Letters
Neutral Government -- A Wish
The Awami League's victory in this year's polls is possibly the biggest win any political party has enjoyed since independence. Some things now need to be considered in the post-election period. It should be noted that the Awami League chief Shiekh Hasina in her post-election press briefing has talked about some positive things. She has offered the position of the deputy speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and the chairpersonship of some of the parliamentary standing committees to the opposition. This is a remarkable deed. But whoever takes up this position should think of himself or herself not as a member of a political party but as a representative of the people. They should be neutral in nature and in their deeds. Though the important posts (e.g. the president and the speaker) are being taken by the political leaders of the ruling party, they should act neutrally. Obviously, everyone has his/her support for a specific party but it should not be reflected in their actions for the interest of the people. The elected party should not use 'political advantage' in the midst of the general people. We should know that if there is more neutrality, there will be more efficiency. So, for the welfare of the people, the government should give everyone equal opportunities. If that happens, we surely will be a better developing country in the present government's reign.
Saju Chakraborty
B.Com (Hons) 4th Year
Department of Accounting
Govt. City College, Chittagong
The Praiseworthy Size of the Cabinet
After the landslide victory of the Grand Alliance the AL chairperson has taken a wise decision that her cabinet would not exceed 50 people. For the proper functioning of the government, experienced and dedicated ministers are needed instead of a large set of incompetent and unskilled ministers. It's good to see that AL is not following in the footsteps of the previous BNP government and forming a huge cabinet with ambiguous responsibilities.
By Muhammad Abu Hanif
Student of MA English, CU
Political Instability on Campus
We see that the student wing of the political party in power has captured the University campus. The campus of CU has also been captured by the four-party alliance (Bangladesh Islami Chattra Shibir) since 2001 when the four-party was in power. Recently, in the ninth JS election the Grand Alliance has taken the reign of power. Since then, an unstable political situation for the capturing of Universities Hall and Campus is seen in most universities and coleges. The CU campus is in a similar condition. For that reason the general students face problems and classes are not held regularly. Many students have left the campus and are living in fear. It is my earnest request to the present government and the concerned people of the society to solve this problem.
Mintu Chakma
University of Chittagong (BBA)
Dept. of Management Studies
Effects of Mobile Phone
My thanks goes to the author of the article 'Wireless Concern' (January 2, 2009). He said a team of medical researchers have found that there could be both short term and long term health risks for using cell phones. It can damage our brain. I think the young people of our country use mobile phones more than necessary. Most of my friends gossip on their cell phones for a long time. As the call rates of our phone companies are not so high they are encouraged to talk more. Till now this problem is at the primary level. But if no steps are taken we shall face a great problem in the near future. From now on the electronic and print media should advertise the negative effects of using mobile phones.
Ratan Adhikary Ratul
Dept. of Business Administration
SUST, Sylhet
Gaza: A living inferno
The 1.5 million people of Gaza are now passing their days in a living inferno with bombardment and mass killing being a daily phenomenon. The innocent civilians, who include children and women, are the worst victims. The genocide that Israel is committing is beyond contempt and most gruesome in our living memory. How can we possibly claim ourselves to be human beings of a civilised world? How long will the international watchdog pay lip service to this heinous mass killing? It seems as if the UN, the USA are lending a blind eye to this barbaric act. It is long overdue that the UN should play a pivotal role in stopping this genocide. Otherwise people will stop trusting these institutions.
Aminul Islam Chowdhiry Masum
Applied Chemistry and Chemical Tech
University of Dhaka
Internet in Bangladesh 
Living in a developing country like Bangladesh, with half of its population living below the poverty line, the ambition for coping with developed nations in terms of technology is lofty, if not impossible. With only an insignificant number of people, one percent of the total population, using Internet, the status of the country regarding the usage of Internet is anybody's guess.
Elaborated as interconnected networks, Internet enables us to do online business, to communicate fast, and to access and gather a sea of information. In a nutshell, it is a virtual world with so many facilities embedded to it. It's getting popularity not because of the fact that it does amazing things but because it connects us to the superhighway of information technology, enabling the whole world to get connected.
The NGOs should be thanked for their commendable initiatives taken for the sake of reducing the cost of using Internet. Recently, Bangladesh Tele-communications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has slashed the domestic bandwidth charge by 60 percent to give Internet facilities to the rural people who have been on the wrong side of the digital divide. The latest cut in charges has taken effect from December 1 with the intention of helping to upgrade the living standards of those in the countryside by providing easy access to Internet. In line with the government efforts, some NGOs, e.g. BRAC, have taken long-term plans to provide people living in different parts of the country with easy and affordable Internet connection.
The mobile operators, PSTN operators and ISP have been instructed to reschedule their charges in line with the reduced charges. It is expected that the use of Internet and broadband will see a jump nationwide after all the moves get effect.
Sarwar Hussain
Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering
University of Chittagong
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