Women Empowerment and Workers' Safety in Bangladesh

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BANKING CAREER IN BANGLADESH
2014
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1. Workers’safety in Bangladesh
Bangladesh, one of the third world countries, is going ahead with the development of its
Industries and factories. Almost in every scale of Development, Bangladesh has enough
achievements to notice itself .We are preparing to stand up more strongly on Social and
Economic sector of the world. In last two decades, our country has achieved the maximum
economic growth. According to any justification, this story of success is not uncared for. But
besides this positive achievement, the workers who are the fundamental improve- maker of our
country are almost neglected from modern facilities and services, even there is a great lack of
their safety.
Name Of Industry Real Scenario Of Death
RMG 112 workers perished in the Tazreen fire last November '2012, 65 workers
died in the Spectrum tragedy in 2005, 7 lost their lives in the January 2013
Smart Fashion Tragedy, and in Savar tragedy over 1100 garment workers
died in 2013.
Ship Breaking During the years 2009-11, 31 labours were killed in accident and the actual
numbers may be much higher.
Construction According to ‘Safety and Right Society’ there were 149 deaths in 2012, 183
deaths in 2011, 73 in 2010, 56 in 2009, 100 deaths in 2008
Transport According to the report of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies
(BILS), the highest number of workplace accident deaths occurred in the
transport sector in 2012. It says at least 249 workers died in transport
sector
The economy of Bangladesh is jointly depends upon Industry (Cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea
processing), Agriculture (Rice, jute, tea, wheat; beef), and Exports (Garments, jute and jute goods,
leather, frozen fish and seafood).And almost all of the workers of our country are related to those
occupations. Even though nation gets its source of income, our workers are not in a safe zone still
now. It’s a stigma for nation that fire in Garments, collapsing workers building, discrimination in
getting salary is escalating day by day in our country. Threat of the Workers’ Safety is of 3 kinds:
a. Physical lack of security of workers.
b. Economic lack of safety of workers.
c. Social lack of safety of the marginal working class.
In Bangladesh there are also some studies on this issue by the foreign agencies but not the foreign
buyers. Most of the foreign studies suggest the following:
a. Investment 10% more in labor salary increases 13.5% production.
b. Invest 10% in labor health increase the production 11.6%.
c. Invest 10% in social safety net give dividend in production of 11.07%.
Child labor Issue:
Bangladesh in rural and urban areas with about 10% of children between age 5-14 in the work
force and about 7% of the children between age 7-14 attending school and working.

Bangladesh passed the Human Trafficking deterrence and suspension act 2012 which makes
human trafficking (including labor trafficking ) a capital offense, developed and fully funded a
Child labor related data and began implementation of US $9 million child labor project.
Compliance:
Five deadly incidents from November 2012 through May 2013 brought workers safety and labor
violations in Bangladesh to world attention putting pressure on big global clothing brands such as
Primark, Loblaw, Joe Fresh, Gap, Walmart, Nike, Tchibo, Calvin klein, and tommy Hilfiger, and
retailers to to respond by using their economic weight to enact change.
Political Uncertainty:
For the political unrest 62% of the industries could not ship their order to their European and
American countries. Even, due to more than 130 days hartal and 67 days road blockade in recent
months most of the workers of our country have been failed to attend their working sector and it
is a curse to Bangladesh, a developing country.
Lack of infrastructural facilities:
It is a vital sector for all workers of Bangladesh especially for Garments labor. But after 40 years of
independence, if we compare our basic infrastructures with our any neighboring countries, we
must say that our standard is not enough to be considered even. Also Rana Plaza Tragedy, which is
collapsing of an eight-story building in Savar, Dhaka causing huge number of death,reminds us
how low our Industry infrastructures’ condition is.
Lack of skilled workers:
WB has said by analyzing labor survey, Bangladesh has about 5 crore 67 lakh labor and within it 2
crore and 32 lakh or 41% are not educated at all, one crore and 30 lakh couldn’t pass the primary
level, and from the rest only 3.7% have degree from university and 0.2% have degree from
technical Institute.
Lack of Social safety:
In almost all of our Industries and small industries, Workers especially women do not get enough
social safety due to lack of consciousness and indifference ofowner of industries or government.
Recommendation for labor securities:
So far we’ve discussed the problem prevailing in our industry sectors, but we could not be
hopeless to learning all this things. We must remember that problem and prospects walk
together. So to cope up with the problem the following steps can be taken.
1. Increase better managed Infrastructure. All buildings including extensions to the factory must
meet legal standards and electrical equipments should be properly maintained.
2. Managers, supervisors and workers should be properly trained in fire and safety procedures
and take responsibility for ensuring the safe exit of the building during or following an accident

3. Child labor should not be employed in any sector of industry and government should provide
necessities of these children.
4. Take new approach to law and Order.
5. Govt. should arrange the loan for small and medium industries.
6. Change attitude and respect women workers.
7. Especial take care on Garments Sector.
8. Change salary structure and give more opportunities to workers.
9. Arrange more seminar or workshop for getting more skilled workers and improve especially on
technical sector.
Time has come to renovate, reorganize the whole working sector of our country. For getting the
favor, we must look for competitive and effective labor market in future otherwise we will
envisage with serious trouble.
2. Women Empowerment in Bangladesh.
Introduction:
Empowerment the process of giving power of authority to the powerless. Empowerment of
women is a process through which women in general and poor women in particular get the
opportunity to join the workforce and contribute to family income and interfere on family as well
as social affairs.
Women’s position in the past:
In past women were segregated from out of home productive work. They were kept within the
four walls. The hearth became the place for them. So cooking, cleaning, washing, giving birth and
rearing children became their jobs. Men became the wage earners and all other activities became
their responsibilities. In Bangladesh position of the women is very humiliating. Women are the
worst suffers.
Necessity of women’s empowerment:
Women are nowadays as important as men in society. They co-constitute nearly half of our total
population. So, there are can be no denying the fact that they too possess equal rights and duties
as men. They have noble missions to fulfill as men. If they get opportunity, their genius and
capacities will bloom fully. No nation can make the real progress keeping a full of its population in
the dark. So women’s empowerment is essential.
The Bangladesh Case:
Bangladesh has always had a history of women’s emancipation since the days of Begum Rokeya to
women’s active role in the war of independence and through today’s Shahbagh movement.
Nationally, the Government of Bangladesh took up the ‘education for all’ campaign with a strong
focus on girl children’s education. The stipend programmes for girl children at first in the primary
level and then for secondary and higher secondary levels are considered a global best practice
that achieved dramatic results in gender parity of education. Also important, over the past four

decades, the government has implemented targeted social safety net programmes with strong
focus on vulnerable women and their families.
One of the major milestones in Bangladesh’s history in women’s empowerment was the
enactment of the Local Government (Union Parishad) Second Amendment Act in 1997 that
provided for direct elections to reserved seats for women in local level elections. The 6th Five Year
Plan (2011-2015) of Bangladesh which is the national medium term development plan committed
to transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, considers women’s
engagement in political and economic activities. Women’s employment in non-agricultural sector
is currently around 25% whereas the target is 50%. In another instance, while Bangladesh had
done remarkably well in reducing maternal mortality rate by 40% in the last nine years and is on
track for the MDGs of a 75% reduction from 1990-2015.
Educate a woman, educate a nation:
Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to achieve gender-parity in primary education.
Achieving this milestone is a result of effective public policy, resource allocation and strong
commitment from public and non- government sectors. Yet, education has not been the ‘magic
bullet’ we have long depended on to create a level playing field for women in the developing
world. As we see in the case of Bangladesh, social stigmas, gender-based violence and institutional
barriers to entering higher education institutions and labour market. Sexual harassments of girl
children on their way to school or at school are serious barriers to access to education. In recent
times, the alarming number of suicides committed by young girls shook the nation, questioning
the safety and security of girls attending school and colleges.
Women’s present position:
During the last few decades women’s status has been changed greatly. Today women are playing
important role in all spheres of life. We find a new generation of women elected officials who are
now respected and seen as figures of authority in their local areas. Experiences of various
programmes and projects show that level of corruption is generally lower in areas that have
female local representatives. In the last general election, out of the 69 female members of
parliament (MPs), 50 were appointed through reserved seats and 19 directly elected, including
the Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition, speaker of parliament. While it is imperative to
ensure reserved seats for women in the national parliament, female MPs have voiced their
concerns on the lack of election financing and overall party support. We find similar stories of
work place discrimination from female officers, holding various posts in the government. They are
working hand in hand with men in all spheres of work i.e. from garments workers to pilots,
doctors, engineers, teachers, administrators etc.
85% of 4 million workers of RMG that is account for 76% export earnings are women. A total of
46,230 Bangladeshi women went abroad for jobs till October last year, up by nearly 24 percent
from the same period of 2012, according to BMET [Bureau of Manpower, Employment and
Training.
The Ministry of Education and The Ministry of Primary And Mass Education apply a quota system
for recruiting women teachers: 30% for government higher secondary schools. 40% for private
higher secondary schools, madrasas and colleges within pourashava, 20% for institutions outside
pourashava, and 60% for primary school teachers.

