The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE mortal remains of the great hero of the Liberation War Bir Shreshtha Sipahi Hamidur Rahman arrived yesterday from India. He will be laid to rest today with full state honour at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard in Dhaka beside the grave of another hero, Bir Shreshtha Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman. The arrival of Hamidur Rahman's coffin will be heralded with a 21-gun salute. The President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces will receive the coffin formally at the National Parade Ground in the city before the namaz-e-janaza. Floral wreaths will be placed on the coffin on behalf of the state and the government.

Hamidur Rahman embraced martyrdom at the age of 36 at a battle against the Pakistani occupation forces at Dholai valley near Kamalganj in Moulvibazar district on August 28, 1971. He was buried in a village in the Indian state of Tripura. It is after another 36 years that the remains of this valiant son of the soil has been brought to the independent country for which he made the supreme sacrifice. Hamidur Rahman laid down his life so that the people of Bangladesh as an independent nation can live with honour and dignity in the comity of nations of the world. A grateful nation showed its respect to him by honouring him with the highest gallantry award 'Bir Shreshtha' meaning the Great Hero. Hamidur Rahman is one of the seven heroes who were awarded the highest honour.

The people of Bangladesh have profound love and respect for the heroes. Though more than three and a half decades have passed before the remains of Hamidur Rahman could be brought to Bangladesh, the people are happy to get the remains of their dear hero back to the soil. Before this the remains of another hero, Bir Shreshtha Matiur was brought back from Pakistan and buried at the same ground. Now, this great occasion of bringing Hamidur to the country will add to the sense of pride of the nation.

Hamidur Rahman made the highest contribution a man or woman can ever make for the cause of his/her nation. He will remain a model of love for the country and selfless sacrifice. His sacrifice will remain a source of inspiration for the coming generations and help illumine the future course of the nation. The young generation will draw lessons from the unmatched patriotism and self-sacrifice of Hamidur Rahman. It is hoped that the example he set before the nation will remain a strong source of courage and bravery for the nation in its struggles for maintaining independence and sovereignty, strengthening democracy and achieving economic emancipation in the days to come.

ACCORDING to press reports, a Taka 2,000 crore plus investment in the sugar refinery sector has become 'uncertain', as narrowed duty gap has made locally refined sugar less competitive with imported finished sweetener. Inferior quality imported sugar is controlling the local market and crowding out the locally refined sugar leading to closure of a big unit after less than two years of operation. Others will have to face the same fate if the trend continues. 'Our business is at stake and we are losing ground every day as import duty difference between raw and finished sugar has been kept irrationally low. Importing refined sugar is now more profitable than refining and selling it locally,' a refinery unit operator was quoted as saying. The tariff measure was an incentive for importers at the cost of refiners who invested heavily in recent years. Duty on raw sugar was increased to Tk. 4,000 from Tk 2,250 a tonne while that on white sugar was kept unchanged at Tk 5,000 a tonne in the 2007-2008 financial year.

Although the local refineries were producing European Union-standard high quality white sugar, they were losing money as imported sugar was flooding the local market. Investment in sugar refinery was a bitter experience, which is enough to frighten large-scale investors in the sector in future as lamented by one of them.

Before going to sugar refinery, the investors studied the potentials of the industry. Assessing the average price differences between raw and finished sugar in global market, that was calculated and considered if local refiners produced even one million tonnes annually, local value addition would be around $ 65 million making the local market supply stable. Bangladesh's annual demand for sugar is estimated at 1.2 million tonnes while the state-owned sugar mills can supply around 150 thousand tonnes. The gap is met by import and smuggling until the local refiners came to the scene. The refiners are of the view that import duty on refined sugar should be increased to Tk 8,000-10,000 a ton to save the local refinery units.

Besides, the government should ban sugar import through land ports, they said. 'We do not oppose import of finished sugar, we just want supportive policy from the government for us to have a level playing field here' as one chief of the sugar refinery was quoted as saying.

Sugar import was legalised in 2003 ending decades of state monopoly in the sugar trade. But consumers benefited little from the step as an alleged syndicate of importers used to control the market by manipulating prices and supplies. Sugar price soared to Tk 62 a kilogram in early 2006 prompting the government to lower import duty on sugar and allow import of raw sugar that lured leading business houses into sugar refineries. The government should remove duty anomalies to protect local industries from losing ground to importers of cheap and low quality sugar that is now being dumped from across the border.

