The New Nation - Internet Edition

Annisul elected FBCCI president: Vows to work to advance economy

Newly elected FBCCI President Annisul Haq being
greeted by the directors of the Federation on Wednesday.
Banglar Chokh

Staff Reporter

Former BGMEA chief Annisul Huq has been elected president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) unopposed for the 2007-2008 term.

His rival MA Rouf Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Vanaspati Manufacturers Association, proposed Annisul's name to the electoral board as president of the apex trade body.

Elections for the federation's two posts of vice-president were also uncontested. The elected vice-presidents are Abul Kashem Ahmed (Chamber group) and Abu Alam Chowdhury (Association group).

Chairman of FBCCI electoral board Ali Ashraf declared the names of the winners.

Earlier on Tuesday, Annisul Huq-led panel triumphed over rival MA Rouf Chowdhury's group in the election of FBCCI directors.

Annisul Huq's panel won 19 director posts out of 24 while Rouf's won five posts.

In the chamber group, the Annisul panel grabbed 11 posts out of 12 FBCCI director posts and won eight out of 12 in the association group.

The biennial election to the apex trade body, FBCCI, was held on Monday amid great enthusiasm in the business community with around 93 per cent turnout of voters.

Annisul Huq told newsmen yesterday that the FBCCI election would work as a great example of democratic practice ahead of the long-awaited parliamentary polls.

"My friend Rouf has proposed my name as president. Our politicians and policymakers should learn from our election. The politicians can learn how a competitor can be a good friend," he said.

Both Annisul Huq and Rouf Chowdhury promised to work hand in hand for overall advances of the country's economy.

India hands over 6 horses presented to Army Chief

Six horses of Indian Army which were presented to
Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed during his Delhi visit
being handed over to Bangladesh Army at Benapole Land Port
on Wednesday. Focus Bangla

BSS, Jessore

Indian Army yesterday handed over six horses, presented to Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed during his recent visit to India, to the Bangladesh authorities through the Benapole land port.

RVC of Indian Army Col Mahir Bhattacharya formally handed over the horses to Col Aminul Haq of Bangladesh army headquarters.

Senior officials of the Armed Forces, customs, border guards, and civil administrations of the both the countries were present in the handing over ceremony.

Pak parliament elects female speaker

Fahmida Mirza

AFP, Islamabad

Pakistan's parliament on Wednesday elected the first female speaker in the country's 60-year history, a loyalist from the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

Fahmida Mirza, 52, could play a crucial role in a looming showdown between a coalition government led by Bhutto's party and President Pervez Musharraf, whose political allies lost heavily in elections a month ago.

MPs pounded their desks in approval as the the purple-veiled former medical doctor was announced the winner with 249 votes from the 342-seat lower house of parliament, or national assembly.

"Fahmida Mirza is declared to have been elected as the speaker of the national assembly," outgoing speaker Amir Hussain announced after a day-long vote before handing over the speaker's chair.

Mirza, a veteran politician from Bhutto's home province of Sindh, then took the oath as the first woman to hold the position in this deeply conservative Islamic nation of 160 million people. "This is my third tenure in the national assembly and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country," Mirza told reporters before the session.

US can’t afford to ignore race: Obama

Barack Obama

AFP, Washington

Democratic front-runner Barack Obama battled to defuse the most serious threat yet to his presidential hopes after incendiary, racially tinged sermons by his former pastor triggered an uproar.

The mixed-race Illinois senator Tuesday condemned the sermons while standing by his black spiritual mentor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and appealing for America's divided communities to pursue a "more perfect union."

Wright, who has now retired from the Chicago church, resigned last week from an Obama campaign committee when videos emerged of him appealing to African-Americans to sing "God damn America" and condemning US "terrorism." New polls suggested that non-stop airings of the sermons on television networks and the Internet had dented Obama's support, with independent voters who had been excited by his promise of change especially put off.

In a major speech in Philadelphia Obama decried Wright's "profoundly distorted" sermons but refused to disown the 66-year-old Chicago preacher, who welcomed the young community organizer into his Christian flock 20 years ago.

"Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in the church? Yes," Obama said. "Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely-just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed," he said.

But Obama also said Wright "has been like family to me." The fiery reverend officiated at Obama's wedding and baptized his two daughters.

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother," the candidate said, recalling that she had sometimes used racially tinged language.

Obama's speech was aimed not just at African-Americans embittered by centuries of discrimination, but at struggling whites and immigrants ill-disposed to atone for past generations' sins.

"It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams," he said.

Protesters surrender in Tibet

Agencies

More than 100 people have turned themselves in to police following anti-China riots in Tibet's main city, Lhasa, Chinese state media has said.

