinct sites is going to be a new chapter in the history of Terrorism. But it is not fully new symptom in India.
This is may be new in the urban Indian context. There was one similar incident - an attack by a five-man squad armed with rifles and grenades on India's Parliament in New Delhi in December 2001. The attackers were narrowly prevented by alert staff from gaining access to the building, where hundreds of parliamentarians and ministers were attending a session. This Delhi Attack led on almost to a war between India and Pakistan.
This ‘frontal built up area assault’ took place in Mumbai is known also as ‘Fidayeen technique’ in the terrorism history of Indian Subcontinent. The Fidayeen technique - a rudimentary form of "shock and awe" warfare - was introduced into Kashmir by Pakistani radical organizations that entered the Kashmir insurgency from the mid-1990s onwards. The large majority of Fidayeen attacks in Kashmir were perpetrated by one such organization, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, headquartered in Pakistan and founded and led by Pakistani religious radicals.
But the deployment of exactly the same tactic in central Mumbai shows that this technique has now found a new and even more dangerous theatre in which to operate.
The tactic is thus not without precedent, but the havoc in Mumbai may nonetheless mark a new chapter in the evolution of urban terrorism in India. The gunmen who attacked two luxury hotels, and a fashionable cafe frequently visited by the Westerners, have brought the "war" - as they see it - to India's elite class, and to affluent Westerners living in or visiting India's most cosmopolitan city.
An attack of this nature cannot be launched together overnight. It requires planning scouting, financing, training and a supporting network to aid the terrors. It is more than likely that the masterminds are seasoned operatives and that the foot-soldiers, young as they may have been, had undergone rigorous training for months and perhaps years. It is reported that the terrorists were so prepared and organized that they established an operational control room in Hotel Taj Mahal.
The attacks also show every sign of having been designed to maximize the media attention on a global scale. In other words, that was a method of the wilds’ bargaining with the humanity on earth .
Nevertheless, the Mumbai incident clearly brought India to a massive Intelligence and Security failure. In the first several hours after the incidents began, the response of the Indian authorities was very inefficient, slow and confused .The first forces sent to the scene were inexperienced local police officers equipped with poor arms and ammunition, who sustained heavy casualties as a result. Whereas the terrorists were well equipped with modern latest AK-47 Rifles, Grenades and other modern explosives.
It took long time before Indian military and police authorities realized the magnitude of the attack and deployed skilled forces including Army and Navy commando units, to the 10 affected sites . These units and in particular the National Security Guard’s,’Black Cats commando force, have an impressive operational record, especially in Kashmir and against the Pakistani army. It is hard to believe even these the commandoes also faced problems for being not having the knowledge of the layouts of such key installations.
The global intelligence and spy agencies had been reporting that this attack on India's financial capital Mumbai, bears all the trademarks of al-Qaida — simultaneous assaults meant to kill scores of Westerners in iconic buildings — but clues so far point to homegrown Indian terrorists supported by external forces like ‘Lashkar-e-Toiba and Joshe-e- Mohammad based in neighboring countries.
In some ways, the attack illustrated just how fluid the terror tactics have become since Sept. 11 — and how the threat has become more global in character. Al-Qaida's leaders on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border still provide inspiration but groups are becoming increasingly local. And one thing is clear they all work under the same umbrella of ideology that Al-Qaida had been trying to spread all over the world.
The group that claimed responsibility, Deccan Mujahideen, was unknown to global security officials. The name suggested the group was from the Indian state of Hyderabad.
One of the suspects reportedly called an Indian television station, speaking the main Pakistani language of Urdu, to demand the return of Muslim lands. That was a reference to Kashmir, territory claimed by both India and Pakistan.
Now the time has come to evaluate that India and Pakistan government should realize and cooperate with each other for facing the same enemy of global terrorism. If they continue the old political tactics with the blaming game, the umbrella of Al-Qaida will be strengthened and the pressure on them in Afghan border will be reduced .It is well to remember that the Al-Qaida desires to divert the global attention for increasing tension between Pakistan and India .
India itself should look into its own short coming in security apparatus to modernize the policing system and organize a national level intelligence to deal with the Terrorism effectively.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Mission Impossible(Published in The Independent' Bangladesh)
ACC chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury , an ex Infantry soldier went for a clarion call to nation for social movement against corruption recently. This sounds sensible and rational in the context of ongoing curing process once considered as mission impossible for a diseased and corrupted nation like ours. It unfolds the story that without the participation and awareness of general mass, good actions of hyperactive CTG will have all the possibilities of being mislead in the war against corruption.
