The New Nation - Internet Edition

Improving FDI flows

A FOREIGN investor who decides to set up an industry in Bangladesh may count on cheap labour to give him an edge over rival producers in other parts of the world. This powerful pull factor should have worked in drawing a far greater foreign direct investments (FDIs) into Bangladesh. But this has not been happening. FDIs have declined very notably in the last two years according to assessments and the same led to a search on the causes. The reasons were pinpointed in several studies and reports issued by donor organisations and foreign investors' bodies respectively.

The factors mentioned are unreliable power, political uncertainty, bureaucratic delaying factors, the high interest rates on borrowing, weak state of the present infrastructures in some areas, inadequate number of new infrastructures, government's fluctuating policies, among others. The point is, this country will not transform into an attractive investment destination till these major stumbling blocks on the path of stepped up investment operations are well addressed. The private sector has little or nothing to do with treating the above conditions which are holding back investments. It is for the government to act quickly and vigorously in relation to each of the factors.

Nothing has been done practically to minimise bureaucracy which is a major disincentive for entrepreneurs. In the realm of energy supply, little of value was done during the last nearly two years to ensure uninterrupted energy for industries and services. The implementation of various schemes for additional power generation and improvement of transmission and distribution capacities are progressing at a snail's pace. Thus, the real improvement of the rate of investment depends crucially on urgent steps taken by the government in response to the factors working against investment, simultaneously in a package.

Recommitment to MDGs

ACCORDING to a news report from the United Nations, world leaders recommitted themselves to reducing global poverty, pledging an estimated $16 billion in aid. While some of the money had been previously announced, there were 'new commitments' for malaria, education, including $168 million by Microsoft founder Bill Gates for research to develop malaria vaccines. The UN secretary general said, if verified, the $16 billion figure would be all the more remarkable because it comes against the backdrop of financial crisis.

Governments, the private sector and development agencies sought to assess progress of universally agreed 'Millennium Development Goals' to halve global poverty by 2015 and identify next steps. The last few days have re-injected momentum which must sweep on, collecting more support as it swells, activist rock star Bono remarked adding even in these tough times, this historic promise has never been more important to keep. The global food crisis is far from over as update figures show 75 million more people now faced hunger, lifting the total figure to well above 900 million.

The current financial crisis threatens the well-being of billions of people, none more so than the poorest of the poor and this compounds the damage being caused by much higher prices for food and fuel. There has been progress in developing countries in Asia and Latin America, the United Nations has mentioned and not a single African country is on track to reach all of the targets set out in the Millennium Development Goals. The fight against poverty can be won if rich countries provide some $72 billion a year as remarked by the UN secretary general. The World Bank president is rather worried the financial crisis could quickly spread to developing nations, already reeling from higher food and fuel prices.

An apparently hyper CNN

Dr. M. S. Haq

In the recent time, hyperactivities of CNN - in favor of Senator Obama and his election campaign - have increased in the election related programs of CNN in a significant fashion. It now appears to me, among other things: CNN is, in a sense, fighting for Senator Obama's victory in the US presidential poll - slated for November 2008 - on the senator's behalf, on behalf of the democratic party and on behalf of concerned others. Further, CNN is at present attempting to give an impression to its viewers that Senator Obama has already won certain constituencies even before the poll is held in those constituencies.

Pro-Obama hyperactivities of CNN should apparently be fine for Senator Obama & Co but not in terms of the media maturity, as well as justice and the reputational cost of CNN because a perceived step motherly treatment on the part of CNN has so far been constraining equitable media opportunities for Senator McCain and his campaign - unless CNN has got some other motives behind promoting the opportunity related disparity.

CNN should be able to present - in a more responsible manner than that at present and on a continuous basis - to its viewers the right thing at the right time (time means cost, though) about events, analyses and scenarios (to mention a few) - whether or not connected with or ancillary to (or both) - election or elections in the US or elsewhere in the world - - save and except matters relating to paid programs that are for example, within the perimeter of acceptable norms, ethics and practices at societal and other levels or matters that are beyond the perimeter mentioned above against the backdrop of greater interest of living beings or humanity or otherwise.

In light of above, it is expected people of the US and for that matter people of the world will not - from now onwards - be subjected to emotionally packed products of CNN, favoring say, Senator Obama over Senator McCain or Senator Biden over Governor Palin or vice versa - in a less than fair, constructive and objective manner. It is also expected CNN will not attempt, as appropriate, to impose from now onwards their own views and judgments as the views and judgments of entire population of the US - on viewers' human systems (used in a wider medical sense) - and they will stop marketing those views and judgments designed - either in part or in full - for say, attracting paid programs worth multi-million US dollars from concerned presidential candidate or candidates.