Md. Aftabuzzaman

Bangladesh is a reverine country of an area of about 1, 47,570 sq. km. with population nearing 150 million. Bangladesh has some particular geographical features and these particular geographical features have significant bearing on weather system of Bangladesh. The weather system is not always favorable. Due to this weather system, Bangladesh becomes the worst victim of natural calamities causing massive loss of lives and properties. The economy largely depends on weather. Major disasters that occur in Bangladesh are: tropical cyclone, tidal bore, flood, river bank erosion, earthquake etc. A large number of poor people are to live in vulnerable areas of the southern part of Bangladesh. The vulnerability is so miserable that they have to go and settle in the newly accreted land in Bay of Bengal and its surrounding areas which is occasionally hit by tidal bore or devastating cyclone.

Natural calamities come every year on Bangladesh as a curse. If we look on past we see the severe cyclone on November 12, 1970 took a toll of 0.3 million human lives in Bangladesh and damaged property of $ 1 billion; besides another worst cyclone which hit Bangladesh coast on April 1991 and was killed 0.14 million people and property damages were more than $ 2 billion; The cyclone of 1876, 1919, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1985, 1988, 1991 and 1997 were also fierce natural calamity in Bangladesh. But this year (2007) the cyclone Sidr that blew over Bangladesh on November 15 as a devastating mode that the country has never seen. It hit directly 22 districts and more than 4 million people are affected. It causes a lot of lives, crops, cattle and forest.

The amount of loses affected by Sidr is almost the death toll may be as high as 10000 according to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, a quarter of Sundarban, the world's biggest single unit of mangrove forest is totally damaged, about 13 thousand educational institutions were directly hit, wealth of about 12 thousand crore will be destroyed as a whole, 10 lakh tones Amon rice may be lost. The renowned Economists of Bangladesh also predict that the damages by cyclone may be as high as Tk.90 thousand crore.

Major Disasters affected by Cyclone in Bangladesh

Year Disaster Death

1988 Cyclone 5704

1991 Cyclone 138,868

1997 Cyclone 550

2007 Cyclone About 10,000

Disaster management or Emergency management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing, supporting, and rebuilding society when natural or human-made disasters occur. In general, any Emergency management is the continuous process by which all individuals, groups, and communities manage hazards in an effort to avoid or improve the impact of disasters resulting from the hazards. The adverse impacts of all the natural hazards affecting socio-economic condition need to be reduced for sustainable development. Realisation of this reality, the Government of Bangladesh has undertaken a lot of plans and programmes for disaster reduction through disaster management. Such as the high powered National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) and In-Ministerial Disaster Management Co-ordination Committee (IMDMCC), developed as effective bodies to promote and coordinate risk-reduction, preparedness activities and mitigation measures, meet twice and four times a year respectively.

While NDMC formulates and reviews disaster management policies and issues directives to all concerned, the IMDMCC plays key role in implementing the directives maintaining inter-Ministerial coordination, supervising the services of the Armed Forces as well as NGOs working in the field of disaster management in the country. Under the mechanism there exists a well-established organisation named Directorate of Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR) within the administrative control of the MDMR wherein Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is located.

The DRR acts during post-disaster emergency situation and operates relief activities for distribution to remote field levels under the supervision and guidance of the Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief (MDMR) / IMDMCC. The MDMR has a small dynamic professional unit known as Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) to perform specialist functions and ensure coordination with line departments/ agencies and NGOs by convening meetings of Disaster Management Training and Public Awareness Building Task Force (DMTATF), Focal Point Operational Co-ordination Group on Disaster Management (FPOCG), NGO Co-ordination Committee on Disaster Management (NGOCC) and Committee for Speedy Dissemination of Disaster Related Warning Signals (CSDDWS) every three months regularly.

In mid 1999 the GoB together with UNDP and other development partners agreed to address the issue of risk reduction in a more comprehensive programmatic approach. Hence with the initiative taken in October, 1999 in the direction as agreed upon, Comprehensive Disaster Management Prgoramme (CDMP) is about to start functioning.

But unfortunately, we have to say that the existing bodies in this concern are not working properly in the country. If they act properly in the situation, it will not be as worst as occurred presently. So, if we want to mitigate the situation and take the challenges to reduce the affect of disasters by adopting suitable disaster mitigation strategies, all bodies related to it would come forward and well functioning.

Regarding our country circumstances, following mitigation strategies may be taken into account- : (i) minimise the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies and make arrangement of latest equipments for weather /cyclone signals (ii) weather department should be more professional and active (iii) multi purpose cyclone Shelter centers in every union should be set up (iv) discipline or subject on disaster management will be arrange even in Primary and high school level education curriculum. More research both individual and institutional level should be arranged at University also v) make sufficient mobilised resources including communications and tele-medicinal services (vi) big help in rehabilitation and post-disaster management vii) make embankment where is in need in coastal area (viii) short term and long term plan should be taken on the basis of Focus Group Discussion (FGD) ix) make green belt in coastal area (x) after all government should monitoring and supervise various bodies linked with this process and make them functioning all the year round.

