The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh (FNB) Friday rejected the research report of the Transparency.

International, Bangladesh (TIB) branding the NGO sector as a highly corrupt area.

Conducting the survey on 20 NGOs-one international, eight national and 11 local ones-the TIB published the report on Thursday. The report found that 85 percent of the national and local NGOs do not have financial transparency as their audit and financial reports are usually prepared with exaggerations.

Describing the TIB report as full of "controversies", the NGO Federation in a press statement said the activities and outputs of the country's NGOs should be evaluated properly. "Reading the research report conducted on 20 NGOs, it seems that the country's all the NGOs are corrupts. We protest such an evaluation," the statement said.

The FNB also criticized TIB chairman Prof Dr Muzaffer Ahmad for his "sweeping comments" in electronic media about the corruption in the NGO sector.

"Muzaffer Ahmed himself is involved with some NGOs. Many NGOs have brought laurels for the country by their successes in conducting development projects. But the NGOs' successes and contributions to the country's development were not reflected in Muzaffer Ahmed's remarks," it said.

The FNB, however, welcomed the TIB research report's suggestion to form an independent NGO Commission to check corruption in the NGO sector.

UNB, Dhaka

Although look upbeat about the progress of the election roadmap, Bangladesh's development partners appeared a bit worried seeing a slowed down economy, inflation and price-spiral of essentials.

Western diplomats and donor agencies who are closely watching the post-state of emergency situation now admit in private discussions that price-hike of essentials is a real challenge for the caretaker government

They are also concerned about the monetary inflation and slow economic activities following the crackdown on corrupt businesses. The absence of names of big business magnets from the latest official list of 35 suspected corrupts is seen by many as a change in the strategy of the government's current anti-graft drive. It is to be seen whether it is a step towards bringing the business people before the proposed Truth Commission.

However, the Bangladesh's development partners do not like to see Bangladesh return to the pre-January political scenario marked by hostile politics, hartal, blockade and bloodshed.

They are of the opinion that Bangladesh should have new political leadership through party reforms to steer the country towards enduring democracy and sustainable development There may be temporary pains, but there is a lot of promise in the long run, some diplomats said.

The diplomats expressed satisfaction over the progress of the preparation of the election roadmap and are appreciative of the repeated assurance by the Chief Adviser and the Chief Election Commissioner that the parliamentary polls could be held before the timeline of December next year, provided the electoral roll is complete.

Particularly, the diplomats and senior officials of the US State Department, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Japan who recently visited Dhaka were happy being reassured by the Chief of the Army Staff that he and the army has no political ambition. However, after the unprecedented student protests across the country on August 20-22, the development partners feel that the road ahead of the general elections may not be silky.

Even Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda openly admited at a reception at the British High Commissioner's residence that the road condition in Bangladesh is not good. He said there are many speed breakers, potholes in the road, saying that it needs collective efforts to overcome any obstacle.

He said: "Everybody is serious and everybody wants a change." British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, who is usually vocal about the political developments here, says credible elections that can sustain democracy are essential for Bangladesh's future development He says that partnership between the government and international donors including the UK's contribution of US$20 million to the overall 88 million pounds budget reflect this shared interest The British envoy, however, frequently cautions that challenge remain and nothing should be allowed to deflect the caretaker government from its commitment to restore democratic process and hold credible polls in accordance with the roadmap.

Like the CEC, the Bangladeshi-born British envoy would not overlook the bumps and holes on the long journey since 15 months or less are left for the election.

The High Commissioner observes that in overcoming obstacles, Britain has consistently urged the government, the army and law enforcing agencies to act impartially with respect for public safety, human rights, media freedom and due process in line with Bangladesh's international human rights obligations.

Foreign diplomats would not, however, make any comments on cases against two former Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia and granting bails by High Court and subsequent overturn of the High Court's order by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court "It's a sub-judice mater," one diplomat said while USA, UK, Germany and EU would only spell out their avowed position that the due process should be followed in each case. US and British diplomats say they are closely monitoring the cases.

Although the diplomats favour complete lifting of ban on political activities and the current state of emergency, but said the government and the people would work it out when and how these would be withdrawn.

The diplomats also wait to see the outcome of political dialogues being undertaken by the Election Commission and hoped that political parties and the Commission would figure out a consensus on holding a fair and acceptable election.

UNB, New York

Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Thursday said while there still exists an understandable interest of Bangladesh in the Malaysian labour market, time has come to seriously re-examine its various implications and protect the interest of Bangladeshi workers.