It is well to remember that our corruption culture is not made out of a single sandy day-it is deeply rooted in all sectors of life. It has been nourished and industrialized in our predicament of precarious society for last 35 years. Genes of almost all organs of the society have been ingrained by taking and giving culture. Who does not know, it is not less than that of truth that our dubious society have become fully habituated reckoning money and muscle power as the greatest symbol of honour –not the knowledge or wisdom is the say of the day.
But what a satire for this nation- We never lacked intellectuals and think tank delivering lectures on how to combat crime and corruption. And I think intellectuals who were supposed to be acting as soul too have taken part in tarnishing our social fabrics in the past. As such we are accustomed not to call black as black. Regrettably, however when guardians and mentors of the society acted as slimy elements surrounding polluted politicians and corrupted personnel for small material gains, they did more dangerous culpable offence than that of any other criminal. So therefore it makes much more clumsy and daunting task for few military generals coming all of a sudden out of cave with some readymade prescription for venturing of curing such disease.
Having said all these we the emotional Bengali nationals have been waiting and watching the cleansing operations of our benevolent Armed forces trying to uproot crimes and corruptions lock stock and barrel with lots of hopes and inspiration to follow. Now the question is when and how will this ongoing operation’ Mission Impossible’ terminates or ends in a pause for a democratic culture to be restored again . What will be the after impinge on of this cleansing operation. Does it have an enough kindling with a tolerable time frame to deliver the good backed by a plan.
Tendency of applying high antibiotics dose to almost all organs of a decaying nation at a time seems to have lacking a clear cut priority of job to be performed by CTG in order to hold a free and fair election at earliest as possible. It is said because absence of a loud and clear strategy keeping the general mass in the dark to fight an unconventional war against corruption and crimes will make it a never ending bubble game. In the process scopes of suspicions, mutual mistrust, sharing and supporting of general mass might start treating this noble endeavour as a lost cause.
Our past experience of military intervention may not be at same scale of present one, did not take long time to be faded away with lot of black spots in the history. We like to believe today’s highly dynamic military generals understand the fact of opening too many fronts at a time with the yummy bureaucratic cheap advices will merely give scopes to CTG for setting up a clear objective. We don’t want old wines in new bottles with a seamy touch of military proving to be failure case, ultimately naming the class as brick wash with lime. It requires visionary planning as always prefixed by a time frame.
The nation was amazed and thrilled watching the fall of Tarique dynasty, plonk in a RAB bullet proof jacket that he and his party men used to take pride of the same on JMB leaders Sheikh and Bangla’s body as win against Islamic terrorism. What a scene of pity that the same jacket resembles to us as winning against corruption and conceit. Now time comes to focus on some of the slimy elements of civil and military administration those who have saluted and allured him to become an iron man and icon of corruption and misuse power. Will it be a wrong desire to see the hardcore charismatic principal secretary of former prime minister and his acquaintances and rudiments of ‘Howa Bhaban’ are brought to justice if found guilty.
Our inflatable expectations to present government are getting bigger and bigger day by day as some of long cherished dreams are being realized. But we are afraid and started getting the smell of vengeance once we hear former prime minister herself wanted to take photograph of the arresting police force of his beloved son and Mr. Matin, a vocal advisor with an infuriated face, receives threats from unidentified criminals.
Big fishes caught afresh from new-dug ponds may haemorrhage when coming out from the prison they will find old and obese fishes infesting and roaming in old-dug lakes and canals. So it is evident that without a master plan of recycling and rehabilitation of the corrupt and criminals, only summery trials of few dozens big fishes may give birth of culture of political revenge and destructive animus in the long run. So the key to success of present cleansing operation will be taking the general mass accompanied on the rail to transform the fight against corruption into a social movement marking the rise of public awareness in its totality for lasting values of honour and dignity. If needs be the nation would love to sacrifice the comforts and individual freedom for the good. Let us hope that false sense of fear and threat may create smile in the smiles of the people.
Major (Retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury is a Risk management Consultant of ISPA(UK) and Trojan Securitas Inc (US)
It is well to remember that our corruption culture is not made out of a single sandy day-it is deeply rooted in all sectors of life. It has been nourished and industrialized in our predicament of precarious society for last 35 years. Genes of almost all organs of the society have been ingrained by taking and giving culture. Who does not know, it is not less than that of truth that our dubious society have become fully habituated reckoning money and muscle power as the greatest symbol of honour –not the knowledge or wisdom is the say of the day.
