The New Nation - Internet Edition

Market management system urged

An efficient market management system based on proper information about national and international market trends needs to be introduced urgently to establish long-term and effective control of prices of essentials. Relevant department of the government and leading economists and experts of the country are for proper collection of information, coordination of activities based on those. They also underscore the necessity of predictions realistic on food grains production.

A number of factors led to the escalation of prices of rice, wheat, edible oil and other daily necessities recently leading to a difficult situation for the poorer sections of the people. However, as a result of some prompt sets taken by the government like drive against hoarding, open market sales of rice at fixed prices and vulnerable group feeding programme covering more than 30 lakh families, the market has shown slight downward trend. But these measures, while necessary, are by no means adequate to establish a long-term control over prices of essentials. Against this backdrop, some devices need to be evolved to maintain some degree of control on the market. Concerned agencies of the government recently arranged a meeting to gather opinions of market experts and eminent economists in this regard. The meeting mainly dwelt on ways and means of keeping prices of essential commodities, especially rice, wheat and edible oil, stable.

The economists and marketing experts put forward a number of suggestions for evolving a desired market management system. They emphasised the need for adequate information for formulating management policies. Proper information about prices of products at the international markets, trends in the domestic market, situation of stock of food grains, probable quantity of crop production and related information must be available to the concerned authorities. Such information will equip the government with more capability to make timely interventions, build necessary stocks of essentials to overcome shortfall, ensure food security based on demand and thus to have control on price trends. Forecasts on crop production will help take care of the factors making markets of essentials volatile. In that case, even hoarders and unscrupulous sections of traders will not be able to make unearned profit causing immense sufferings to low-income groups of people.

The suggestions put forward by the experts deserve serious consideration for incorporation in the government policy for a much-needed efficient market management system. Apart from its efforts to evolve a mechanism to bring efficiency in market management, the government has reiterated its plan to pay attention to under-privileged groups of people and continuing the programmes of OMS and VGF for Sidr victims. Long-term market management policies are expected to help keep prices relatively stable.

For effluent treatment plants

At a recent seminar in the capital city it was stressed that all the local textile industries should set up their own waste processing units called 'effluent treatment plants’ (ETP) with a view to preventing pollution of the environment. Speaking at the seminar, the environment adviser of the interim government refused to soften his government’s stand against those local textile industries which are not setting up waste treatment units suggesting the textile mill owners should set up ETPs as a linkage industry and earn money by treating the waste of textile units which cannot set up their own ETPs at present or do not have space enough for such plants. The entrepreneurs have to make their manufacturing facilities socially responsible and environment-friendly and for that they would have to set up the effluent treatment plants as early as possible as the seminar on 'Compressive Effluent Management for the Knitting Industry in Bangladesh’ was told.

The surprising aspect was that a section of entrepreneurs tried to find an excuse that constant pressure for setting up of ETPs would disrupt their business and the whole approach was that they should be allowed to take more and more time even if that costs pollution of environment. The adviser, however, rejected all these excuses and refused to soften the government’s stand in this regard asking them to go for ETP as soon as possible for protecting environment from pollution. In fact, the ETP problem is not big but some of the entrepreneurs are making it bigger. If we are to think of future, developing environment-friendly manufacturing facilities will ultimately yield sustainable benefits for industries as well as the whole society. There is suggestion like that if textile dyeing unit promise to buy waste treatment services, private investors could set up ETPs in different textile clusters, and that could be a promising linkage and service industry.

The government has been warning textile mill owners who pollute environment by dumping the hazardous wastes on the nearby agricultural lands and water bodies that strong action will be taken against them. The government investigators found that most of the textile units, did not have the ETPs and the few who have ETPs save money by not operating them. An environment specialist was of the view that a comprehensive survey should be carried out by the industry and the government on the existing situation of the ETPs and the scale of pollution the industry has created to the environment. Both the agricultural land and the water have been affected by the hazardous wastes discharged by them. The government should come forward to facilitate the installation of ETPs by providing technical guidance and also loans if required with a view to protecting the environment from pollution. Effective steps also should be taken to recover the polluted land and water bodies so that there can be no further damage to nature or environment.