The authorities had threatened to punish harshly protesters who failed to surrender by a Monday night deadline.

Lhasa police have been searching homes and making arrests, activists say.

The news came as video emerged from nearby Gansu province showing Tibetans tear down a Chinese flag and replacing it with a Tibetan flag on Tuesday.

Hundreds of protesters can be seen on foot and horseback in the incident at a school near Hezuo, captured on camera by a Canadian film crew.

The demonstrators attempted to march on a government building before security forces used tear gas to stop them, reports from the scene said.

The protest followed several other reported incidents of unrest - some of them involving apparently more serious violence - in provinces close to the Tibetan border with large ethnic Tibetan populations.

Correspondents say China's authorities will be very anxious to stop the protests spreading from Tibet.

The Chinese government and rights groups have provided radically different accounts of the past week's unrest.

The Tibetan government in exile in India says 99 people have now died in clashes with security forces - 80 in Lhasa and 19 shot dead on Tuesday in Machu, Gansu province.

Foreign journalists have not been allowed into Lhasa and the flow of information is tightly controlled, making it difficult to verify either of these claims. China's handling of the Tibet issue is being watched closely by world leaders in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

Officials said on Wednesday that the Olympic torch - which will be carried across China ahead of the Games - will still go through Tibet despite the current troubles.

It is due to be carried to the top of Mount Everest in May, and to pass through Lhasa in June. BBC correspondents have described seeing military convoys heading into Tibet from neighbouring regions.

On Wednesday, the BBC's Dan Griffiths in western China reported seeing more than 400 military vehicles heading to Tibet, the largest he had seen so far.

Some were carrying soldiers armed with automatic rifles and bayonets, others held troops wearing helmets and riot shields.

Entrepreneurs to get 3-yr tax holiday in Dhaka, Ctg

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission will receive application for licensing a potential new-generation business in call centre from the first week of April.

Besides, the Commission proposed to facilitate the entrepreneurs of the potential new industry with tax holiday for three years in Dhaka and Chittagong and five years in the rest of the country starting from the licensing.

Moreover, the BTRC proposed only 0.5 percent revenue sharing after the termination of holiday period.

The proposals came at the 'Public Hearing on Call Centre Licensing' organised by the Commission at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre yesterday morning.

As a follow-up to Public Consultation on the Proposed Licensing Guidelines for Call Centre, BTRC invited the general public and call-center enthusiasts to attend the public hearing where the proposed Licensing Guidelines, and terms and conditions were discussed openly. Over 2,000 stakeholders took part in the hearing.

Presided over by BTRC chairman Maj Gen (retd) Manjurul Alam, the programme was also addressed by BTRC Commissioner JM Munir Ahmed and Aliwardi Khandakar, director (legal and licensing) AKH Shahiduzzaman and senior consultant Abdullah A Ferdous.

"There is no category for getting the call-centre license. Any good citizen having trade license can apply for the license," BTRC chairman Alam told journalists at the break of the daylong public hearing.

BTRC would provide the license as long as there would be the market demand, he said, adding that there is no condition for getting the license at this moment. Anyone could get the license at a cost of Tk 5,000 for five years, which was proposed Tk 50,000 earlier, and no renewal fee for the license.

"The advertisement for applying for the license will be circulated on the BTRC website from the first week of April and also go on television and radio. Meanwhile, we'll revise the proposed licensing guidelines for call centre based on the suggestions of the public hearing," Alam said. Licensing is a continuous process and BTRC would not stop it as revolution could be brought through establishing the call-centre industry properly, he said.

"The market size of the industry was 382.5 billion dollars in 2004, while it would be 641.2 billion in 2009… If we can attract only one percent, that is 6 billion dollars, then it would be even more than our current foreign-currency reserve," the BTRC chairman said.

As the BTRC is proposing for the entrepreneurs to use IPLC (International Private Leased Circuit) for operating the call centres initially, the participants of the public hearing found it much expensive and asked the BTRC to look into the matter.

Responding to the remarks, chairman Alam said the BTRC has discounted 25 percent bandwidth charge for IPLC to facilitate the promising call industry.

"If needed, the BTRC will request the BTTB to reduce it more. We'll also, if needed," he said, adding that the BTTB would also be requested to reduce the license fee of VSAT, as the call-centre entrepreneurs would also need it.

To facilitate the industry, the BTRC is to take step for establishing a second submarine cable at the end of this month, Alam said, expecting that the submarine cable would start in next one year at the maximum.

Speaking to the journalists, he said the BTRC is planning to arrange a call-centre fair in the country after formally inaugurating the industry on a large scale.

"Organisations concerned and clients will be invited to visit the industry here in the fair, like it was done recently in the Philippines," he said.