But what a satire for this nation- We never lacked intellectuals and think tank delivering lectures on how to combat crime and corruption. And I think intellectuals who were supposed to be acting as soul too have taken part in tarnishing our social fabrics in the past. As such we are accustomed not to call black as black. Regrettably, however when guardians and mentors of the society acted as slimy elements surrounding polluted politicians and corrupted personnel for small material gains, they did more dangerous culpable offence than that of any other criminal. So therefore it makes much more clumsy and daunting task for few military generals coming all of a sudden out of cave with some readymade prescription for venturing of curing such disease.
Having said all these we the emotional Bengali nationals have been waiting and watching the cleansing operations of our benevolent Armed forces trying to uproot crimes and corruptions lock stock and barrel with lots of hopes and inspiration to follow. Now the question is when and how will this ongoing operation’ Mission Impossible’ terminates or ends in a pause for a democratic culture to be restored again . What will be the after impinge on of this cleansing operation. Does it have an enough kindling with a tolerable time frame to deliver the good backed by a plan.
Tendency of applying high antibiotics dose to almost all organs of a decaying nation at a time seems to have lacking a clear cut priority of job to be performed by CTG in order to hold a free and fair election at earliest as possible. It is said because absence of a loud and clear strategy keeping the general mass in the dark to fight an unconventional war against corruption and crimes will make it a never ending bubble game. In the process scopes of suspicions, mutual mistrust, sharing and supporting of general mass might start treating this noble endeavour as a lost cause.
Our past experience of military intervention may not be at same scale of present one, did not take long time to be faded away with lot of black spots in the history. We like to believe today’s highly dynamic military generals understand the fact of opening too many fronts at a time with the yummy bureaucratic cheap advices will merely give scopes to CTG for setting up a clear objective. We don’t want old wines in new bottles with a seamy touch of military proving to be failure case, ultimately naming the class as brick wash with lime. It requires visionary planning as always prefixed by a time frame.
The nation was amazed and thrilled watching the fall of Tarique dynasty, plonk in a RAB bullet proof jacket that he and his party men used to take pride of the same on JMB leaders Sheikh and Bangla’s body as win against Islamic terrorism. What a scene of pity that the same jacket resembles to us as winning against corruption and conceit. Now time comes to focus on some of the slimy elements of civil and military administration those who have saluted and allured him to become an iron man and icon of corruption and misuse power. Will it be a wrong desire to see the hardcore charismatic principal secretary of former prime minister and his acquaintances and rudiments of ‘Howa Bhaban’ are brought to justice if found guilty.
Our inflatable expectations to present government are getting bigger and bigger day by day as some of long cherished dreams are being realized. But we are afraid and started getting the smell of vengeance once we hear former prime minister herself wanted to take photograph of the arresting police force of his beloved son and Mr. Matin, a vocal advisor with an infuriated face, receives threats from unidentified criminals.
Big fishes caught afresh from new-dug ponds may haemorrhage when coming out from the prison they will find old and obese fishes infesting and roaming in old-dug lakes and canals. So it is evident that without a master plan of recycling and rehabilitation of the corrupt and criminals, only summery trials of few dozens big fishes may give birth of culture of political revenge and destructive animus in the long run. So the key to success of present cleansing operation will be taking the general mass accompanied on the rail to transform the fight against corruption into a social movement marking the rise of public awareness in its totality for lasting values of honour and dignity. If needs be the nation would love to sacrifice the comforts and individual freedom for the good. Let us hope that false sense of fear and threat may create smile in the smiles of the people.
Major (Retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury is a Risk management Consultant of ISPA(UK) and Trojan Securitas Inc (US)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Clearing Old Debris(Published in ‘The Daily Star' Bangladesh)
Scaled brain of soldiers cannot unpick the politics. Because military’s ways of human resource development don’t match long term vision to produce strategy. What an irony today’s world politics is run by some thick headed ex soldiers of battle field . Their actions all on a sudden seem to be new broom clearing the old debris. But they cannot answer what is next. How the old debris will be recycled. The prescription of war on terrorism is written on the medicine of globalization, satanic version of which is open market economy. Open the market for rich and close it for the poor. Bangladesh is in a fix of regional politics of open market economy.
