The New Nation - Internet Edition

Media people reject final draft on information right: Bureaucracy dominated govt has nothing to deliver

From right: Independent Editor Mahbubul Alam, News
Today Editor Reazuddin Ahmed, noted columnist Dr Mizanur
Rahman Shelly, Press Club President Shawkat Mahmud and Amar
Desh Editor Ataus Samad at a discussion on 'Right to
Information Ordinance' organised

Staff Reporter

Journalists, media related people and experts yesterday renounced the final draft of the Ordinance on right to information, as the proposed ordinance would be a barrier in providing information to the people.

The decision has been taken at a discussion meeting held on Saturday at the National Press Club.

They also called upon street protest if the government implemented the proposed ordinance of right to information in its present form.

The Ordinance on Right to Information, which has been approved by the Council of Advisers, would constrain instead of expansion of the right of information of the people, they said.

Among others, the discussion was participated by Ataus Samad, Editor the Daily Amar Desh, Mahbubul Alam, former adviser of the caretaker government and Editor of the Daily Independent, Reazuddin Ahmed, Editor of the News Today, Nurul Kabir, Editor of The New Age, Shyamol Datta, Editor of The Daily Bhorer Kagoz, Shawkat Mahmud, President of the Press Club, M Shakhawat Ali Khan, former Prof of Mass Communication and Journalism Dept of Dhaka University, Asif Nazrul, Prof of Dept of Law of Dhaka University and Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ).

The Media Commission,

Bangladesh arranged the discussion on, 'Reviewing the draft of Right to Information Ordinance' at Jatiya Press Club with its Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelly presiding.

Terming the ordinance as frustrating, Mahbubul Alam said there was nothing for the welfare of people in the final draft.

Renouncing the ordinance, he said the right, that was given, would be taken away through this ordinance.

"If the ordinance is passed in its present form the people shall never know the criminal investigation report until the organisations publish it for the knowledge of people", said Mahbubul Alam.

Speakers said that Section 35 of the proposed ordinance shall be a deterrent to the freedom of the press and right to information of the prople.

Shawkat Mahmud said the word 'Priority' was omitted in Clause 3 which will hinder the Official Secrets Act.

He mentioned that Clause 9(B) was not specific and would therefore deter journalists to provide information for the people.

He said, "As the government will fix remuneration for the officials of Information Commission, the commission will become dependent on the government."

Mentioning the ordinance as the worst, comparing it to the three South-Asian countries- India, Pakistan and Nepal, Asif Nazrul said, "Nowhere in the world it had been mentioned that the reporter cannot write anything, which will deteriorate the relationship between the country and the international organisation."

Reazuddin Ahmed said the ordinance is like an improved version of the Official Secrecy Act. "Ii is not acceptable in any way", he added.

He called upon the government to formulate the law in line with the draft provided jointly by BFUJ, JPC and SAFMA.

Terming the final draft of right to information ordinance as very disappointing, Mahbubul Alam said. "We did not imagine that such an ordinance would be approved."

He said agreement with foreign countries or other organisations should be disclosed in the public interest. "There is no scope for playing hide and seek with it."

Reazuddin Ahmed said, the present government is dominated by the bureaucrats and not representative in character. So they have very little to deliver for the journalists.

Hasina demands lifting of emergency, JS polls first

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina addressing a
discussion meeting organised by Bangabandhu Foundation on
the occasion of National Mourning Day, the 33rd death
anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at a hotel
in Washington on Saturday. Bang

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, now in Washington, demanded that the caretaker regime lift the state of emergency and hold parliamentary elections first to transfer power to people's representatives.

"Without people's representatives, people's problems cannot be resolved," said the former PM while addressing a discussion marking the 33rd anniversary of assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Washington Saturday.

Hasina rejected any other elections before the general election, and asserted that the elections must be free, fair, transparent and acceptable to all, according to a report from the US capital.

On the anti-corruption campaign, she said many suspected corrupt big fishes having thousands of crores of Taka went scot-free while some small fry were arrested. "It seems to the people that the anti-graft drive is being conducted not against the real corrupt but against politicians."