Racist colour in US Poll 2008

Dr.Abdul Ruff

Former Massachusetts governor, Republican Mitt Romney may have scored a breakthrough win over rival John McCain in Michigan on 15 January, but democrats fighting to outsmart the republicans also waged a racial war before promising friendly debate in Nevada-site of that party's next contest on Saturday. With 89 percent of the vote counted in Michigan, Romney easily led McCain by 39 percent to 30 percent, with Huckabee in third at 16 percent. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, desperately needed a victory in the economically ailing midwestern state to keep his White House hopes alive after second-place finishes in the first two contests to find a Republican candidate for the November election. Romney, a wealthy businessman who has poured millions of his own money into his campaign, was also beaten into second place in New Hampshire last week when he lost out to Vietnam veteran McCain.The Republican race now moves to Nevada and South Carolina. After that come the February 5 "Super Tuesday" contests in 22 states.

Democrats also held a primary in Michigan but a dispute over the date led the national party to strip the state of its delegates to this summer's presidential nominating convention, making the contest meaningless. Obama and Edwards were not on the ballot and Clinton, the only top contender listed, rolled to an easy win over Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel and a ballot listing for "uncommitted."

Like in Third word countries, poll in the USA also takes dangerous racist and, some times, anti-minority turns. In areas where the Blacks are the deciding factor in the poll, now the democrats found themselves washing dirty linen in public with Obama Barack - Hillary Clinton race for White House gets further intensifies. Obama's ultimate election would see the US having first ever Black American reigning in Washington.

US presidential hopeful Clinton took her campaign to black voters in New York on 14 January, a day after being engulfed in a bitter row over the issue of race with her Democratic rival Obama.

Visiting a group of African-American security sector workers in Manhattan, Clinton paid tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King-the very subject of her weekend clash with Obama. "Every day that you speak up for justice, you are the living embodiment of Dr King's spirit," Clinton said, a week after saying that King's dream only became a reality under legislation enacted by a non-Black democratic president Lyndon Johnson.

For much of the campaign in between, both Clinton and Obama seemed content to engage in increasingly accusatory campaign tactics. Campaigning in Nevada, Obama, said some of his opponents "don't seem to have anything positive to say about their own record. All they're trying to do is run me down." Obama, seeking to become the first black president, didn't mention Clinton by name. But the reference was unmistakable after controversy over race and the Iraq war and as her campaign arranged a conference call to criticize his record on abortion. In an interview on NBC, he was said the former first lady's campaign was seeking to stoke the race-related controversy.

The comments of Hillary comments sparked a furious row as African-American leaders, including some South Carolina powerbrokers, accused the New York senator of devaluing King's contribution to the civil rights campaigns of the 1960s. On 13 January she accused Obama's campaign of distorting what she had said, while Obama shot back that Clinton had made "an ill-advised remark" about King. The row came just days before the nominating contests in the presidential race head to South Carolina, in the deep South, where Clinton is expected to face a strong challenge from Obama, vying to be the first black US president.

Interestingly, Clinton is equally popular with black voters-her husband Bill was sometimes described as the nation's first black president-but African American voters are also attracted by Obama, the freshman senator from Illinois.

"We are undecided, we still are trying to make up our minds because Hillary has been a great leader as a senator and Obama is new, refreshing," said Mildred McGill, 68, one of those at Monday's rally in New York. "We like Hillary, but we still like Obama because he is one of us."

Supporters of Obama claim that many African Americans were still in the process of making up their minds. "The good thing about it is whether a woman or an African American is chosen as a nominee of the Democratic party, history will be made one way or the other," some one said, "It seems that African Americans under 45 are supporting Obama and it seems that those who have directly benefited from the civil rights movement seem to have more chances to support Hillary Clinton. Obama's relative lack of experience was not the issue, as other voters have suggested.