The very strategic geographical location of Bangladesh is very important to international power politics especially to US and India for its business and other emerging political interest in the region. They consider Bangladesh’s geographical location as one of the most important geopolitical hub in the South East Asia. To have effective influence in south Asia US always requires to strike a balance between two emerging economic and military power of the world i:e India and China. For obvious reasons US had to switch its spot light on Chittagong sea port, natural gas ,oil and other business interest in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has lot of economic achievements with its business booming and trying to change its status from least developing counties. It has shown significant improvement in increasing GDP. Bangladesh can be proud of its increase of education rate, self sufficiency in producing food grain, reducing birth rate, controlling population, improvement of basic health care facilities, expansion of business specially garments and textile industry, management of its GAS and other natural resources, unique micro credit loan system etc .
It is very unfortunate that we had nothing to do but to watch a silent coup by interested third party using the Army as scapegoat. Bangladesh Army is picking at the top in UN peace keeping for their human resource potentials. Not at the mercy of some one else.
Every minute drama of week corrupted politics of our democracy made all of us clown and ended with ready mate prescriptions of unknown invested group on 11th January 2007. Now we say yes we got the solution for holding a free and fair election.
The background and necessity of the installation of the Fakhruddin non-party caretaker government on January 12 will remain a subject of research for a long time. The people of Bangladesh welcomed the move backed by Army. People on the streets have shown confidence and trust in the CTG, and the actions taken so far have been appreciated by people.
But why should we expect that the Army soldiers would clean some of the mess left by elected democratic governments time and again. In how many countries of the world Army has to work as Crain to bring the political train on to its rail line back? Why our leaders are made bound lacking a common consensus among all political parties on the issue of general election 2007 ? Why they are left with wrong, non accountable , corrupted political practices? What medicine are being applied to lack of trust, confidence among themselves ? Why democratic practices are not being allowed to be developed in their own parties? Why black money holders, extremists are chosen as decision makers in the party and national politics sidelining the politicians.?
This is not because that we lack intellectuals, patriots in our political parties. I like to believe whatever achievements we have made including liberation is due to the hardcore contribution of our politicians.
Yes may be time and again we are learning the lessons only after becoming scapegoats. We learnt the lessons. We shall not want to come back to power without respecting the will and wish of general mass and not bothering the call from opposition. We shall cater space for opposition in our democratic culture. We shall not make our people suffered for our self interest. We shall not allow corruption, raise of Islamic terrorism and witness bad governance with a highly politicized administration. We shall except whatever election result is and respect the will of the voters.
Now what should be the expectation? CTG should start the election process immediately. Election commission should start the work of voter list. Voter list with photograph seems to be the solution within a workable time frame. Army may be involved in collecting data and in the process of preparing the voter list. CTG should aim with another 03 months time frame to complete the following works:
- Reform of election laws especially concerning the tribunal, eligibility of candidates.
- Empowering EC to disqualify the candidates before election
- Reform and selection of election officials at grass root level. Army may be employed in scrutiny the officials.
- Arresting some identified military and civil bureaucrats (Admin cadre, Rajhuk, City corporations, ACC, EC, Police etc ) those who have fired the gun keeping on the shoulder of politicians and helped the politicians to become corrupted.
- Reform and forming law for Public service commission, ACC
- Registration of political parties.
- Simultaneously speedy trial of arrested personnel.
We donot like to see CTG takes time and our army are sent to IRAQ in exchange of loyalty shown to safe guard the prestige of some one in IRAQ. We donot like to believe , international community gives birth to a leader for us and make Noble Prize winner as our next guardian. Absurd idea of testing Mosharaf’ formula in our countries must not be attempted by Army. We donot expect our army to be smart in politics like Pakistanis . We know, they are proved to be better human resource potentials than that of others in the region. Let’s move with our fate clearing the old debris, of course with a plan of recycling the debris. I expect our army will keep mark in proving military intervention is not a failure drama in developing democratic culture as always thought by intellectuals.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Political Situation in Bangladesh(Published in ‘The Security' Bangladesh)
1. Introduction.
The very strategic geographical location of Bangladesh is very important to international community especially to US for its business and other emerging political interest in the region. They started considering Bangladesh geographical location as one of the most important geopolitical hub in the South East Asia. To have effective influence in south Asia US always requires to strike a balance between two emerging economic and military power of the world i:e India and China. For obvious reasons US had switched it spot light recently on Chittagong sea port, natural gas and oil of Bangladesh. Of course number of US and European energy giants like Chevron, Unocal, NICO , BPL, Kearns etc are already working here for last few years.