The discussion meeting was also addressed by Hasina's son, Sajiv Wajed Joy, former MP Sohel Taj, US Awami League president Khaled Hassan.

On the August 15th tragedy, Hasina said defeated forces of 1971 took revenge by slaying Bangabandhu in 1975. Had there not been the black night of August 15, Bangladesh would have attained economic self-sufficiency much earlier, she observed.

The Awami League chief further said were Bangabandhu alive, Bangladesh would have created a new example of how to attain a poverty-free and economically self-reliant nation.

Serial blasts anniversary: Extremists under control: RAB DG

Staff Reporter

The third anniversary of the countrywide series bombing carried by an extremist outfit that claimed the lives of 2 people and injuring scores of others was observed yesterday.

At least 500 blasts rocked the country on a single day in 2005.

The government launched a crackdown on the Jamaatul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) after they carried out the serial blasts throughout the nation.

Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said, "From the law and order point of view, we have crushed the religious extremist groups though they often tried to regroup in sporadic manner,"

"But for effective elimination of the group we still need to work to wage a social campaign engaging all stakeholders like religious and civil society leaders, teachers and students," he said.

Police said they had intensified vigilance across the country on the third anniversary of the blasts triggered by JMB in 63 out of the 64 districts of the country on August 17 in 2005.

On this day members of the outlawed militant groups Jamaatul-Mujahideen and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, exploded more than 500 small bombs across the country simultaneously, killing six people and wounding dozens.

Only two people were killed on that day when the outfit announced their emergence through the low-intensity blasts but in the subsequent two years they carried out a series of attacks in public places leaving at least 200 people including two judges dead as part of their campaign to impose Islamic rule of their brand in Bangladesh.

The attacks prompted a countrywide massive security clampdown that subsequently saw the arrest of nearly 1,000 militants and execution of six JMB kingpins including its chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman and his second-in-command Siddikul Islam 'Bangla Bhai' last year.

Top leaders of the two groups were hanged in March 2006. But law enforcement agencies say hundreds of militants remain in hiding and could regroup and strike again.

"We have taken special precautions and put security agencies on high alert to keep the militants at bay," said a senior police officer on Saturday.

"The security has been further tightened ahead of the Muslim Shab-e-Barat (night of fortune) on Saturday," said the officer who asked not to be identified.

According to Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, chief of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion, the government is confident that this terrorist group can pose no more threats as at least 1,000 of its members have been arrested.

He added that they have successfully dealt with. Over the last two years bomb attacks have become a rarity. The disintegration of JMB though not yet complete, has seen the group "very much under control," Khandaker said.

"The group now poses no real or alarming threat as it has been under control since the executions of its leaders," said the Rapid Action Battalion DG.

US, UK, KSA envoys in Islamabad to resolve crisis: Ultimatum to Musharraf to quit

AFP, Islamabad

Pakistan's ruling coalition tightened the screw on President Pervez Musharraf Sunday, saying that it had readied impeachment charges against him and was giving him two days to stand down.

Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told AFP that "the charge sheet will be presented in parliament by Tuesday". Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said a day earlier that Musharraf had to decide on quitting "by today or tomorrow."

The coalition finalised the charges on Sunday after intense deliberations and would present them on Monday to the alliance's leaders, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said.

"It is a historic document," Rehman told reporters. She said it would be submitted to parliament as part of an impeachment resolution "this week" but did not elaborate.

A spokesman for Musharraf-who seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999 and went on to become a linchpin in the US-led "war on terror"-has repeatedly denied that the president is going to resign.

But attorney general Malik Qayyum, a close confidant of Musharraf, said the president would wait until the impeachment motion is filed before choosing a course of action.

"Whether he quits or counters the impeachment move will be decided after he sees the charges," Qayyum told AFP, adding that challenging impeachment in the Supreme Court remained an option.

With Pakistan's powerful army taking a neutral stance towards its former chief, the court is the only institution Musharraf can still count on, as he purged it of opponents during a state of emergency last November.

