Letters
To Chintito
The recent article by Chintito 'How to hunt a Razakar' (November 9, 2007) has struck our minds, particularly those who support the Pakistan cricket team. How is a person who supports the Pakistan team a Razakar? It's a very silly thought. Cricket is a source of entertainment so anyone can support any team that whether it be India or Pakistan. How is an 18-year-old like me who supports the Pakistan team be a Razakar?
Husain
Mirpur, Dhaka
Chintito's Reply
This is in response to Mr Husain's letter above.
The spirit of the statement “Many of them support the Pakistan cricket team...” in Chintito 'How to hunt a Razakar' (9 November 2007) is that 'Not all supporters of the Pakistan cricket team are Razakars, but many Razakars support the Pakistan cricket team'.
Check it out, any time, any where! Even my guarded “many” can in reality become “most” and, I would not be surprised, even “all”.
Obviously these people “masquerading as Bangladeshis” will not necessarily be the field Razakars of 1971, but of the similar hamara watan type mentality.
The same Chintito statement was also made qualitative with the codicil “…but this 'test' may not be foolproof”. So, no Bangladeshi supporting, albeit unfortunately, the Pakistan cricket team, needs to get worked up unless he is back to the despised pavilion, clean bowled from a bichchu delivery. For God's sake, how much more shall you humiliate yourself? We now even have our own national Test cricket team! Yes! Bangladesh! Promise!
Despite Mr Husain's confusion between bat and ball, I dare say I am content to some extent to note that the writer did not find any ground to contradict the rest of the pro-Liberation article.
Let the weapons of ekattur roar as before.
Chintito
The Lives of Others
The summing up words of Khurshid Mia in the cover story 'The Lives Of Others' (November 9, 2007) are very poignant and, I think, aptly reflect the plight and condition of the have-nots of Bangladesh and bear the brunt of any downslide in the economy. Concrete measures should be taken immediately to alleviate their woes. We know the government's budget has limitations to undertake any massive social safety-net programs for the vulnerable poor people within a very short time. The NGOs are also amazingly silent about this issue.
The government should develop a trust fund for funding such a massive social safety-net programme for these vulnerable poor people with the money recovered from the black-money holders. After all, the money these 'bigwigs' plundered from our country belongs rightfully to the poor people.
SWM deserves our sincere thanks for the article.
Meshkat Ahmed Chowdhury
Mirpur, Dhaka
Please Stand By the Helpless
The devastating cyclone Sidr that hit the country on Thursday night was a national catastrophe when the country was already facing a tough time after the terrible floods of this year. The safety measures that were taken by the government and other concerned authorities in the cyclone prone areas were laudable.
But the aftermath of the cyclone is even more challenging and everyone should come forward to help any way they can. It is very shocking that in some areas people don't even have the cloth to bury their dead. Much is needed for reconstruction and it's a huge task for the government alone. The privileged section of the society should cut down on their expenses and donate wholeheartedly to the poor people. Winter is almost here and we should give away as much as we can. We should also curtail our budget for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha and spare the money for the cyclone-affected people.
Humanity is the biggest priority in every religion, because every religion teaches love for other human beings. We definitely should stand by the affected people and show them that they are not alone in their time of crisis.
Mahbub
Narayangonj
*****
Although the ferocity of Cyclone Sidr caused huge devastation to the country, there's no doubt that the government's preparedness has minimised the losses. The government is working hard but it's impossible for them alone to cover the losses. Everyone should work together now with their wealth and knowledge. The affected people need long-term support from all concerned groups. Without that they will not be able to withstand the suffering. The time has come that we prove to ourselves that we are human beings and we really love our country.
Anowar Hossain Sabuz
Dept. Of Finance & Banking, CU
******
More than 1.6cr people are living in the costal belts of the country and 1.4cr are still out of coverage of the shelters (source The Daily Star). We have only 2400 cyclone shelters in the country which can provide for 19.2 lakh people. So more than 20000 shelters need to be built for the rest of them. Many of the ones that do exist are in a dilapidated condition and many are now used as rest houses or government offices. The government can also take the initiative to run an awareness programme in these coastal areas. Sometimes people do not want to leave their homes unattended and go to the shelters. People should be correctly motivated to overcome this problem.
We hope that the government will build more shelters and minimise the loss of both lives and assets.
Shakawat Hossain
Chittagong
Respecting the Elderly
I would like to thank SWM for the praiseworthy cover story 'The Value of Respect' (November 2, 2007). The issue featured by SWM is a very important one for our country. Everyone seems too busy to care for the needs of the elderly. People are too materialistic and calculate everything in terms of profit and money. So when a member of a family becomes unable to earn money, he or she just becomes a burden. This is unfortunate because all of us will have to face this situation. How can we forget our childhood when we were fully dependent on our parents?
I salute and appreciate the heroes who came forward to form the homes for the elderly. But I don't think the problem can be solved in this way. Something should be done before it becomes a major problem like in the western societies. Every social and family relationship is based on love. Elderly people stay as a shade over our head. They strengthen our confidence.
Jewel Rana
Faculty of Agriculture, BAU
Submission Guideline:
Letters to the Editor, Dhaka Diary and Write to Mita, with the writer's name and address, should be within 200 words. All articles should be within 1,200 words. A cover letter is not necessary, but every write-up should include the writer's name, phone number and email address (if any). While SWM welcomes unsolicited articles and photographs, it cannot accept the responsibility of their loss or damage. SWM does not return unsolicited articles and photos. Response time for unsolicited write-ups range from three weeks to two months. All articles submitted are subject to editing for reasons of space and clarity.
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