Print Edition: 05 January 2014
Print Edition: 05 January 2014
Print Edition: 05 January 2014
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pact, but the government cannot create a political vacuum. Future political scenario will depend on how the oppositions behave, how soon they reach an understanding, Menon said, adding that, There
is a fear and a sense of insecurity prevailing among voters, but in rural areas, I visited and saw a huge interest of people to cast vote tomorrow. If the oppositions prevent them, this will be a different issue.
Some opposition leaders believe political and economic situation of the country and movement of the opposition combine will determine the tenure of the new government.
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INSIDE
Business
B1 Four state-owned commercial banks had to reschedule loans to the tune of Tk3,700 crore in the first nine months of last year.
News
3 The ruling AL has initiated belated campaigns to convince maximum voters to cast their votes amid fear that voter turnout in the 147 constituencies may appear embarrassing for it.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
The polling centre at Nondongachhi Kalabipara Model High School in ruins after miscreants burned it on Friday night
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'I have no right to cast my vote. In this situation the message from EC is a farce to me,' says a voter
Before every polls, the EC starts campaigning for a free and fair election through television advertisements after the declaration of election schedule. However, such type of campaigning to raise awareness among the people was almost absent this year. This time, a text message was sent by Govt Info that says: Selling votes is equivalent to selling conscience. Do not sell your vote. All security measures have been taken. Cast your votes fearlessly. [Vote Bikri to Bibek Bikri, Bhote Bikri Korben Na. Nirbachone Sarbik Nirapotta Nis-
10 crude bombs and two petrol bombs at Baya Government Primary School polling centre. Two police constables on duty at the polling centre sustained splinter injuries. Police detained two BNP activists with several crude bombs from the spot, said Hafizur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Shah Makhdum police station. In Chittagong miscreants torched ballot papers and other election materials in Satkania upazila. While carrying ballots and other election materials
for Sadaha Adarsha Mahila Madrasa polling centre, two pickup vans were burned down in Fakirhat area. In Rangpur over 30 miscreants attacked Damur Chakla Dewan Saleh Madrasa polling centre with sticks and snatched ballot papers and ballot boxes from the centre around 7pm. Presiding Officer Asad Ali and two Ansar and VDP members were injured in the attack. In Comilla BNP activists in Monohorganj upazila hijacked five ballot boxes from a polling centre. In Tangail
over 30 miscreants attacked Simla Public School polling centre in Gopalpur upazila and snatched away over 1700 ballot papers this evening. Two Ansar members were injured when attackers exploded a petrol bomb during the attack. Miscreants also stormed into the Khamarpara Government Primary School polling center in Gopalpur upazila around 7:00pm and snatched away all 2869 ballot papers from there, said Tanzina Islam, upazila nirbahi officer in Gopalpur upazila. Polling centres, mostly schools,
Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary general of BNP, said the government would have to come to the path of compromise soon after the election as it would not be able to run the country in this way. The protesters of todays polls already set fire to around 100 polling centres of 18208, torched ballot papers in different places including the capital that deepened the sense of fear among voters to think twice before going to vote centres. At least one assistant presiding officer of a polling centre in Raipur of Thakurgaon was killed and a few others were critically injured in separate incidents of attacks last evening. Some protesters also launched an attack on some policemen in in the district and took away their arms. Many other challenges remain in the 147 constituencies where vote will be cast from 8am to 4pm today. A 55-year-old man at Joypur village
of Monirampur upazila in Jessore said he voted in all general elections since he became a voter. His identity is withheld for security concerns as he has decided not to exercise his franchise in todays election. I am from the Hindu community living in a village where the minority houses were set afire by Jamaat-Shibir activists, who are against the election, said the man who always voted for boat, except once, when he voted a Jamaat candidate for the candidates personal reputation for being honest. If I go to polling centre for casting vote, their (Jamaat-Shibir) men will identify me as an Awami League man, said the man. Yet, if he does not go to vote, there are chances that he will draw wrath from the AL men for siding with Jamaat-Shibir. It is a dilemma he had never faced, and now he had been keeping his cell-
phone switched off most of the time. Our reporters and correspondents in the constituencies described similar picture from many other districts. But there might have some exceptions in some constituencies where some ruling alliance candidates may face a head-to-head ballot battle for having strong independent candidates who were once in the ruling alliance. Dhaka-7 (Lalbag-Chakbazar-Kotowali-Bangshal area) constituency is likely to be one of those as former AL lawmaker Haji Selim is contesting the polls as an independent candidate against an AL top leader Dr Mostofa Jalal Mohiuddin. The contest between the two crated a contesting atmosphere which might inspire voters to go to polls center. But a usual festive mood during the polls was absent in most of the constituencies, rather fear gripped the voters. Who will ensure our security if
anything untoward happens, Hamidul Islam Chowdhury, a voter of Habiganj 3 constituency, told the Dhaka Tribune. People are afraid. We will not go to the polling centres. A different scenario was there in Gopalganj. The Dhaka Tribune observed a changed atmosphere at the eleventh hour in Gopalganj constituencies because of the opposition leader Khaleda Zias remarks on December 29 on Gopalganj, which is the home district of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Khaleda said the name of Gopalganj would be changed. People of Gopalganj reacted to her remarks angrily. Following the remarks, people from all walks of life in Gopalganj have been gearing up for giving a sharp reply to the comment through ballot. They are also planning to cast more than 95% vote. That is why it can boost the number of total casting and ensure the higher percentage of the countrys av-
erage vote casting, according to conversation with some locals and AL leaders. We have already made committees for every centre to ensure a big turnout of voters. If any committees fail to bring in more than 90% vote casting, they must be held accountable, Mahabub Ali Khan, joint secretary to the district unit Awami League told the Dhaka Tribune. Meantime, grass roots BNP formed election-resistance committees for every polling centre in all 147 constituencies as per the direction of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. Some BNP leaders said these committees had been working to discourage voters from going to polling centres. They would do the same thing today, added the leaders. (Zahidul Islam contributed Reporting from Gopalganj and Emran Hossain from Jessore) l
a democratic party. We have built a public opinion against voting and our election resistance committees around the country have been working hard to this end, Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary general of BNP, told the Dhaka Tribune. Shahjahan is now at his home in Noakhali, working to discourage the people in his area from voting. We have campaigned at every house to discourage the voters. We will do the same tomorrow, Shamsuzzoha Khan, president of Naogaon district
BNP, told the Dhaka Tribune. However, our Bogra correspondent Hasibur Rahman Bilu reported that the local leaders and activists of BNP had not done anything like that. They resorted to widespread violence to scare the voters and keep them away from the polling centres. When asked who were torching polling centres and attacking law enforcers and election officials, BNP chairpersons adviser Osman Farruk said no opposition man was involved with the violence. The common people are expressing their anger by attacking the
electoral activities because they have been robbed of their voting rights. Media reports suggest that at least 88 polling centres around the country have been torched allegedly by opposition activists in the two days before the elections. Leaders believe that they have been successful with their all-out efforts to ensure poor voter turnout to make the elections controversial, from an early realisation they will not be able to prevent the government from holding the elections. The government is overseeing the elections unilaterally. This election has
already lost its credibility both internationally and nationally. Today people will boycott the polls to say no to the government. It is not possible to stay in power forcefully, Farruk said. The BNP-led 18-party opposition combine have deviated several times from its initial stance, which it adopted in 2011 after the Awami League-led government annulled the caretaker government system through the 15th amendment to the constitution. Last year, the party dropped the caretaker and started pressing the government for a neutral polls-time
arrangement. Soon after, the opposition parties said they would not accept Awami League President Sheikh Hasina as the head of the polls-time cabinet. Opposition leader Khaleda Zia even came up with her own formula of an interim government, which she said could be formed with former members of past caretaker governments. The call for resisting the polls came up only after they failed to avert announcement of schedule for the elections that they had already boycotted and 153 candidates were elected unopposed soon after. l
situation turns volatile again, said Govinda, during an interview with the Dhaka Tribune on December 29. Govinda said as many as 1,000 people, mostly Hindus, had left the country through Bhomra land port on the day he and one of his acquaintances left. There were some Awami League activists too. The number of people leaving their homes increased in November and December when over 16 people were killed in violence as Satkhira remained virtually cut off from rest of the country because of a Jamaat siege. Most of them have not returned yet. Many are waiting in anticipation of a political reconciliation, which seems highly unlikely at this moment. Those stuck in India are having difficult times because of their lack of preparation for a long stay, Govinda said, adding he himself had to change his addresses four times and travel frequently. Many went there without legal documents. Those who stayed back are keeping an eye on the situation in the country. Any sign of normalcy and then would return straight home. Swapna, a resident in Kolaroa upazila, described how Jamaat-Shibir activists were bearing down on the Hindus. Hindu women have to suffer bullying almost on a daily basis. There is always someone telling them: Who split your forehead, dear Boudi [referring to the red line married Hindu women draw on their head]? Do you want us to help you get across the river to India? She said in order to avoid being bullied she had stopped drawing her marriage symbol and wearing attires typical of a Bangalee Hindu woman. Is it a sin to be born in Bangladesh? My fathers home is in Noakhali and father-in-law lives in Chittagong. I hear it [torture] is the same with the minority people everywhere. She recalled the horrific nights when the Jamaat-Shibir men went to Hindu houses and asked parents to hand over their daughters to them. There is no way to deal with such insanity." Govinda and Swapna are two of a community that had been waiting for a stable situation with bated breath. The elections would not mean anything to them unless order is restored in the district. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Election Year Parties Unopposed Turnout(%) Winner
3
1991 75 2,787 0 55.5 BNP 1996 (15 Feb) 41 1,450 49 26.5 BNP 1996 81 2,574 0 75 AL 2001 54 1,939 0 75.6 BNP 2008 38 1,567 0 87.13 AL 2014 12 390 [in 147 seats] 153
But [certain] political elements are using the relations to serve their narrow personal and party interests
He was arrested in 2007 in the anti-graft crackdown of the then military-backed caretaker government. Before going to London, he secured bail in all the 16 cases filed against him. Recently, a Dhaka court acquitted Tarique from a major money-laundering case. Branding the ongoing movement as the one for restoring democracy, Tarique said in the video message: It is time to wage all-out efforts. No more waiting for any direction. From today the only target is to resist the autocratic government and the farcical polls at any cost burying the all small differences. Claiming that his mother Khaleda Zia had been placed on house arrest, Tarique hinted that the law enforcers might have to face trial in future for what he said was going against the people of the country by siding with the autocratic government. Pointing fingers at a neighboring country, Tarique said the relations with that country could have been one of mutual welfare and understanding. But [certain] political elements are using the relations to serve their narrow personal and party interests. The BNP senior vice chairman also said the deep crisis prevailing in the country had posed a question whether the constitution was for the people or whether the people were for the constitution. Tariques message comes only a day after Khaleda Zia had issued a statement on Friday asking people to join in boycotting and resisting the farcical polls. l
Traditionally, polling agents of contenders challenge each other and also suspicious voters to make sure that nobody casts fake votes during elections. But this year, because of the opposition boycott, there will not be any polling agent at the centres to challenge the agents of those candidates, who are contesting the elections. Experts have said the ECs main challenge will be ensuring a healthy voter turnout and give the polls credibility amid apprehension that the ruling parties the only contenders this time may adopt unfair means. They said ensuring credibility was also mandatory for the Awami Leagueled ruling combine because of the opposition boycott and the absence of reputed international observers. One way of doing that could be showing substantial voter presence although until a day before the elections, many voters from different social classes were undecided about going to the polling centres fearing violence, experts said. Torching of polling centres and attacks on law enforces and election officials on the eve of the election day would only reinforce the prevailing fear, they said. In a video clip that has reached jour-