MFIs repress poor borrowers for lack of govt control

Syful Islam

Bangladesh's Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) could repress poor people due to lack of government regulations on them, observed Dr Jayanta Chowdhury, Secretary, Association for Research on People and Nature, India.

"The situation in India is totally different. There is no single case of seizing properties of borrower by the lender in India. It is impossible there as the government has control on the MFIs," he said while talking to The New Nation yesterday. Dr Jayanta Chowdhury, also Senior Lecturer (Rural Development) and Coordinator of Centre for Rural Studies of Tripura University, was visiting Bangladesh recently on an international exposure visit on micro finance where different bankers and micro credit officials attended.

Jayanta said none of the MFI's in India can charge more than 12.5 per cent to the borrowers which Bangladeshi NGO's charging more than 30 per cent.

He said in India nearly 20 government departments are working on micro finance. Therefore, state-owned MFIs provide loan to the poor borrowers, he said.

Local government institutions in India are very much strong. The Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) has been functioning there with the objective to implement Community Development Programmes introduced in the country and to accelerate the pace of development in rural areas involving people's participation. The three-tire Panchayet is playing a vital role so that none of the NGO's can deceive the poor people.

In India the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is facilitating credit flow for promotion and development of agriculture, small-scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts. It is also supporting all other allied economic activities in rural areas, promote integrated and sustainable rural development and secure prosperity of rural areas.

Jayanta said, as the response from Bangladeshi Banks to the micro finance is very poor the MFIs are getting the opportunity to take toll on the borrowers. The poor borrowers have no alternative but to go to the MFIs and pay high interest, he said.

"Bangladeshi banks should come forward to lend people collateral free to break the monopoly of the NGO's," he said adding, "The government should establish control over the MFIs to save people from deceiving."

JU teacher not regularized after 2 years in service

JU Correspondent

A Jahangirnagar University teacher is yet to receive his appointment letter after about two years of his joining the university as an assistant professor on ad-hoc basis.

Dr Ali Azam Talukder, who joined the Microbiology Department of the university on January 23 in 2006, told journalists at a press conference at JUJA office yesterday that he is being deprived as a certain quarter is hatching conspiracy against his appointment for unknown reasons.

He said after expiry of his six-month ad-hoc basis appointment on July 22 in 2006 he has been given extension in his ad-hoc appointment again for the third time till April 22, 2007 assuring that his job would be regularised. In spite of the expiry of the latest tenure of the extension the university authorities have neither given him further extension nor has he been paid the salary for the entire third term extended period, he alleged.

Dr Azam said that the university authorities appointed him as an invigilator in the first year admission test but have not paid him because the dean of Life Science Faculty did not sign his bill.

Replying to a question, he further alleged that he is not being regularised, as a vested group was trying to identify him as a member of the opposition teachers' group.

Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Khandaker Mostahidur Rahman told this correspondent that the authorities could not give him appointment since the Chairman of his department recommended otherwise for lack of up to the mark performance. As such we cannot appoint him as a regular teacher as per the University Act. As a result another teacher was given appointment.

It may be mentioned that he completed honours and masters from this University securing the first position in the first class and a Japanese University awarded him gold medal in PhD degree on 'Molecular Biology' in 1996.

Another Fida controversy over nude goddess

Fida Hossain

Agency, New York

The New York office of the art auction house, Christie's, has rejected demands to withdraw the work of controversial Indian artist, Fida Husain.

In a letter sent to Christie's, the Indian American Intellectual Forum threatened to hold demonstrations unless the auction is dropped.

Husain is one of India's best known artists.

In 2006 he publicly apologised for a painting in which he depicted the country as a nude goddess.

He promised to withdraw the controversial painting from a charity auction after Hindu nationalist groups accused him of hurting their religious sentiments.

They have accused him of painting Hindu gods and goddesses in a "derogatory and vulgar" form.

In a letter sent to Christie's, the Indian American Intellectual Forum President, Narain Kataria, said his group would stage a demonstration unless the auction of Fida Husain's paintings - scheduled for 20 March - is withdrawn.

The painter's work has been critically acclaimed worldwide

A Christie's spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter but said there were no plans to stop the auction.

Kataria's letter said Fida Husain had gained "ignominy and notoriety" in India by painting hurtful images of Hindu Gods.

Christie's expects some of the artist's paintings will be sold for up to $120,000.

Last year police in India's financial capital Mumbai (Bombay) began legal proceedings to seize property belonging to Husain.

BBC Bangla service to be available on FM radio in 6 more cities from Apr 14

Nell Curry

Staff Reporter

The Bangla service of the British Broadcasting Corporation will be made available soon on FM radio in six more divisions and towns of Bangladesh in addition to the capital.