By the way: how come Obama team still - I mean up to today, 10th day of October 2008 - appears to be very much solvent in financial terms while the runner up of this year's race for democratic presidential nominee Senator Clinton ended up with a reported debt amounting to millions of US dollars? Who has taken care of that debt - why and how? What are known and unknown sources of the candidates' campaign monies? Do there exist for example, indirect or undercover sponsors? If so, who are they and what are their motives? It is hoped those motives are not associated with a destabilized US in the near future, for an instance.

I believe the global economic crisis at the eleventh hour of Bush administration, as well as the US election has not only posed a challenge to the administration (for example) to meet but created an opportunity for them to harness in their favor (say, the for party, indirectly) - under the able leadership of President Bush.

In that respect, one of the underlying assumptions is: a success in demonstrating a bunch of visible achievements by Bush administration (as far as humanly possible and in the time available to it), in the form of say, a kind of progressive and stable Dow Jones Industrial - at least a few days before the election - could, among other things, be instrumental in soaring up potential votes for Senator McCain in the economy front of the election.

In other words, a success of President Bush in meeting the crisis at this point in time of his tenure could facilitate inter alia successes of Senator McCain in the election. Let us pray and hope for the best.

The last word: it is expected Senator McCain, Governor Sarah Palin, the rest of republican party and concerned others will - from now onwards - intensify further the campaign in both defensive and offensive terms, relative however, to time, space and other variables. I believe the time is still sufficient for the republican party to convince - in an innovative, effective and user-friendly manner - concerned voters as to why they should vote for Senator McCain and how their vote could be instrumental in inter alia bringing about benefits - either directly or otherwise - to them, the country and the world at large during and beyond the term of a McCain administration.

The republican party should be able to display before world people more positive energy than that at present in support of advancing the candidacy of Senator McCain and in support of the need for a continuing republican administration in the US under prevailing and evolving situations, to mention a few.

The food crisis

Aileen Kwa

The high food prices that have sparked riots in many parts of the developing world - from Indonesia, India and Bangladesh to Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Haiti -should come as no surprise. These are only the latest in a series of events many developing countries have suffered as a result of opening their borders and neglecting domestic agriculture.

A large number of developing countries have conscientiously implemented World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions and World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments. They have applied the given structural adjustment policies - and have seen the damaging consequences to their domestic agricultural sector.

The consequence has been the certain erosion of their capacity to produce their own food.

In the era of stronger state control in the 1970s and even the early 1980s, domestic food markets in the developing world were often in the hands of state marketing boards and cooperatives. Marketing boards would guarantee floor prices, and provide fertilisers and seeds. They also controlled import volumes, redistributed food where there were production shortfalls, and purchased commodities from cooperatives.

These marketing boards were not always run in the best possible way; there were many instances of corruption or inefficiency, but they did fulfill certain critical functions. Farmers were provided a market to sell their produce to, which meant they had a livelihood. Prices were stable even though they were often lower than what farmers would have liked.

As a result of these policies, many developing countries were either net food exporters, or at least were nearly food self-sufficient.

All that has changed over the last 20 years. Investment support to farmers was done away with. Small farmers were told to produce for the international market, and their markets were opened to producers from outside. Rather than supporting staple crops, government support went to the export sector. Since all would specialise in the products where they had 'comparative advantage', gains were supposed to accrue all round.

But rather than producing winners, millions of the poorest subsistence farmers were knocked out of their own markets. Imports took over what was previously produced by local people. Over the last 20 years, the production capacity in many countries has severely diminished.

The Philippines has been one prime example of such policies. "During the 60s and 70s, we were self-sufficient," Jowen Berber of Centro Saka, an NGO working on agrarian issues with farmers, told IPS. "That was the time that the government was heavily investing in rice - irrigation, infrastructure, marketing support and production support such as credits and inputs. But when the government stopped those incentives and subsidies, rice production slowly decreased."

Berber said "the acreage of irrigated land has also been falling because the government has not been maintaining irrigation facilities. We also have a very high level of post- harvest losses in rice - up to 35 percent because our post-harvest facilities are very old."

Instead of supporting farmers with guaranteed prices as before, Berber said "the government now intervenes to buy less than 1 percent of the domestic rice that is produced. They are buying more imported rice than our own local rice."

A study on import surges by David Pingpoh and Joean Senahoun, commissioned by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2006, noted that the Cameroon government support to the rice sector was removed in 1994 through implementation of IMF and World Bank policies. The fertiliser market was privatised. Rice yields of poor farmers dropped as fertilisers became unaffordable. Tariffs were liberalised, and annual rice imports doubled from 152,000 tonnes to 301,000 tonnes between 1999 and 2004.