nalists via the agent of an independent candidate in the Jessore 1 constituency, Awami League leader Afil Uddin can be seen telling his supporters: Do not leave the field vacant. A hundred of our [Awami League] supporters will be present at every voting centre. They will go to the booths to cast vote and queue up again for voting once more. This will go on over and over again. It will create an impression among observers and journalists that many voters have gathered to cast their votes. Afil is the uncontested-elected lawmaker from the Jessore 2 seat who had been campaigning for his fellow party ticket-holder in the Jessore 1 constituency. Usually, the polling agents of con-
tenders challenge a voter if they suspect something fishy. But it will not be possible to perfectly identify the voters from their pictures only, Rokhsana Khondker, steering committee member of the Election Working Group, told the Dhaka Tribune. Since there is no opposition side in these elections, challenging of fake voters will not take place at the polling centres, former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune. Hossain also said to what extent it would be possible for the election officials to remain neutral would be a big question because the ruling party leaders had been desperate to show huge voter turnouts. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Aspirants hopeful
A number of ballot boxes stacked at MA Aziz Stadium premises in Chittagong under police surveillance yesterday
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In the two seats of the division, both the strong candidates belong to the Awami League and they hope to win the polls. According to district returning office, AL-nominated Shahriar Alam is participating in the polls with boat symbol from Rajshahi 6 seat while former ruling party lawmaker Raihanul Haque as independent candidate with butterfly as his election symbol. Contacted, Shahriar told the Dhaka Tribune: I have worked in the area for the last five years and the people also love me so much. Learning all these about me, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given me the nomination. He hoped that the voters would reject those who were working for their personal interests and took their position against the AL. In Rajshahi 3, district AL President Meraz Uddin Mollah, who was elected as an MP in 2008 elections, is contesting as independent candidate since the party nominated Ayne Uddin. Meraz, told the Dhaka Tribune: I have sacrificed many things for the party and worked for the development of the area. Despite these, the party did not give me the nomination. For this reason, on request of the local people, I am participating in the polls as an MP candidate. He asked the people to exercise their voting rights not considering the election symbol of the candidates but their activities. l
'As this area is very impassable, voters will face trouble to reach the voting stations. They have to approach the centres on foot only,' says Khagrachhari independent candidate
Independent candidate Ushatan Talukdar of Rangamati alleged that the voters had been facing harassment by the UPDF members. Ushatan also alleged that Awami league activists were continuously threatening his agent in the area. My supporters were more than other candidates in this constituency, he said. l
WEATHER
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 5:22am 6:41am 12:04am 3:49pm 5:25pm 6:46pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
Garment workers of Section Seven Garment Factory stage demonstration yesterday, demanding salaries under new structure DHAKA TRIBUNE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Special
004 007 013 015 017 019 020 023 026 027 033 034 035 036 037 038 040 041 043 045 046 047 051 052 053 055 Thakurgaon-2 Dinajpur-2 Nilphamari-2 Nilphamari-4 Lalmonirhat-2 Rangpur-1 Rangpur-2 Rangpur-5 Kurigram-2 Kurigram-3 Gaibandha-5 Joypurhat-1 Joypurhat-2 Bogra-1 Bogra-2 Bogra-3 Bogra-5 Bogra-6 Chapainawabganj-1 Chapainawabganj-3 Naogaon-1 Naogaon-2 Naogaon-6 Rajshahi-1 Rajshahi-2 Rajshahi-4 056 058 059 061 062 063 064 065 067 069 071 072 076 085 087 093 095 096 097 102 103 104 107 108 112 114
Map of Constituencies
1 2 4 5 7 3 6 9 8 10 11 34 35 50 51 38 39 37 41 42 36 13 12 14 15 20 1 9 21 23 24 31 32 16 25 18 22 26 27 29 30 33 138 139 140 141 28
Rajshahi-5 Natore-1 Natore-2 Natore-4 Sirajganj-1 Sirajganj-2 Sirajganj-3 Sirajganj-4 Sirajganj-6 Pabna-2 Pabna-4 Pabna-5 Kushtia-2 Jessore-1 Jessore-3 Narail-1 Bagerhat-1 Bagerhat-2 Bagerhat-3 Khulna-4 Khulna-5 Khulna-6 Satkhira-3 Satkhira-4 Patuakhali-2 Patuakhali-4
NO VOTING
115 118 119 123 124 126 127 128 130 132 133 136 137 140 146 147 149 150 153 154 160 161 162 163 165 166 Bhola-1 Bhola-4 Barisal-1 Barisal-5 Barisal-6 Jhalkathi-2 Pirojpur-1 Pirojpur-2 Tangail-1 Tangail-3 Tangail-4 Tangail-7 Tangail-8 Jamalpur-3 Mymensingh-1 Mymensingh-2 Mymensingh-4 Mymensingh-5 Mymensingh-8 Mymensingh-9 Netrokona-4 Netrokona-5 Kishoreganj-1 Kishoreganj-2 Kishoreganj-4 Kishoreganj-5 167 169 170 173 175 176 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 192 193 194 195 196 198 202 203 205 206 207 208 209 Kishoreganj-6 Manikganj-2 Manikganj-3 Munshiganj-3 Dhaka-2 Dhaka-3 Dhaka-8 Dhaka-9 Dhaka-10 Dhaka-11 Dhaka-12 Dhaka-13 Dhaka-14 Dhaka-19 Dhaka-20 Gazipur-1 Gazipur-2 Gazipur-3 Gazipur-5 Narsingdi-4 Narsingdi-5 Narayanganj-2 Narayanganj-3 Narayanganj-4 Narayanganj-5 Rajbari-1 210 211 212 213 218 219 220 221 222 223 225 227 229 231 233 234 237 238 239 246 248 250 255 256 258 259 Rajbari-2 Faridpur-1 Faridpur-2 Faridpur-3 Madaripur-1 Madaripur-2 Madaripur-3 Shariatpur-1 Shariatpur-2 Shariatpur-3 Sunamganj-2 Sunamganj-4 Sylhet-1 Sylhet-3 Sylhet-5 Sylhet-6 Maulvibazar-3 Maulvibazar-4 Habiganj-1 Brahmanbaria-4 Brahmanbaria-6 Comilla-2 Comilla-7 Comilla-8 Comilla-10 Comilla-11 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 268 269 270 271 272 275 276 278 282 283 284 285 287 291 294 295 296 Chandpur-1 Chandpur-2 Chandpur-3 Chandpur-4 Chandpur-5 Feni-1 Feni-2 Noakhali-1 Noakhali-2 Noakhali-3 Noakhali-4 Noakhali-5 Lakshmipur-2 Lakshmipur 3 Chittagong-1 Chittagong-5 Chittagong-6 Chittagong-7 Chittagong-8 Chittagong-10 Chittagong-14 Coxs Bazar-1 Coxs Bazar-2 Coxs Bazar-3
17
47 46 44 43 45 52 48 49
144
157 158
224
233
159 235 153 40 62 55 151 152 154 131 237 60 240 239 164 64 54 132 236 165 56 59 162 63 155 53 156 133 238 65 241 137 61 163 66 134 166 57 58 70 242 243 196 67 197 202 167 71 135 136 194 244 68 75 201 189 190 72 198 245 195 76 193 200 203 170 192 168 188 69 247 199 74 191 187 78 184 77 204 187 246 248 2 05 73 169 184 209 210 175 178 186 79 251 206 81 182 176 250 174 185 181 213 208 82 171 252 253 91 180 173 249 80 179 254 214 211 172 255 212 177 261 260 84 256 221 218 92 83 222 215 219 264 257 259 88 94 262263 298 86 87 258 274 223 265 220 216 268 85 217 93 269 89 266 275 119 270 276 267 122 105 90 101 102 95 120 121 299 278 103 100 272 279 106 123 115 128 271 277 96 127 126 116 125 124 280 281282 107 293 283 112 99 111 286 284 273 117 129 287 289 98 288 290 104 113 97 109 118 110 286 285 108 292 291 114 295 287 300 294
150 149
148
160
VOTING
001 002 003 005 006 008 009 010 011 012 014 016 018 021 022 024 025 028 029 030 031 Panchagarh-1 Panchagarh-2 Thakurgaon-1 Thakurgaon-3 Dinajpur-1 Dinajpur-3 Dinajpur-4 Dinajpur-5 Dinajpur-6 Nilphamari-1 Nilphamari-3 Lalmonirhat-1 Lalmonirhat-3 Rangpur-3 Rangpur-4 Rangpur-6 Kurigram-1 Kurigram-4 Gaibandha-1 Gaibandha-2 Gaibandha-3 032 039 042 044 048 049 050 054 057 060 066 068 070 073 074 075 077 078 079 080 081 Gaibandha-4 Bogra-4 Bogra-7 Chapainawabganj-2 Naogaon-3 Naogaon-4 Naogaon-5 Rajshahi-3 Rajshahi-6 Natore-3 Sirajganj-5 Pabna-1 Pabna-3 Meherpur-1 Meherpur-2 Kushtia-1 Kushtia-3 Kushtia-4 Chuadanga-1 Chuadanga-2 Jhenaidah-1 082 083 084 086 088 089 090 091 092 094 098 099 100 101 105 106 109 110 111 113 116 Jhenaidah-2 Jhenaidah-3 Jhenaidah-4 Jessore-2 Jessore-4 Jessore-5 Jessore-6 Magura-1 Magura-2 Narail-2 Bagerhat-4 Khulna-1 Khulna-2 Khulna-3 Satkhira-1 Satkhira-2 Barguna-1 Barguna-2 Patuakhali-1 Patuakhali-3 Bhola-2 117 120 121 122 125 129 131 134 135 138 139 141 142 143 144 145 148 151 152 155 156 Bhola-3 Barisal-2 Barisal-3 Barisal-4 Jhalakathi-1 Pirojpur-3 Tangail-2 Tangail-5 Tangail-6 Jamalpur-1 Jamalpur-2 Jamalpur-4 Jamalpur-5 Sherpur-1 Sherpur-2 Sherpur-3 Mymensingh-3 Mymensingh-6 Mymensingh-7 Mymensingh-10 Mymensingh-11 157 158 159 164 168 171 172 174 177 178 179 180 188 189 190 191 197 199 200 201 204 Netrokona-1 Netrokona-2 Netrokona-3 Kishoreganj-3 Manikganj-1 Munshiganj-1 Munshiganj-2 Dhaka-1 Dhaka-4 Dhaka-5 Dhaka-6 Dhaka-7 Dhaka-15 Dhaka-16 Dhaka-17 Dhaka-18 Gazipur-4 Narsingdi-1 Narsingdi-2 Narsingdi-3 Narayanganj-1 214 215 216 217 224 226 228 230 232 235 236 240 241 242 243 244 245 247 249 251 252 Faridpur-4 Gopalganj-1 Gopalganj-2 Gopalganj-3 Sunamganj-1 Sunamganj-3 Sunamganj-5 Sylhet-2 Sylhet-4 Moulvibazar-1 Maulvibazar-2 Habiganj-2 Habiganj-3 Habiganj-4 Brahmanbaria-1 Brahmanbaria-2 Brahmanbaria-3 Brahmanbaria-5 Comilla-1 Comilla-3 Comilla-4 253 254 256 257 267 273 274 277 279 280 281 286 288 289 290 292 293 297 298 299 300 Comilla-5 Comilla-6 Comilla-8 Comilla-9 Feni-3 Noakhali-6 Lakshmipur-1 Lakshmipur-4 Chittagong-2 Chittagong-3 Chittagong-4 Chittagong-9 Chittagong-11 Chittagong-12 Chittagong-13 Chittagong-15 Chittagong-16 Coxs Bazar-4 Parbatya Khagrachari Parbatya Rangamati Parbatya Bandarban
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Feature
There are few better ways to discover a place than through its popular art. In Bangladesh, some of the nicest artistic stu is very accessible. Its on display on the countrys roads, where rickshaws, autos and trucks are decorated in a beautiful manner.
rt everywhere
Khichuri
Bangladeshis love their meat. They really do. But one dish that is usually spared the meat treatment is khichuri: a simple but ingenious dish made from rice and lentils. There are very few things that beat eating (with your hands, theres no other way) a plate with warm khichuri in the morning, at a small communal table overlooking the street life outside.
Baul
Baul is a musical tradition that can be found in both India and Bangladesh. The music, played by a group of musicians called fakirs, is fascinating and deeply spiritual. Lalon Fakir, a mystic who lived in the 19th century and called himself a fakir, is the most important player of bauls. Lalon Fakirs teachings transcend traditional Hinduism and Islam, which makes him an important gure for people regardless of religion.
If you visit Bangladesh from abroad, your typical day will probably look like this: Get up, put on your sandals, step outside, and within a minute or two, youve met someone on the street who wants to talk to you (using Bangla, broken English, perfect English, body language whatever). Often, this someone is up for helping you out, inviting you over, hearing about your life, sharing stu about her/his own life.
Bangladesh has made a quite an impressive journey in the past decade. Much of this is courtesy to Bangladeshs civil society, which is innovative, hardworking and does much of what the state is neither able nor willing to do. Between 2000 and 2010, poverty levels went from 49% to 32%, and life expectancy has jumped to 69 years. Bangladeshis now live four years longer than Indians across the border, who are twice as rich.
JENNY GUSTAFSSON is a journalist from Sweden, who was interested to visit Bangladesh to see its people. We wanted to go somewhere not brimming with tourists. Bangladesh is so vibrant, because the people are always doing something. They say you dont know what you got till its gone. Perhaps you also dont know what you got till youve seen it from an outsiders perspective. When this article originally appeared on Gustafssons blog, it went viral on social media. Whether its the people, the culture, or a sight as common as girls wearing scarves, we forget about the beauty because we are too focused on the problems. Gustafsson has lived in Lebanon and travelled around the Middle East since 2009. In early 2013, she and her partner Karim Mostafa started travelling in South Asia. They
were in Bangladesh for two months, during which they witnessed the dynamic eruption of the Shahbag revolution. They have returned for what is shaping up to be yet another energetic chapter in our country. I think something happens when you move towards people, Gustafsson said while discussing how Mostafas photography career has been an integral part of their travels. Its almost like you are meant to be there. l
Tagore
So many things can be said about the Bangladeshi capital. Its crowded, polluted, noisy and impossible to get around. But its also a fascinating place. Somehow, there is as much love as there is nonstop activity. The alleyways lead to curious places, the markets are lled with anything and everything. And its inhabited by some of the most friendly, helpful and generous capital-dwellers Ive ever come across.
The 19th century poet, author and musician Rabindranath Tagore is probably Bangladeshs #1 national symbol, even though he was from the part of the Bengal that today belongs to India. In 1913, he became the rst Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is also the only person to have written the national anthem for two countries, both India and Bangladesh. His family was rich and inuential and owned houses in many locations, one of them is a beautiful spot called Shelaidaha, in rural Kushtia.
With a population of more than 160 million, sharing a small geographical space which lacks in infrastructure and facilities, Bangladesh is a place where people create their own opportunities. Finding ways to do that requires a lot of inventiveness and imagination, and getting creative with very few resources.
ntrepreneurship
If you dont buy into that consumerist idea that things are disposable and should be costantly replaced with a new, improved version Bangladesh is the place for you. If you didnt reect on your own use of the worlds resources before, you will start to here.
o waste
Unexpected things
A boy playing an arcade game (which I remember very well from being a kid in the 1990s). A girl walking home in rural Barisal. The old railway station in Khulna. Beauty products and a cassette tape in a shop-window in Dhaka.
Mosques, pop stars, holy people, colourful portraits. You will not be bored.
Open office
Many workplaces in Bangladesh are a bit like that free software: open. You can pass by, stop for a moment, talk to people and see what theyre doing. These small enterprises are in direct connection with the world outside.
Girls
Vegetables
Bangladeshi girls deal with a whole dierent set of social pressures. They are often married o early and face more restrictions than their brothers and male friends. Public spaces remain male-dominated territory. But things are changing. Much of Bangladeshs development has been female-driven, and women are increasingly inuencing decision-making, both inside and outside the family. The countrys schools now have more girls than boys a reverse of earlier patterns. These are the girls of the future.
As meat-loving as they might be, Bangladeshis also grow fantastic vegetables. Your standard fare in any small eatery is shobji, Bangla for vegetables. Its usually a very simple dish with mixed vegetables and chilli cooked in. When good, its excellent.
Everywhere you look, there are criss-crossing telephone and electrical wires.
In Bangladesh, theres no better place for yoga than the rooftops. Youre close to the sky, youre overlooking the surroundings, youre in your private space but still part of the city around you.