Women account for 46% of the health workforce, including 26% of doctors and 90% of nurses.
The position of nurse has been upgraded from class 3 to class 2 in 2009 and nurses are currently
being recruited for 2,500 vacant posts
In Ministry Of Commerce, 20.5% of the overall workforce is women. In Ministry Of Planning,
33.3%, 17.8%, 24.6% and 27% of class 1, 2, 3 and 4 positions respectively is women. In Ministry of
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, 25% of officers and employees. In
Ministry Of Information, 25%, 26%, 28.5% and 13.6% respectively of class 1,2,3 and 4 positions; in
Ministry Of Cultural Affairs, 26%, 38%, 5% and 9% respectively of class 1,2,3 and 4 positions; in
Post and Telecommunication Ministry, 30% of officials are women.
Finally, it has come to the realization to all that if we want keep pace with the challenge of the
millennium; both men and women should work side by side. In this regard, the government along
with, with the people from all strata of life should come forward to extend their whole hearted
cooperation.
3. Violence Against Women in Bangladesh
Incidents of sexual harassment and rape have marked an alarming rise across the country.
We see the reflection of this horrific situation in the newspapers every day. In the prevailing socio-
economic, cultural and politico-religious settings women cannot play an assertive role in
development activities, either in the family or in the state. They are still treated as the weaker
segment of the society and are subject to various social and domestic repressive measures.
Violence is a product of social, cultural, religious and traditional value systems which perpetuate
patriarchal attitudes at different levels of society and restrict female empowerment.
Factors of Violence against Women:
• Domestic Violence
• Wife beating
• Abduction
• Trafficking in women and children
• Rape
• Acid Attack Burn
• Homicide
• Psychological abuse
• Sexual exploitation
• Dowry related violence
• Violence during pregnancy
• Forced prostitution

Reasons of Violence against Women:
• Lack of gender equality
• Lack of awareness and knowledge about rights
• Poverty
• Low educational level
• Women’s lower position
• Socio-cultural restrictions
• Tendency to coercively control women
• Polygamy
• Misinterpretation of Religion
• Misapplication of Religious belief
Rape violently asserts masculinity in a patriarchal society, which assigns women a subordinate
position. Masculinity is associated with traditionally ‘male’ traits such as boldness, manliness,
bravery, muscularity, machoism etc. A woman is what a man is not, if men are expected to
dominate and women refuse to submit, ‘peace’ and ‘harmony’ will be disturbed. Unlike sex,
masculinity or femininity is not biological. Both are social, cultural traits. Our society is male-
dominated and denies women any identity other than that of a wife, mother daughter or sister.
Women are ‘objects of enjoyment’. Discrimination against women is pervasive. Girls will get less
food, medical attention and education than boys. Most will never experience adolescence. From
girls, they suddenly become wives and mothers without a right to free will. Rape in Bangladesh is
not an individualistic issue, but social, political or pathological part of pervasive gender violence.
A woman is molested every 12 minutes, burnt for dowry every hour and raped every 21 minutes.
805 females were raped during the period between January 2012 and December 2012. While the
number of such victims was 711 in 2011, 559 in 2010 and 456 in 2009.
Of last year’s 805 rape victims, 299 were women, 473 were children below 17 years and the age of
33 victims could not be ascertained. Of the women victims, 101 were gang-raped and 31 were
killed after rape. Of the child victims 39 were killed after rape, 84 gang-raped and 10 children
committed suicide from mental stress. In the month of January 2013 violence occurred in
numerable instances.
Some of the cases were published in the daily news papers. Most of the cases occurred without
our knowledge. The gang-rape of a girl in Tangail District was a blatant example of how women
still fall victim to violence, both in houses and on streets. We are yet to provide proper security to
our women so that they can move freely without any fear. A female student of Eden College was
severally injured by a group of youths. They were not satisfied only with brutal act alone; they also
burnt her body with acid. On January 19th 2013, a 10-year-old girl was raped and killed in the
third floor of the Tropicana Tower.

Ninety-five cases of sexual harassment happened within the third week of January 2013. As the
legal system is too soft on sex offenders, sexual violence continues unabated and the culprits get
encouraged to commit such crimes as they remain unpunished in most of the cases.
How can these people claim themselves to be human beings when they do not hesitate to attack a
girl who did not do any harm to them? But unfortunately, there are many such brutes among men
like animals in our society. We are living with them and our women are falling victim to their
inhuman attacks.
Occurrence of domestic violence varies little in terms of urban-rural divide. A ICDDR,B study
shows that among ever-married women, 40% of those in the urban area and 42% in the rural area
reported physical violence by their husband (ICDDR,B,2006). However, sexual violence by husband
is more prevalent in rural areas (50%) than urban areas (37%), according to the study.
According to an another study of ICDDR,B conducted in 2011, 89% male in rural area and 83%
male in urban area think that they have the right to beat up their wives for betterment of family.
98% male in rural area and 93% male in urban area think that to be manly, they must be rigorous.
And 65% male in rural area and 50% male in urban area think that to continue marital
relationship, women must endure the violence against them.
Economic Context:
• Women’s day long household activities have not been included in national statistics.
• Employment rate of women is 22.9% in comparison with 68.3% to that of men
• Though almost all women are engaged in agricultural activities but 73% of them are unpaid
family labour( Country position paper Bangladesh, 2003).
• Women fill only about 7% of officer ranks, 10% of staff position, 5% at low level workers position
(ibid).
Recommendations:
1. Encouraging the adoption and implementation of policies for preventing VAW and protecting
victims by enhancing the capacities of the government, improving information and providing
support to NGOs and civil society.
2. Changing attitudes and behavior of men, women, boys and girls to reduce VAW and
discriminatory practices such as dowry, early marriage and trafficking.
3. Protecting survivors of gender-based violence with immediate care, relief and rehabilitation
through a comprehensive package including the expansion, renovation and improvement of the
existing shelter system.

4. UnemploymentProblem of Bangladesh
Unemployment is a great concern in Bangladesh. Every year hundreds of thousands student are
coming out from college and universities. According to BBS, the unemployment rate in
Bangladesh stood at 4.5%, which approx 26 lacks as per the report from the survey. According to
a survey on South Asia by Intelligence unit of The Economist, at present 47% of graduate in
Bangladesh is unemployed. Whereas in Afghanistan- 65%, India- 33% and Pakistan- 28%.
According to World Bank, unemployment rate in BD is 14.2%. If employment rate is increased by
2%, the GDP growth rate can be increased to 8% and as a result we can be medium income
country by 2021. According to Bangladesh Economy Society, every year 22 lac people enter into
job market for job but only 7 lac get job. According to ILO, now total unemployment in BD is 3
crore. If this rate continues, by 2015 it will be 6 crore. Among 20 countries experiencing uplifting
trend of unemployment, Bangladesh is 12th.
Economic relation division of UNDP termed also unemployment is the main obstacle to
development of most of the South Asian countries including Bangladesh. Though it is one of the
major responsibilities of the govt. to provide job to those young generation but the govt. is failed
to meet the job demand among the population. Only a tiny portion of the total jobless is managed
by different organization but major potion remain unemployed.
Reasons behind Unemployment problem:
1) The first and for most cause is over population. Her population growing is very rapidly.
After independence the population has been double. The country can not provide job
opportunity to this huge population base.
2) In Bangladesh there are plenty of natural resources. But they are not properly used. This
also create new problem. There are few mill-factories. Besides every year two to three mill
are closed due to economic loss. Thus scope of unemployment is narrowing.
3) Our education system is defective which give fuel to unemployment. Because present
education system is not fit for practical life. Professional & vocational training are absent
here.
4) Besides our student nourish a false sense of self dignity. They are not keen to do manual
labor.
5) Our education budget is below 2% where as South Korea spends 6% of their total budget
for education. South Korea spends 4-5% of their GDP for research and development (R&D)
where as our budget for R&D is only 1%. First of all we have to allocate more budgets for
education and research.
This growing problem has spreads its evil clutch all over the country. The effect of unemployment
is many. Drug addiction, Kidnapping, snatching & various social crime are the consequence of
Unemployment. Depression is going throughout the country. The country is lagging behind.

Measures To be taken:
If we look at sector wise employment generation we will see agriculture is still at the top with 47%
employment generation rate followed by service sector which is 37% and industrial and
manufacturing sector- 14%. We are clearly lagging behind in terms of industrial and
manufacturing sector borne employment. Our manufacturing sector has been experiencing robust
growth. The leading manufacturing sectors are garment, pharmaceuticals, IT, shipbuilding and so
on. Some new manufacturing industries are coming up with huge potentials: hospitality and
tourism, cultural industry including performing arts, creative writing etc.
We have total work force of about 85 million. And 42% among them are young people. Creating
employment opportunities for such a large number of work force is indeed a daunting task.
Universities have the primary onus of educating their students properly so that they can find good
job and flourish their potentials. Industries will create employment opportunities for them and
develop them further. And that’s why we need cooperation between industries and universities.
In our country, there are very few platforms for university-industry collaboration. We want to
create such a platform where universities will understand the need of industries and industries
will find research and resources for further development. Our young graduates will be able to get
the best of this partnership. We want to establish a platform for this endeavor.
The following measure can be prescribed to solve the problem.
1) Firstly, all should be educated in proper sense. Vocational training should be introduced in our
education system.
2) Secondly, more and more mill and factories should be established. Bangladesh would have
emphasized on increasing productive capacity and maintained economic stability in future to
eliminate unemployment. Govt. should be emphasized on bringing change in existing
administrative stricture of Bangladesh to expedite the process elevating unemployment.
3) Thirdly, Emphasized on domestic resource mobilization along with getting official development
assistance international communities. Natural resources should be properly used and national
wealth should be distributed equally.
4) Fourthly, outsource work is a great source to reduce unemployment rate.
In fine we can say that, the youth have a change their outlook to develop themselves
economically and most importantly generate revenue for the country because fate of country
depends on its young generation. For this govt. should come with crash program which must
implement promptly with courage and passion. Otherwise all the progress and effort will go vain.

