This may be news; some report worthy of attention. Or not. But let’s take note, anyway. The news at hand: Hansen Hashem CLarke, the son of a Sylheti man and African American woman has been elected from the 13th Congressional District in Michigan. An accomplished politico, he served as Chief of Staff to noted Michigan […]
Over more than a month, I’ve been traveling quite a bit. In that time, I’ve missed quite a bit of news that has been directly relevant to Bangladesh. Over the next few weeks or so, I’ll try to readdress all that news and point to holes that might have gone not have gone missing had […]
The Law Minister of Bangladesh, Shafique Ahmed, recently claimed that no special law needs to be passed in order to ban religion-based politics in electioneering. The recent strike against the 5th amendment by the Supreme Court suffices to end the explicitly religious turn in Bangladeshi politics ushered in Ziaur Rahman, dictator, president and founder of […]
It can’t have come as much of a surprise that Khaleda Zia would put together another week-long program of country wide public protests. After all, she’s about to be kicked out of her home. But to this writer this is one scream, one time too many, too much, too often, ad nauseum, a pitched battle […]
The High Court has paved the way for opposition leader Khaleda Zia to get kicked out of her house situated in Dhaka’s Cantonment. It doesn’t help her cause that the house she has occupied since 1981 was given to her as a political favor. Further, that she has run against the rules that govern property […]
Earlier this year the government began to formulate plans to set up a separate police force to monitor the four separate industrial zones in Bangladesh. The plan was put into play this month with somber fanfare. The Industrial police force, (an unfortunately titled cadre of security officers; one imagines police officers kitted out in metallic […]
An important thing to look back on, to catch up with: The Government of Bangladesh has cooked up a new industrial policy to spur on industrialization and growth. That’s a fair enough project. But the right and the left is stirring the pot, upon this news, in a move to win their own battles. The […]
It’s not often that I write good things about Bangladesh – its politics and economics. You see, the news cycle turn on the following dictum: “if it bleeds it leads.” I regret to admit that political analysis, commentary, is no different. Blood runs thicker with blood spilt. So I write analyses of terrible things, sometimes […]
Perhaps in a misguided effort to protect and project her electoral pull, Begum Khaleda Zia, just today, railed against the war crimes trial that will put to docket those alleged to have been responsible for the shuddering crimes of murder and arson against Bengalis, against humanity, in 1971. She claimed that the current government is using […]
Two men, associated with Lashkar -e-Taiba have been arrested in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. 45 year old Abdul Malek, a Bangladeshi and his compatriot Pakistani citizen Mohammed Shafi, aged 30 were arrested in Airport Railway Station. Lashkar-e-Taiba is the Pakistani militant outfit that has been held responsible for the devastating 2008 guerilla style […]
It seems Bangladesh has now become involved in the Taliban’s game of threats and offensives. The Daily Star reports that Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan forwarded on a request to Foreign Minister Dipu Moni that the government of Bangladesh send troops to help secure Afghanistan against Taliban advances. The Taliban have […]
The government of Bangladesh has made secure moves toward greater equality of opportunity, particular in education of the young children of Bangladesh. This move is partly explained by the fact that the young stand for the greatest–certainly the largest– generation in the country. And the politics of the country will sway in whichever direction the […]
I’ve never quite understood the BNP leader’s use of the term oust, when she bleats on about ousting the sitting Awami League government “because its activities go against the interests of the people and the country”. Does Begum Zia mean that she will force Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation from power? Alternatively does she intend […]
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s exhortation that the journalists work with her to consolidate democracy sounds more like a threat than a claim that the government and journalists should work together. The Daily Star reports that she rang out: “Don’t do anything that might jeopardise democracy in the future.” Claiming that journalists help pass propaganda in […]
The closer cooperation between Bangladesh and India, signaled as a rush of agreements between public agencies in the two countries, seems to be taking a turn toward more solid ground. Bureaucrats within the two main public utilities have signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a new coal fired power plant in Khulna. Designed […]