Bangladesh is one of the disaster prone countries in the world, with extremely limited resources; its real development is not possible without the incorporation of disaster mitigation programmes. Our planning thrust is, therefore, diverted towards disaster management as a major consideration in regional development planning. Bangladesh is striving hard to establish a detailed and experienced disaster management system from national down to community level to mitigate the effects of disasters. Being aware of the limitations and the vulnerability of the country to natural disaster, the Government of Bangladesh should continue its efforts to make Bangladesh a part of safer world in the 21st century.

As natural disasters would be kept it continue every year, we cannot avoid it. So, we have to prepare ourselves to make sure realistic management procedure included above, the natural disasters like cyclone, flood, tidal bore, earthquake etc. would be protected more briskly as I believe.

Rashidul Bari

Jerald Posman, the Vice President and COO at York College of the City University of New York, and a columnist of the New York Times-gave this interview to Rashidul Bari, an author and a Biographer of Muhammad Yunus. In this interview Prof. Posman talks about Yunus International Scholarship and Yunus' politics…

Rashidul Bari: You were involved in two Ivy League School, Harvard and Columbia - first as a student, second as an instructor. Tell me the significance of being Ivy League student. What it takes to become successful like you?

Jerald Posman: I received my undergraduate degree in English Literature from the City College of New York and my MBA from the Harvard Business School. I was lucky to be accepted to both institutions and my experiences at both were equally helpful in shaping my career. Education, like entrepreneurship, is all about seizing opportunities and making the most of them. I found students in both places to be exceptionally talented, eager to learn and to strive for success in both their personal and professional lives.

My interaction with students at Columbia Teachers College, where I used to teach, was much like my experiences in meeting and speaking with students at York College. The Ivy League colleges and their students are no different than those in institutions of public higher education. It is all about seizing opportunities and maximising potential.

Bari: In 1960s you work for New York Times. What role you played while working for the most prestigious Newspaper in the world.

Posman: I started working at the New York Times when I was a student at City College. I had been sports editor of the college newspaper and when an opportunity arose to take a lower level job - at the Times, I jumped at the opportunity. I worked at the Times for five years, first in more menial capacities and then became a sports statistician and eventually did write some sports stories. It was a wonderful learning experience to be part of the best journalistic organisation in the world.

My time at the Times taught me how to get ideas across in writing and do it cogently and concisely. It also gave me a sense of the quality standards that superior organisations develop to shape the culture of an institution.

Bari: During the late 60s you worked in the Peace Corps, in Tunisia and then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)? Did you accomplish any peace? Is Peace related with poverty? If so why?

Posman: The five years that my wife and I spent in the Peace Corps formed the defining moments of my personal and professional life. Americans are, in general, geographically challenged, and find it difficult to development an appreciation of other cultures and an understanding of different political, social and economic systems. The Peace Corps enabled me to immerse myself in two distinctly different cultures and formed the basis of my cultural awareness of all organisational entities - large and small.

As to bringing peace as a Peace Corps Volunteer, I think that the organisation is really about awareness and understanding for both the Americans who go overseas and the people with whom they come into contact. That said, Peace Corps Volunteers, for 45 years, have been involved in an incalculable number of projects that have attempted to deal with the economic, social and cultural issues of poverty. I personally believe that there is a direct relationship between economic empowerment, especially among women, and the ability of people to live free from conflict - one definition of peace.

Bari: You worked more than a decade as a Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance of CUNY. Did you play any significant role to uplift the quality of education?

Posman: As I have said, the two pillars of my professional life have been education and entrepreneurship. I was Vice Chancellor for Budget and Finance of CUNY in the 1970s during the worst fiscal crisis in New York City's history. Dealing with that crisis brought about a major weakening of the quality of education and disrupted the lives of students, faculty and staff. I spent eight years after this crisis working with a team of committed individuals to restore the prestige and academic recognition of CUNY.

Through the work of many individuals, but especially CUNY's Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, CUNY today is a vibrant higher education institution with exceptional programmes, faculty and students.

Bari: You have been Deputy Chancellor for Administrative Affairs of New York City Board of Education. Could you tell us why the high school education is declining?

Posman: I was the Deputy Chancellor for Administrative Affairs of the New York City Board of Education for 3 ½ years. When I was there twenty years ago, this massive system served more than one million students in 1200 schools with a multi-billion budget. Education at the elementary and secondary in New York City is very complex involving now only what happens in the schools but also what takes place in students' homes and their communities.