Musharraf's other courses of action-either dissolving the national assembly or imposing emergency rule again-are fraught with risk.

Musharraf's allies and coalition officials have said separately that his aides are in talks with the government in a bid to secure him an indemnity from prosecution if he does throw in the towel.

Saudi Arabia and, reportedly, the United States and Britain, have sent envoys in a bid to resolve the crisis in the nuclear-armed nation, which is also suffering from a severe economic crunch.

A coalition source said fresh discussions were underway Sunday.

"The emissaries of Musharraf are still in contact with the government and as far as we know, Musharraf's aides are advising him either to resign seeking an assurance for indemnity or try the Supreme Court," the source told AFP.

The talks on getting immunity for Musharraf have also been hampered by the opposition of former premier Sharif, who leads the second biggest group in the coalition after the Pakistan People's Party of Benazir Bhutto, led by Zardari.

No president has ever been impeached in Pakistan's 61-year history.

The army's stance is still unclear and analysts say it could react badly to seeing its former leader humiliated by impeachment. Musharraf quit as army chief in November last year under international pressure.

The coalition is counting on independent MPs and defectors from Musharraf's camp to win the two-thirds combined majority it would need in the upper and lower houses of parliament to impeach him.

The White House has also struck a neutral tone, saying that the impeachment threat was an internal matter.

Western allies want Pakistan to resolve the impasse so it can deal with the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where nearly 500 people have died in the past week.

Musharraf's popularity first slumped after he tried to sack the country's chief justice in March 2007.

His Supreme Court purge in November allowed him to force through his re-election to another five-year term by the outgoing parliament, but his political allies were then trounced in elections in February.

Analysts say Musharraf's best way out would seem to be a dignified exit

Pakistan's foreign minister has said President Pervez Musharraf must stand down in the next two days or face impeachment proceedings.

"Musharraf is running out of time", said Shah Mahmood Qureshi, of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - a major partner in the governing coalition.

Draft charges against the president include violation of the constitution and gross misconduct, officials said.

Mr Musharraf's office has said he will not resign and will defend himself.

The impeachment campaign was launched last week by leaders of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

A PML-N official said: "There is a long list of charges against himt we will file them, by the latest, by Tuesday."

If Mr Musharraf chooses not to quit, he would be the first president in Pakistan's history to be impeached.

Phelps wins record eighth gold

BBC Online

Michael Phelps won his eighth Olympic gold medal of the Beijing Games to beat Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven, with victory in the 4x100m medley.

The 23-year-old teamed up with Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Jason Lezak to claim the historic gold for the United States in a world record time.

They held off Australia and Japan to win in three minutes 29.34 seconds.

Britain finished in sixth, but the race was all about record-breaking Phelps' place in history.

Phelps, who swam 17 times over nine days and set world records in seven finals, had already won the 400m medley, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4x100m free relay, 4x200m free relay, 200m medley and the 100m butterfly.

Victory in the 4x100m relay rounded off a remarkable Olympics the 6ft 4in swimmer, who has dominated the action in the Water Cube.

However, his final triumph was far from straightforward.

Phelps dived into the water for the third leg butterfly with his team in third position but he powered them into the lead.

Australian Eamon Sullivan tried to chase the Americans down but Lezak held on to clinch Phelps' record win.

It also took Phelps' Olympic medal haul to 14 golds, and 16 overall.

Phelps admitted to being overwhelmed after achieving his feat, and was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates.

"I don't even know what to feel right now," Phelps said.

"There are so many emotions going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom.

"Without the help of my team-mates this isn't possible.

"I was able to be a part of three relays and we were able to put up a solid team effort and we came together as one unit.

"For the three Olympics I've been a part of, this is by far the closest men's team that we've ever had.

"I didn't know everybody coming into this Olympics, but I feel going out I know every single person very well. The team that we had is the difference.

"Nothing is impossible.

"With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that's something I learned and something that helped me.

"It's been nothing but an upwards roller-coaster and it's been nothing but fun."

His team-mate Peirsol added: "It's a beautiful thing, I am so proud to be a part of this relay team.