5.Tourism Industry of Bangladesh
A country’s touristy appeal depends largely on its history, archaeology, natural beauty and old
palaces. From this point of view, Bangladesh can claim to be a historic country as it was known as
Gangaridai meaning Nation on the River Ganges. Bangladesh's tourist attractions include,
historical and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forests and tribal people, wildlife of
various species. Ministry of Tourism and The Civil Aviation Ministry designs national policies for
the development and promotion of tourism. The Ministry also maintains the Beautiful Bangladesh
campaign.
The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) reported in 2013 that the travel and tourism
industry in Bangladesh directly generated 1,281,500 jobs in 2012 or 1.8 percent of the country's
total employment, which ranked Bangladesh 157 out of 178 countries worldwide. Forty years has
elapsed of Bangladesh’s tourism industry, yet we still see it in a nascent position in comparison to
our neighboring countries. Despite having all the potential to flourish, tourism in this country has
been growing at a very slow pace. Bangladesh is not known as a tourist destination in the
international tourism market. Only 3 lacs foreign tourists came to Bangladesh in 2010, of which
more than 70 percent came for business and official purposes. The contribution of the earning
from tourism to the country’s GDP is less than 1 percent. The sector got recognition as an industry
in 1999. But it never received attention from the government to become a vibrant industry.
Whereas many countries which started much later than Bangladesh, for example – Maldives,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos PDR - have developed their tourism industry much faster than
this country. In 1998 Bangladesh received 171,961 tourists and Cambodia received only 96,000
tourists. After 11 years in 2009, Bangladesh could attract only 267,000 tourists and Cambodia
more than 2 million tourists. This comparison indicates discrepancy in the degree of initiative by
two different countries within a same span of time.
Problems of Tourism Industry:
The lack of development of the tourism industry of Bangladesh can be attributed to multiple
reasons like less-prioritization of tourism by all previous governments, lack of budgetary allocation
and scarcity of trained people in the industry. There is also a lack of publicity and marketing
activities. We lag behind in projecting our attractions to international tourists through
advertisements in international print and electronic media, as our neighboring countries do. We
have to do this for enhancing the positive image of our country and for introducing our prime
tourist attractions as well as our vibrant culture. But, there is a lack of sufficient budgetary
allocation. We need to develop an effective brand name for tourism. We have never tried to
understand that branding not only helps tourism of the country, it encourages foreign investment
as well. A tourism branding campaign called ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’ has been developed, but
according to the tourism stakeholders of the country it does not wholly reflect the tourist
attractions of the country. Tour operators who bring foreign tourists are raising demands to mend
it. Bangladesh, which has so many positive aspects, needs to rebuild its brand as a country. Apart
from the meager budgetary allocation of the government, appropriate plans and programs for
tourism development - short term, long term and medium term - was absent before 90’s.
Furthermore, in the planning process there were lots of discrepancies.

Due to the absence of proper planning, even some infrastructure developments that require a
small budget could not be accomplished. For attracting more foreign tourists, we need to turn
tourist attractions into tourism products i.e. finished products to sell. Appropriate infrastructural
development, super-structure development, introduction of waste management systems and
sustainability of the tourist attractions for our future posterity are most essential.
We name Cox’s Bazar as our tourist capital but recreational activities on the beach are very
scanty. Tourists do not find any night-life activities, after spending the day at the beach, but to
sleep in hotel rooms. We should understand that tourists do not come here to sleep idly in a
hotel. They love to remain busy through experiencing different memorable activities. We need to
make the tourists busy in different activities all the time and bring out money from their pockets.
Tourists come to spend money not take it back. On the other hand, whatever development has
taken place at Cox’s Bazar is unplanned and uncontrolled. Appropriate regulation is absent there.
Still there is no proper water and sewerage system; gas connection is absent; only a limited
number of flights land there. Kuakata – a second priority beach for tourists – cannot be reached
very easily. Though road communication has improved from before, tourists tend to avoid going
there more than once, due to the lack of standard facilities. The archaeological sites in the north-
west of Bangladesh are also popular with tourists. But, due to the absence of interpreters and
facilities, tourists do not make overnight stays. Every year many domestic and foreign tourists visit
Paharpur – a world heritage site. They can reach Paharpur in the late afternoon by starting very
early from Dhaka. But after a short while at Paharpur, the sun sets. So they become worried
where to make a night halt, because there are no hotels at Naogaon or Joypurhat district town. At
the other famous archaeological sites, proper interpretation signage and educated guides are not
found. Sufficient numbers of litter bins are not installed along the sites.
Steps that should be taken:
Infrastructure development is sine-quo-non for the sustainable tourism development of any
country and Bangladesh is also no exception. Tourism friendly infrastructure is required for
smooth and free movement of tourists of all ages, and even for the physically challenged tourists.
In view of this, Bangladesh needs to develop accommodations, eateries, good communication and
transportation systems, toilet facilities, parking facilities etc. near the tourist spots of the country.
It needs to develop international standard facilities at all the tourist spots of Bangladesh.
For promotional campaigns and the marketing of Bangladesh tourism abroad, we need to provide
guidelines to the economic councilors and visa officers of the foreign missions of Bangladesh so
that they can encourage foreign tourists to visit Bangladesh. Or, we can establish tourism offices
in the tourist generating countries like China, UK, USA, Japan, Australia, because these countries
produce more than 70 percent of the world’s outbound tourists. We lack a marketing strategy
which causes the absence of proper marketing initiatives for tourism products of the country.
We need to diversify our tourism products to attract tourists and encourage them to make
repeated visits. We can segment our tourism regions in different categories, so that tourists can
be interested to visit many different places. We need to develop tourism products based on
archaeology, culture and monument, river, tea garden, indigenous culture etc. We may develop
MICE tourism as has been developed by Singapore, Korea, China and other countries of Asia.

Many multinational companies of Bangladesh hold their AGM and other meetings in those
countries, as well as organize recreational activities there. In this regard, we need to develop
many condominiums, international convention centers etc in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar. If we can
ensure them these facilities, they won’t fly to other countries.
Prospect of Tourism Industry:
There is a great potential to promote sports tourism in Bangladesh. We can develop venues and
infrastructure in the country. Some cricket venues have already been developed. But, more
venues need to be established in various places of the country like Cox’s Bazar (the world’s
longest sea beach), Kuakata, Comilla, Barisal, Dinjapur etc. For the development of sports tourism
we can seek both local and foreign investment. This way we shall be able to reap benefits. Also, by
developing sports tourism we can help develop many backward linkage sectors in the country.
Besides, this will help the creation of many informal jobs like tea vendors, food corners, betel
shops, hawkers etc. A policy framework is necessary to be developed, and strong coordination
amongst the concerned departments is required.
Bangladesh should also take initiatives for eco-tourism development in the country especially in
the naturally and culturally rich areas. Sylhet and Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) regions of Bangladesh
are paradises for eco-tourism activities. On the other hand, Sundarbans is the gold mine for eco-
tourism. It is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. It has been designated as a world
heritage site since 1997. The world’s second largest mangrove forest is Mastang in Malaysia,
which is only one-tenth the size of the Sundarbans. To develop eco-tourism in the Sundarbans, we
can install some world class cruise vessels to take tourists to the forest. But we should keep in
mind that the eco-system of the Subdarbans is not disturbed. We can also develop eco-tourism at
St. Martin’s island which will help protection of the island. Eco-tourism development will help us
preserve our rich cultural heritage for the benefit of our future generations. Different policy
approaches are required in this regard. Controls of visitors, enforcement of tourist movement
guidelines and waste management facilities are required for eco-tourism development.
Safety and security of the tourists should be given the utmost priority. Forming only tourist police
cannot solve the problem. Proper orientation should be given to police so that they can behave
properly with tourists. The local people have to be involved in this process. When local people
would find benefits from tourist activities, they would safeguard the tourists as well as the tourist
attractions. Local people at tourist sites have always been neglected. We see that local people get
little benefit from the tourism activities in their own areas. For instance, the indigenous and
ethnic minority people of Rangamati or Bandarban get very little trickle down benefits from the
tourism activities over there. They were never included in the tourism planning and development
processes. They have not been properly informed of the value of the tourism resources or to take
pride in their own areas. When local people get involved with tourism activities in their localities,
a sense of ownership of the tourist attractions grows in them. They become aware of the need to
protect and conserve the attractions.
We must know that, in this era of economic globalization, tourism is considered to be one of the
fastest growing and ever-expanding industries and also demonstrates a resilient character. We
should follow the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism set by the UNWTO.