Bangladesh is intense, but its also zen. Zen as in connecting to what is inside, what is unsaid, what is shared. I dont know how, but theres something with the energy that lifts you up, grounds you and makes it very hard for you not to keep smiling.
If boats are the way to travel on Bangladeshs rivers, rickshaws are the means to move around its urban streets. Dhaka and other cities are full with the three-wheeled, man-powered bikes that transport all sorts of people: commuters, school kids, families and oce workers. The drivers are impressively strong and hardworking. And fearless the rst requirement for anyone working on Bangladeshs roads.
Jessore is the rst town you arrive at when traversing the India-Bangladesh border. Banchte Shekha, an NGO working for rural women, runs a lovely guesthouse on the outskirts of the city.
Scarves
The single most useful thing for Bangladeshi winters is the warm scarf. The thin and summery ones are nice too!
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Long Form
One of the now infamous sand trucks that went broke in front of the leader of the oppositions residence (left), water cannons drench through BNP supporting lawyers in the high court premises (right)
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
n Saqueb Mahbub
he current MP of my constituency is behind bars, the only independent candidate was disqualified on technical grounds, and the Awami League nominee, having already been declared a winner, is all set to represent me in parliament. Just like 53% of the countrys population, I cant vote to elect my representative in the parliament. In a roundtable discussion last Saturday, bigwigs of Bangladeshs civil society called for stopping the polls that are being held today, having reached the consensus that it is going to be nothing more than a farcical or arranged event. Coming only 8 days before the elections, it is probably too little too late to have the desired effect, but the Awami Leagues unmoved stance, aggressive rhetoric, and a series of recent actions have made one thing clear: the democratic right of the people to vote in a free and fair election was not guaranteed under this government. As the old saying goes: Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and it is hindsight that gives us a picture of what could have happened if BNP had given up its stance, and participated in the polls. Opinion polls published in Prothom Alo, a leading Bangla newspa-
per showed BNP, with 50% popular support, leading the Awami League (at 37%), by a margin of 13 percentage points in September this year. Another poll published later in the Daily Star showed BNP to be leading Awami League by an even bigger margin of 27 percentage points (BNP-55%, AL-28%). Even though more recent polls, such as the one published by Dhaka tribune on Friday, suggest that the margin is closing, statistics like this and five city corporation election victories for BNP this year would give anyone the impression that BNP would be runaway winners in a free and fair election. So, by deciding to boycott them, BNP had more to lose than any other party. But why would they do it? The answer, perhaps, is that unlike opinion polls, elections require an unbiased administration to conduct it, and Awami League never even got close to creating one. At the outset, let us look at the Election Commission itself. At different points during the present governments tenure, the Election Commission scrapped the provision of the No Vote (which gave the voter the option to reject all candidates), the provision requiring membership of a party for 3 years (which was meant to prevent buying and selling of party nominations), and most shockingly, the provision giving the power to the EC to cancel a candidates candidature for violation of election laws. The EC somehow allowed registration for Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF), a party clearly formed to create confusion among voters about BNPs participation in the polls. The EC had earlier introduced extremely stringent rules for the participation of independent candidates in the elections (e.g. requiring them to obtain signatures with personal details from 1% of the total voter number), and using technicalities, disqualified a huge number of rebellious independent candidates from the Awami League, which, in turn, led to the colossal figure of 153 uncontested seats. A disqualified independent candidate, whom I represented as a lawyer, was disqualified by the EC on the simple ground that the list of signatures he had collected had some missing serial numbers, a technicality that could have been easily corrected by the returning officer himself. Even an RPO provision and a High Court di-
rective that technical mistakes should be remedied by the Returning Officer could not save my client. The changes in the rules made by the EC have, somehow or the other, benefitted the Awami League. Imagine the embarrassing situation when the uncontested Awami League candidate could have been defeated by a No Vote, or where Awami Leagues rebel candidates could have ridden the anti-government sentiment, and then as independent candidates could have formed a majority in parliament. Despite facing widespread criticism, the ECs role in allowing registration to BNF, a party named similar to BNP, and it scrapping its own power in relation to dealing with violation of election laws have only empowered the government. However, the EC perhaps lost the last straw of its credibility when it refused to allow the withdrawal of nomination by the Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad despite his public statement that he did not want to participate in elections. Again, EC used a minor technicality that he was not present at the EC with his withdrawal application to keep him in the elections as per Awami Leagues wishes. With a less than credible EC in place, one would have hoped for a strong-willed law enforcement and justice system to back up the election process. However, from the experience of the present, that is not to be seen. At the time of writing, 16 key members from the senior ranks of the BNP are behind bars on political grounds. The lower judiciary, has shown unprecedented subservience by refusing bail for all of them despite the lack of any specific allegations against them. A High Court directive from 2003 makes remand illegal without specific evidence of involvement in an offence, but no heed of that has been taken by the magistrates on duty. One breaking news after another has shown nearly every person making a press-statement on behalf of BNP, either being picked up by the Detective Branch, or having a case slapped on them driving them underground fearing arrest. The pattern is uncannily similar person X briefs journalists on BNPs position, and moments later person X is picked up and taken to the DB office. Nearly all senior leaders have been picked up on the basis of vague suspicions and then shown arrested in
enough cases to put them behind bars till the elections on Januray 5. The law enforcement authorities subservience to Awami Leagues interests has been no less than naked the last few days. It started with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police refusing permission for BNPs March for Democracy, its most peaceful sounding demonstration so far. It was followed by a blockade by the law enforcers of all road, rail, and waterways to prevent party supporters from coming to Dhaka to join. Simultaneously came the arrests of senior leaders from Dhaka and mass arrests of grassroot-level BNP organisers. Khaleda Zias protocol was withdrawn in an unprecedented violation of her legal right as the leader of the opposition.
are either behind bars or in hiding to avoid arbitrary arrest. Its Chairperson is under effective house-arrest. Most of its activists are arrested or in fear of arrest. That being said, one thing that BNP must be proud of is of having made the right decision about the January 5 elections. It is the strongest message against an election that is flawed, and only meant to give a particular regime legitimacy that it does not deserve. If Awami League does, in the end, go ahead with the elections, not only will it be a colossal waste of public money, democracy will go from the frying pan to the fire. l Saqueb Mahbub is a barrister at law and a freelance contributor.
8 platoons of policemen and 5 sand-laden trucks requisitioned by the police to guard her gate, one point was made clear if the Awami League wants to suppress the BNP, the police will execute their will with mighty force
There would be no guarantee that the grassroots of BNP would not be pushed underground with mass arrests and false cases
RAJIB DHAR
Finally, when she was prevented from leaving her house by 8 platoons of policemen and 5 sand-laden trucks requisitioned by the police to guard her gate, one point was made clear if the Awami League wants to suppress the BNP, the police will execute their will with mighty force. In the hypothetical situation, where the BNP has participated in polls under the AL government, there would be no guarantee that BNPs top brass would not be somehow disqualified by the EC from participating in elections, or that they would not be picked up one-byone by the Detective Branch ahead of the elections. As things appear now, there would be no guarantee that the grassroots of BNP, who are its election organisers, would not be pushed underground with mass arrests and false cases and no guarantee that Khaleda Zias election campaign would not be banned by the police on security grounds, or blocked by sand-laden trucks. ALs recent actions do not, at all, paint a happy picture of participatory democracy needed for a free and fair election. The civil society has called for stopping the farcical elections of January 5, and, conscious citizens have outrightly condemned the undemocratic and illegal heavy-handedness of the government preventing BNPs March for Democracy, but to no avail. It only goes to show that under Sheikh Hasinas government, there is not much space for voices against her regime. As we stand, the BNP is in a position that no democratic political party wants to be in. All of its senior leaders
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
Smoke billows from a police car following clashes between Jihadists and Iraqi forces backed by tribesmen in the Iraqi city of Fallujah
AFP
n AFP, Fallujah
Iraq has lost Fallujah to al-Qaedalinked fighters, a senior security official said on Saturday, putting militants who repeatedly battled American forces for the city back in control. Parts of the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, west of Baghdad, have been held by militants for days, harkening back to the years after the 2003 US-led invasion when both were insurgent strongholds. Fighting erupted in the Ramadi area Monday, when security forces removed the main anti-government protest camp set up after demonstrations broke out in late 2012 against what
Sunni Arabs say is the marginalisation and targeting of their community. Anger at the Shia-led government among the Sunni minority is seen as one of the main drivers of the worst violence to hit Iraq in five years. Fallujah is under the control of ISIL, a senior security official in Anbar province told AFP, referring to al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. However, the citys outskirts were in the hands of local police, the official added. An AFP journalist in Fallujah also said that ISIL seemed to be in control, with no security forces or Sahwa anti-al-Qaeda militiamen visible on the streets.
In Ramadi, a witness said Iraqi special forces had deployed on Street 60, where ISIL militants were positioned the day before. More than 100 people were killed on Friday in Ramadi and Fallujah, in the countrys deadliest single day in years. Fourteen died in and near Ramadi on Monday and Tuesday, while later tolls were not immediately clear. Hundreds of gunmen, some bearing the black flags often flown by jihadists, gathered at outdoor weekly Muslim prayers in central Fallujah on Friday, a witness said. One went to where the prayer leader had stood, and said: We announce
Immigrants being rescued by the Italian Navy near the Italian island of Lampedusa
AFP
OTHER NEWS
Bodies of beheaded fishermen found in Philippines
Eight fishermen including two boys have been shot and beheaded in a gruesome attack at sea off the troubled southern Philippines, police said Saturday. The victims were among a group of fishermen who went missing after being attacked in the Moro Gulf off Mindanao island on December 26, said regional police spokesman Ariel Huesca. Five headless corpses were first found aboard a boat drifting at sea on Friday by police who had gone in search of the missing fishermen, said Senior Inspector Joel Lozano, police chief of the district where the boat was taken. When we further inspected the boat (on Saturday morning), we discovered more headless bodies beneath the floorboard.... In all, it contained eight bodies, Lozano told reporters. The corpses, including those of two boys aged about 12 and 14, were all decomposing, suggesting they were killed a few days earlier, Lozano said. One fisherman remains missing after the attack by unknown gunmen, Huesca said in a written report. The motive of the attack is not known. The waters off the southern Philippines are rife with piracy, and the region is also a hotbed of Islamic militants. The nine fishermen had gone missing a day after Christmas following the attack off the town of Olutanga, Huesca said. Two other wounded fishermen in the party were recovered shortly after the attack and taken to hospital for treatment, he added. The boat with the headless corpses was found adrift eight days later off the coastal village of Manicahan on Zamboangas outskirts. authorities said Friday. Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa, also known as Chino Antrax and Norberto Sicairos-Garcia, was arrested Monday at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the office of the US attorney for the southern district of California, based in San Diego, said in a statement. A federal grand jury in San Diego returned a sealed indictment on December 20 charging Arechiga-Gamboa with conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances. An arrest warrant was issued the same day. Arechiga-Gamboa was arrested at the airport under a fraudulent name as he deplaned from KLM Flight 686 from Mexico City, Mexico to Amsterdam, the statement read. US officials are seeking his extradition to face charges in southern California. The main leader of the Sinaloa cartel, based in the western Mexican state of the same name, is Joaquin El Chapo (Shorty)Guzman. Guzman escaped from a Mexican prison in 2001 and is now the drug trafficker most wanted by US officials. He is also considered by Forbes as the most powerful criminal on the planet.More than 77,000 people have been killed in Mexico in connection with organized crime since now former president Felipe Calderon launched a nationwide war against the drug cartels after taking office in 2006.
A young girl with bandages on her legs smiling after receiving treatment at the Pedriatic hospital in Bangui, children have become deliberate targets of armed gangs because of their familys faith AFP
n Agencies
Children in the Central African Republic have become deliberate targets of armed gangs, aid workers have said. An official with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) confirmed to Al Jazeera on Saturday that more children are being targeted and killed as concerns over civilian casualties escalate in violence that has not ceased since a coup in March 2013. The latest remarks follow a UNICEF statement on December 30 that described attacks against children as having sunk to a new low, including
cases of beheading and mutilation. Attacks against children have sunk to a vicious new low, with at least two children beheaded, and one of them mutilated, in the violence that has gripped the capital..., the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said in their December 30 statement. Ombretta Pasotti, who coordinates work by the Italian NGO Emergency at the paediatric hospital in Bangui, confirmed to the AFP news agency on Saturday: Before now, children were collateral victims, but today some of them are targeted directly.