This opening rendered the country vulnerable to the policies of other countries. At the time, India was de-stocking its rice surplus, and rice imports from India increased from 7,900 tonnes in 2001 to 60,300 tonnes in 2002. As a result of this import surge, rice farmers were hard hit, and many left the sector. Land for rice cultivation dropped 31.2 percent between 1999 and 2004.

According to the FAO, Cote d'Ivoire also saw imports flooding in when the market was opened up. As a result of implementing commitments at the WTO, Cote d'Ivoire removed import restrictions on key agricultural goods, particularly rice. Duty on all agricultural products was set at a maximum of 15 percent, except for 25 tariff lines.

As a result, rice imports increased at an annual rate of 6 percent from 470,000 tonnes to 715,000 tonnes between 1997 and 2004. Imports were mainly from Thailand, China and India. Domestic production dropped 40 percent over this period.

In Nepal, the civil society organisation ActionAid documents that rice import surges came in 1994, 1996 and 2000, with imports increasing by 175 percent, 55 percent and 800 percent respectively. From 24,500 tonnes imported in 1999, by the year 2000 imports had hit 195,000 tonnes. The porous borders between Nepal and India, and the Nepal-India Trade Treaty were widely seen as the cause of these surges. In certain areas of Nepal, domestic prices fell by nearly 20 percent. The southern belt bordering India saw a multitude of rice plants and rice mills shutting down.

Today, in the latest twist of events, food prices have increased due to global shortfalls. Food production has been redirected towards biofuel production. Drought in Australia has contributed to shortages on the world market. Speculators playing on commodity markets have further increased prices.

Up to 37 countries have been gripped by protests and riots. In Cameroon, seven people were killed in the unrest in February. Food riots also took hold of Abidjan in the Cote d'Ivoire in March this year.

At meetings in Berne in Switzerland to address the global food crisis, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon, World Bank president Robert Zollick and WTO director-general Pascal Lamy again made a plea for more free trade as the panacea. But farmers remain unconvinced that more of the same policies that have contributed to the last two decades of destruction of agriculture can help.

Reacting to the push by the WTO leadership, the World Bank and the UN to stitch up the Doha Round so that further liberalisation can assist in resolving the food crisis, Henri Saragih, international coordinator of the global network of peasant farmers La Via Campesina writes, "Protecting food has become a crime under free trade rules. Protectionism has become a dirty word. Meanwhile, countries have become addicted to cheap food imports, and now that prices are shooting up, hunger is raising its ugly head."

Professional hazards faced by policemen

Md Kamruzzaman Ferose

Police is a worker whose main job is to protect the public. This includes protection against crime, the preservation of civil order, enforcement of traffic and other regulations, prevention of alcohol and substance abuse, prevention of neighborhood disorders, firearm and weapon control, law enforcement and investigations as mandated by law and requested by the relevant national or local authority.

Hazards related to this Job: Different hazards to which police / law enforcement officers may be exposed in the course of their normal work.

Accident hazards: Accidents are most likely during emergency response of the policeman and may occur especially while doing first aid work, patrol car driving and riot control; Slips, trips, and falls while ascending and descending from roofs or while chasing suspects in a crime; Wounds caused by knife or other object; Wounds caused by random or careless shooting by others (incl. "friendly fire"); Self-inflicted wounds caused during firearms cleaning, loading, etc; Car or motorcycle accidents while chasing fleeing vehicles, or while fast driving in response to emergency calls.

Physical hazards: Exposure to ambient environmental factors (low or high air temperatures, rain, wind, snow, sun) resulting in acute (common cold, heat stroke, dehydration, etc.) or chronic diseases; Exposure to high noise levels from the emergency horn or on the firing range.

Chemical hazards: Exposure to lead while directing traffic, working on the firing range, or doing finger printing work; Exposure to excessive levels of carbon monoxide while directing traffic.

Biological hazards: Risk of contracting a contagious disease (HIV, infectious hepatitis, rabies, etc.) as a result of needle stick injury, human or animal bite, or close contact with infected/ill people; Infection caused by insects or rodents while entering polluted or abandoned places (esp. cellars, basements, etc.) for the purpose of inspection, search, observation, etc.