6.The Spirit of Liberation war ofBangladesh
Introduction:
Bangladesh is a proud nation as it emerged through a glorious freedom fight. Though we have got
the freedom the spirit of the freedom fight is yet to be established. OVER the last year we have
been commemorating the 42th year of Bangladesh's independence. In these 40 years Bangladesh
has registered many gains for which we should feel proud. We have established a globally
competitive garment industry moved ahead of India in particular areas of human development
and gender parity, extended micro-credit to 25 million women and drastically reduced aid
dependence through an explosive growth in remittances by our hard working migrants. We have
furthermore held four reasonably free and fair elections where incumbent regimes have been
replaced by opposition parties through the ballot box.
Previous history of freedom fight:
Bangladesh lost her independence to the British when Nawab Serajuddola was defeated in the
battle of Palassey in 1757. In 1947, the British divided India into two sovereign states, India and
Pakistan. Pakistan was created but the people of Bangladesh were in majority in Pakistan, They
were deprived of all the powers Bangladesh was made o colony of West Pakistan. As a result the
people of Bangladesh could not tolerate this and started a strong movement for their release.
Background of the Liberation War:
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and some patriot of Bangladesh raised their voice of protest. In 1968,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and some other Bengalese were charged with a false case known as
Agartola Conspiracy Case, but the people of Bangladesh started a strong movement against this
case. Ayub Khan was compelled to release them. Then came Yahia Khan and he declared general
election in 1970. The party of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman got absolute majority in the National
assembly. But Yahia did not hand over the power and he stopped National Assembly. As a result,
Sheikh Mujib started non-violent, non-co-operation movement. Yahia started a false dialogue with
Sheikh Mujib and he began to increase the strength of army.
Freedom struggle of 1971:
March 25 is a black day in the history of Bangladesh. On that night the army began to attack in the
unarmed people of Bangladesh. Sheik Mujib was arrested and taken to West Pakistan. The
independence of Bangladesh was declared. As the liberation war started, freedom fighters took
birth overnight and faced the well-trained occupying forces to Pakistan fearlessly. At Mujib Nagar
the government of the people republic of Bangladesh was formed on 17th April, 1971. But the
Pakistan went on committing genocide to horror of the world. Women were raped and killed. The
world press believed the atrocity of the of the occupying forces exceeded all limits. Millions of
innocent Bengalese fled across the border in fear of their loves. So when their crimes were full,
the Pakistanis came under direct attack of the combined forces of India and Bangladesh. The 16th
December: The final stage of the war took a couple of days only. On the glorious day of 16th
December, the Pakistani army surrendered. Our victory day confirmed the birth of Bangladesh on
the world map.

Spirit of liberation war and present situation:
Bangladesh was not born because of an historical accident. Nor was it the gift of a departing
colonial power grown weary of bearing its imperial burden. Our nationhood emerged out of a long
process of struggle which culminated in a bloody war of liberation. To move large numbers of
ordinary people to pledge their lives for a separate existence we needed to inspire them with a
vision for a better world than the one they were repudiating. This inspiration was what came to
be known as the spirit which inspired the liberation war, what we popularly term Muktijuddher-
chetona. This is a phrase which is used so frequently and so casually as to be rendered almost
devoid of meaning. We invoke this spirit as a ritual incantation and rarely bother to ask ourselves
what this spirit embodies.
I would argue that the spirit of the liberation war is adequately captured in the four principles
which have guided our constitution: Democracy, Nationalism, Secularism and Socialism (which has
later been elaborated to mean social justice). In my presentation before you, I will discuss why
these pillars of our constitution capture the spirit of the liberation struggle, how far we have
departed from these guiding principles and where we need to travel in order to restore meaning
to the spirit of the liberation war.
Our emergence as a separate nation-state was the direct outcome of the persistent denial of
democratic rights to the people of Bangladesh by the Pakistani ruling class. In 24 years of shared
nationhood never once was central power in Pakistan exercised through the outcome of a free
and fair election. In 1990 when the Ershad autocracy was overthrown through a mass mobilization
the nation experienced the excitement of a second rebirth of democracy. But who would have
imagined that within 17 years of this renewal of democracy our confrontational style of politics
would have reached a point where the military were once again provided with an opportunity to
intervene in the political process through the process of Emergency Rule.
There is no evidence that we have learnt the right lessons from our most recent malfunction of
the democratic process. The politics of confrontation and intolerance appears to be once again
permeating our political culture. The political opposition, over successive regimes, has been
marginalized, partly as a result of its own political immaturity in boycotting parliament thereby
violating its democratic mandate. As a result of these endemic boycotts four successive
parliaments have been rendered virtually dysfunctional in their incapacity to discharge their
primary mandate of keeping the executive accountable to the will of the voters. The
malfunctioning of our democratic institutions remains compounded by the continuing inability to
strengthen democracy in our principal political parties. The principal political parties, in turn,
reflect the gradual ascendance of money and muscle power as the driving force in democratic
politics.
In such a distortion of the democratic process every institution of governance tends to be
compromised. Our administration has become ineffective where both recruitment and
advancement have been politicized and divorced from performance or norms. As a result virtually
all public services as well as law enforcement have become partisanised and commoditized to a
point where the machinery of government has lost virtually all capacity for functioning as an
instrument of public service.

The last remaining bastion of the rule of law, the judiciary, is now under threat. Over the years,
the lower judiciary has degenerated into a politicised instrument of the ruling party. The once
independent upper judiciary, which served as a bastion of our democratic freedom, is being
exposed to a process of creeping politicisation.
The appointments to the Election Commission (EC) had been similarly politicised upto the tenure
of the last elected government. It remains to be seen how far the new appointments to the EC,
who are expected to preside over the next round of elections to parliament in 2014, will be
selected on the basis of merit and consensus. The integrity of the very institutions to safeguard
the democratic credentials of our electoral process needs to be protected.
The last recourse of democracy, the free media, is demonstrating considerable resilience. But the
security of journalists has been periodically endangered and the independent press itself faces a
constant struggle to secure itself from both state pressure and private terror. Here again, people
with money and state patronage are making inroads into the media and are investing both in the
print and electronic media with the expectation of "managing" the news in the service of partisan
and private gain. That our institutions of democracy and governance should have degenerated to
a level where the very sustainability of the democratic process is endangered is particularly
distressing when we consider our long and painful struggle for democracy.
Conclusion:
Though we achieved our independence through much bloodshed, we still are not emerging as a
powerful nation. We seem to have forgotten the supreme sacrifice we made in 1971. So our main
duty should be to build up the country.
7.The Annual Development Programme (ADP)
The Annual Development Programme (ADP) is an organised list of projects in different sectors and
allocations for them for a year as prepared in line with the government's development policies,
programmes and investment plan. The ADP is prepared on the basis of the year's development
budget approved by the parliament. The Planning Commission prepares the list of ADP projects of
the government of Bangladesh in the light of basic objectives and goals of Five Year Plans. The
draft is then placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for
its approval. While preparing an ADP, fields and projects related to national economic
development get more priority. Funds are allocated to implement the development projects
included in the ADP.
Both internal (domestic) and external (donor) funds are used to finance projects. The availability
of required funds often becomes a major consideration in preparing the ADP which has
historically remained dependent on foreign aid.

The practice of preparing an ADP within the framework of a Five-Year Plan and implementation
thereof started with the First Five-Year Plan (1955-60) of the provincial government of East
Pakistan. The ADP size in 1962-63 under the Second Five-Year Plan (1960-65) of the government
of East Pakistan was Rs 1,358.33 million. The ADP for 1962-63 was divided into three parts, each
contained projects of a group of sectors. The Part-I included projects of 10 sectors, namely, Water,
Power, Health, Social Services, Agriculture, Housing and Settlement, Education and Training,
Roads and Communications, Industries, and Manpower and Employment. Projects in the Part-II
covered large industries such as the East Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation and the
Pakistan Eastern Railways, and the Part-III comprised schemes transferred from the central
government of Pakistan.
The government has a practice of revising the ADP almost every year and the main reason is the
delay in disbursement of foreign aid in an environment of poor foreign aid utilization. Sometimes,
the government changes the ADP by including new projects or excluding some listed projects in
the mid-year. More often, delays in approval of projects or in creation of appropriate
infrastructure facilities for them cause such revisions.
Other causes for revision include procurement-related problems and the shortage of funds in
Bangladesh taka's counterpart currency for the projects.
There are cases, when the ADPs are revised by increasing allocations in response to claims of the
implementing ministries/agencies for additional allocations both in local and foreign currencies.
A part of such additional demand for funds is met from the head of unexpected expenditures in
the annual budget.
An ADP, however, does not include all development projects of a year. Some projects are kept
outside the ADP and are implemented with funds allocated from the revenue budget. Monitoring
of the use of funds allocated under an ADP is done by a set of specific rules issued by the Ministry
of Finance.
Latest ADP:
The government's spending on its annual development programme dropped 5 percentage points
year-on-year during July-January of the current fiscal year mainly due to political unrest.
Low utilisation of the fund earmarked for the Padma bridge project also caused a decline in such
expenditure.
In this backdrop, the Finance Division has advised the planning ministry to bring down the size of
the ADP by 18 percent. Various ministries and divisions spent Tk 21,857 crore during the seven
months, the amount being 33 percent of the total allocation at Tk 65,872 crore, according to the
Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). However, during the same period in
the previous fiscal year, 38 percent of the total allocation was spent. Though ministries and
divisions often blame their poor ADP performance on a slow disbursement of donors' funds, this
time they are lagging much behind in using the government's money. During the period, they
spent only 35 percent of the government's resources though the amount was 42 percent in the
same period a year ago. On the other hand, utilisation of foreign funds was 31 percent, against 32
percent in the same period last year.