I do not believe that high school education is declining but, at the same time, it is not improving at a rapid enough pace. New York City schools need more resources, better prepared teachers, more skilled administrators and related social services for students. The current Mayor and school administration is moving in the right direction but it will take time to ensure that the system serves all students in the best way. Our society - as all societies - must make a real commitment to the value of education. This commitment often turns out to be more rhetoric than reality.

Bari: How you know about Muhammad Yunus?

Posman: Several years ago, I was doing consulting work with a nonprofit international organisation that was interested in becoming more involved with microfinance programmes. It was in this context that I read Banker to the Poor. I followed that up with books and articles about Prof. Yunus. Since I had experienced the benefits of entrepreneurship, I was struck by the power of the "universal right to credit" and the implications of not only how economic empowerment could address the issue of individual poverty but its effect on the family and the community.

I was impressed by three aspects of Prof. Yunus's work. The first is the power of simple concepts if implemented correctly. The second was how a powerful idea can be generated anywhere in the world and build momentum based on perceivable positive results. The third, of course, is the crucial nature of leadership.

Bari: The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award him for his efforts to create economic and social development from below. Lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty. Do you agree with these judgments?

Posman: Absolutely! However, I believe that the concept has to be wedded to a clear-headed, rational process of implementation. There are many wonderful ideas but no one has figured out how, practically, to make them happen. That to me is what differentiates Prof. Yunus's programmes.

Bari: Yunus often says he will put poverty into museum by 2025. Do you think such things are possible?

Posman: I am not sure. I am a person who believes that the journey is as important as the destination. The journey - putting into place different programmes of economic, social and educational development - might prove as important as striving to reach the importance of the destination - the elimination of poverty. I think the goal - with a time attached - is important - but I also admire the different paths that people develop and take to get there.

Bari: Recently, Prof. Yunus has declared that he is no longer interested creating the political party Nagorik Shakti (Citizens' Power) in his native Bangladesh, Do you think this is a good idea?

Posman: I have read about Bangladeshi politics but like most outsiders I am not sure I understand the endemic political problems facing the country. There appears to be a deep distrust of both the political system and its leadership. The analogy to Prof. Yunus's involvement as a non-politician is the role that the Czech writer Vaclav Havel played in his country after the overthrow of the Communist regime. Having worked in the political system, I realise how difficult it is to bring about change -especially in the country like Bangladesh. However, I am still optimistic that someday people in Bangladesh will understand the importance of Yunus' vision and embrace Nagorik Sokti(Did I utter it correctly Bari?).

Bari: Recently you had a meeting with Dr. Yunus where you declared launching a scholarship programme tribute to Muhammad Yunus.

Posman: Yes. The Muhammad Yunus International Scholarship has two parts. First, MYIS at York College involve two distinct programmes with the same aim of building relationships between Bangladesh and the United States and, where possible, increasing understanding and awareness of Grameen-style social business entrepreneurship. Each year MYIS are for five Bangladeshi students, the children of Grameen members to study and complete their baccalaureate degrees at York College. The scholarship would involve full tuition ($8000 annually for international students) and a monthly living stipend to be determined but probably between $500 and $1000 per month.

Second, two-month summer internship programme for five York College students and five students from a Bangladeshi University who are children of Grameen members.A committee made up of York and representatives of Yunus would jointly choose the interns. These internships would be highly competitive and based on credits accumulated toward graduation, academic achievement, references, an essay and a specific interest related to the principles articulated by Yunus and put into practice by Grameen entities.

Bari: You have hundreds of Nobel laureates in the United States including nine from your own university-CUNY. So why Yunus?

Posman: Nobody has done as much to address the problem of world poverty and to empower women as Muhammad Yunus. He created a movement, started in a tiny rural villige called Jobra sometime in 1974 and with in thirty years it has changed both the life and role of millions of women throughout the world.

I met with many Head of the States including Bill Clinton. However, I never felt as good as I feel meeting with Muhammad Yunus. When I met him, I felt like I meet with Gandhi or Dr. King.

Bari: New York is called Mecca of prestigious universities. Why then CUNY?

Posman: (Smile…because the school of Rashidul Bari -smile again) There are many reasons York is important and unique. It has the affiliation with 23-campus City University system; Small size yet 44 major fields of study; International population; Presence of 200 students born in Bangladesh; Situated in borough of Queens - most diverse county in U.S. - with large Bangladeshi population.

Bari: Thank you Mr. Vice President.

(Rashidul Bari, biographer of Muhammad Yunus, is a Bangladeshi born writer based in the United States. )