Along with Dhaka, BBC Bangla Service will be available in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur and Comilla. BBC Bangla service has been relaying its programmes in Dhaka on FM since 1994.

The announcement of the expansion was made yesterday at a press conference by Neil Curry, Head of Business Development, Asia and the Pacific Region of BBC World Service at Sonargaon Hotel in the city. BBC Bangla Service Head Sabir Mustafa was present at the press conference.

It was informed that Bangladesh Betar would relay the BBC Bangla programmes from its six regional broadcasting stations four times a day for a total duration of two hours. BBC and Bangladesh Betar signed an agreement yesterday morning in this regard.

Md Mahbubul Alam, Director General of Bangladesh Betar and Neil Curry, Head of Business Development, Asia and the Pacific Region of BBC World Service signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations.

Information Secretary Jamil Osman was present at the signing ceremony held at the conference room of the Ministry of Information in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The agreement will remain effective for three years. Under the agreement, Bangladesh Betar will broadcast news of BBC Bangla Service from 6:30am to 7:00am, from 7:30am to 8:00am, from 7:30pm to 8:00pm and from 10:30pm to 11:00 pm every day till March 2011. The news will be broadcast in 105.4 MHz frequencies in Chittagong, 102 MHz in Rajshahi, 105 MHz in Sylhet, 105.4 MHz in Rangpur and 101.2 MHz in Comilla.

According to the agreement, BBC will pay the Bangladesh Betar 46,000 pounds sterling (Tk 65 lakh) annually as airtime fee and, in addition, provide technical and development supports to the state-run Bangladesh Betar.

BBC Bangla Service chief Sabir Mustafa said they would try to relay their programmes in one of the towns by March 26, the Independence Day, and relaying programmes through Bangladesh Betar frequencies in all six cities is expected to begin from April 14, the Bangla New Year.

Neil Curry said Bangladesh is hugely important country as far as the BBC is concerned, because some 10 per cent of the BBC's 183 million global audience listen to Bangla service. It means more than 18 million (1.80 crore) people in Bangladesh listen to BBC's Bangla programmes regularly.

Among all the 33 languages, in which BBC broadcasts its programmes, Bangla is jointly occupied the fourth position with Hindi, he said, adding that Bangla is one of the top foreign languages in terms of the number of audience of BBC. "BBC has been getting closer to closer with the audience in Bangladesh."

"Bangla is a very important language to BBC, because of historical and fraternal ties between the peoples of Bangladesh and Britain are very close," he said.

Curry said Bangladesh represents an incredible amount of interest for BBC and seven FM in one country is a very 'strong presence and significant achievement.'

Replying to a question, Sabir Mustafa said people listened to the BBC because of the quality of journalism and objectivity of information it maintained.

"Audience listen to BBC because they think it broadcasts news in an objective and impartial manner," he said.

Sabir Mustafa also informed that there would be some more programmes to be broadcast by BBC Bangla service. During March 23-28, there will be a weeklong discussion about Dhaka city to mark its completion of 400 years.

BBC is in negotiation with the Election Commission to hold election dialogue ahead of elections in six city corporations, he said, adding that there will also be programmes in the lead-up to the national election.

BNP to formally send letter to CA seeking Khaleda’s release

UNB, Dhaka

An extended meeting of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday decided to send a formal letter within two days to the Chief Advisor to release party's detained chairperson Khaleda Zia before March 26.

The meeting held at Dhanmondi house of BNP standing committee member Dr RA Gani also demanded to release Khaleda and her two sons Tarique and Koko before the Independence Day on March 26 showing respect to slain President Ziaur Rahman who proclaimed the independence.

This is for the first time BNP held an extended meeting chaired by RA Gani since the state of emergency was imposed on January 11 last year. Two other standing committee members M Shamsul Islam and Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, Chairperson's advisor Brig (retd) Hannan Shah, joint secretaries Goyeswar Chandra Roy, Selima Rahman and Prof MA Mannan, 25 former BNP MPs and leaders of Chhatra Dal, Juba Dal, Mahila Dal, Sramik Dal, Kirshak Dal, Sweccha Sebak Dal, Olama Dal, Zia parishad and JASAS attended the meeting.

In reply to a question about BNP's unity, Dr Gani said "We feel we

are united and BNP remains united."

The meeting has drawn up a 5-day programme for BNP central committee to celebrate the Independence Day.

The programmes include hoisting national and party flags, placing wreaths at National Mausoleum at Savar and Zia's mazar and holding discussion at Engineers Institute. The party's district and upazila units will observe the day by hoisting national and party flags and discussions.