The worst performer this year was the Bridges Division, which got the third highest or 9 percent of
the total allocation among 10 big ministries and divisions. But in the first seven months, the
Bridges Division spent only 4 percent or Tk 260 crore against a total allocation of Tk 6,888 crore.
Almost the entire allocation, Tk 6,852 crore, was for the Padma bridge project. A planning ministry
official said the Finance Division has now proposed allocating Tk 1,500 crore for the project in the
revised budget. But the Bridges Division did not agree with the proposal, saying some payments
would have to be made in advance to the contractor if the contract for the main bridge is finalised
by June, according to the official. Other poor performers are the Power Division, housing and
public works ministry, Energy and Mineral Resources Division and the education ministry.
The IMED has identified seven reasons behind the low utilisation of the ADP funds. These include
political unrest, delay in land acquisition, absence of procurement plans, delay in bid invitation,
and a lack of training of project officials on procurement guidelines of the donors.
The IMED also said the government usually pays contractors in May and June and so the rate of
project implementation gets a boost at that time. More funds will be needed in the revenue
budget this fiscal year as the government employees will get 20 percent dearness allowance,
which has also slowed down the ADP utilisation. In this context, the Finance Division has proposed
to cut the ADP size by Tk 11,872 crore and set the revised outlay at around Tk 54,000 crore, the
planning ministry official said. However, all the ministries are against bringing down their
allocation, instead they want more funds, the official said.
8. Suspension of GSP:Its Impact and Possible Deeper Reasons.
On June 27th, the US suspended Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for Bangladesh. It will
be effective after 60 days. It seems it was a “bolt from the blue” for the Bangladesh government.
On June 4, Foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni had told a press briefing: “The review of the GSP facility
for Bangladesh in the US market is continuing. The hearing on it has concluded. A Bangladeshi
team comprising officials from the foreign ministry, labour and employment ministry, and
commerce ministry have discussed the issue with the US authorities. I am hopeful that the USTR
will take a positive decision on this.”
The US Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to visit for six hours in Dhaka while visiting
New Delhi from 24th June for three days. The visit to Dhaka was cancelled abruptly without any
reasons. There was a premonition in many quarters that that GSP would be suspended for which
Kerry’s visit was cancelled.
Suspension of GSP and a road map to restore it
Announcing the suspension of the trade benefits, US president Barack Obama said, “I have
determined that it is appropriate to suspend (GSP facility for) Bangladesh because it’s not taking
steps to offer internationally-recognised rights to workers in the country.”
The decision also puts American companies on notice as they must take meaningful steps to
improve conditions for Bangladeshi factory workers, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman Robert Menendez said in a statement.
“No one will want to wear clothing that is ‘Made in Bangladesh’ if it is made with the blood of
workers. It’s time for the American industrialists to show leadership and work with their European
counterparts on a global standard for safety,” he stated.

The AFL-CIO labour federation had filed the petition in 2007 with the US Congress to withdraw the
facility for Bangladesh. Federation president Richard Trumka said the decision was an important
message for countries that receive duty-free access to the US market under the generalized
system of preferences (GSP) programme.
It is reported that the US has provided a “roadmap” to regain the GSP for which Bangladesh has to
the following steps: (a) enforcement of building code, (b) labour law reform, (c) upgrading law for
EPZs, (d) union registration and (e) end to harassment and arrest of labour leaders and workers
and activists.
Bangladesh government described it as “unfortunate” and “harsh” calling it an outcome of a
protracted negative campaign. The Foreign Office statement stated “Indeed a section of people,
inside both Bangladesh and the USA, had long been campaigning to this effect. Bangladesh was
absolutely “respectful of a trading partner’s choice of decisions” but “expresses its deep concern
that this harsh measure may bring in fresh obstacles in an otherwise flourishing bilateral trade”.
Impact
The suspension does not directly affect the country’s multi-billion-dollar clothing exports to the
US, because they do not come under GSP. However it affects nearly other 5,000 products which
Bangladesh can export to the US without duties, such as golf equipment, plastic bags, bone china,
porcelain kitchenware, headgears, spectacles and tents. Bangladesh earned from such exports
$35 million in 2012.
The suspension is not so much of an adverse effect on Bangladesh total exports which stands at
about $25 billion. It is less than 1% of Bangladesh’s exports to the US ($4.9 billion). However it is
the image of Bangladesh to international community which is being damaged.
Although EU has expressed that it may not follow the US, the EU Trade Commissioner has
convened a meeting in Geneva on 8th July to know what steps Bangladesh government and other
stakeholders (BGMEA & BKMEA) will take to take care of safety and improved working conditions
of workers. It is noted the garment industry employs some 4 million people in Bangladesh, 80
percent of them women, thus empowering young women in the country.
However other countries such as, Canada and Australia did not take such harsh action against
Bangladesh, rather their garment buyers are cooperating with the owners of garment factories in
Bangladesh in their efforts in improving safety and working conditions of workers.
Analysts say the suspension of GSP does not affect the export of garments to the US market as it is
not covered by GSP. The garments can continue to be exported to the US by paying duties of
15.3% and in 2012 it is reported the US earned $749.7 millions on export of $4.9 billion of
garment exports from Bangladesh.
Why did the US suspend the GSP for Bangladesh?
It seems obvious that under pressure from AFL-CIO, the US administration found a loophole in the
safety and working conditions of workers and the deaths of thousands of workers following the
collapse of Rana Plaza and fire at Tazrin garment factory have highlighted the poor safety record
and working conditions of workers all over the world.

The powerful trade union of the US– AFL-CIO –favours protectionism in trade. Since US products
cannot compete with products from abroad, they want to protect the jobs in US factories for
members of the trade unions by restricting the entry of foreign products in the American
market. The stance of AFL-CIO is against the trade policy under WTO. As a result they deny the
American consumers the best and cheapest foreign goods as they are generally unconcerned
where they come from when they buy products.
At the hearings at the office of the US Trade Representative concluded in early June, Bangladesh
government senior officials stated that the government was taking all appropriate steps including
a new labour law to address all the issues relating to workers. Given this back ground, many
analysts question whether the poor safety record of workers appears to be the real reason for the
suspension of GSP by the US.
What could be the other reasons?
Many analysts argue there are some strains visible in Bangladesh-US relations, despite the
bilateral partnership- talks at the top officials-level. For example, during the tenure of four and
half years, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could not make a bilateral visit to the US to
meet with President Obama, while she was able to pay an official bilateral visit and meet with
Russian President Putin this January.
They further argue the suspension of GSP is only a manifestation of its displeasure with the
Bangladesh government and some of the reasons could be as follows:
• The US attaches great importance to good governance, rule of law and makes great efforts
against corruption. It seems on these issues, the US is disappointed with the current government
in Bangladesh. The cancellation of the World Bank’s loan for Padma Bridge on the allegation of
“conspiracy of corruption” is not gone unnoticed by the US.
• Democracy is more than just elections. It’s about ensuring that people can have their voices
heard peacefully. The mass arrests of top leaders of BNP without bail for some weeks are seen
contrary to the spirit of multi-party democracy and did not help the democratic image of the
government.
• US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton during her visit to Dhaka in May 2012 reportedly expressed
concerns on “disappearances” of citizens and on “violent demonstrations which “exacted a heavy
toll on poorest people”. She urged “all political actors to work together for good of this
country.” Violence on the streets and political instability in the country provide an opportunity
for extremist elements exploit the situation and they may raise again their ugly heads, according
to the US.
• The US wants an inclusive, fair and credible 10th parliamentary election (to be held on any date
between 26th October and 24th January next year) and the failure of the government to resolve
as yet this issue with the BNP through political process does not augur well for democracy,
according to the US. The US may have found streak of authoritarianism of the government in
dealing with major opposition parties and with some media.

• The government’s treatment with Professor Yunus who received the highest honour from the
US President and the US Congress, to put it mildly, has not gone down well with the US
administration.
• The failure of prosecution of the alleged murderer of labour leader Aminul Islam has infuriated
the AFL-CIO and the US Ambassador several times urged for thorough investigation leading to
detection and punishment of the culprit.
The US has only suspended (not cancelled) the GSP facilities and put a road map to get it
restored. US ambassador Dan Mozena reportedly mentioned that the suspension would be
withdrawn if the labour environment improved. “Bangladesh has to show that incidents like Rana
Plaza and Tazrin Fashions would never happen again,” Mozena told reporters after a function at a
city hotel. The suspension appears to be signal to the government to lift up their game consistent
with democratic principles and practices.
Why Bangladesh is important to the US?
Despite the suspension of GSP, the US has been appreciative of this government’s strong action to
root out the terrorist elements from the soil of Bangladesh and as part of the effort, the
government has continued to address the problems of money laundering and weak border-
controls to ensure that Bangladesh does not become a terrorist safe-haven. Its normalization of
relations and connectivity with India is fully supported by the US.
Which ever government is elected in Bangladesh, the country is strategically important for the US
because of its geographical position. Bangladesh shares borders with India and a rising reformist
Myanmar and is close to China. The country stands as a bridge between South Asia and South East
Asia.
Furthermore Bangladesh has access to the Indian Ocean through the Bay of Bengal which is
commercially and strategically important. The US companies are interested in exploring the off-
shore blocks in the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh is a good market for American goods and 60% of its economy is connected with global
economy. In recent years there has been the convergence in broad economic policies, namely
encouragement of private sectors and de-regulation, among major political parties.
Bangladesh nationals have settled in America in thousands and as of 2012 there are about
150,000 Bangladeshi-Americans in the US and most of them are skilled and professionals. In
Michigan State one Bangladeshi-American was elected in the State Assembly.
Bangladesh provides the largest peacekeeping personnel at the UN conflict zones and is well
appreciated internationally for their performance.
Many strategists suggest that the US is interested to constitute a kind of security (not military)
alliance to confront North East Asia’s instability and China’s supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region
with India, Australia, Philippines and Japan. Bangladesh and Myanmar could also be included in
the loop.
Therefore for all these reasons, it is not difficult to see why the US will seek a partnership with
Bangladesh now and in future.