Some children are victims of stray bullets and shell fragments... Some were wounded by chance, but here we also have children who were shot because they are Muslims, Pasotti said. UNICEF said it had verified 16 killings of children since December 5, while 60 more youths were wounded in clashes that broke out between Muslim former rebels and fighters from the Christian majority. UNICEF appealed to sectarian fighters to halt grave violations against children, to release those in their ranks and to avoid attacks on health and education workers. l
The first Taiwan-born giant panda cub was unveiled to the media on Saturday in a warm up for her highly-anticipated public debut next week. Yuan Zai agilely climbed up and down for most of her 30-minute media preview inside an exhibition enclosure, as mother Yuan Yuan sat lazily aside munching bamboos. Yuan Zai is growing bigger and bigger. She is very robust and is gaining strength. After evaluation she can meet the public in two days, Taipei Zoo spokesman Chao Ming-chieh said.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
Several attempts by icebreakers to reach the Russian ship failed, including by the Australian Antarctic supply ship the Aurora Australis, while poor weather initially delayed helicopter rescue plans
The masters of both Akademik Shokalskiy and Xue Long agree that further assistance from Aurora Australis is no longer required and they will be able to provide mutual support to each other, AMSA said. Australian authorities have said that any inquiry into how the Shokalskiy came to be stranded would have to be conducted by Russian authorities but have acknowledged that the incident could impact guidelines for polar expeditions. The rescue mission, which also initially involved the French ship the Astrolabe, has also impacted some Antarctic research programmes, according to Yves Frenot, director of the French Polar Institute. The rescue mission forced French scientists to scrap a two-week oceanographic campaign this month using the Astrolabe, he said. But we are relatively lucky. The Chinese have had to cancel all their scientific programme, and my counterpart in Australia is spitting tacks with anger, because their entire summer has been wiped out, he said. l
A Cambodian soldier stands guards near a factory in Phnom Penh porters to keep calm while the party deliberates over a fresh strategy. Protesters have occupied Democracy Park since December as part of demonstrations against premier Hun Sens government that swelled to an estimated 20,000 opposition supporters on the streets last Sunday. Hun Sen, who last month ruled out holding new elections or stepping down, was given parliamentary approval for a new five-year term in late September. The opposition decried that as a constitutional coup. Cambodias leader has faced mounting criticism over his rights record and accusations of excessive force used against demonstrators in a series of clashes between security forces and protesters in recent months. Striking garment workers have also been seen to team up with opposition protesters demanding Hun Sen step down. Fridays violence saw striking workers armed with sticks, rocks and Molotov cocktails clash with rifle-wielding police in the Veng Sreng factory district of Phnom Penh. The protest demanding a minimum wage of $160 per month followed similar action by workers in another industrial district of the city on Thursday, which rights groups said was dispersed by armed military police. The UNs special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, Surya P Subedi, criticised Fridays shootings, calling on the government to launch an investigation. Washington on Friday also appealed for peaceful dialogue and denounced the violence, urging all sides to exercise restraint. Disputes over wages and safety
AFP
conditions are common in Cambodias multi-billion dollar garment industry which supplies brands like Gap, Nike and H&M and which has brought buoyant economic growth to what is still one of Asias poorest countries. The sector employs about 650,000 people and is a key source of foreign income. The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, an independent activist group, has said at least 25 demonstrations were violently repressed in 2013 by security forces using guns, tear gas, water cannon and batons, leaving two people dead, one person paralysed and causing three women to suffer miscarriages. Hun Sen a 61-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre who defected and oversaw Cambodias rise from the ashes of war has ruled for 28 years, and has vowed to continue until he is 74. l
n AFP, Kabul
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has delayed the release from jail of 88 suspected Taliban fighters following complaints from the United States that they could return to the battlefield, officials said Saturday. The planned release had angered US military commanders and senators as Washington and Kabul edge closer to signing a long-delayed security pact allowing some American soldiers to stay in Afghanistan after 2014. Based on a recent presidents order, we have started again reviewing the cases of the 88 prisoners, Abdul Shokur Dadras, a member of the Afghan Review Board, told AFP. The president has also ordered the security and intelligence agencies to check their backgrounds and cases to make sure justice is served. US General Joseph Dunford, commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, had lodged an official objection to the planned releases, saying they went against an agreement signed when Bagram was handed over. l
Malaysian journalists hold placards and banners during a protest against the suspension of Malaysian magazine The Heat
AFP
Nepals court rules out amnesty for serious war crimes n AFP, Kathmandu
Nepals top court has rejected a demand by ultra-leftists that an amnesty be granted to people who committed serious rights abuses during the countrys civil war, an official said Saturday. More than 16,000 people died in the conflict between Maoist rebels and the state, which ended in 2006, and more than 1,000 are still missing. The Himalayan nations top court was responding to a petition filed last year by the National Network of Families of the Disappeared and the Missing, an organisation of victims families. Last year, a Maoist-led government proposed legislation in which it sought amnesty for those responsible for cases such as forced disappearances kidnappings in which the victims never were found and other crimes. The amnesty was put forward as part of the powers of a planned Truth and Reconciliation Commission aimed at healing the wounds from the long civil war. But the court said no amnesty could be given for serious cases of rights abuses. l
AFP
speech published in state media. He also said he supported amending provisions which exclude anyone whose spouse or children are overseas citizens from becoming president a clause widely believed to be targeted at Suu Kyi, whose two sons are British. I would not want restrictions be-
10
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
A limited mandate
he holding of todays 10th parliamentary election in the absence of the main opposition party can only be justified on the basis of constitutional necessity. The results cannot and should not be viewed as a mandate to rule for a full term. Indeed, it is the ruling partys explicit articulation of this understanding that allows us to accept todays election, and we take the ruling party at its word that it will immediately set in motion the steps necessary to come to a mutually acceptable compromise with the main opposition for holding fully participatory elections as soon as practicable. Todays result is predetermined due to the boycott by the main opposition party. Even within many of the 147 out of 300 seats which are being actively contested, there appears to be scant evidence of public enthusiasm for this election. The next government formed subsequent to todays 10th parliamentary election will thus not be supported by a full choice of the voters or by a majority of voters at the polls. Accordingly, the new government has to make a generally acceptable resolution of the current deadlock its first and only priority. The opposition, too, must be ready to come to the negotiating table in good faith to work out a resolution to the crisis. The bloodshed that has marked the oppositions campaign so far must be abandoned, and the opposition must press its case for the modalities of the 11th parliamentary elections in a peaceful manner. We acknowledge that todays elections neither resolve the political crisis nor bring an end to the issue of representative elections that are the peoples right. We call on both AL and BNP to move forward together to give the people elections acceptable to all.
The new government has to make a generally acceptable resolution of the current deadlock its first and only priority
Corruption is good
December 29 Yes, good for some, bad for many and worst for the country! Zahurul Islam
December 31 What a joke!! Urging the chief justice to ban any procession on the Supreme Court premises from a rally held at the same place! Think before pointing a finger at someone else, that your other fingers are not looking back at you. Ishtiaque Ahmed
Be Heard
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eeing as todays elections are a mere constitutional necessity and cannot be a mandate for government for the next five years, the turnout is something of a moot point. With 153 out of 300 seats already decided and without the main opposition party contesting, the legitimacy or illegitimacy of the elections is not in question. A high turnout will not confer legitimacy on the elections, if legitimacy is understood to mean a mandate to rule for five years. Similarly, a low turnout will not render the elections illegitimate. We already know that 48 million out of 92 million voters will not be voting, and many of the ones remaining may choose not to vote due to the non-participatory nature of the elections. Many will also be deterred from voting due to the risk of violence. Indeed, by threatening violence BNP is handing a defense for low turnout to the ruling party. Most importantly, BNPs violent campaign so far has not succeeded in stopping the elections. Even if there are any tragic incidents on election day, it will most likely not foil the polls. This being the case, there is no call for the BNP to upset the elections through violence and bloodshed. It is perfectly free to boycott the elections and urge voters to not cast their vote. But it must not stop voters who wish to vote from doing so, and there can be no justification for violence or agitation against the process. Its point about the non-inclusive nature of the elections has already been made. Voters can make up their own minds and must be left free to decide themselves whether to vote or not. Similarly, the government party too must not engage in any violence itself in defense of the elections. In particular, no one wishes to see its cadres take on the role of the law enforcement authorities. We call on both sides to let todays elections be held peacefully and according to the law.
Voters can make up their own minds and must be left free to decide themselves whether to vote or not
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Command (5) 6 Regret (3) 7 Affirms with confidence (5) 10 Unsuitable (5) 12 Obtains (4) 13 Courtyard (5) 15 Old cloth measures (4) 16 Limb (3) 18 Sister (3) 20 Vast ages (4) 22 Tiny island (5) 23 Teaching period (4) 25 Encourages in crime (5) 27 Storehouse (5) 28 Fish eggs (3) 29 Comforts (5) DOWN 1 Beginning (6) 2 Cricket score (3) 3 Grow deeper (6) 4 Disconcerts (7) 5 Part of the verb to be (3) 8 Self (3) 9 Main actor (4) 11 Close friend (3) 14 Set apart (7) 16 Plants (6) 17 Church services (6) 19 Employed (4) 21 Beak (3) 22 Little devil (3) 24 Blushing (3) 26 Digit (3)
SUDOKU
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
Crossword
How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no numberrepeating.
Code-Cracker
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
n Esam Sohail
et us dispense with the notion that any of our four major political parties are democratic, notwithstanding the fond remembrances of non-existing history by their apologists in the media and intelligentsia. Never in the history of the Bengali people, going back to the first partisan legislative elections in 1937, has a party been democratic when in office. Short term solutions every five years at election time are not going to fix a problem that is so deeply embedded in our political culture. If there is a failing that the international community has vis--vis Bangladesh, it is that our friends intervene only to fix the symptoms every few years rather than help fix things more permanently.
Bangladesh is no real democracy except in the minds of those who hold state power
Having a neutral government or fair election is good, but such band-aids do not address the deeply ingrained realities on the ground that have been unchanged since day one of the republic, except for those two occasions in 1990 and 2007 when no-nonsense non-partisan governments (for all their faults) actually upheld the fundamental constitutional idea that the law be applied to all, irrespective of party. The fact of the matter, which is plain to everyone except committed apologists of old style politics, is that this government has broken every one of its pledges when it came to establishing the independence of the lower judiciary or statutory bodies; to add insult to injury, the current manifesto of the ruling party makes the same promises again. How different today is from 1990 and 2007. Every institution of the state, from the Election Commission to the Road Transport Authority to the lower judiciary to the capitals police,
is no more than a pathetic, grovelling, subservient appendage of the ruling party. It is obvious that in Bangladesh, the law of the land does not apply to those affiliated with the ruling party, while at the same time, arbitrary extra-legal measures are generously used to subdue and harass those who dissent. Why else would the leader of the opposition in parliament have her home surrounded by hundreds of shock troops who prevent her from leaving or others from entering while the police chief, almost comically, claims that there is no house arrest? The long term solution lies not in merely having a free election so a different set of democratic tyrants can simply exact retribution, but rather in major constitutional changes that can go beyond the greedy impulses of temporary majorities in parliament. The impasse today is horrible, but if the will is there, it can be used to our benefit, should Bangladeshs civil society and influential development partners pledge to utilise it for a more lasting answer to the perennial problem of free elections. For starters, the original 1972 constitutions separation of powers guarantees are restored vis--vis Articles 115 and 116 dealing with judicial independence, and such changes are further augmented by incorporating the conveniently (for the ruling party) lapsed Judicial Service Ordinance of 2008 into the body of the constitution itself. Secondly, the original Anti-Corruption Commission law should be coupled with the long-ignored constitutional requirement of a national ombudsman. Thirdly, constitutional protections should be afforded to a new national police commission and reformed National Human Rights Commission and Election Commission, so that all three are appointed by a formula where the government, the parliamentary opposition, and the higher judiciary all have substantive input, and the positions themselves are staggered so that there is no wholesale turnover every time a government changes. Finally, the entire constitutional reform package must be protected from the well proven capriciousness of professional politicians by adding a provision that disallows changes to the package, unless such changes are approved by a two-thirds majority of a parliament elected under its
We need a permanent solution to this mayhem provisions and ratified in a national referendum, notwithstanding existing amendment procedures in the constitution. deep, long-lasting, organic changes to the broken constitutional system, the world should take note and act accordingly. But nothing else has worked to protect the interest of ordinary Bangladeshis from the limitless lust for absolute power that all these democratic parties possess. If the international community truly wants to help Bangladesh, it is time to go beyond bandaids and adopt a real cure to what ails a political culture that is anything but democratic. The truth of the matter is that Bangladesh is no real democracy except in the minds of those who hold state power at any given mo ment, or those whose livelihoods depend on continuously propagating that falsehood on the basis of myths. Mere elections are not going to change that scheme of things; only longterm, deeply embedded, structural changes that put fetters on the proven capriciousness of professional politi-
NASHIRUL ISLAM
It is time to go beyond band-aids and adopt a real cure to what ails a political culture that is anything but democratic
This once-every-five-years-teethgnashing is a perennial problem which requires a solution that is both long-lasting and appropriate, given our sorry history of using democracy for undemocratic ends. Should the parties not agree to making such As much as it pains me to admit it, history bears witness that the only time Bangladeshs political parties negotiate in good faith is when development partners and export markets finally decide that enough is enough. Foreign interference? You bet it is.
cians can have a shot at snatching a sustainable, pluralist, representative democracy from the jaws of the elected absolutist tyranny that Bangladesh has been since 1990. As John Adams, Americas second president, so memorably said in the early years of his own new republic (that was born of a war of independence, not unlike that of Bangladeshs own freedom struggle): Their vanity, pride, resentment, or revenge must be mitigated and controlled as much as possible. President Adams was referring to the necessity of constitutional provisions to check the very primal nature of politicians to desire absolute power. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.
n Bobby Hajjaj
ajeeb Wazed, scion of the Sheikh dynasty and technology adviser to the prime minister, penned an opinion piece last Sunday. It wouldnt be a stretch to call Sajeeb a future candidate for the prime ministers office. It is important for such a potential leader of this nation to voice his opinions and let us assess his thoughts and vision. No one can fault Sajeeb for making his piece a diatribe against the opposition his party is facing, nor are we surprised that his piece reflected or reinforced the ruling partys ethos. As a burgeoning leader of the largest political party in Bangladesh, it behooves Sajeeb to uphold that partys esteem. At the same time, as a budding national leader and a representative of a new generation, we do expect to see him push beyond narrow party interests and speak and work for the nation at large. Sajeeb starts his piece by criticising the opposition for having denied his partys attempts at conciliation. The airwaves have been inundated with such criticism from many ruling party leaders and cabinet ministers, and I have personally heard the same argument from numerous senior AL party officials. They have said it so vociferously and with such unaffected sincerity that I now think the AL leadership actually believes wholeheartedly in that rhetoric. There is no denying that the opposition has refused to accept the olive branch offered by the ruling party, but would a more critical look at the offer on the table not proffer a different view of the situation? How much of a compromise was really on offer when the honourable prime minister had already put her foot down regarding any possible change to the head of the interim government? One can also argue that the treatment meted out to former coalition partner HM Ershad clearly reflects the ruling partys mood for conciliation. The facts do seem to contradict the
ruling party rhetoric. A true leader is always concerned about what the people want, and Sajeeb made multiple references to the demands of the people. But his reference to the peoples demands does beg another question: Does the ruling party leadership really know what the people of the country want? As difficult a question as it is to try and answer, we have seen tens of opinion polls conducted by reputable national and international organisations that have given us some indication of what the people demand.