"It wasn't like we were doing this for Michael, but it's an honour to be part of it. It would have been something if we hadn't done it."

Australian swimmer Grant Hackett said: "Michael Phelps - you can't put it in words what he has done here, his level of achievement is phenomenal and I don't think it will ever be seen again."

Nasim released on bail

BSS, Dhaka

Detained Awami League leader and former Home Minister Mohammad Nasim was released on bail on Saturday afternoon.

The High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court granted him the bail on August 6 for four months.

Mohammad Nasim was arrested in a corruption case on February 4 last year. Later when Nasim fell sick, he was admitted to the city's LabAid Hospital.

The AL leader will be in the LabAid hospital until he is shifted to a Singapore hospital for improved treatment, his family sources said.

Meanwhile, Nasim has been jailed for 13 years in a corruption case.

Release of Khaleda demanded

Staff Reporter

BNP Vice Chairman MK Anwar yesterday demanded immediate release of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia with a view to overcome the present impasse in the political arena through effective dialogue.

"The caretaker government should immediately free Begum Khaleda Zia and start effective dialogue with her to overcome the present crisis," he said while talking to reporters at his Elephant Road residence in the city.

MK Anwar, also a former minister of the then four-party alliance government, said if Begum Zia were released she would extend all-out cooperation to the Government.

He cautioned that if Khaleda Zia were not released, the political impasse would deepen.

"It is not possible for the caretaker government to unilaterally resolve the deepening crisis in the political arena," he observed.

The BNP leader said the neutrality of the caretaker government comes under question for keeping Begum Zia in jail after the release of another prime minister and Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina, now in USA for treatment.

He said that those in government may not suffer individually but the country will suffer immensely due to the deadlock on the politico-administrative front.

M K Anwar, who recently got bail in GATCO graft case, demanded parliamentary elections first and revision of the Representation of the People Order (Amendment) Ordinance recently approved by the Council of Advisers.

Terming the amendment to the ordinance as unrealistic he said the government should revise it.

"It is not possible for political parties to amend their party constitutions in such a short period of time under the emergency," he observed.

Asked whether Begum Zia would be able to contest the polls even she not registered her name in the voter list, MK Anwar said she would be able to register as voter any day ahead of the elections.

Referring to the Article 66 of the Constitution he said Begum Zia would also be able to contest the parliamentary polls.

He also demanded immediate release of Tarique Rahman, elder son of Begum Zia, and send him abroad for treatment.

Dependence on remittance on rise

Pulack Ghatack

The country is becoming increasingly dependent on the remittances from the expatriate workers, as it is being more and more helpless to clear its liabilities from its export earnings.

Imports of essentials including staple food, rice have been rising. Imports of oil, capital machineries and primary products are also on the rise as the countries industrial production is heavily depended on imported raw materials.

At the same time fashionable and luxurious items are also glutting the domestic markets to cater to growing number of the rich whose income and assets are ballooning in sharp contrast to the vast majority.

Imports for July-May this year went up by more than 24 percent from a year earlier, while exports increased by 15.27 percent bringing the trade deficit to US $5.04 billion from US $3.29 billion in the same period of last year.

Trade deficit in the just-concluded financial year (2007-2008) amounted to US$ 6.26 billion, which is nearly two and a half billion dollars more than that of the previous year.

According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics, the country imported products worth US$20.37 billion against export earnings of US $14.11 billion in 2007-08 financial year.

In fiscal year 2006-07, the import bill was around US $15.97 biilion against export earnings of $12.18 billion.

Sharp rises in world prices of grains, including rice and wheat, as well as fertiliser and oil also contributed to swelling the liabilities for imports, some experienced sources said.

The Government's military and civil procurements is also increasing in accordance with the expansion of the economy, which is putting more pressure on the balance of payments (BoP), sources in the central bank said.

As a result BoP slumped 89.7 percent in July-May to US $105 million from the same period a year earlier, they said.

Strong remittances from more than 5 million Bangladeshis working abroad helped offset the impact of the trade shortfall and kept the overall balance of payments in surplus, officials said.