9. StudentsPolitics and Bangladesh.
Education is the backbone of a nation. But most of the time our political leaders forget this truth.
They favour their rough political game over education. Instead of pens, they favour guns for
students. Thus, today our educational institutions are oriented not to education and talent rather
guns and gatherings. However, our students have a glorious history when they played leading part
in making the nation free from foreign occupation, repression and in establishing the rights of the
people. Then student organisations were oriented to students' interests as well as the greater
welfare of the nation. But with the passage of time, they became the front associations of the
political parties. Today our political leaders are playing double game. When in government they
want the students to keep themselves aloof from politics. When in opposition, on the other hand,
they want them to take a leading part in politics. The present controversy over banning students'
organisations/institutions is also the result of the double standard of our politicians.
Compared to pre-liberation student's politics, the nature and characteristics of our present day
students' organisations has changed a lot.
Firstly, student politics is considered as an important basis of political power in national politics.
Students are now powerful not only in their own organisations/academic institutions but in their
parties also.
Secondly, nowadays students politics is neither people oriented nor education oriented rather it is
oriented toward personal interest and power. Their movements are not for the students but only
to strengthen their position on the campus. They are not the student leaders rather power elites
of our society.
Thirdly, in the past, the students were to protest against oppression, repression and injustice.
They were to move for humanity against brutality. Unfortunately, such character of our students'
organisations has changed. The kind of our present day student politics is mercenary, rent-seeking
violence and crime loving.
Fourthly, another important trend of our student politics is confrontation between rival student
organisations to take control of a specific region on institution. For this, even they do not hesitate
to kill their opponents. The most devilish of their activities is that they sometimes kill their own
cadres only to create a troublesome situation in their respective institutions.
Fifthly, all the terrorist groups of students are booked by politicians who use them to perpetuate
their position in and outside the party.
Sixthly, the students at large matter little to the leaders who capture halls, manipulate business
bids and hoard benefits and climb the socio-economic ladder, including even seats in parliament.
So, various student fronts are just a reflection of the main political parties whose immediate goals
are more to do with grabbing power and enjoying it while it lasts.

The arguments that are generally put against students' taking any interest in politics because
students are immature and it is likely that they will be easily misguided by clever agents of
political parties. Even the present status of student politics in our country is enough to prove such
claim. Through active participation of students in politics, students are being derailed and today
the educational institutions of our country have become the fighting grounds. Students are more
familiar with guns than books. Thus if we fail to make the education free from politics, we would
remain backward in this ever-changing world. Those who support the banning of students politics,
they argue that student politics is the source of many socio-political crime and disorders in the
country. It has become a threat to the right development of our country.
Overall, a student is expected to devote his time and effort in studies, rather than involve
himself/herself in the rough and tumbling way of politics. Studies and politics are in fact
diametrically opposite attributes and they are but incompatible. It is, however unfortunate, that
money and power attract the youth to it. This is for, in the words of G Bernard Shaw, a person
with political aspirations "knows nothing and he/she thinks he/she knows everything. That points
clearly to a political career."
Politics is no longer a noble service that it used to be. It was associated with social service and a
political worker was first and foremost a social worker, or reformer. During our struggle for
independence it was these social workers that spread our patriotic leaders' message throughout
the length and breadth of the country. They were also in the forefront for unifying the country
and reforming the society, by educating the public on the social evils like child marriage,
untouchability etc. Ever since independence politics has vitiated the political atmosphere of the
country, with the morality and ethics touching an all-time low. It is now a full-fledged profession,
where the power and pelf of office turns one's fortune overnight, by resorting to corruption.
It is unfortunate to see the students being increasingly exploited by political parties, for their own
selfish interest. They exploit the young blood, for their dirty work by using them to promote their
divisive and petty politics. At times they also exhort them to violence, for their perceived or
drummed up grievances to get political mileage. Quite often many a promising youth's career is
ruined, because of their mechanisation. This is a very dangerous sign, for the impressionable mind
of the student can be easily led astray. The students should, therefore, not take part in politics.
The political parties should behave responsibly and not involve students in their dirty work. They
should desist from doing so, for it portends a great danger to the youth, who are the future of the
country.
On the other hand, students' indiscipline is another burning problem. Students' indiscipline is
something ailing to our cultural ethos. Our rich cultural history is proof of the high regard that
students had for their teachers and the teachers had in turn for his students. The problem has
assumed gigantic proportions and threatens to vitiate and destroy academic atmosphere of the
institutions. It is quite common to see students resorting to strikes, boycotting examinations and
even taking law into their own hands, for sometimes real, but quite often imaginary grievances.
They behave more like industrial and political workers, rather than as students. To understand this
metamorphosis; we shall have to examine the causes for this radical transformation.

Students today are a more pampered by their parents. This makes them at times get
unreasonable protection for them, thus distorting their value system of right or wrong. To add to
this, we have excessive external influence of powerful people, to safeguard the interest of
misguided elements.
There is, however, a remedy for this ill, but it requires a strong resolve and a political will to
address the problem, before it becomes unmanageable. As a first step there is need for a clear
education policy, stressing more vocational and professional education. This will ensure that only
serious students go for higher studies, while the non-serious ones can opt for vocational and
professional training. It will reduce the strength of students in colleges and universities and help in
safeguarding the sanctity of these institutions. The vocational training at the same time will help
other students, by preparing them better for life, taking care of their frustration.
The government should show the political will, in banning party politics by students and teachers;
moreover these educational institutions are the temples of learning and should be left to
academicians. There should be minimum interference by administration or any other external
authority.
There should also be periodic parent-teacher's interaction so that the parents are apprised of the
performance of their wards. The last but the most important is the role of teachers. They should
restrain from ungentlemanly acts, like going on strikes, practicing unfair means to accumulate
wealth etc. These are highly unbecoming qualities of a teacher. They should be a real guru, in the
true sense of the word, setting an example for the pupils to emulate.
This is the only panacea which can help us to get rid of indiscipline of students. It, however, calls
for a determined effort on the part of all of us, to appreciate the gravity of the problem. We must
rise above our narrow selves, political interest and restore the sanctity of the educational
institutions. This would make the students law-abiding and disciplined citizens, worthy of being
torch-bearers of the nation.
We must not forget that the principal duty of the students is to mind their lessons and not to take
part in public affairs. They are to acquire knowledge to train up their mind and to prepare for the
duties of life. It they take too prominent a part in political affairs, they cannot but deflect from
their main occupation. However, there is a demarcation between taking an intelligent interest in
politics and taking part in public affairs. This line should never be crossed.

10. Measures to Improve Bangladesh Cricket
Cricket is undoubtedly a glorious chapter of Bangladesh now-a-days. Bangladesh cricket team is
achieving success in recent times. But the successes are not coming at a rate what is expected
as they are playing cricket at the highest level since 2000 when they got test status. It’s not only
the players who are behind the reasons. If the whole cricket structure works properly and well
then it is sure, Bangladesh will be able to do better in the years to come.
Since Bangladesh is an emerging country in cricket context, it is high time for them to dream
much more advancement day by day and prepare their plans effectively to be succeeded.
Proverb says, man can do what man has done. So, why shouldn’t Bangladesh be able to do the
same like Australia, England, South Africa or even India or Pakistan? To be Successful in cricket,
first of all, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has to be a rigid one. It should be democratic in its
operation and decision making, free from any political influence and must upgrade its
managing system avoiding old traditions.
It is acknowledged that, better coaching is the important factor to upgrade, gear up, improve
and enrich a team. In this competitive cricket world, it is must to have specialized coaches in
every part of cricket game. Cricket teams at various levels must have specialized batting,
fielding, fast bowling and spin bowling coaches. By the touch of specialized coaches cricketers
can enhance their cricketing skills. For this, Bangladesh will have to manage some best coaches
of the world anyhow. Besides quality coaches even psychologist can be appointed for the
cricketers for building their mental strengths, as sometimes it is said cricket is more a game of
mental ability than skills.
Moreover, it is also necessary to make more training schools like BKSP (Bangladesh Krira
Shiksha Protishthan). At least 7 branches of BKSP should be urgently established in 7 divisions
where 7 under 13, under 15, under 17 and under 19 teams will take regular training. This
process will generate more skillful and talented players. Besides, regular age level tournament
should be organized regularly where these players will have the opportunity to test their skills.
This process is seemed to be fruitful for Bangladesh cricket since players like Shakib Al Hasan,
Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafee Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and so on have come into action from this.
Besides, Bangladesh should continue High Performance Unit campaign regularly. It works as a
strong linker between the national team and cricketers in pipeline. Since Bangladesh is
underperformer in test cricket and sometimes question arises about Bangladesh’s test status,
they should emphasis in playing more lists a matches of 4 days. Various leagues should be
arranged regularly while cricket authority is guilty of not arranging 4 days matches regularly.
One of the challenges for Bangladesh cricket is the absence of quality fast bowling wickets
where ball swings and bounces. These are the conditions the Bangladesh team tends to
struggle with when they go overseas. So, Bangladesh should concentrate on making quality fast
and bouncy wickets and start programs like “pacer hunt” for getting new faces who can bowl
fast. Later proper training should be given to them for becoming a good fast bowler. Cricket
authority should also be dynamic in cricket diplomacy with the ICC (International Cricket
Council) and other cricket boards and arrange more matches for Bangladesh. Regular
competitive cricket with them will definitely benefit Bangladesh cricket. Moreover, nationwide
cricket competition of various types should be arranged every year. Inter-district, inter-city,
inter-club, inter-college/university/organizations cricket competitions should be patronized
properly with government and private sectors combined guidance.