2. Bangladesh has lot of economic achievements with its booming business and trying to change its status from least developing counties. It has shown significant increase of GDP, increase of education rate, self sufficiency in producing food grain, reducing birth rate, controlling population, improvement of basic health care facilities, development of human resource, expansion of business specially garments and textile industry, Invention GAS and other natural resources, Safe guarding environmental pollution by introducing CNG drove vehicles, Unique micro credit loan system etc.
3. Back Drop.
Main political parties lacked a common consensus among all political parties on the issue of general election 2007. This is because of wrong, non accountable , corrupted political practices. Lack of trust, confidence among themselves. Our political parties lack democratic practice in their own parties. In recent past always black money holders, extremists acted as decision makers in the party and in national politics. As such good politicians are sidelined.
BNP the ex ruling party wanted to come back to power without respecting the will and wish of general mass and not bothering the call from opposition. There is no place for opposition in our democratic culture that we had been following for last 15 years.
General mass suffered for last five years for a very high price of daily commodities, electric power failure, corruption, raise of Islamic terrorism and witnessed bad governance with a highly politicized administration .
BNP ex ruling party manipulated and took a whole hearted effort for election engineering before leaving the power on 28th October 2006. So bypassing the opposition and a common contentious they handed over power to president as chief of care taker government . The president Dr. Iazuddin measurably failed to demonstrate his impartiality for holding a free, fair and peaceful election. Ultimately 14 party alliance with the huge support of general mass grew political resistance o the move of CTG headed by president of holding a meaning less election on 22nd January 2007..
International community and general public always wanted a polls that would be held only after "creation of a level playing field" so that the election will produce results that would stabilize the society.
Armed forces, International communities, NGOs, Donors, USA, UK, and European Union had hidden role or pressure on Dr. Yazuddin, the honorable president to resign and reconstitute of Care taker government and cancel the voting on 22nd arranged. And saved the country from a confirmed political cautious, confrontation, street agitation.
4. State of Emergency.
The background and necessity of the installation of the Dr. Fakhruddin non-party caretaker government on January 12 does not need to be recounted here. The people of Bangladesh welcomed the current non-party caretaker government (CTG) under state of emergency declared by President on 11th January 2007.
The two speeches of the chief adviser have made the CTG's intentions clear. Some political parties are disappointed that a firm timetable for holding the general election has not yet been declared by the CTG.
People on the streets have confidence and trust in the CTG, and the actions taken so far have been appreciated by people. It is like a new broom clearing the old debris.
Ordinary people expect that the CTG would clean some of the mess left by elected governments. But the question is whether it will be possible for the CTG to remove all the ills embedded in the society, and within the state's institutions, during its tenure.
Many political observers hope that the CTG will set an example, in certain core areas, that it can remove bottle-necks and establish checks and balances, necessary for good governance, in public institutions so as to create congenial environment for a fair and credible general election.
It appears that different political parties want different things to be done by the CTG, but there is no consensus among them as to what kind of reforms they desire to be undertaken by the CTG.
5. Expectation of general public is to hold a free, fair, peaceful election. A clear action plan in public eyes may be :are as follows:
5.1. A correct new updated voter list with ID cards is a log outstanding issue. Voter list was found massively defective. Involving the local government and members of the armed forces in making the voter list may be a sustainable solution. Issuing ID card if found time consuming which may not be possible by interim care taker government to resolve for time constrain. Then at least attaching photograph with voter list may serve the purpose for this time.
5.2. Removal of influence of black money, reforms of the political parties and De-politicization of the administration is another important demand of the day for holding a free, fair election. Registration of political parties, bringing their activities under some constitutional frame work should be ensured . At present there is no check and balance of political party's activities, accounts etc.
5.3. Arresting criminals, terrorists, god fathers, black money holders for having a smooth peaceful environment
5.2. Removal of influence of black money, reforms of the political parties and De-politicization of the administration is another important demand of the day for holding a free, fair election. Registration of political parties, bringing their activities under some constitutional frame work should be ensured . At present there is no check and balance of political party's activities, accounts etc.
5.3. Arresting criminals, terrorists, god fathers, black money holders for having a smooth peaceful environment
5.4. Reform , restructuring Anti corruption Commission . Amendment of laws , rules and regulations.
5.5. Separation of judiciary.
5.5. Involvement of Armed forces in selection of election officials and monitoring their performance .
5.6. Forming a commission with power of ELECTION TRIBUNAL for speedy decision. They should be empowered to oversee the election violence’s, irregularities , disqualify the candidates before the election.
5.7. Reform of public service commission.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)