We need future leaders to stop propagating the same old worn and tired party lines
These polls have consistently shown that the people of this country do not support the kind of election the ruling party is trying to hold; from these same polls weve seen overwhelming support for a caretaker government. How then can the ruling party justify their claims of fulfilling the peoples demands? We have been told that the farce of the 10thelection has to be conducted in order to maintain constitutional legitimacy. But how is the constitution being honoured when the very basis of a representative democracy an election is turned into a mockery? And if the 10thwasnt an absolute sham, then why would the ruling party start making noises about the 11thgeneral election even before the 10thwas concluded? Unfortunately for us, the key cause of this crisis is actually no more than a power struggle, which has been
dressed up in divisive nationalistic rhetoric. After the revolutionary struggle of 1971, the AL took ownership of the independence issue and since then they have been unable and unwilling to move on to anything else. This singular attempt at political profiteering from the 1971 issue has now turned so radical that , 42 years after independence, it still seeks to divide the country along imaginary lines of pro- and anti-liberation. Sajeebs piece as well seemed no more than another attempt to draw support for that position. In effect, we are seeing an artificial distinction being created by the AL machine that denounces all critics of the party as anti-1971 or anti-Bangladesh. It is important for leaders of Sajeebs generation to realise that divisive policies and rhetoric can never help build a strong nation. It goes without saying that no one party is culpable for the failure of our government, or our democracy. For 42 years we have failed to develop the robustness in our institutions that could ensure a vibrant democracy. This election crisis is but a symptom of the deeper problems of flawed institutions, and we need our future leaders to focus on rebuilding or restructuring those institutions to help guarantee democratic stability and responsible governance. We need future leaders like Sajeeb to stop propagating the same old worn and tired party lines and bring new solutions. His attempt at emulating the British governments policy of Digital Britain was a novel solution, and we expect to see more of those from him. The onus is on all of us, and on the new generation of leadership that Sajeeb represents, to build a nation we can all be proud of. We will not be able to build that Bangladesh if we devote all our energies to fighting amongst ourselves. We cant sacrifice the nations interests for the interest of a political party. l Bobby Hajjaj is Special Advisor to HM Ershad.
limitations placed before the parties can contest the elections, like registering and requiring a small deposit from candidates, in order to maintain the sanctity of the process and as a precaution against dummy candidates. The second principle is the free-conscience principle. It means that voters must be afforded the opportunity to cast their votes without undue influence, intimidation, or coercion. In other words, voters must be allowed to cast their votes with a free conscience as opposed to being influenced or instructed into voting for a particular party or candidate. The system of secret ballots is the best mechanism to ensure that voters are not coerced. The third principle is the election outcome principle. It lays the onus upon the electoral commissions to put up a system to accurately record, store, and count each vote, and accurately report the outcome. Electoral commissions must ensure that votes are not lost, intentionally disposed of, miscounted, or misreported.
must ensure that the candidates and the political parties have the opportunity to express and publicise their policies and programs. These principles are not static, but continue to evolve to embrace current international practices as well as community standards. For example, from the Roman time up until the midto-late nineteenth century, it was not only an accepted norm but a guiding principle of democracy and free and fair elections that voters declare their vote in a public forum Today, it would be construed as an intrusion on voter privacy as well as inconsistent with the free-conscience principle, given the reprisals that could result from such an open system of voting. It is rather unfortunate that Bangladesh is still in a nascent stage of democracy, in spite of achieving independence 42 years ago. Though our journey towards democracy has been chequered, we have reached the stage where elected governments can fulfil their full term without any unconstitutional or undemocratic intervention.
It is rather unfortunate that Bangladesh is still in a nascent stage of democracy, in spite of achieving independence 42 years ago
The fourth principle is the knowledge principle. It requires that voters possess a minimum knowledge about the voting process, the candidates, and the political parties contesting the election. This principle is important for equipping the voters to make an informed decision. The duty falls to the electoral commissions to educate voters about the electoral system, how to register to vote, and how to correctly fill out a ballot paper. In addition, the government and the electoral commission
In spite of this achievement, Bangladesh periodically sinks into a deep political crisis, with a heavy toll on people as well businesses, on the modalities of election-time government. It is time that our major political parties come to a mutual understanding on what should be the standards of a free and fair election for which so many lives are lost every five years. l Mohammed Fahimul Islam is a former diplomat currently living in Australia.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
The centenary exhibition is displaying the Shilpacharyas sketches and water colour works. His famine sketches in particular have won international acclaim. His drawing and wash on paper titled the Tidal Bore Victims is an iconic image of human suffering. The maestro painted this masterpiece in 1972. One of his sketches is titled The Struggle that portrays a man trying to move a bullock cart wheel stuck in the mud. Human emotions had always played a central role in his works, visible in most of his works on the famine. Other than all these, the Face of a Woman and Mother and Child had tinges of both elements of emotion and contemporary artistic sophistication. Quamrul Hassan had also aptly represented the Bangalee culture through his work. The Folk Design shows his deep patriotism and awareness of the native folk culture. His series work Bride in charcoal and water colour depict the traditional rural bride of Bangladesh. Another water colour on paper of the National poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam is also on display. His rural village and Nabanna detailed the rural culture of the country. Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad ShirinSharmin Chaudhury inaugurated the exhibition on December 22. The show will remain open until January 18. l
TODAY IN DHAKA
Exhibition
Shilpacharya and his Outer World of Art Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, House 42 Road 16 (New) / 27 (old) Dhanmondi City of Rhythm Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed Time: 12 8pm Shilpangan, House 7 Road 13 (New) Dhanmondi From left, artworks Folk Design by Quamrul Hassan and Tidal Bore Victims by Zainul Abedin Zainul Quamrul Exhibition Time: 10am 8pm Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery, National Museum Shahbagh, Dhaka
Film
Pacific Rim in 3D Escape Plan The Conjuring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Star Cineplex, Bashundhara Cityd Gravity Blockbuster Cinemas, Jamuna Future Park
n Entertainment Desk
Iconic actor of Bangla cinema Suchitra Sens health improved on Saturday, says her granddaughter Raima Sen, a celebrated actor in West Bengal. My grandma is better. Thank you for your prayers... Keep praying, Raima tweeted Saturday. The veteran actress, 82, is undergoing treatment for a chest infection at the Belle Vue Clinic since December 23. Suchitra was taken to the critical care unit (CCU) after her condition deteriorated December 28 night. Her other vital parameters like heart rate and blood pressure remain stable, said a doctor, adding that she was on a light diet. Besides a cardiologist, the 82-year-old actress was also examined by two chest specialists. A five-member medical board at the hospital led by Dr Subrata Maitra was monitoring her health round-theclock. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital on Friday and met doctors and her daughter actor Moon Moon. Suchitra Sen is known for her performances in films like Deep Jwele Jaai and Uttar Falguni in Bangla as well as Hindi movies Devdas, Bambai Ka Babu and Mamta. She won the Best Actress Award for Saat Paake Bandha at the Moscow film festival in 1963. l
ON TV
MOVIE
8:35pm Zee Studio
Out of Sight Australia
COMEDY
1:30pm Z Cafe
Friends
MISC
1:30pm FTV
Fashion Divas
8:30pm AXN
Top Gear
n Entertainment Desk
Whenever a real life couple decides to come together for a project, it generates a lot of curiosity among the audience. Earlier, it was Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in Fida and Jab We Met; Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in Guru and Dhoom 2. For a forthcoming movie, the pairing how- ever will be of a different kind - an actor and his director wife. Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao could be seen on the silver screen for the first time. A source close to Khan informed us, At this point, Aamir is contemplating doing a mature romantic film, and that is how this script came his way. While discussing the script, he felt Kiran would be perfect for the role. Infact, he is a big fan of her acting prowess since Lagaan, in which she was the assistant director. He wanted her to do Yasmins role in Dhobi Ghat. But she was clear she couldnt act and direct in the same frame. So, now it remains to be seen if Kiran will do the film. However, Rao did not disclose anything to the media. l
Todays episode of Desh TVs A Tribute to Legend will feature legendary Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marleys life and works. The show will be aired on 7:45pm.
Sport
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
0 7 0
DAYS TO GO
14 City face fixture pile-up as Rovers earn replay 15 Sri Lanka salvages draw in first Pakistan Test
RESULT
Sheikh Russell
Roger 16 Roux 65
2 1 Ctg Abahani
Gabriel 13
Sheikh Russells Moroccan forward Youness Raux scores the winner against Chittagong Abahani at the BNS yesterday
MUMIT M
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
breaks from left of the 3Gabriel penalty area but hits the side
13
16
48 57
65 75
netting GOAL! Gabriel put Chittagong Abahani ahead with a brilliant solo effort. Receiving a through from Jony, Gabriel dribbled past two defenders and fired the ball home. GOAL! Maxime Eric Roger equalises from a 20-yard out left-footed free kick. Moroccan forward Youness Roux earned the free-kick when Nazrul Islam fouled him just outside the box Biplob produces a superb diving save to deny Atikur Rahmans powerful shot from going in Ricardo Cousins header hits the sidebar on an Imrul Hasan Emu cross GOAL! Younes Roux sealed the victory for Russell slotting home with an angular shot, thanks to pin-pointed cross of Cousins Atiqur Rahmans left-footed shot hit the woodwork after the striker received a pass from Sohel Mia
starts tomorrow
n Raihan Mahmood
Sonali Bank and Shadharan Bima will feature in the inaugural match of the UCB Club Cup Hockey at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium at 1:00pm tomorrow. Later at 3pm Abahani Ltd will face Dhaka Wanderers in the second match of the opening day. The other three clubs of the seven-team meet, which by tradition has always served the purpose of a warm-up tournament of the premier division hockey league, are Usha KC, Ajax SC and Azad SC.
The four rebel hockey clubs - Mohammedan, Mariners, Wari and Bangladesh Sporting Club - who declared not to play under the current executive committee remained out of the tournament. The champions of the meet will receive a purse of Tk30000 while the runners-up will get Tk20000. In a press conference yesterday tournament secretary Anvir Adil Khan presented the meet to the press. Sponsors United Commercial Bank will provide Tk200000 for the tournament while the approximate budget of the event is Tk250000. l
Shakib al Hasan flashes the shirt of Adelaide Strikers at Adelaide yesterday. Shakib is likely to become the first cricketer from Bangladesh to play in the Big Bash today against Sydney Sixers
COURTESY
Chittagong Abahani created more pressure than we expected, they were spirited, however we fought hard to win the match
Moroccan forward Younnes Raux played their first match in the league. They did not play the first match as Raux was injured and Maxim was on a vacation, two changes made my formation unstable but I hope with more time it will improve, he added.