11.Social Safety Nets Program
Social Safety Nets (SSN) are currently selected throughout the developing world including
Bangladesh to address poverty and deprivation. Bangladesh has a wide range of Social Safety Net
Programmes (SSNPs) which addresses various forms of perils and vulnerability in an attempt to
lessen poverty through direct transfer of wealth to the poor. Spending of SSNPs is increasing also.
Bangladesh started the social safety net programs in the early 70's.
Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking
to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain
poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector (the state and aid donors)
or by the private sector (NGOs, private firms, charities, and informal household transfers). Safety
net transfers include:
•Cash transfers
• Food-based programs such as supplementary feeding programs and food stamps, vouchers, and
coupons
• In-kind transfers such as school supplies and uniforms
• Conditional cash transfers
• Price subsidies for food, electricity, or public transport
• Public works
• Fee waivers and exemptions for health care, schooling and utilities
On average, spending on safety nets accounts for 1 to 2 percent of GDP across developing and
transition countries, though sometimes much less or much more. In the last decade, a visible
growing expertise in various areas of safety nets has taken place.
Safety nets are part of a broader poverty reduction strategy interacting with and working
alongside of social insurance; health, education, and financial services; the provision of utilities
and roads; and other policies aimed at reducing poverty and managing risk.
Safety net programs can play four roles in development policy:-
• Safety nets redistribute income to the poorest and most vulnerable, with an immediate impact
on poverty and inequality
• Safety nets enable households to make productive investments in their future that they may
otherwise miss, e.g. education, health and income generating opportunities
• Safety nets help households manage risk, at least offsetting harmful coping strategies and at
most providing an insurance function which improves livelihood options
• Safety nets allow governments to make choices that support efficiency and growth
• The safety net as a whole should provide coverage to three rather different groups:-

• The chronic poor:
Even in "good times" these households are poor. They have limited access to income and the
instruments to manage risk, and even small reductions in income can have dire consequences for
them.
• The transient poor:
This group lives near the poverty line, and may fall into poverty when an individual household or
the economy as a whole faces hard times.
• Those with special circumstances:
Sub-groups of the population for whom general stability and prosperity alone will not be
sufficient. Their vulnerability may stem from disability, discrimination due to ethnicity,
displacement due to conflict, "social pathologies" of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, or
crime. These groups may need special programs to help them attain a sufficient standard of well-
being.
In Bangladesh, helping the distressed people is really a challenging task. Recent data proved that
around 30 per cent of the poor are still outside the safety net (HIES, 2010). The government has
introduced a few safety net programmes through Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Vulnerable
Group Development (VGD), allowances for widows and disabled as well as elderly people. On the
other hand, non- government organizations (NGOs) are also providing the distressed people with
several benefits.
Launched in 1972, SSNPs now account for 2.13 per cent of GDP (FY 2013-14) ,11.40 percent of the
budget. However, since around 30 per cent of Bangladeshi households live in poverty, the
programmes leave out 16.36million poor people. To implement various programmes under social
safety net, a total allocation of Tk. 222,491 crore taka has been made in the budget of FY 2013-14
which represents 11.40 per cent of the total expenditure. Government and Non-government
Organizations (NGOs) launch different programmes to provide job opportunities for the poor
(Economic Review: 2012).
Social safety nets programs in Bangladesh are
Old Age Allowance, Allowances for the Widow, Deserted and Destitute Women, Allowances for
the Financially Insolvent Disabled, Maternity Allowance Programme for the Poor, Lactating
Mothers, Honorarium for Insolvent Freedom Fighters, Honorarium & Medical Allowances for
Injured Freedom Fighters, Grants for Residents in Government Orphanages and Other Institutions,
Capitation Grants for Orphan Students in Non-govt. Orphanages, General Relief Activities, Block
Allocation for Disaster Management, Non-Bengali Rehabilitation, Allowances for Distressed
Cultural Personalities/Activitists, Pension for Retired Government Employees and their Families,
Ration for Shaheed Family and Injured Freedom Fighters, Stipend for Disabled Students, Grants
for the Schools for the Disabled, Housing Support, Agriculture Rehabilitation etc .and in total 47
sectors.

New Development Projects has also been taken which are -Reaching Out of School Children, Child
Sensitive Social Protection, Urban Primary Health care Services Delivery Project, Extension of Palli
Daridra Bimochon Foundation (PDBF), Activities for Poverty Alleviation and Self Employment,
Integrated Support to Poverty and Inequality, Reduction through Enterprise Development.
Almost two-fifths of our population appears to be poor in the sense that the resources at their
disposal do not meet their basic needs. This volume is roughly similar at the time of independence
in 1971. A variety of SSNPs have existed in Bangladesh for decades-- employment generation
schemes, food subsidies, targeted health and nutritional support programmes etc. As we know,
SSNPs are a significant component of Bangladesh's antipoverty strategy. PRSP documents identify
social protection strategies as one of the pillars of poverty reduction, which include: (i) ensuring
macroeconomic stability to ensure pro-poor growth; (ii) improving governance for sustaining
growth and poverty reduction; (iii) investing in human development to enhance human
capabilities; and (iv) implementing social protection programmes to reduce vulnerabilities and
improve income-generating opportunities.
12.Share market crash and the reasons behind the disaster.
The 2010-12 Bangladesh share market scam is part of the ongoing share market turmoil in the two
stock exchanges – the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE). The
crash is deemed to be a scam aggravated by government failure. The stock market was in
turbulence throughout much of 2009, with the long bullish trend starting to turn grim. An abrupt
crash of the share market in 2011 had sparked violent protests from the investors. It was the
biggest one-day fall in the Bangladesh stock market's 55-year history. It is estimated that over 3.5
million people – many of them small-scale individual investors - had lost their money because of
the sharp plunge in share prices.
When there is more than 10 per cent loss within a few days in the market, it is called stock market
crash. "Stock market crash is a sharp and unexpected decline of the market prices for a very short
period of time, usually accompanied by the decline of many other assets' prices." It causes
significant capital losses to investors and speculators. The market participants become panicked
which leads to more losses.
The market turmoil began this time with the entrance of GrameenPhone into the capital market,
when the index rose by 22 per cent in a single day on November 16, 2009. DSE General Index
soared to its highest levels from October to December 2010, with the peak on December 5, 2010
at 8,918 points. DSE's index on January 3, 2010, was at 4568.40 and went up at a staggering 4,350
points - a 95.23 per cent increase! On January 10, 2011, trading on the DSE was halted after it fell
by 660 points, or 9.25 per cent, in less than an hour - the biggest one-day fall in the 55 years of the
bourse. CSE also met the same fate.

Reasons behind share market crash:
Different analysts found different factors affecting the stock market crash. The reasons of the
crashes pointed out by market analysts, economists and different organizations are summarized
below.
1) Margin call and Liquidity
2) Scarcity of reliable information
3) Insider Trading and dishonest regulation
4) Faulty Software and surveillance program
5) Playing foolish rule by BB and SEC.
6) Not punishing to gamblers who do fiduciary activates time to time.
7) Lack of proper knowledge about this sophisticated market among investors.
Investors took to the streets in protest. Immediate measures were taken by the regulatory body,
Securities and Exchange Commission and Bangladesh Bank, which relaxed its conservative
measures, to pacify the fall. Within December 2010 and January 2011, the DGEN index fell from
8,500 by 1,800 points, a total 21 per cent fall, sending the market into further turmoil.
Investigation committee finds massive manipulation in share market:
A high-powered committee investigating the stock market debacle found heavy manipulation in
the stock market and has blamed the market regulator for failing to oversee the situation.
Some suggestions for market improvement:
1) Sponsor-directors' mandatory holding of 2.0 per cent shares individually and together 30 per
cent shares and book building method in IPO have been developed.
2) Adoption of software and surveillance team to monitor overall trading activities, trustworthy
IPO approval process, and actual book building process should be introduced with offloading
government shares.
3) Margin loan decision should be taken by broker houses and merchant banks, not SEC.
4) Insider trading should be strictly prohibited. Tools for regulators should be suggested that
prevent this kind of crashes in future.
5) Regulators should perform their job honestly and sincerely and SEC needs honest officials.
6) Insider trading should be prohibited; omnibus accounts should be converted into BO accounts.
7) The govt. should announce incentives through SEC to attract companies to the capital market.
8) Actions should be taken against those who were involved in the recent stock market crash.
9) Improvement in security laws and penalty for breaking those, balancing of demand and supply
of shares, and protection against any kind of manipulation should be ensured.