Psychosocial and organizational factors: Long periods of time spent inside vehicles may in the course of time result in musculoskeletal disorders (esp. low-back pains); Cumulative trauma disorders of lower extremities (e.g., flatfoot) as a result of long-time, extensive foot patrolling assignments; Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), most likely if the incident witnessed by the policeman has resulted in serious injury, or death to any of those involved; Exposure to various psychological stressors (stress - related disorders may be manifested as behavioral problems, marital or family problems, or sometimes as alcohol or substance abuse); Personal and/or family problems caused by irregular work hours (incl. at night), constant state of alertness (incl. when off duty), relations with peers and superiors within an hierarchical system typical of police and law-enforcement forces, and similar psychosocial factors; Fear of being prosecuted afterward for actions which seemed to be clearly indicated as necessary during an event, but later not considered as such (particularly by others) when the moments of peak stress were past. Following Preventive Measures should be taken:

When on duty, wear the personal protective equipment provided for the job at hand, e.g., bulletproof clothing

Wear appropriate hearing protection on the firing range

In rescue operations or when dealing with drug addicts, take precautions to avoid contact with body fluids; in particular do not expose cuts or other open skin wounds to body fluids, to avoid contamination with agents causing diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, etc.

Learn relaxation exercises and perform them during long waiting periods

Seek psychological or vocational advice if experiencing work-related stresses or burnout

Select a work schedule that would have the least harmful effect on the employee's health, family and personal life - consult employees and specialists in shift scheduling

Firing-range instructors/ Police Staff on Traffic duty must submit periodical urine/blood tests for lead.

Opinion: Problems caused by free parking

Farjana Afrin

"Why is it that men and women, normally courteous and considerate…should of a sudden revert to selfish, snarling savages the minute they get behind the wheel of an automobile?" --Miller McClintock

Free parking is a local benefit or cure that harms the whole city.

Free parking increases the demand for cars, and more cars increase traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption. More traffic congestion in turn spurs the search for more local remedies, such as street widenings, more freeways, and even higher parking requirements. Off-street parking requirements quietly create citywide problems that are far worse than the local ones they are meant to solve.

The list of problems caused by free and underpriced parking is long:

Car dependency: Free parking encourages people to drive more, rather than seek alternatives.

Discouragement of environmentally-friendly transport: People who own cars are less likely to walk short distances, since there is no economic penalty for driving; the increased cars in the street make walking and bicycling more unpleasant, and clog the roads used by buses, thus making bus service slower.

Traffic congestion: Encouragement of driving simply increases traffic congestion, as more people buy cars and use them for all trips, even very short ones.

Energy waste: More cars, and reliance on them even for short trips and solo travel, wastes fuel.

Accidents: Cars parked in the street cause accidents when cyclists hit an opening car door. Also, the more cars in the street, the more accidents there are.

Air pollution: An increase in car traffic means an increase in air pollution, given the cumulative effect of each polluting vehicle.

Global climate change: An increase in air pollution contributes to global climate change. Vehicle emissions are already the main contributor; we need to discourage, not encourage, travel by motorized vehicles.

Increased housing prices: Since the price of parking is included in the price of homes, homes become more expensive.

Unjust subsidies for cars: Only a few people drive, but everyone pays.

Social inequity: When the poor and middle class subsidize the rich, social inequity increases; social inequity in turn leads to poor health and increased crime.

Distorted choices in transportation investment: A focus on providing infrastructure for cars, not people, leads to investment in roads and parking rather than mass transit, NMT, or affordable housing and livable cities.

Sprawl: The space taken by parking causes buildings to be built further apart, causing ugly sprawl which in turn leads to traffic congestion as destinations become too far apart to reach by foot or bicycle.

Damage to the economy: Money is wasted on parking and other infrastructure for and investment in cars; most of the money leaves the local economy, making the country poorer.

Degradation of the environment: More space for cars means less land available for planting trees and for other green spaces.

Waste of money: Governments waste money on infrastructure for cars, businesses on providing free or underpriced parking, and individuals on paying for cars when other forms of transport would be far cheaper and more beneficial to the local economy.

A burden on the poor and middle class: The middle class subsidize drivers whenever they make purchases at businesses that provide free or underpriced parking; the poor suffer from the lack of space on roads and footpaths for their own movements.

Degradation of architecture and urban design: Simply put, parking lots are ugly.

Increase in impervious surface area: Parking lots, and increased street surfaces due to the need to provide more road space for the increased number of cars, means that more of the city is paved over, leading to greater problems of storm water run-off.

Reduction in land values: Parking is probably the least profitable of land uses; more parking means less value of the land, since virtually any other use would bring in more money.

Reduction in tax revenues: Since parking generates so little or no money, tax revenues on businesses decline.

A burden on enterprise: Businesses must pay for parking, regardless of whether it is needed or wanted, reducing their chance of profitability and increasing their initial investment.

Prevention of reuse of older buildings: In some cases, zoning requirements for parking can mean that older buildings that fail to provide adequate parking cannot be converted into new uses. This is one main cause of urban degradation in the US .