Having no seasoned left-back Maruf had to go with the relatively unfamiliar formation. Younnes Raux, the scorer of the winner said he was happy to see his team win. Chittagong Abahani created more pressure than we expected, they were spirited, however we fought hard to win the match, said the Moroccan. Meanwhile Chittagong Abahani assistant coach Abu Taher Siddque and his forward Sohel Miah thought they could have won if luck was in their favour. I think if we could have kept the lead further then it would have been a different story, we have been practicing for the last two months and we dominated the match, said Siddique. l
14
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Blackburn Rovers English midfielder Jason Lowe (L) vies with Manchester City's Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo during their FA Cup third round match at Ewood Park in Blackburn, north-west England yesterday AFP
FIXTURES
Chievo v Cagliari Fiorentina v Livorno Juventus v Roma
ing back almost exactly a year and a 2-1 defeat to Sampdoria on January 6, 2013. Earlier on Sunday, fourth-placed Fiorentina entertain Tuscan neighbours Livorno, but most matches this weekend will be played on Mondays Epiphany holiday. Napoli, in third, are set to welcome
FIXTURES
Sevilla Barcelona Osasuna Real Sociedad v v v v Getafe Elche Espanyol Athletic Bilbao
Lazio sack Petkovic, bring back Reja n AFP, Rome n AFP, London
Serie A club Lazio announced on Saturday that they had fired coach Vladimir Petkovic and replaced him with former boss Edy Reja. In a statement, the capital club revealed they had parted companty with the entire management team, saying: Lazio announce that they have rescinded the contract of Vladimir Petkovic, Antonio Manicone and Paolo Rongoni. The club has installed coach Edoardo Reja, who will be assisted by Alberto Bollini and Adriano Bianchini. Lazio are currently 10th in the Serie A table ahead of their opening game of 2014, at home to Inter Milan on Monday. l
United lose Southamptons Osvaldo Young to banned after Newcastle brawl shoulder injury
n AFP, London n AFP, London
Southampton striker Dani Osvaldo was fined 40,000 ($65,000, 48,0000 euros) and suspended for three matches on Friday for his part in a touchline brawl during an ill-tempered Premier League clash at Newcastle. Osvaldo, an Argentina-born Italy international, was watching from the sidelines after already being substituted during the 1-1 draw on December 14 when he reacted angrily to an aggressive tackle in stoppage-time. The ugly scenes were sparked by Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlins yellow card for a late challenge on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara. Staff and players from both benches became embroiled in a touchline ruckus, with referee Mike Jones sending Newcastle coach Andy Woodman and Saints back-room staff member Toni Jimenez to the stands. Osvaldos ban takes immediate efManchester United manager David Moyes has admitted that winger Ashley Young is set for a spell on the sidelines with an injury suffered in the New Years Day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Young hurt his shoulder in a collision with Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris that Moyes insisted should have led to a penalty for his side. The former Aston Villa player landed awkwardly as he leapt over Lloris and will certainly miss this weekends FA Cup third-round meeting with Swansea City. Ashley has got an injury that is going to keep him out for a time, said Moyes. It is a shoulder injury he received in the challenge by the goalkeeper. I am not sure how long it will be. Meanwhile, Moyes offered no further update on the fitness of Robin van Persie, who has missed six games with a thigh injury. l
fect after the charge of violent conduct was proved by an FA independent regulatory commission hearing. The 27-year-old, who joined Southampton for a club record 12.8 million in August last year, is ruled out of Saturdays FA Cup third round tie against Burnley. Newcastle coach Woodman has been fined 1,250 and warned as to his future conduct after he admitted a charge of improper conduct. Osvaldo will miss the Burnley match and Premier League fixtures against West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
SCORECARD, DAY 5
Sri Lanka 1st innings 204 A. Mathews 91; Junaid Khan 5 58, Bilawal Bhatti 3 65 Pakistan 1st innings 383 Younis Khan 136, Misbah-ul Haq 135; S. Eranga 3 80, R. Herath 3 93 Sri Lanka 2nd innings Overnight 420 5) D. Karunaratne b Junaid 24 K. Silva c Akmal b Junaid 81 K. Sangakkara c Younis b Bhatti 55 M. Jayawardene c Shafiq b Bhatti 0 D. Chandimal c Ali b Junaid 89 A. Mathews not out 157 P. Jayawardene not out 63 Extras: (b4, lb7) 11 Total: (five wkts dec; 168.3 overs) 480 Bowling Junaid 36 3 93 3, Ali 38.3 9 92 0, Bhatti 36 8 146 2, Ajmal 49 10 115 0, Hafeez 9 1 23 0 Pakistan 2nd innings K Manzoor c Prasanna b Lakmal 8 Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Herath 55 Mohammad Hafeez not out 80 Younis Khan not out 13 Extras: (b1, nb1) 2 Total: (for two wkts; 52 overs) 158 Bowling Lakmal 13 1 43 1, Eranga 11 0 38 0 (1nb), Herath 21 8 37 1, Mathews 2 09 0, Senanayake 5 0 30 0 Result: Match drawn
Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez raises his bat in celebration after scoring a half-century as Ahmed Shehzad (L) looks on during the final day of their first Test against Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday AFP
QUICK BYTES
SCORECARD
New Zealand M. Guptill c Bravo b Holder J. Ryder c Ramdin b Bravo K. Williamson c Ramdin b Best R. Taylor run out B. McCullum c Bravo b Narine C. Anderson not out L. Ronchi b Bravo N. McCullum not out Extras: (lb5, w6, nb1) Total (six wickets; 50 overs) 81 47 47 49 14 17 9 9 12 285
DAYS WATCH
Sony Six NBA 2013 14 6:00AM Orlando v Miami 9:00AM Sacramento v Charlotte 12:00PM Detroit v Memphis 11:30AM Brisbane International 2014 Finals Ten HD Ram Slam T20 Challenge 2:00PM Dolphins v TitansLive 6:00PM Lions v WarriorsLive Star Sports 1 2:00PM Big Bash T20 Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Sixers 5:30AM Australia v England 5th Test, Day 4 (Monday) Star Sports 2 5:30PM Aircel Chennai Open Star Sports 4 FA Cup (3rd Round) 6:00PM Nottingham Forest v West Ham 8:15PM Derby County v Chelsea 10:30PM Man United v Swansea 1:45AM Italian Serie A Juventus v Roma Star Sports HD1 La Liga 9:00PM Barcelona v Elche 11:00PM Osasuna v Espanyol Star Sports HD2 1:00AM La Liga Real Sociedad v At Bilbao
Bowling Holder 10 2 58 1 (2w), Best 9 0 70 1 (1nb), Bravo 7 0 35 2 (3w), Miller 10 047 0, Narine 10 0 47 1 (1w), Deonarine 4 0 23 0 West Indies C. Walton run out 0 J. Charles c Southee by McClenaghan 0 K. Edwards run out 24 L. Simmons c Guptill b Williamson 43 D. Bravo not out 43 N. Deonarine c Mills b N. McCullum 3 D. Ramdin not out 17 Extras: (lb3, w1) 4 Total (5 wickets; 33.4 overs) 134 Bowling Southee 5 1 21 0, McClenaghan 6.4 130 1, Mills 2 0 10 0, Anderson 2 0 100, N. McCullum 10 0 30 1, Williamson 8 0 30 1 (1w)
Serena Williams holds up the Brisbane International women's singles trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka (L) as she walks off the court in Brisbane, yesterday REUTERS
n AFP, Sydney
Australia were closing in on a 5-0 Ashes sweep after demolishing Englands batting and pushing their lead to 311 runs after just two days of the final Sydney Ashes Test yesterday. The relentless Australians blasted out the hapless tourists for 155 the fifth time England had been dismissed for less than 200 in the series and set their sights on batting them out of the game with three days to play. At second day stumps Australia were 140 for four with Chris Rogers compiling his fourth half-century in five innings on 73 and George Bailey not out 20. The home side in the process lost the wickets of David Warner (16), Shane Watson (9), skipper Michael Clarke (6) and Steve Smith (7) as England tried to restrict Australias mushrooming lead on a flattening Sydney Cricket Ground pitch. Day two, 300 plus leads a pretty good position to be in, Australia paceman Ryan Harris said. Its obviously not a done thing yet, weve got to make sure we bat well in the morning and get some more (runs) and bowl like we did today to bowl them out again. We figure they are going to fire at some stage, we hope they dont but theyre going to have to. I dont think the wickets getting any easier. If we bowl like we did today, I think well go alright. Australias pace trio of Harris,
Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle earlier took three wickets apiece as England narrowly avoided the follow-on in response to Australias first innings score of 326. The tourists never recovered from a disastrous morning session when they crashed to 23 for five despite the efforts of young guns Ben Stokes, Gary Ballance and Jonny Bairstow to repel the hostile home attack. l
England's batsman Gary Ballance fails to avoid a bouncer by Australia's paceman Mitchell Johnson on the second day of their fifth Ashes Test at the SCG yesterday AFP
16
n Ashif Islam Shaon
Incidents of bomb attacks, vandalism, arson and clashes escalated in several districts yesterday amid the opposition-called hartal and nonstop blockade to resist todays one-sided election. In Lalmonirhat, a ward-level leader of Swechchhasebak Dal, a wing of main opposition BNP, was killed during a clash with the ruling Awami League men at Patgram upazila. The victim was Mobarak Hossain, 38, president of Bawra unions ward four unit. Police and witnesses said as the traders at Shafirhat tried to open shops in the morning defying the hartal, the BNP men resisted them. They beat up several traders which resulted in the clash. At one stage, the AL men joined the traders and Mobarak was stabbed to death. Officer-in-Charge of Patgram police station Amiruzzaman said they had dispersed the clashing men. In another incident, a group of miscreants torched the residence of Organisational Secretary of BNPs town unit Abdus Salam around 11pm on Friday in Saptana area. Meanwhile, an auto-rickshaw driver sustained burn injuries in Feni when the pickets hurled crude bomb at the vehicle; in Natore, miscreants torched a train; while the ruling party men torched a BNP leaders house in Lalmonirhat. There were incidents of clashes and attacks from processions in Dinajpur, Sirajganj and Kurigram. On the other hand, apparently due to the prevailing tense situation, the capital witnesses fewer passengers and transports on the streets. At least seven vehicles including a cattle-laden truck were torched in Gazipur. A bus was torched in the citys Gabtoli.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
BGB members patrol the capitals English road and its nearby areas yesterday ised some 50 shops and ATM booths as well as intercity train Mohanonda Express at the station. In Bogra, several handmade bombs were hurled at a Chhatra League procession in the morning. At least 10 people including two Rab men were injured in clashes between the pickets and the law enforcers assisted by Chhatra League activists in Jessore town and Rupdia yesterday afternoon. The clash ensued after the blockad-
ers damaged two vehicles of the Rab and one of police, said Reshma Sharmin, assistant superintendent of police. Two people were injured at Daratana in Jessore town at noon as the ALBNP men locked in clashes.
Pickets torched seven vehicles in Chhoydana Maleker Bari under sadar upazila, Shreepurs Beriderchala, Zoina Bazar and Kaliakoirs Mouchak area on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur yesterday between 7pm and 7:30pm. The driver of a cattle-carrying truck was critically injured and was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. In Savar, at least 10 people were injured when the activists of Jubo Dal went on the rampage in the night, according to UNB. Pickets in Sirajganj torched two trucks at Boalia while in Faridpur, unknown miscreants set fire to the district land office around 7pm. At Mirpur of Kushtia, blockade supporters hurled crude bombs targeting a sand-laden truck around 7pm. The driver and the helper received burn injuries while the truck was burnt to ashes. In Magura, pickets hurled crude bombs at a tea stall, an NGO office and an auto-rickshaw around 7pm at Bhayana intersection. They also obstructed the fire fighters dousing the fire. The opposition supporters torched a BRTC bus parked on a school compound at Charfashion of Bhola. In the guise of passengers, pickets set fire to a human haulier on Binoykathi-Barisal road of Jhalakathi leaving its driver burnt around 8:30pm. At Islampur bus stand of Dhamrai, pickets set a bus on fire around 7:15pm when it was waiting to pick garment workers up. The bus driver and helper sustained injuries while trying to douse the fire. In Kurigram, four Chhatra League leaders and activists were injured in a fight with the blockaders in the morning. Police picked up two Chhatra Dal activists from the spot. l
A candidate who thinks defeat to bring glory for him n Muhammad Zahidul Islam
AZ Apu Sheikh, the only competitor who is fighting against Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in Gopalganj 3 constituency in this tenth parliamentary election, expressed that he is feeling lucky enough to have a chance of contesting against the prime minister. He also thinks that it is glorious for him to be a competitor of Sheikh Hasina as people are voicing his name with the name of the premier. Apu Sheikh, who is a car decorator by profession, said he had borrowed Tk200,000 from his brothers to manage his election expenditure. Apu knows it well that he will not be able to win against Hasina, but his only expectation is to save his election deposit of Tk20,000 by bagging at least 12% votes. According to the election affidavit, Apu has no academic degree and never even attended any school to learn basic education.
GOPALGANJ 3
Apu knows it well that he will not be able to win against Sheikh Hasina, but his only expectation is to save his election deposit of Tk20,000 by bagging at least 12% votes
The election af idavit also stated that Apu has no ixed property or asset and his yearly income is only Tk50,000. This time, there are 211,839 voters under Gopalgonj 3 and according to the electoral rolls, a candidate can save his deposits if the person can ensure at least one-eighth (12.5%) of the total voter turnout. But the records says no candidate against Sheikh Hasina was able to save his or her deposit in the last few elections as Hasina got landslide victory against all her contestants. Apu said he did not do his electioneering as he believes that he would not be able to win this election. But he organised two public meetings in his constituency where a huge number of people participated and inspired him. Apu Sheikh, a member secretary of Dhaka City Tarun Party (north), said though now he was not capable enough to be a lawmaker, he intended to contest the 11th parliamentary election as a strong rival. l
A staggering 27,117 people stand united, holding green and red boards above their heads, to put up the worlds biggest-ever human flag at the National Parade Ground on the Victory Day, December 16, 2013 SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com
Business
ATM booths empty of cash again as election violence erupts n Tribune Report