"It is the government's prime responsibility to ensure welfare of Bangladeshi workers anywhere around the world and it is equally applicable for Malaysia-bound Bangladeshi workers," he said reacting to Malaysia's temporary ban on new recruitment of Bangladeshi workers. The Foreign Adviser said that for quite some time, the government had been "noticing Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia are facing victimization. This complaint was intensifying day by day." He said: "Recently, we had contacts with the Malaysian authorities in Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur and New York regarding the sending of Bangladeshi workers. For a good solution, the contact was made at the highest level."

The Foreign Adviser said: "Our workers are not mere machines of earning revenue. First of all, they'll have to be protected from all kinds of exploitation and deception."

Quoting his meeting with Malaysian authorities in New York, Dr Iftekhar Chowdhury said they had clearly told him that the import of manpower from Bangladesh was not banned, only temporarily suspended. "There is possibility of resolving the mater in future." The Malaysian government also informed the Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur that despite the restriction, the workers who already got approval from them would be able go to Malaysia.

UNB, New York

Foreign Advisor Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury called upon the UN membership to dispel "misunderstandings among different faiths".

He said that followers of different religions and faiths in Bangladesh live in a state of tranquil harmony, as we have been able to inculcate in our peoples a sense of tolerance and respect for diversity.

He made these remarks at a High Level Meeting on Inter-religious Understanding, chaired by the President of the General Assembly Dr. Srgjan Kerim and atended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday.

About 72 speakers, mostly Foreign Ministers representing their countries spoke at the conference, said a press release. He added that the current state of globalization poses many challenges to some countries.

Iftekhar said that spread of education, alleviation of poverty, empowerment of women and polarization in the community is needed to bring peace and harmony. He urged international cooperation to bring about these. He further stated that every year Bangladesh introduces a resolution in the General Assembly on 'The Culture of Peace'. This year too Bangladesh would do the same.

He hoped that the Bangladesh initiative receives an overwhelming support among the UN membership.

He noted Bangladeshi contribution in peacekeeping and said whenever Bangladeshi peacekeepers are present the message of social harmony is being propagated.

Bdnews24, Dhaka

Bangladesh's unemployed amounted to some 2.1 million people in 2006, according to a survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2005-06 of the BBS defined 'unemployed' as those who do not work for even a single hour a day.

The headcount of unemployed persons was 2 million in 2002-03.

But economists have dismissed the data as 'incredible'. They say unemployment figures would be much higher if unemployment and underemployment rates were considered.

They cited flaws in the concepts and method of measuring unemployment

The economists said the LFS counts low figures of unemployment based on a concept and definition developed in the context of industrial economies.

It is not suitable in a country like Bangladesh where the informal sector constitutes the bulk of employment

"We count a person as employed if he/she was working one or more hours with or without pay during a reference period," a senior official of BBS, who preferred not to be named, said.

Under this definition, total employed persons in the 2005-06 LFS stood at 47.4 million out of an economically active population of 49.5 million.

In its provisional estimates, the LFS 2005-06 found unemployment and underemployment rates at 4.2 percent and 24.5 percent, down from 4.3 percent and 37.6 percent in LFS 2002-03.

The LFS defined an unemployed person also as 'one who was involuntary out of gainful employment but actively looking for job'.

"In such an economy, a low unemployment rate reflects involvement in low productive self-employment and work sharing with family workers," says Rushidan Islam Rahman, Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies.

"Some of the 'discouraged workers' leave the labour force."

Rushidan observe that the definition of unemployment was 'inapplicable' in the context of the rural labour market because there was no formal job search process or unemployment benefit for such workers.

"Therefore, the unemployed workers have no incentive to reveal their unemployed status to the interviewers," she says.

Zaid Bakht, another research director at BIDS, says the present definition of unemployment means nothing.

"The data on unemployed population and unemployment rates do not show the real picture of surplus labour unless the underemployment rate is considered. Developed economies count a person as unemployed if he works less than 20 hours a week," he says.

"If we use the method, the unemployed population will be much higher," Bakht says.

Former finance adviser Akbar Ali Khan in his comments in a World Bank publication, 'Bangladesh: Strategy for Sustainable Growth', Volume 2, also points to the flaws in employment and unemployment data.

"The real clue to the inadequacies of unemployment statistics may be traced to employment data in Bangladesh," he says, citing self employed, unpaid family workers and day labourers.

Of the total employed population of 47.4 million, 19.9 million were self-employed, 10.3 million were unpaid family workers and 8.6 million people were day labourers, according to the LFS 2005-06.