"Obama has his experience but Hillary Clinton will get a better chance to win," a democrat said, "It is not a black or white issue. She is the best experienced, she is the best suited for the job." There is a feeling among the voters that New York senator Clinton had been a supporter of the black community for years and has done a lot for the black community and the blacks are going to split the votes.

The former first lady did not mention the campaign's increasingly combative tone as she campaigned in New York. Obama's comments about the attacks on him came in Nevada several days after race became a subject of controversy in his contest with Clinton, who is trying to become the first woman to win the Oval office. The former president bill Clinton made several appearances on black radio programs to ease concerns, while his wife appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" and accused Obama's campaign of distorting her comments

Businessman Robert Johnson appeared to make a veiled reference to Obama's self-disclosed drug use as a youth - although he quickly disputed that was his intent. Edwards is campaigning aggressively in both Nevada and South Carolina, and his aides circulated a memo during the day saying both his rivals were "deeply flawed." It said both Clinton and Obama might be unable to win the White House in November, and that Edwards, alone, was strong enough to fight the Republicans and corporate interests all the way to victory.

Sensing danger in their racial arguments that would directly help the Republicans, democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama stepped back from a controversy over race, agreeing that a prolonged clash over civil rights could harm their party's overall drive to win the White House. The two leading Democratic contenders shifted course as Republicans pointed toward pivotal primary in Michigan on 15 January, where Mitt Romney and John McCain both pledged to lead a revival for a state and an auto industry ravaged by recession. Obama was the first to suggest a cooling of the rhetoric on race, calling reporters together to say he didn't want the campaign "to degenerate into so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this." Referring to Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, he said that while they may have disagreements, "we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights." Clinton's campaign issued a statement in the same vein about an hour after Obama spoke, saying it was time to seek common ground.

That was in contrast to the Republican campaign, where McCain and Romney, both are whites, battled in a Michigan primary that neither could afford to lose. "I will not rest until Michigan is back," said Romney, a native son who jabbed at his rival for saying many jobs among the thousands lost will never return. "We will create new jobs," insisted McCain, who also favors improvements in federal programs for laid-off workers.

"We have the innovation, the talent, the knowledge and the ability t to regain Michigan's position as the best in the world." Polls showed McCain and Romney in a close race, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee running third. Winner from the republican camp, Romney was most in need of a victory as he looked to restore at least some of the luster lost with defeats in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Several associates have suggested the former Massachusetts governor may quit the race unless he prevails. Now his position is safe. However, what is at stake is US brand of "democracy"!.

Pakistani people support democratic Islam

Steven Kull and C. Christine Fair

An in-depth survey of Pakistani public opinion reveals majority support for a moderate and democratic Islamic state, though a small but significant minority shows sympathy for Islamist militant groups.

Most Pakistanis want Islam to play a larger role in Pakistani society. However, a majority also favors a more democratic political system, rejects 'Talibanization," and supports recent government efforts to reform the madrassah system by focusing more on science and mathematics. Majorities have little sympathy for Islamist military groups and most would like to see the Federally Administered Tribal Areas integrated into Pakistan.

The survey also found that Pakistani attitudes toward the United States are negative and that there is a growing perception that the United States is hostile toward Islam.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 12-18, just before President Pervez Musharraf declared a six-week state of emergency and before the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The sample included 907 Pakistani urban adults, selected using multi-stage probability sampling, who were interviewed at home in 19 cities. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percent.

It was conducted by WorldPublicOpinion.org in collaboration with, and with financial support from, the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org comments, "While Pakistan is racked by conflict between leaders and groups vying for power, this poll indicates that most Pakistanis largely agree on what kind of state they want and on how they want the government to deal with the many challenges it faces."

C. Christine Fair, senior research fellow of the US Institute of Peace (now at RAND) observes, "With Pakistan as perhaps the most important country in the war on terrorism, the good news is that majorities of Pakistanis view most militant groups in Pakistan as a threat. The bad news is that many Pakistanis view the U.S. with great suspicion. "

The survey finds strong public support for a wider role for Islam. Asked to gauge the importance of living "in a country that is governed according to Islamic principles" on a 10-point scale, 61 percent give an answer of 10 (meaning "absolutely important"). The mean response is 9.0. However, when asked to gauge the degree to which Pakistan is currently governed by Islamic principles, the mean score is just 4.6.