The clients faced cash crunch in the ATM booths in Dhaka yesterday as the banks could not refill them due to security concerns. To resist the one-sided parliamentary polls today, the opposition has enforced non-stop blockade and a two-day hartal from yesterday. The resistance has been marked by violence. We didnt send money to ATM booths fearing attacks. Thats why most of the booths are empty of cash now, said a senior executive of a private bank in Dhaka. For few days in last month, Dhaka Metropolitan Police provided security to cash transport to the ATM booths on the request of Bangladesh Bank. But DMP has stopped the service now. So, we feel insecure to carry cash in this politically unstable situation, he said. As this is the beginning of month, the ATM booths face extra pressure of withdrawing salaries. Last month, the users in Dhaka rampantly met ATM booths void of money, which led the central bank to request DMP for special security. Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd and BRAC Bank Ltd customers suffered the most as these two private banks operate the highest number of ATM booths, said the banking sector sources. l
ali Bank rescheduled loans of Tk976 crore during the period of January to
The newly set-up Instant Watch Surveillance System Software detected them, for which, nine brokerage firms were fined. Of them, four brokerage firms were DSE members while five were the members of Chittagong Stock Exchange. DSE members were DMR Securities, RN Trading, Tamha Securities and Azam Securities. And CSE members included Hilly Securities, Be Rich Securities, Jalalabad Securities, Pioneer Shares & Securities and Kabir Securities. In October, BSEC issued warned the two bourses of short selling as the breach of rules had increased in the recent time. Former CSE chief executive Wali-ul-Maroof Matin said short selling is a widely practised act of the risk loving traders. He said some investors even use it for hedging risks. We cannot change the risk appetite of the investors. Rather, what we can do is to make sure that a trade involving short selling doesnt fail. The buyers should be free of counter party risks. Formal stock borrowing is a prevention to such likely failure. We should arrange for that in the formal system of the bourses. BSEC has been upgraded to A category at IOSCO, said Wali-ul-Maroof, chairman and managing director of Alliance Capital Asset Management Company Ltd. According to him, all the international practices need to be adopted immediately. BSEC recently has been upgraded to A category from the existing B category, which is expected to benefit the regulator globally. l
Government fails to appoint administrator to Destiny group in 4 months n Asif Showkat Kallol
The government has failed to appoint an administrator to the controversial Destiny Group in last four months despite the Multi-level Marketing Activities (control) Ordinance became effective since September 2. Officials of commerce ministry said a committee was working on appointing the administrator and formulating rules for starting the MLM business. The rules have been finalised and waiting to be approved by the ministry. Recently, the Banking and Financial Institutions Division requested the commerce ministry to appoint an administrator under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. But the commerce ministry informed the division that it has not been possible yet to appoint the administrator. With the new ordinance in force, the government should have no problem to appoint administrator(s) for a MLM company if found guilty of fraud or in breach of customer rights, according to section 48 of the ordinance. The ordinance paved the way for the government to appoint administrator(s) at the trouble-stricken Destiny Group. l
'We will not tolerate any conspiracy hatched by BGMEA as they are trying to convince the government to reduce the monthly wages on the ground of workers absence'
We have sought clarification over some issues such as food and transport allowance, status of some RMG officials and workers in some sections, But, we did not get any clarification from the ministry as yet, said BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim. On the other hand, workers leaders warned of thwarting any conspiracy in the implementation of the newly fixed minimum monthly wage. We will not tolerate any conspiracy
STOCKS - WEEKLY
DSEX DS30 CSEX 2.69% 3.95% 2.72% 4314.09 1505.08 8478.37
EXCHANGE RATES
Average selling rates to public in BDT Banks Rupali Bank Currencies SELL BUY USD 78.4 77.4 EURO INR SAR 109.27 1.33 21.01 106.04 1.18 20.54 Sonali Bank SELL BUY 80 107.9 1.28 21 79 103.9 1.18 20
RAJIB DHAR
B2
Stocks back to black; Turnover continues to decline too
n Kayes Sohel
Stocks were back to black after a twoweek fall backed by the institutional buying support while the volume of trade continued to decline due to the ongoing political turmoil. The investors, mostly retailers, preferred to stay on sidelines in the wake of deadliest political unrest that forced the investors to refrain from buying and selling spree of stocks throughout the week. During the last week ended on Thursday last, the benchmark index DSEX gained 113 points or 2.7% to settle at 4,314, which is a 3-week high. The blue chip index DS30 rose 57 points or 4% to 1,505. The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, ended at 8,414 with a rise of 224 points or 5.3%. The market witnessed poor participation in trading, representing in the falling turnover that stood at Tk357 crore, registering a sharp drop of more than 25% over the previous weeks average of Tk477 crore. Overall activities remained confined only to the textile, engineering and financial institutions, accounting for 19%, 17% and 16% respectively of the total DSE turnover. The stock exchange shortened trading sessions from five to four due to bank holiday on December 31. It will also remain closed tomorrowa day which the government declared general holiday on the occasion of 10th parliamentary polls. The week has been a much relief for the investors as at the end of the year, profit booking by institutions was over and market started to bounce back, said Lanka Bangla Securities in its weekly market analysis.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company Samata LeatheR -Z Rahima Food -Z CVO PetroChem RL Z EBL NRB M.F.-A LankaBangla Fin. -A Meghna Con. Milk -B BD Submarine Cable-A IDLC Finance -A AramitCementA ApexAdelchi Ftr -A CSE GAINERS Company Rahima Food -Z Aramit -A Samata LeatheR -Z AramitCementA ApexAdelchi Ftr -A IDLC Finance -A Northern G Insur-A LankaBangla Fin. -A BD Submarine Cable-A National Life I -A
Closing (% change) 36.67 27.72 15.23 12.00 11.27 11.11 10.76 10.73 10.65 9.79
Welcoming New Year, investors probably started taking position again, it said. From the first day of 2014, large cap stocks started getting momentum, contrary to the small cap rally for last few months. Turnover activity was 25.13% lower than the previous week showing lack of strength in movement. Market is highly liquid, as credit demand is low due to the political clashes. So, financial institutions are full of liquidity and are looking for investments. The bridging week between the year 2013 and 2014 indulged investors with significant return, said IDLC Investments in its weekly market analysis. According to the analysis, investors started moving to sidelines at the dawn of the week, causing a 28% plunge in turnover on the maiden session. Yet, puzzlingly, the market managed to stay positive, depending on small cap stocks. Portfolio rebalancing of large investors spawned robust growth in turnover in the first trading session of the week. The following session, which was the last trading session of 2013, highlighted year-end effect dominating scrip pricing and activities, said the merchant bank. In the third session and maiden day of the New Year, the market posted modest gain. The final session of the week started slow but gained momentum in late hours, also generating modest rise. All the major sectors ended in green with non banking financial institutions and energy were the top movers of the week, with a gain of 4.5% and 4.2% respectively. It was followed by telecommunications and pharmaceuticals. The heavyweight banks gained the least and closed at 1% higher in the week. l
Average (% change) 35.33 22.28 13.35 11.69 9.07 7.99 9.30 9.90 7.97 9.24 Average (% change) 19.14 17.61 13.48 8.90 11.50 9.49 11.32 9.14 9.67 7.41
Closing average 24.67 80.35 706.07 8.41 69.64 8.79 174.51 67.70 89.02 453.42
Weekly closing 24.60 81.10 709.60 8.40 71.10 9.00 176.00 68.10 90.40 457.60
Weekly high 25.00 81.90 709.70 8.50 71.70 9.00 182.00 70.00 90.70 459.80
Weekly low 18.20 57.20 569.70 7.60 60.00 8.00 143.50 58.00 77.00 410.60
Turnover in million 1.469 28.908 39.307 8.469 625.222 2.835 190.615 130.845 55.492 139.001
Latest EPS -0.08 -0.64 -6.76 0.40 2.75 -4.60 3.80 3.00 2.31 28.27
Latest PE -ve -ve -ve 21.0 25.3 -ve 45.9 22.6 38.5 16.0
Closing (% change) 20.47 17.61 13.21 12.06 11.50 11.44 11.32 11.13 10.83 10.38
Closing average 77.13 390.00 24.00 90.22 446.00 67.63 41.30 69.61 174.80 321.24
Weekly closing 77.10 390.00 24.00 92.00 446.00 68.20 41.30 70.90 176.00 320.10
Weekly high 77.20 390.00 24.00 93.00 446.00 69.30 41.30 71.60 176.50 326.50
Weekly low 57.60 344.00 20.40 83.00 434.00 61.00 31.00 62.50 156.00 295.00
Turnover in million 5.094 0.340 0.380 5.658 0.437 13.646 0.185 41.602 17.451 1.137
Latest EPS -0.64 11.53 -0.08 2.31 28.27 3.00 3.04 2.75 3.80 12.46
Latest PE -ve 33.8 -ve 39.1 15.8 22.5 13.6 25.3 46.0 25.8
TUE
(+) 2.69% (+) 3.95% (+) 2.64% (+) 3.21% (+) 2.72%
Weekly high 34.60 36.00 96.00 32.10 42.90 137.00 75.60 38.10 20.10 24.00
Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Weekly low 33.30 35.00 85.50 29.60 38.30 127.50 75.60 38.00 18.60 20.70 Turnover in million 164.561 0.212 66.114 10.816 47.815 6.090 0.076 0.057 4.608 5.737 Latest EPS 3.33 -2.48 1.41 0.79 -0.89 1.68 0.40 6.11 -0.56 -15.39
Fixed Assets/Right/Investment:
Average (% change) -9.16 -9.01 -6.56 -2.66 -2.75 -7.40 -5.12 -5.00 -2.10 -0.87 Average (% change) -15.13 -7.11 -5.27 -5.80 -5.62 -4.66 3.45 -7.24 -5.89 -4.79
Closing average 33.61 35.33 88.99 30.73 41.00 131.82 75.60 38.00 19.16 22.71
Weekly closing 33.30 35.30 87.00 29.80 39.90 133.00 75.60 38.00 18.70 22.00
Latest PE 24.8 -ve 15.4 37.2 -ve 17.5 150.0 5.6 -ve -ve
Closing average 82.54 32.00 21.73 29.42 17.30 29.48 60.00 34.48 27.48 149.00
Weekly closing 82.50 32.00 21.50 29.10 17.30 29.30 55.10 35.50 27.70 149.00
Weekly high 96.30 39.70 24.00 32.00 17.30 31.30 55.20 37.40 29.80 151.00
Weekly low 78.80 32.00 20.00 27.00 16.20 28.00 55.10 31.00 26.20 136.00
Turnover in million 320.618 9.699 38.331 71.702 0.217 35.204 0.006 389.182 1.829 0.163
Latest EPS -6.76 3.33 6.11 1.60 0.79 -2.48 1.68 3.96 0.76 1.00
Latest PE -ve 24.8 5.6 20.1 37.3 -ve 17.5 23.5 17.8 24.8
PRIMEBANK: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors has accepetd the revaluation report on the assets (Land and Building) of the Company. As per revaluation, an increase of Tk. 148.22 crore will be accounted for in the Balance sheet of the Company as at 31.12.2013 subject to approval of the regulatory authorities. EXIMBANK: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors has approved the revaluation report on three fixed assets comprising land and building of the Company. As per revaluation, an increase of Tk. 206.78 crore will be accounted for in the Balance sheet of the Company as at 31.12.2013. EASTLAND: BSEC is not in a position to process the application for issuance of Rights shares of Eastland Insurance Company Limited as the Company has failed to disseminate any specific decision regarding the rights issue, rather requested to keep in abeyance for indefinite period, which is not practicable. ICB M. FUNDS: Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) has informed that BSEC has extended the term of 8 Mutual Funds of ICB (i.e. 1st to 8th ICB Mutual Fund) up to December 31, 2014.
Miscellaneous
ANALYST
The week has been a much relief for the investors as at the end of the year, profit booking by institutions was over and market started to bounce back
MITHUNKNIT: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on June 30, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts. TALLUSPIN: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on June 30, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts. GHAIL: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on June 30, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on December 26, 2013. BDFINANCE: The Company has informed that it has credited the Rights shares to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on January 01, 2014.
DSE Million Taka 1268.30 2262.74 284.16 2357.68 647.01 1164.58 5.62 2623.64 919.17 2.34 56.40 175.29 90.36 374.61 128.20 261.39 698.47 486.64 234.43 247.64 0.92
% change 8.88 15.83 1.99 16.50 4.53 8.15 0.04 18.36 6.43 0.02 0.39 1.23 0.63 2.62 0.90 1.83 4.89 3.41 1.64 1.73 0.01
Million Taka 121.94 239.79 18.90 398.52 72.00 99.30 0.00 261.22 91.27 0.40 4.67 28.46 10.78 29.71 22.52 8.87 38.35 46.23 47.47 55.85 12.95
CSE
% change 7.58 14.90 1.17 24.77 4.47 6.17 0.00 16.23 5.67 0.02 0.29 1.77 0.67 1.85 1.40 0.55 2.38 2.87 2.95 3.47 0.80
Million Taka 1390.24 2502.53 303.06 2756.20 719.01 1263.88 5.62 2884.86 1010.44 2.74 61.06 203.75 101.14 404.32 150.72 270.26 736.82 532.87 281.89 303.49 13.87
Total
% change 8.74 15.74 1.91 17.34 4.52 7.95 0.04 18.15 6.36 0.02 0.38 1.28 0.64 2.54 0.95 1.70 4.63 3.35 1.77 1.91 0.09
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Golden Son -A Appollo Ispat CL -N LankaBangla Fin. -A Generation Next-A Delta Life Insu. -A R. N. Spinning-Z Bay Leasing.-A Argon Denims Limited-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Grameenphone-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Appollo Ispat CL -N Golden Son -A R. N. Spinning-Z Paramount Textile Ltd.-N Generation Next-A LankaBangla Fin. -A UNITED AIR A People`s Leasing-A Delta Life Insu. -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
Volume shares 12,238,699 18,245,200 9,179,198 12,654,980 1,498,550 11,089,039 8,715,740 3,476,900 5,290,500 1,450,594
Value in million 785.20 668.04 625.22 471.67 395.28 389.18 358.51 320.62 311.17 296.02
% of total turnover 5.49 4.68 4.38 3.30 2.77 2.72 2.51 2.24 2.18 2.07
Weekly closing 63.60 37.40 71.10 36.90 265.10 35.50 39.80 82.50 57.60 206.30
Price change 2.25 -1.58 11.27 1.37 4.25 -4.83 3.11 -14.06 -2.70 3.25
Weekly opening 62.20 38.00 63.90 36.40 254.30 37.30 38.60 96.00 59.20 199.80
Weekly high 68.00 38.50 71.70 38.70 275.90 37.40 43.80 96.30 60.60 208.10
Weekly low 56.00 34.80 60.00 32.80 247.50 31.00 35.00 78.80 57.00 195.00
Weekly average 63.02 36.94 69.64 37.36 264.76 34.48 39.14 82.54 58.50 206.62
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to [email protected] or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
Volume shares 6,231,400 1,269,473 2,019,874 883,500 1,129,880 609,700 2,423,014 1,334,504 123,500 961,759
Value in million 227.91 81.43 71.12 46.97 42.19 41.60 40.03 34.10 32.32 31.39
% of total turnover 14.17 5.06 4.42 2.92 2.62 2.59 2.49 2.12 2.01 1.95
Weekly closing 37.10 63.50 34.90 52.40 37.10 70.90 16.80 25.40 264.00 33.50
Price change -3.39 1.76 -6.43 0.00 2.20 11.13 1.20 7.17 4.47 4.36
Weekly opening 38.40 62.40 37.30 52.40 36.30 63.80 16.60 23.70 252.70 32.10
Weekly high 38.20 67.20 37.50 55.80 38.70 71.60 16.90 27.00 276.00 34.00
Weekly low 34.60 61.10 33.00 51.20 33.50 62.50 15.00 21.40 246.00 29.00
Weekly average 36.69 62.63 34.08 53.18 37.43 69.61 16.64 25.30 264.16 33.19
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
sponding period a year earlier. The impressive increase in its profits was results from a surge in its exports or sales. The apparel company used its IPO fund to repay its bank loans of Tk16.4 crore and rest for project expansion.
The company listed in the textile segment of the stock market has an EPS of Tk2.5 and a price to earnings ratio of 24.75, according to its latest unaudited reports. The net asset value per share stood at Tk24.41 as of 2012,
which is 29.5% of the last traded price. Sponsor-directors hold 50% and general public 47.86% stakes in the company. It paid out a 20% bonus shares for the year 2012 as dividend for its shareholders. l
Considering all that possibility and taking a longer-term view, a quick end to money printing is probably not a bad thing.