13. Shadow of Communalism
Attacks on the minority communities across the country over the last few months have brought
shame and ignominy for the country. Murder, loot, arson and even rapes that are being reported
from across the country have shattered the façade of communal peace and harmony that we had
long nurtured. These despicable acts, perpetrated by some criminal elements of the majority
Muslim community on the religious minorities, have seriously tarnished the image of Bangladesh.
While normalcy has returned to national life after months of political agitation and violence, the
attacks on the minorities, especially on the Hindu communities, are going on unabated. A year-
long political violence followed by the communal disturbance has taken the nation down few
rungs on the Failed State Index (FSI). All that the nation gained over the last few years in
international respectability was lost in a violent frenzy. While the administration promises
punishment for the perpetrators, the minority communities continue to suffer physically,
economically, and emotionally. Their religious freedom too is violated regularly with the
destruction of their temples and idols. If the state cannot guarantee their security, the minorities
will have no option but to migrate to India, which many of the perpetrators of violence want and
which might further damage the already tarnished image of Bangladesh. Communalism's multi-
headed hydra had been dormant for a long time within society. Especially over the last two
decades or so, the poison of communalism has been infecting the Bengali Muslims as never
before.
Despite religious, cultural and economic differences, the Hindus and Muslims, along with a tiny
Buddhist and Christian minority, had been living in harmony and peace for centuries in
Bangladesh. However, communal harmony started deteriorating rapidly by the third decade of
the 20th century with the Indian National Congress represented largely by the Hindus and the
Muslim League (ML) demanding a separate homeland for the Muslims. The British, through its
insidious policy of divide and rule, widened the gulf between the two major religious
communities. The partition plan for India gained huge popular support in Bengal. The reason
behind Bengali Muslim's support for Pakistan movement was not so much for a separate Muslim
nationhood, as for the land reform (Bengal Tenancy Act) that the Muslim League promised to the
battered peasantry of Bengal. Bengal's Muslim peasantry saw in Pakistani state a hope to get rid
of the absentee landlords and usurious money lenders, who were mostly upper-class Hindus living
in Calcutta and other urwban centres. It is a little known fact today that the scheduled caste
Hindus of Bengal, led by their leader Jogendra Nath Mondol and his political party “Tafsili
Federation” supported the partition plan and the creation of Pakistan in 1947. With the support
of the Scheduled Caste members of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, Muslim League formed the
ministry in Bengal. Thus, on the eve of the partition in 1947, Bengal was the only Muslim majority
province where ML was able to form a majority government; it was not so in the Punjab, Sind,
NWFP or Baluchistan, which constitute Pakistan today. Jogedra Nath Mondol, who developed a
personal friendship with Mr. Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was made the first Law minister of
Pakistan and was for some time heading the constitution sub-committee of the Pakistani
Parliament. Jinnah promised a secular Pakistan where every citizen would be treated equally,
irrespective of his/her religion, race or ethnicity. These promises were soon shelved with the
death of Mr. Jinnah in September 1948. Pakistan was to be an Islamic Republic, an experiment
that proved to be disastrous for not only the minorities in Pakistan, but is now leading Pakistan
into the abyss of darkness. A disheartened man, Jogendra Nath, resigned from the cabinet and
migrated to India in 1951. The exodus of the Hindus started, in fact, from 1946, when serious
communal disturbances occurred in Noakhali, Narayangonj, Khulna and other parts of Eastern
Bengal, mostly as an aftermath of communal disturbances in Bihar. Extremist elements within ML
fanned communal frenzy in Bengal with the aim of displacing the Hindus from the landed

properties and ultimately grabbing the same for themselves. The migration process intensified
with the partition in August 1947. It may be recalled here that according to census in 1941,
minorities, mostly Hindus, were almost 30% of the population of what now constitutes
Bangladesh. The percentage kept declining in every census; they were down to 23% by 1951,
19.6% by 1961 and 14.6% by 1974 when the first census of Bangladesh took place. The trend
continues even today; in the census of 2001 the minorities were 10.3% and in 2011 census they
were down to 9.4%. The decline of percentage of minority population indicates that there is an
outward migration. Most of the elite Bengali Hindus have left Bangladesh over the last 60 years,
leaving a sense of hopelessness prevailing among the minority community. The departure of
Hindu teachers, doctors, lawyers and business entrepreneurs since partition had left a void that
was difficult to fill in a short term. The minority community, mostly lower caste Hindus, left
behind in Bangladesh, was virtually leaderless and increasingly marginalized.
In the early years of Pakistan, the progressive elements of the then East Bengal set up a political
opposition aiming to establish a secular society in which the minorities would be treated as equal
citizens. Thus, in the first provincial election in East Bengal in 1954, a coalition of secularist,
progressive parties under the banner of United Front trounced the ruling Muslim League, giving a
new ray of hope to the minorities. Incidentally, this was the election that gave 27% of the seats to
the minorities, exactly the same number as their percentage in the country. However, this
election was a short-lived fantasy; the United Front government was soon dismissed by the
central government of Pakistan, dominated by the ML. Next big setback for the Hindu community
was the communal riots in January 1964. As a consequence of the theft of a holy relic from a
Muslim shrine in Indian Kashmir, the migrant Muslims from India, commonly referred to as the
'Biharis', who had settled in various urban centres started revenge attacks on the Hindu
community. They were encouraged by some of the ML leaders and local musclemen who were
looking for an opportunity to grab Hindu properties. The trouble started in Khulna at the
instigation of Mr. Khan A. Sabur, then a central minister. The riot soon escalated to other cities,
often aided and abetted by the ML functionaries. Progressive political elements and civil society
formed Danga Protorodh Committees to resist communal forces. Leading newspapers came out
with editorials and a poster titled “Purbo Pakistan Rukhiya Darao” (East Pakistan rise up in
resistance) that urged Bengali Muslims to stand beside their Hindu brethrens was widely
circulated in the community. On 15 January 1964, Mr. Amir Hussain Choudhury, a prominent
citizen of Dhaka, was stabbed to death by the rioters while he was engaged in relief activities in
Hindu localities of old Dhaka. Similarly, Father Richard Novak, a respected teacher of Notre Dame
College was killed in Narayangonj while trying to help the Hindu community there. These incidents
triggered a shock that soon snowballed into a possible riot between the Bengalis and the
Biharis. Leading Bengali Muslim leaders of the time such as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ataur
Rahman Khan, Tofazzal Husain Manik Mian etc played a prominent role in calming down the
situation and restoring peace in the province. Yet many, including Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were
arrested on charge of anti-state activities for printing and distributing the poster “Purbo Pakistan
Rukhiya Darao”; the authority saw the poster as an attempt to subvert the integrity of Pakistan.
Riots in 1964 created a new bondage between Bengali Muslims and Hindus hitherto unseen.
Despite the best efforts by progressive forces, the communal clash in January-February 1964
resulted in migration of about half a million Hindus into India; many were settled in central Indian
forest of Dandakaranya, where they lead a pitiable life of poverty.
In September 1965, Pakistan's misadventure into Kashmir backfired. In the war that lasted 17
days, Indian forces made advances on to the outskirts of Lahore and Sialkot and threatened
Pakistani heartland. Almost as a reprisal, the Pakistani authority targeted the Hindus in East
Pakistan. Many were arrested as Indian agents, their business houses closed and their properties
confiscated. A law titled “Enemy Property Act” gave the government sweeping power to take over

Hindu property. The Hindus were again migrating to India or elsewhere. Then came 1971, when
the Hindus were once again targeted by the Pakistan Army for genocidal killing. Members of the
right-wing political parties, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League, collaborated with the Army in
their killing spree, often acting as a guide to pinpoint the Hindu houses. Of the ten million
refugees that reached India, a large proportion of those were Hindus. After the war was over in
December 1971, there was a sense of security for the first time among the Hindus of Bangladesh;
they felt that they are now in a land that they can call their home.
However, with the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975, the
communal forces again raised their heads and the minority communities were once again facing
an uncertain future. The country moved away from secularism to Islamism, however cosmetic it
might have been. The successive military governments in order to gain legitimacy sought the
political support of the rightist forces. Parties such as Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami which
had been outlawed since Liberation were allowed again as a counter to secular forces. While
President Zia brought in some superficial amendments to the constitution to make it look more
Islamic, President Ershad made Islam the state religion. Ershad's regime saw a phenomenal
growth of Madrassas, especially the Quomi Madrassas, across the country. These madrasas
produce thousands of graduates each year who are the vanguard of the Islamisation process.
Although President Ershad was pushed out of office through a mass upsurge in December 1990,
the Islamisation process that he started continued to gather force. As a consequence of the
destruction of Babri mosque in India on 6 December 1992, there was a flare up of communal
violence in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. Inquilab, an Islamist newspaper, ran highly
inflammatory headlines to incite communal riot in the country. Many Hindu houses, temples and
business concerns were looted and burnt. The government appeared to be vacillating in curbing
violence. For the first time, the progressive elements within the Bengali Muslim community
appeared to be cowed down in front of religious extremists. Over the last two decades, we have
seen a gradual rise of the Islamist forces and a consequent rise in communal violence. The attack
on the Buddhist temples in Ramu on 29-30 September 2012 was particularly horrendous because
the victims identified their long-time Muslim neighbours as the perpetrators. The spate of
violence against the minority community is still continuing as I write this paper at the end of
January 2014. While most attacks are blamed on the religious fanatics, one cannot discount the
hands of the local goons in terrorizing the minorities to occupy their landed properties. It is time
to take a deep look at the communal situation in the country. Police and legal actions, while it
must be prompt and stern, are never enough. We need to look into the social fabric that has gone
violent and communal. Our education system, especially Madrassa education is long due for a
major overhaul. We need to bring back the inter-communal harmony that we cherished so long.
Why the Muslim neighbours are not resisting the mob attacks on the Hindu community? Why are
we not able to produce people like Mr. Amir Hossain Choudhury who gave his life for the defence
of the minorities? Why have the Islamic scholars not been raising their voice against
communalism? Why don't we see mass demonstration of solidarity on the streets? These are the
questions we need to ask ourselves. A democratic society must accommodate the minority –
political, ethnic and religious. The minorities are already demanding proportionate representation
in the Parliament, cabinet and administration. An analysis of the composition of parliamentary
seats and the cabinet portfolios over the decades will reveal that the minorities remain
underrepresented. Their representation in administration, especially in the law enforcement
agencies and defence forces, needs to increase. We need to address the genuine concerns of
those who are economically disadvantaged, politically marginalized and socially ostracized. We
need to hear the voice of the religious and ethnic minorities. It is time for introspection.

Women Empowerment and Workers' Safety in Bangladesh

Women Empowerment and Workers' Safety in Bangladesh

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