The overwhelming majority of these nominally employed persons are in the western sense discouraged workers who have given up looking for work because jobs are not available.

There is no justification for classifying the unpaid family workers in the category of employed persons, Khan says.

He referred to higher unemployment rates during 2000-04 in the US, UK, France and Germany compared with Bangladesh's unemployment rate.

"We are all praying for such a happy moment when unemployment rate in Bangladesh will be lower than G-8 countries; unfortunately it is not around the corner as yet"

Abdul Muqit Chowdhury

The spiri of Islam is universal. It does not confine itself in the emancipation of Muslims only. It calls for the unity of Muslim ummah and at the same time, it calls for the brotherhood of mankind. Unity of Muslims is a step towards the integrity and solidarity of mankind. There should not be any mis-conception regarding the brotherhood of humanity.

The holy Quran reveals: "Mankind was one single nation t " (2:213) "Mankind was but one nation, but differd (later)." (10:19) So, there should not be any conflicting distinction and discrimination among 'one nation' of humanity, proclaimed by the Quran.

Rasulullah (SM) said, "All creatuers of Allah form the family of Allah and he/she is the best loved by Allah who loves best his creatures." He also said, " O Lord ! I affirm that all human beings are brothers unto one another."

Mis-interpretation, mis-presentation and vilification of the sublime image of universal Islam has done much harm. These have gone against the cherished goal of the solidarity and peace of mankind.

The holy Ramzan trains to prepare us for our ordained responsibility to contribute for Muslim unity as well as for the integrity and solidarity of mankind.

AFP, London

A BBC television executive resigned Friday over a documentary which wrongly implied Queen Elizabeth II stormed out of a photo shoot with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz after a row over her crown.

Peter Fincham, who was controller of the main BBC1 channel, stepped down after an independent inquiry released Friday criticised "misjudgements, poor practice and ineffective systems" at Britain's public broadcaster.

Stephen Lambert, head of production company RDF, which made the documentary, also resigned.

The resignations come after a number of recent high-profile admissions from the BBC, its main commercial rival ITV and other broadcasters of faking viewer phone-in competitions or other parts of TV or radio programmes.

Fincham announced at a press launch on July 11 that the piece, "A Year With The Queen", would show the 81-year-old monarch storming out of the shoot after a row over whether or not she should remove her crown.

Fincham, who had described the scene with Leibovitz as "a very memorable litle sequence", had learned that the story was untrue within hours, but did not correct it until the following day.

The BBC later apologised after admiting that the sequence of events had been "misrepresented", creating the false impression that the queen had halted the photo shoot

In the footage, the monarch and Leibovitz were shown clashing over the photographer's request that she remove her crown at the shoot at Buckingham Palace in March.

"I think it will look beter without the crown because the garter robe is sot, " the footage showed Leibovitz saying, before the queen interrupted her.

"Less dressy? What do you think this is?" the monarch hit back, pointing at the ceremonial robe she was wearing and giving her an icy stare.

This was followed by footage of the queen walking down a corridor and telling an official: "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough dressing like this, thank you very much."

But the BBC said that the second part was, in fact, shot when the queen made her way to the siting, not as she left They blamed an editing error for the blunder.

"In this trailer, there is a sequence that implies that the queen left a siting prematurely, " the BBC said in a statement

"This was not the case and the actual sequence of events was misrepresented.

"The BBC would like to apologise to both the queen and Annie Leibovitz for any upset this may have caused."

BBC Online

Elections for a constituent assembly in Nepal have been postponed after ruling parties and former Maoist rebels failed to break their political deadlock.

No new date was set for the vote, which was to have been held on 22 November.

The coalition government would not agree to Maoist demands, including the immediate abolition of the monarchy, and procedural changes to voting.

The elections are a key element of a peace deal signed in 2006 that ended 10 years of Maoist insurgency.

"The leaders have decided to postpone the voting, but a new date hasn't been fixed," Prakash Sharan Mahat, a senior leader of the country's largest party the Nepali Congress, told The Associated Press news agency.

A spokesman for the Maoists, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, told reporters that the parties were trying to find solutions.

"We have all decided to postpone the election with the agreement that we will all try to resolve the political deadlocks through the special session of parliament that we have sought"

The Maoists have demanded the implementation of a proportional representation system of voting on polling day.

Observers say this is because they are not expected to do well in direct elections and would benefit from the system.

The former rebels complain the system of voting in its current form is stacked against them, and that they have not been treated as equal partners since the peace deal was signed in November 2006.