Oil prices fall on US Carmakers rack up big gains in 2013 US sales stockpile data sales rose seven percent to 1.5 milrooms in November, McNeil said in a AFP, Chicago n lion, the Japanese automakers second conference call. n AFP, Washington GM reported a seven percent in- highest annual tally. Major automakers closed out 2013 with
Global oil prices fell Friday, pushed by the expected return to the market of Libyan supplies and a bearish report on commercial stockpiles. In New York, West Texas Intermediate for February delivery fell $1.48 to $93.96 a barrel. Fridays fall left the US benchmark more than $6 down from a week earlier. And in London, Brent crude for February gave up 89 cents from Thursday to $106.89 a barrel. The US Energy Information Administrations weekly stockpiles report appeared at first glance a strong support for prices -- commercial crude inventories fell by 7.0 million barrels to 360.6 million barrels, more than triple the fall predicted. Some analysts suggested that yearend destocking for balance sheet reasons was behind the sharp fall. The EIA data showed rises in product stockpiles such as gasoline, suggesting demand was not as strong as the fall in crude reserves implied. Also behind the fall was the expected return of more Libyan crude to the market as protests that have blocked production and shipping for months eased. The Libyan government is preparing to reopen one of its larger oilfields, El Sharara, over the next few days, as protesters agree to stop a strike that has cut the fields production for three months, said Lucy Sidebotham at British-based energy consultancy Inenco. l mixed results for December US sales yesterday, as the booming auto industry racked up its best annual performance in years. The auto industry was a consistent bright spot in the economic recovery throughout 2013, said Bill Fay, general manager of the Toyota division. We expect the economy will continue to gain strength in 2014, with car sales rising to pre- recession levels. Total industry sales rose 7.6% to 15.6 million vehicles in 2013, according to Autodata. The last time annual US auto sales topped 15 million vehicles was in 2007. They slowly recovered to 14.8 million in 2012 after crashing to a low of 10.6 million in 2009 as a result of the financial crisis, which pushed the industry into a deep downturn. In the 14 years prior to the 2008 crash, annual US auto sales had ranged from 15 to 17 million vehicles. 2013 was the year that GM and the auto industry put the last traces of the recession in the rearview mirror, said General Motors US sales chief Kurt McNeil. Now we can devote our full attention to the things that matter most to customers: compelling design, worldclass quality and delivering the best ownership experience in the business. December sales were weaker than expected as a result of brutal winter storms and Thanksgiving discounts which had drawn shoppers to showcrease in 2013 US sales to 2.8 million vehicles despite a six percent drop in December sales to 230,157. Ford posted its best annual performance since 2006 as US sales jumped 11% to 2.5 million vehicles in 2013. December sales rose a more modest two percent from the same period a year ago to come in at 218,058.
Expectations of reform after the Indian elections due in mid-2014 have helped the rupee rise 11% from record lows in mid-2013
In a hotly competitive market, where every manufacturer brought their best products, our core models demonstrated significant growth without having to resort to fleet sales to drive volume as some of our competitors do
December was a strong close to an even better year for Ford, sales chief John Felice said. We saw strong growth across the entire Ford lineup and made significant gains in the import- dominated coastal markets. Toyota posted a seven percent gain in 2013 as US sales rose to 2.2 million vehicles - despite a two percent drop in December sales to 190,843. Chrysler reported its 45th consecutive month of gains as December US sales rose six percent to 161,007. Its 2013 sales were up nine percent at 1.8 million. Honda managed to top the record it set last December as US sales grew two percent to 135,255 vehicles. Its 2013
Breaking our December sales record is a great way to finish a near-record year, said American Honda sales chief John Mendel. In a hotly competitive market, where every manufacturer brought their best products, our core models demonstrated significant growth without having to resort to fleet sales to drive volume as some of our competitors do. Nissan posted its best annual US sales ever with a nine percent increase to 1.2 million vehicles. Its December sales were up 11% from the previous year at 109,758. Hyundais sales were up five percent for the year at 720,783 after gaining six percent in December to 63,005 while Kia sales rose three percent to 535,179 in 2013 after falling 14% in December to 33,631. Volkswagen bucked the upward trend by posting a seven percent drop in annual US sales to 407,704 vehicles in 2013, while December sales fell 23% to 34,015. But the German automaker celebrated the fact that - for the first time in 40 years - it managed to sell more than 400,000 vehicles in back-to-back years and nonetheless posted its second best US December performance since 1972. Volkswagen is now operating at a new plateau, Mark McNabb, chief operating officer of Volkswagen of America, said in a statement. We are well positioned for our next phase of growth to come over the next few years. l
What reform?
Past emerging-market crises - India in 1991, Mexico in 1994, Russia in 1998 and Turkey in 2001 - led to reforms that transformed those economies. Mexico and India are ahead of the game this time. Punished by investors for messy politics and current account deficits, India has begun to shrink budget deficits, cut some subsidies and raise energy tariffs. Expectations of reform after the Indian elections due in mid-2014 have helped the rupee rise 11% from record lows in mid-2013. Energy-sector reform kept the Mexican pesos 2013 loss versus the dollar to 1.6%, compared with 10% plus falls elsewhere in Latin America. But analysts say elections in a range of countries this year will discourage
Brazilian central bank governor Alexandre Tombini may have spoken for many emerging-market policymakers when he recently called US policy normalisation a net positive. The sooner the Fed withdrew its stimulus, the better, he said. That is unsurprising. The Feds money printing gave central bankers headaches, by fuelling explosive spending and debt, property bubbles, price and currency inflation. As domestic interest rates were cut to levels well below what was justified by fundamentals, current account gaps blew out. Brazils deficit, for instance, is running at 3.5% of annual economic output, up from 1% in September 2009. Policymakers are focusing on short-term volatility, which means they are too busy to focus on longer-term issues. The later the tapering the bigger the imbalances, said David Hauner, head of EEMEA fixed income strategy and economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. As tapering progresses, markets will be able to better reward reformers and punish the laggards, by focusing more on country-specific factors, Hauner said, adding: The best for emerging markets will be: lets get this done, have the US Treasury yields repriced to 3.5% or so and lets move on. l
Facebook faces suit for data mining private messages n AFP, Washington
Facebook has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging the social networking behemoth gleans data from purportedly private messages, in violation of users rights. Two plaintiffs claim the site scans private correspondence between users for links to third-party websites, sharing that information with the likes of advertisers, marketers and other data aggregators. The suit accuses Facebook of violating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and California privacy laws. Facebook has systematically violated consumers privacy by reading its users personal, private Facebook messages without their consent, said the complaint, filed December 30 in the US District Court for Northern California. Representing to users that the content of Facebook messages is private creates an especially profitable opportunity for Facebook, because users who believe they are communicating on a service free from surveillance are likely to reveal facts about themselves that they would not reveal had they known the content was being monitored, it said. Asked for comment, Facebook said in a statement: The allegations in this lawsuit have no merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously. The suit was brought forth by two Facebook users from different US states, Matthew Campbell of Arkansas and Michael Hurley of Oregon. It was filed on behalf of all US Facebook members who have used the site to send or receive a message that includes a link. l
Workers install a solar panel in Jiuquan, Gansu province edge of bankruptcy. Chinas support for its solar industry has been a source of trade friction. The United States and European Union have accused China of dumping underpriced solar panels on foreign mar-
REUTERS
kets and China has responded with anti-subsidy duties of its own. l
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Career
Put it in writing
Put your goals in writing make it a tangible thing you see everyday instead of something in the back of your head. Write them in firm and positive language such as will instead of would like to. A goal such as I will meet all my deadlines this week is more motivating than I will not miss deadlines this week.
n Career Desk
What do you expect to get out of your work? What do you hope to accomplish today? What would you like to have done by the end of this year? If you want any of these expectations and wishes to succeed, you need to set yourself goals. Goal setting not only establishes focus and direction in your life, it also provides you with a benchmark to determine whether you are succeeding the way you want to or just wasting time. Goal setting isnt as simple as making a list of things you want to do. It starts with careful meditation on what it is that you want to achieve and is followed by a lot of hard work to actually make it happen. Following are five golden rules of goal setting.
putting in the work required to make it happen. Goal achievement requires devotion and commitment; in order to increase the chances of success you need to feel the urgency and necessity of the achievement. A sure path to disappointment and frustration is setting yourself goals that are not related to the big priorities in your life you are basically setting yourself up for failure because the likelihood is that you will frequently put off necessary work for day to day priorities.
along the way. Measurable goals: One needs to measure their goals to assess their degree of success. This is why you need to include exact amounts and dates in your goals. For example: if you are planning to save more money this month, how will you know if you have achieved your goal unless you have a specific amount that you aim to save? Attainable goals: If you set far-fetched unattainable goals, you will only demoralise yourself and lose your confidence when you fail to achieve them. Set yourself realistic goals. However, setting goals that are easy is also not recommended. A 2006 study called New Directions in Goal-Setting Theory suggests that ambitious goals lead to a higher level of performance than easy or general goals. Relevant goals: Setting yourself lots of different kinds of goals that have little to do with the direction you want your life and career to ultimately take will only derail you on your path. Keep your goals aligned with the direction
This is a step often missed in goal setting most people are prone to getting so obsessed with the ultimate goal that they miss planning a step by step process to achieving the goal. Its not necessary for the small day to day goals, but it is especially important for demanding and long-term goals. If you have a step by step plan, you will be aware of your progress along the way to your ultimate goal.
Correct
Being correct in communications doesnt only refer to proper spelling and grammar but whether or not it fits your audience, whether the technical terms used are not above their level of education, whether youre spelling or pronouncing their names correctly etc.
Clear
When communicating with a colleague, be clear and to the point. Ask yourself what your purpose in communicating with this person is. If you cant answer it, then they wont know what youre talking about either. To be clear, do not communicate too many ideas in one sentence. Make sure the person you are communicating with knows what you mean without having to infer or make assumptions on their own.
Stay focused
Coherent
Coherent communication is logical communication. All points are related and relevant to the main topic of discussion and the tone and flow of the text is consistent.
Find motivation
Motivation is crucial to achieving goals. When you are setting goals, make sure they are important to you and that their achievement will give you value. When the outcome seems irrelevant to the bigger picture of your life from the get go, you will be less inclined to
In order to give your goals the best chance at success, they need to be designed to be SMART. While there are a few different versions of what SMART stands for, it is essentially what a good goal should be: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Specific goals: Your goal has to be clear and well defined vague goals lack in focus and direction, which is contrary to the point of goal setting. Goals need to reflect the path you need to take, make sure you dont end up getting lost
Goal setting is an on-going process and not a onetime activity. For higher chances of success, review your goals regularly; ask yourself if you are happy with the progress and course that you are taking. The end game remains the same but the action plan to get there may have to adapt to circumstances or change entirely for definite chances of achieving the goal. Goal setting is entails a lot more than simply saying you want something to happen in your life. If you do not visibly identify exactly what you want and understand why you want it the first place, your likelihood of succeeding at achieving them are significantly reduced. By following the five golden rules of goal setting you can set goals with conviction and ultimately enjoy the pleasure of knowing that you have successfully achieved what you set out to achieve. l
Complete
A complete message is one where the audience is well aware of the point in discussion, has everything they need to be informed about and take action. Make sure your message includes a call to action so they know what you want them to do, and all other relevant information such as contact names, dates, times etc.
Concise
Being concise is one of your biggest assets at work. Being concise means sticking to the point and keeping it brief. No one wants to read six sentences when two will suffice. To make sure youre being concise, check to see if you are using a lot of filler works such as for instance, basically, I mean etc. Check if you have any unnecessary sentences and whether if you have reiterated any point several times in different ways.
Courteous
Courteous communication is friendly, open, and honest. A courteously communicated message should not have any hidden insults or passive-aggressive tones that may be considered workplace harassment. Even when you disagree with someone, keep their viewpoint in mind, and be empathetic to their needs. l
Concrete
Making a message concrete gives the audi-
Life Events
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Death of spouse Divorce Marital separation Jail term Death of close family member Personal injury or illness Marriage Fired at work Marital reconciliation Retirement Change in health of family member Pregnancy Sex difficulties Gain of new family member Business readjustment Change in financial state Death of close friend Change to a different line of work Change in number of arguments with spouse A large mortgage or loan Foreclosure of mortgage or loan Change in responsibilities at work Son or daughter leaving home Trouble with in-laws Outstanding personal achievement Spouse begins or stops work Begin or end school/college Change in living conditions Revision of personal habits Trouble with boss Change in work hours or conditions Change in residence Change in school/college Change in recreation Change in church activities Change in social activities A moderate loan or mortgage Change in sleeping habits Change in number of family get-togethers Change in eating habits Vacation Christmas Minor violations of the law Total Score
Value
100 73 65 63 63 53 50 47 45 45 44 40 39 39 39 38 37 36 35 31 30 29 29 29 28 26 26 25 24 23 20 20 20 19 19 18 17 16 15 15 13 12 11
Score
Comment
You have a high or very high risk of becoming ill from too much stress in the near future. You have a moderate to high chance of becoming ill from stress in the near future. You dont have much stress and only a low to moderate chance of becoming ill in the near future.
300+
150 299
BIZ VOCAB
<150
Absent (adjective) - not here; not at the meeting; not present Agenda (noun) - a written programme or schedule for a meeting Apologies (noun) - item on agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence Ballot (noun) - a type of vote, usually in writing and usually secret Casting vote (noun) - a deciding vote (usually by the chairman) when the votes are otherwise equal Chairman (noun) - the person who leads or presides at a meeting; chairperson; chair Conference (noun) - formal meeting for discussion, especially a regular one held by an organisation Conference call (noun) - telephone call between three or more people in different locations Consensus (noun) - general agreement Decision (noun) - a conclusion or resolution to do something Item (noun) - a separate point for discussion (as listed on an agenda) Matters arising (noun) - item on agenda for discussion of what has happened as a result of last meeting Minutes (noun) - a written record of everything said at a meeting Proxy vote (noun) - a vote cast by one person for or in place of another Show of hands (noun) - raised hands to express an opinion in a vote Unanimous (adjective) - in complete agreement; united in opinion Video conference (noun) - conference of people in different locations linked by satellite, TV, internet etc. Vote (verb) - to express opinion in a group by voice or hand etc.
The scale
To measure your total stress level, check each Life Change Unit from the table in the previous column that applies to you and add the total. If you experienced any of the events twice, add the number twice. The table is taken from The Social Readjustment Rating Scale by Thomas H Holmes and Richard H Rahe in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Volume 11, Issue 2, published in August 1967.
The Social Readjustment Rating Scale, better known as the Holmes and Rahe Scale was created for this express purpose. The tool helps us measure the
What to do about it
If you are at a moderate or high level of stress, then the most obvious thing to do is to avoid all future life crises. This is easier said than done, and many of
the events are in fact out of our hands, but certain things can be helped. You could avoid moving, minimise conflict with colleagues by learning more conflict resolution skills, avoid taking on more responsibilities and obligations than you can handle etc. Additionally, do not dwell on your score if it is very high, but rather take actions with it that will positively affect your mood. Stress can cause severe health problems and in extreme cases can even cause death. If stress is persistently causing you grief, it may be time to seek the help of a relevant health professional, instead of simply brushing it off. l