In the outgoing fiscal year record US $8 billion remittances flowed into the country. The amount is expected to reach US$10 billion in the current fiscal year.

Expatriate Bangladeshis sent US$ 829.5 million in remittance in July edging the foreign exchange reserves to near US$ 6 billion. Like the outgoing year the trend of increased remittance inflow continued at the beginning of the current fiscal year.

Overseas employment during the current fiscal is hoped to break the previous year's record of 8 lakh 32 thousand and cross 9 lakh.

According to the sources in Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, the government cleared 590,000 applications for overseas jobs till July this year.

Vegetables exports up by Tk 173.81 cr

Staff Reporter

Country's vegetables export increased by Tk 173.81 crore in 2007-08 from the previous year.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, a total of Tk 423.29 crore earned by exporting different varieties of vegetables against the target of Tk 280 crore in the year 2007-08. It was Tk 249.81 crore in the year 2006-07.

On the other hand, the Bangladesh Food and Vegetable and Allied Products Exporters Association (BFVAEA) said that they had earned over Tk 600 crore by exporting vegetables in the last fiscal.

The businessmen exported at least 50 vegetables items from Bangladesh. Of the items, at least 60 per cent exported Middle Eastern countries and the rest 40 per cent vegetables in Europe and America, according to BFVAEA sources.

SM Jahangir, President of BFVAEA said that the export earning from vegetables would have increased by Tk 1,000 crore in this fiscal if the government had reduced the freight fare.

"We have exported vegetables to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu-Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and some other middle eastern countries. Besides, we also exported to United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Greece and some other European countries," he said adding, " The freight fare charge for export of per kilogram of vegetable to the European market is Tk 160 and Tk 80 per kilogram to the Middle East," he said.

He added that we the vegetable exporters were facing competition from the neighbouring countries due to the high freight rate.

He called upon the government to take necessary steps for fixing the fare to Tk 130 from Tk 160 for access to the European vegetable markets and Tk 65 from Tk 80 to Middle East markets.

Special intelligence to monitor activities of political parties: AL, Jamaat term it undemocratic

Mamunur Rashid

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) launched a special intelligence unit yesterday to monitor the activities of political parties.

The Awami League and Jamaat in their instant reaction to the formation of the unit branded the move "unfortunate and undemocratic."

Bangladesh's main political parties have been mounting pressure on the military-backed interim government to end the 19-month-old emergency powers rule.

Naim Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Commissioner, told reporter, "We created the Political Intelligence Operation (PIO) to gather reports of what they (political parties) plan to do in advance."

"The PIO will not only keep track of the activities by political parties and allied organisations but also have an overall responsibility to help ensure a peaceful public life," he said.

Suranjit Sengupta, a former member of the parliament and senior leader of the Awami League, while talking to the New Nation described the PIO as "unfortunate, undemocratic and unconstitutional."

"The main task of the police is to track down and punish criminals, not to put a trail on political parties and their activities," he said.

The main task of the police was to protect politicians not to monitor them, he added.

"Such a move is possible only where politics is banned. That's why we want political activities to be fully restored."

Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh told the New Nation that the main task of the police was to punish those who were destroying the country's wealth, including setting fire to the garment factories and those who wear blue helmet and plunder country's resources.

Police forces need to do their routine job, not to monitor the political parties and their activities," he said.

The three biggest parties, the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islam want the government to lift the emergency that was imposed in January 2007 after months of political violence.

Six garment workers hurt in boiler blast

Six garment workers who were injured in a boiler
blast were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital
yesterday. NN photo

UNB, Dhaka

Six female garment workers were injured in a boiler explosion at Pallabi in the city Sunday morning.

Police said the boiler of Load Star garment factory, housed on the 3rd floor of Purobi Super Market, Mirpur-7, exploded with a big bang at about 10am, leaving the six workers injured. The injured were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Of the injured, Nasima, 18, Liza, 18, and Kajoli, 18, were admitted to the burn unit of the hospital while Nilima, 22, Khodeza, 18, and Dolly, 24, received first aid.