Jalal Alamgir
Published in the Nation, 26 February 2009.
Elections have always been a tumultuous affair in Bangladesh. December 29, 2008, was no different. On that sunny winter day, more than 70 million lined up to vote, and heartily replaced a two-year-long state of emergency with a parliamentary government.
Jalal Alamgir
Published by openDemocracy on 13 Feb 2009.
The homegrown embrace of democracy in Bangladesh represents both a historic demonstration of its people’s will and an injunction to the west.
Categories: Foreign Matters · Politics
Rumi Ahmed
Published Daily Star February 6.2009
BANGLADESH is being promised a digital future. In fact, the tagline of the landmark election victory of Awami League was a promise of digital Bangladesh by 2021. BNP also promised to implement digital Bangladesh sooner than 2021. Our intellectuals have started advising the government about how to implement digital Bangladesh, and opposition rhetoric locked horns with the government about who can make Bangladesh digital faster.
But way before this brouhaha by disconnected politicians Bangladesh had stepped into, and now walks boldly in, the digital age thanks to a new generation of IT savvy youth. This digitalisation took place during the fifteen years of democratic Bangladesh.
Bangladesh used to be a country where getting an analog land telephone connection was a combination of waiting, bribery, good connection with government high-ups and good fortune. Starting in the early 1990s, a digital telecommunication revolution took place. Nearly one-third of Bangladeshis are using high-tech, latest generation digital mobile technology for communication and other information related needs — no political leader had to promise this!
Categories: Current Issues
Tagged: Digital Bangladesh
NOW that an elected government is in power, we want to be assured that the most basic of our rights — the right to life — will be respected.
Too many lives are lost to political violence in Bangladesh every year. People die in brawls with bamboo sticks. Deadly ambushes on activists are common. Thugs armed with machetes and daggers sweep down on political foes routinely. (more…)
Categories: Human Rights · Justice
Naeem Mohaiemen
Published in the Forum on February 2009
When talking about human rights, complacent analysis comforts us with nostalgic notions like: “Bangalis have always been egalitarian/secular/(insert favourite value).” But in the context of life in a subcontinent with too many people fighting for too few resources, legal infrastructure is far more important than attitudes and social norms.
Within this context, there are certain laws that stubbornly stay in place. In some cases, this is because political parties consider them to be useful future tools (Special Powers Act). In other cases, it is because questions of patriotism and security are considered off limits to debate (anti-terrorism laws). (more…)
Categories: Ethnic Minority · Justice
Jyoti Rahman
Published in the Forum on February 2009
“We will have to … reduce price hike and improve people’s living standard,” said the prime minister at her first news conference after the landslide election victory. Since then, she and her senior ministers have repeatedly stressed that bringing down the prices of essentials within people’s purchasing power is a priority task for the government. This is not surprising given the importance most voters accorded to high prices in the lead up to the election.1
The Awami League capitalised on voters’ concerns by pointing to its better record on this issue. Prices of essentials — the proverbial rice, lentil, cooking oil and salt — either remained virtually unchanged or fell between 1996 and 2001, while all prices rose under its rival (Chart 1). To put the price rises in context, a male farm labourer earned an average daily wage of 48 taka in 1996 (with which he could buy 3.1 kg of rice), 67 taka in 2001 (buying 4.3 kg of rice) and 95 taka in 2006 (buying 3.7 kg of rice). (more…)
Categories: Development · Economy
Rumi Ahmed
Published in the Forum on February 2009
This is not an anniversary piece on the events that took place in Bangladesh on January 11, 2007. Rather, this is an obituary of a thing called 1/11. And unfortunately this obituary does not have much good to say about 1/11.
As a political-national event, 1/11 has not been clearly defined yet. There has not been any consensus about what to call the events of January 11, 2007. It was definitely not a popular mass uprising like 1969 or 1990. Whatever it is, the event was definitely a result of violent street agitations by Awami League or deceitful dialog by BNP. (more…)
Categories: Politics
Mridul Chowdhury
Published in the Forum on February 2009
In the lead up to the 2008 election, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia seemed to be on a race to promise a Digital Bangladesh to the citizens. Khaleda went on to promise the “delivery of a Digital Bangladesh” much before 2021, the AL-proposed date, as if the concept is something tangible like a bridge or a highway! All this war of words indicates two things:
Categories: Development · ICT
