Letters
Dealing with Old Age
I would like to thank the author of “The Value of Respect” (November 2, 2007) for her excellent cover story.
Old age is inevitable. It is impossible for the government alone to deal with the issue of old age without help from private institutions. It is a blessing that we have strong family ties in our society. As a result the family can play an important role for the elderly. The elderly become very lonely. Sometimes they are excluded from the family decision making process. They feel valueless as a result. We should give them the opportunity to share their feelings about our problems.
There is also a certain amount of ignorance about dealing with aged people. The media should provide information about old age problems. They can take interviews and arrange talk shows with experts in the field for the solution of their problems. The media can also provide information about the availability of services and how the elderly can be benefited from these services.
Jhalok Ronjan Talukdar
Dept. of Social Work, SUST
The Day Labourers
The day labourers are the worst sufferers in the era of globalisation and cheap labour-absorbing capitalism where their dreams, plans, aspirations and livelihood are whirling whimsically in the uneven and unhealthy wild competition.
The governments, leaders, labour organisations and the other authorities concerned should regulate concrete policies and materialise them with the best efforts in order to establish the worth and recognise the contribution of the never-ending endeavours of the founders of civilisation.
Amit Abdullah
Department Of Finance, DU
Trial of the War Criminals
It is a great irony for us that though we uprooted the Pakistani occupier, their collaborators are still alive and free. They are fostered under the auspices of a sinister power and are moving about very subtly. We are astounded to hear war criminals dare to say that there are no such things as war criminals in Bangladesh. It is a very arrogant and impudent remark. It is high time that the nation makes a concerted effort to bring the war criminals under trial.
The government has to take the first step to help materialise it.
Emdadul Alam
By email
Pakistan Politics
Pakistan is at the crossroads of Islamic fundamentalism and democracy. On one side Islamic fundamentalists are pressing hard for Sharia based rules to be enforced in Pakistan on the other the embattled incumbent president General Parvez Musharraf and the former exiled prime minister Benazir Bhutto are trying to establish the much coveted democracy in Pakistan in order to garner the much needed support and blessings of president George Bush. Pakistan is passing through a critical juncture of political uncertainty.
While President Parvez Musharraf is doing his best to cling on to power through any means possible, Benazir Bhutto has threatened Musharraf that if general elections slated to be held in January is deferred for too long she will go for violent action.
Only time will tell how long Musharraf hold on to power with support from Bush and if he falls from the grace who knows what will come next.
Humayun Hyder
Zigatola, Dhaka
Alarming Issue
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Each year more than 1,000 women die from this disease. It really is high time to create awareness about this disease among the people.
A few days ago, I met a girl whose mother had died from breast cancer two years ago. She died because of lack of awareness. She was diagnosed at the very last stage and was beyond treatment. Thousands of lives can be saved simply by making people aware of the illness.
We do not have adequate medical facilities for treating breast cancer in our country. People have to go to neighbouring countries for better treatment. But most people cannot afford such expenses. It is really necessary to establish cancer hospitals with facilities like mammograms, chemotherapy, radiography or hormone test etc at a reasonable cost. As it is a sensitive issue for women, female doctors should be appointed at these hospitals.
People in the villages are even less aware of this illness. Women there do not know the causes, symptoms or treatment of breast cancer. There should be extensive awareness raising campaigns in the villages. It is great news that some big companies are taking steps to raising awareness on this issue. If such campaigns are successful, it may be possible to reduce the number deaths caused by cancer.
Farhana Hoque Panna
Dep. of Applied Statistics (I.S.R.T), DU
Bangkok Banter
Shahnoor Wahid's write up “Bangkok Banter” (October 26, 2007) gives a dismal picture of the scenario of activities of our devilish politicians in a foreign country who are busy making plans to go back to pre 1/11 days. The very thought that these are real situations and not the writer's imagination is enough to send a chill through anybody's spine. These predators staying in a foreign land are not licking their wounds. They are regrouping and giving final touches to their macabre plan. They are waiting for the chance to take their prey and this time the prey is Bangladesh. The University Professor from whom the writer has heard this narration must be an honest, law abiding and patriotic citizen of our country. He had the misfortune to stay under the same roof for a week or so with these uncouth and perverted creatures and this one week has transformed him into a totally disillusioned man. His disillusionment has forced him to take a decision to say good bye to his homeland and settle in some civilised country. What is in store for the country after the 2008 election is anybody's guess.
Brigadier General (Retd.) Sarwar Hossain
By email
So What If I'm Fat?
I fully agree with the author of “So What if I'm Fat” (November 9, 2007). We should be able to disregard what men say about our figure and accessories. This should also be true in reverse; we should also be able to disregard any compliments we get from men. Men should know that their crass behaviour will only push women away. Women should not bother about other people's comments and be confident about themselves no matter what others say and should not overreact to compliments given to them either.
Dina, Maghbazar
Corrigendum
The photos in the article titled 'Unplugged @ PM' written by Sabrina Ahmad (November 16, 2007) were taken by Salman Saeed. The name was inadvertently dropped earlier. We regret the error.
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