India as a scared elephant in the region

From: Innovation Line
Date: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 at 5:04 AM

India as a scared elephant in the region
This article could be an introduction of a book on Bangladesh - India relations, writing of which would be completed in next 30 years!

Lets take a look at India from a different perspective. Have you ever encountered a scared elephant which may be concerned with its own security? How about if the elephant thinks that others adjacent to the creature is going to hurt it physically? If you can visualize the scene, its certainly not a pleasant one, specifically for those who are around the scared elephant risk being fatally injured, if not more. 

Now it's a different question whether the concern of the elephant is justified and whether the elephant should at all be scared. We can debate day after day on the justification - but the fact is if the elephant is scared, then it is scared and it is dangerous for its neighbors. 

Now think of Bangladesh beside a scared India. If some of the policymakers there (in India) are also irresponsible (a portion of them), then India will be comparable to a scared elephant who can be very dangerous for BD, isn't it?

So, what to do about it?

The best thing to do is do nothing about it - just chup chap bose thako. Do our own thing. Hopefully the scare of the elephant will go away over time. Off course, we have to make sure that we aren't hurt, now.

Ok, let us say that we are safe in the short term. What about in the future?

What if the scare do not go away? What if there is something inside it which is making India scared. That is a tough situation to be in - if that is really the case. In that situation, if true, doing ONLY our own thing is not probably the right strategy in the long term. Something should be done to reduce the scare, to help the giant scared elephant. What are those, if any?

 

We hope to continue this elo-melo vabna on the national security that arises from sometimes 'irresponsible" behaviuor of our giant neighbor. This is an advance article for our policymakers and politicians to think about.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.

 

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Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different internet based forums. This column is open for contribution by 

the members of new generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify yourself as someone from that age-group and want 

to contribute to this column, please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for publishing the article as Creative 

Commons contents.

After election of December 2008, we have been silent - we are observing what Hasina government does with the trial of war 

criminals. We would stay silent until we really make up our mind about the intention of war criminal trial by AL government. But 

this article is one of the few exceptions which needed immediate attention.

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Hasina's about-turn to her commitment to change

From: Innovation Line
Date: Sun, Jul 26, 2009 at 11:13 PM

Hasina's about-turn to her commitment to change

Her first major failure to show the nation that she is capable

Let us first give the credit, where it is due. AL as a party has complied to the rules set by EC, held its council and submitted

its constitution. More importantly, the party has selected a relatively younger leader to be the General Secretary. However, Hasina forgot her own commitment to change her party - create a new party which will deliver the charter of change to the nation.

Are we to believe that the councilors do not have the capacity to elect the full committee of the party? Even if they decide to 

continue the farcical culture of empowering the Netri to make the committe, why can they do it before the council is over? Hasina could announce a slate of committee members to the councilors which they could have suported. But she did't do it. Why? 

On the face it, at the least, its the imcompetence that stands out.  Beyond incompetence, there could be a number of possibilities that includes previous corrupt practice of selling these positions to the highest bidders as they used to do for the nomination of MP candidates. 

If she can't change the way the party is run (let alone to relinquish the party top position while being PM), how could we beleive that she can deliver the charter of change or a digital Bangladesh? So far, it was honeymoon period for the last six months. However, the way the party council has been conducted, it has demonstrated the first major failure of Hasina as a leader. 

Things to watch in near future:

1. Hasina's selection of cabinet was welcomed by many - however, it is time to assess their performance. Lets see whether you have learned how to assess. 

2. The parliamentary committees are primarily to make policies, they are not investigation agencies. Hasina should know this. They aren't doing their job.

3. The current celing 10% limit of technocrat ministers quota should be abolished or increased at least. Hasina should formalize some of her advisers as full ministers in technocrat quota.

4. It is time to implement the Human Rights Commission fully and make it effective.

5. It is time to implement the Right to Information Act fully and take meaningful steps so that people can benefit from it.

6. Initiate town-hall style citizens consultation meetings about Asian Highway, Chittagong Deep Seaport, Tipaimukh. 

7. Complete the judicial reforms (Oust imcompetent and rajakar sympathezers from the High Court) that was initiated by the CTG.

8. Try the war criminals.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.