They have threatened to launch mass protests if their demands are not met

One of the first tasks the constituent assembly has been set is to decide the fate of the monarchy.

But the former rebels now demand a republic be announced before elections are held.

They pulled out of the governing coalition over the issue in mid-September.

Last week, the Nepali Congress announced its support for a republic - but only once elections had been held.

The Maoists have stressed, meanwhile, that they are not withdrawing their commitment to the peace process.

Observers say they have limited options. One possible way out for them may be a coalition with other left-wing parties.

Bdnews24.com, Sirajganj

Fish resources of Chalan Beel are fast depleting as groups of insensitive and unaware fisherman have been harvesting mother fishes, fish fries and fingerlings indiscriminately.

The damaging farming in the greater Chalan Beel area goes on in defiance of government rules for sale in local bazaars and kitchen markets on both sides of the Sirajganj-Natore-Banpara highway.

Once celebrated as a nursery-cum-storehouse of about 175 species of local sweet-water fishes, Chalan Beel, the largest beel (big pond with static water) in the country, has either totally lost or very fast losing about 55 of the pride species.

The species include koi, bheda or royna, bain, pabda, shar-punti, rithha, baghair, chital, foli, shoal, gajaar, shing, magur and taki .

Some local influential people and touts are engaged in promoting the harmful harvesting fishes in the rainy season when fishes breed.

The local poor and marginal fishermen fall victims to the enticement of the greedy plunderers and hand over their bounties in exchange of peanuts. They are unaware of the great damage they are wreaking in the process of earning a quick buck.

The local government fishery offices say that the apparently unharmed 120 species of fishes are also facing threats of extinction unless some measures are urgently put in place to reverse the trend. The vast water body covers 11 upazilas of Sirajganj, Pabna and Natore districts and at least 3,500 smaller water bodies form the great beel covering 2561.65 hectares of land area.

Nearly 1.5 lakh fishermen earn their livelihood fishing the Chalan Beel waters round the year.

In Chalan Beel villages of Khalkula, Dabirganj, Mahishluti, Naogaon, Magura-Binod, Talom, Baruhash, Mannan Nagar, Hamkuria in Taras upazila under Sirajganj, fishermen were indiscriminately harvesting small fishes, defying a government ban on fishing.

They used restricted small-mesh nets such as suti , khora, current and draw nets, and claimed they were fishing after managing the local Union Parishad chairmen and members.

At Mohishluti and Mannan Nagar bazaars in Taras and Salanga under Ullapara Upazila, bdnews24.com correspondent saw local fishermen selling huge volumes of breeding fishes, such as climbing fish, sheet fish, shoal fish, buterfish, mackerel and others freely.

Md Yasin Ali, the president of Mohishluti market, said, "Many fishermen come and sell fish here every day. They bring breeding fishes too, but they wouldn't pay heed to us if we told them not to catch and sell fish fries and fingerlings."

Md Shariful Islam, Taras upazila fishery officer, said they were only four staffers there and it was very difficult for them to patrol and monitor about one-third area of Chalan Beel.

They need at least 20 personnel and five engine-boats to do the job expected of them, he added.

Md Afzal Hossain, Taras police chief, said, "Whenever the upazila fishery people ask for our help while patrolling the beel areas, we accompany them.

"Recently, we seized a suti-net, but failed to arrest anyone as the culprits had vanished sensing our arrival."

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League presidium member Tofael Ahmed Friday urged the Election Commission and the political parties to compromise over reform issues in the greater interest of the next general election.

"Rigid stands would bring no good result So, the EC and political parties will have to make concessions over the demands raised on the opening of politics and holding elections keeping black money holders and terrorists at bay," Tofael told a private TV channel tonight He said it cannot be expected that the EC's all plans could be implemented and similarly all demands of the political parties cannot be accommodated."

Tofael, who has been asked to coordinate with the components of AL-led 14-party alliance, said everybody needs to help the EC implement its roadmap so that the next general election is not interrupted.

"And the EC will have to take such decisions through the dialogue which will be accepted to all," he said.

About the recent list of 35 corrupt suspects released by the Anti-Corruption Commission, including his name, Tofael said, "I've accepted it because the ACC can ask anyone to submit his wealth statement "I've never betrayed with Bangabandhu's ideology and principles in my life. Awami League is the part and percale of my life," Tofael said.

The former Commerce Minister admited that as a human being he has failures and mistakes as everyone has, and urged the people not to misunderstand him as his name is found on the list of corrupt suspects.