Letters
A Land of Beauty or Blasts?
Due to the recurrence of deadly bomb blasts in Bangladesh, the country is losing its fame as a land of beauty and being introduced as a land of blasts and militancy. These horrible things took a lot of time to grow and eventually become drastic. The government has been playing dumb for a long time and has introduced 'Bangla Bhai' as an exaggerated creature of the media. Before the blasts they denied the existence of Islamic militants.
After the blasts and suicide attacks, the government has begun to take steps including special missions against the militants.
The present situation of the country is very critical and the government should discard their former lethargy and fight these terrorists with all sincerity. The opposition leaders should work with the govt. hand in hand to bring back peace and harmony to our sacred motherland.
Raihanul Haque
Dhaka College
Wages of Garment Workers
The Garment sector is one of the top exporting sectors in Bangladesh now. In spite of the expiring quota system, Bangladesh has made a rapid gain in textile and clothing export. Our garment owners are satisfied since they will get more profit than they did in the past! However, the workers playing the most important role behind this success are being neglected. They are not paid enough to maintain their family. They are also not paid on time. As a result, they have to look for other ways to fight against poverty. Besides, their working places are not secure either. They have to work with a lot of uncertainty.
The Government would look into this matter and take some effective steps so that better pay and a good working environment can be ensured for the workers.
Md. Arifur Rahman
Department of Textile Engineering
Primeasia University
On 'The Beauty of Truth' and the recent bomb blasts
I read the article on 'The Beauty of Truth' by Aasha Mehreen Amin on December 9 in SWM. I fully appreciate the efforts she took to present the most serious problem that Bangladesh is facing today. Looking at the present scenario of Bangladesh, it is very clear that we are no longer safe and democratic acclaimed citizens of this country since the whole country has become paralysed in the hands of terrorism and insecure Government policies. Any effort, if to be taken by the Government against such terrorism, seems groundless as none of their policies ever seems to work. It is a shame for the Government, the opposition parties as well as for us that we are sitting with our hands tied like mindless puppets only to be a laughing stock to the world. What baffles me is that even in the age of modern civilisation, we allow such immoral acts to prevail. The frequent bomb attacks, the inactive condition of the Government and the irrational hartals by the opposition party on behalf of the violence have clearly proven once again that Bangladesh is no longer a safe, and democratic country.
Although such bomb attacks did take place even before, the attacks taking place today are all being blasted in the name of Islam, a religion that does not allow terrorism and oppression. Islam is a religion of peace and unity among the Muslim Ummah and not a religion for barbarians like these so-called Islamic extremists. In the holy Quran the description of these criminals are clearly terms as "Munafiqs and Zalimuns".
From the 9/11 incident, everything has gone against Islam, the devastating war on Iraq and now these bomb attacks in the name of Islam. This is only being done to tarnish the image of the religion. If this is the case then maybe it is time for all Muslim brothers to unite and fight against these culprits, expressing the real definition for Jihad. It is only due to the lack of proper guidance that such activities are taking place. The extremists know nothing of the Holy Quran.
Instead of pointing out the incompetence of each other, both the Government and the opposition party should immediately try their best to find solution to this problem because the aftermath of this would be disastrous in the near future for Bangladesh.
Naome Syed
Mohammadpur
Proper selection of books and introduction of lessons
Most of the school going children in our country are from a Bangla medium of institutions, where some topics are suddenly introduced in a new class. This practice makes students very confused and often apathetic towards their studies. I can still remember during my school days, I would find often in my science books in grades VII and VIII, a section that said 'Eso Nije Kori' (Do by yourself). What had me and my friends absolutely infuriated is that the results of the experiment would never be mentioned in the book. Rather, it would say, 'Erpor ki holo bolo to bondhura? (Can you say what happened next, friends?). Even though these books have changed over the years, modifications are still necessary.
Besides, in the junior classes (Std. VI-VIII) of all English medium schools, books of the same standard are not followed. Some of the schools do follow really good books where as at the same time, others are substandard, though written by foreign writers. Thus, it becomes a problem sometimes for a student when he or she changes school and sees a complete set of different books with different topics in a new school. So I think the authority should think seriously about selecting and introducing topics in schoolbooks and maintaining consistency.
Sk. Imran Aziz
108 Boro Maghbazar
Dhaka
Irrelevant!
In reference to the publication in the Dhaka Diary section on December 9, the article with the heading "Jubok Phone" was absolutely irrelevant to the context of the article. This has undoubtedly tarnished the company's image.
A concerned reader
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