Sixty percent want Shari'a to play a larger role, "as compared to current Pakistan law." Shari'a was formally introduced into the Pakistani court system in the 1970s and the country was founded as an Islamic republic. Support for a greater role for Shari'a may indicate that Pakistanis simply want their civil courts to function more effectively (the Pakistani justice system is well known for its long delays) rather than for a fundamental change.

At the same time a large majority of Pakistanis want Pakistan to be more democratic. Asked to use the 10-point scale to measure the importance of living "in a country that is governed by representatives elected by the people," the mean response is 8.4. Asked to rate Pakistan in this regard, the mean score is just 4.8, though polling was conducted just before the imposition of emergency rule.

Interestingly, among the 60 percent who support a larger role for Shari'a larger role in the Pakistani legal system, nearly two out of three (64%) give the importance of democracy a 10-considerably higher than among those who do not favor more Shari'a.

Pakistanis also say it is important to live in a country where "the decisions of the courts are independent from influence by political and military authorities," giving it a mean score of 8.6 on the 10-point scale. Again, respondents give their country a relatively poor mean rating (5.6) in fulfilling this ideal.

There is little support among Pakistanis for a shift to extreme religious conservatism. Only a small minority (15%)-even among those who want a greater role for Shari'a-say they want to see more "Talibanization of daily life." Eighty-one percent say it is important for Pakistan to protect religious minorities-which have been frequent targets of militant violence-and three quarters (75-78 percent) say that attacks on specific religious minorities (Ahmadiyya and Shi'a) are never justified.

Perhaps most significantly, the survey identified substantial support for reforming the religious schools known as madrassahs. About two-thirds (64 percent) support a recent government plan to regulate the madrassahs, requiring them to register with the government and to spend more time on subjects like math and science. Only 17 percent are opposed to such reform efforts. Interestingly, those who want a larger role for Shari'a are more likely than others to strongly favor these reforms.

There is also little sympathy for Islamist militant groups operating in Pakistan. Three in five (60-62 percent) view the activities of al Qaeda, local Taliban, and Pakistani Islamist militant groups as threats to Pakistan's vital interests. However, a significant 14 to 18 percent do not view these groups as a threat to Pakistan.

A large majority wants the special status of the region along the Afghan border known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to be phased out and for the FATA to be integrated into Pakistan's legal structure. Seventy-two percent think the Frontier Crimes Regulation should be changed so that people in FATA "have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Pakistanis." Only 8 percent think it should be left unchanged.

At the same time most of those polled prefer a gradual approach to integration of the FATA. Overall there is little support for a military crackdown on militant groups operating in these border regions. Given three options, just 23 percent would rather see the government exert control through military force while only 12 percent are in favor of simply withdrawing. A 46-percent plurality favors instead trying to keep the peace in the FATA through negotiations, presumably moving toward reintegration in the long run.

Pakistani views of the United States are quite negative. About two-thirds (64%) do not trust the United States "to act responsibly in the world." Very large majorities believe the US military presence in Afghanistan and in Asia is a critical threat to Pakistan's interests (68 percent and 72 percent respectively). Only 27 percent feel that the cooperation between Pakistan and the United States on security and military matters has benefited Pakistan.

There is a growing Pakistani perception that the United States is hostile to their desire for a more Islamic society. Indeed, 86 percent now say it is definitely (70%) or probably (16%) a US goal to "weaken and divide the Islamic world." This view also appears to be growing: it is up 13 points from February.

This view is highly correlated with negative views of the United States. Among those who strongly believe the US is seeking to undermine Islam, 57 percent say they do not trust the United States "at all." Among those who do not think this is a US goal, only 13 percent say they do not trust the United States at all.