Bangladesh, Asia's Dirty Little Secret

New Yorker Cartoon

2011-06-03T22:34:00.003+06:00

I confess, mea culpa, this cartoon has nothing to do with Bangladesh, corruption, poverty, unIslamic behaviour or anything else that normally catches my attention.

It is, however, incredibly pithy and smart. I hope you enjoy it.

Of course I have a very twisted sense of humour.

Corruption in Bangladesh - it is the National Sport

2011-03-30T17:02:00.004+06:00

According to Transparency International, Bangladesh is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. In fact, TI ranked Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world for five consecutive years from 2001 to 2005. When you think of the competition, e.g., Nigeria, Ukraine, Russia, Egypt, etc., this consecutive world record is almost unbelievable. But it is true. Baksheesh may not have been invented in Bangladesh, but they certainly took the custom/crime to new limits.

When I was in Bangladesh recently, people talked much of the 2010 survey done by Transparency International Bangladesh in which almost 90% of respondents admitted that they had recently paid a bribe to a Bangladeshi government official. Moreover, the survey showed that Bangladeshi judges were perceived by Bangladeshis to be the most corrupt profession in the country. For the first time, police were outdone.

I asked a leading Bangladeshi businessman how this bribe business works. I asked whether a businessman would pay his lawyer and the lawyer would pay off the judge. The businessman said that this was the case in small matters. The businessman knows the lawyer will skim off the top of the funds and in cases in which large amounts of money are being paid, the businessman wants to see "proof" that the judge actually took the money.

He explained that it works this way: the businessman puts the money in a briefcase and he goes with his lawyer to the bank. In the bank, the businessman and lawyer meet the judge. The businessman gives his lawyer the briefcase and the businessman and judge go into a private room with a senior bank official. After some time, the judge and lawyer exit the room without the briefcase. In this way, the businessman is assured that the judge has taken his "fee" for services that are to be rendered.

Scenes from Madaripur

2011-02-20T20:02:00.017+06:00

Back to the Land of Bengal

2011-01-27T18:40:00.002+06:00

Shortly, I will return to Bangladesh. It's been three years since I left the land of pan, rickshaws and bhat/dhal. I have heard that traffic has increased; though that seems impossible to me. The population has increased, which it will continue to do for the next 15 to 20 years unless serious efforts are undertaken by the government to reduce the rate of pregnancy among the poor.

I am looking forward to seeing the country and the people again. One should be prepared for surprises in Bangladesh and here I go.

Cross Fire Killings

2010-12-14T21:01:00.003+06:00

In Bangladesh, the police are not known so much for their ability to detect and arrest. Rather, they often kill suspects on the spot.

2010-08-23T01:22:00.003+06:00

Au Revoir Bangladesh

2008-04-08T18:57:00.005+06:00

After three years of living in the land of the Bengalis, I am leaving. I am going to Beirut. You see, I only live in countries or cities that start with a "B"; Bangladesh, Beirut, Bosnia, Belgrade ... Maybe Bali will follow Beirut. In shaallah.

I have thought much about my last words about this land, its people and its unique burden of holding together 150 million souls in a water soaked portion of our planet that is so desperately, achingly poor. But I will not now write any more about the my perceptions of Bangladesh. I have done that. As they say in Bangladesh, shesh!

I hope you, dear reader, have enjoyed my blog. I have enjoyed the catharsis of writing about Bangladesh. Often the fascination and frustration flowed through my figner tips into this keyboard.

I would like to say this, though, many people have commented on my blog and they sense that my words some how degrade Bangladeshis. Au contraire mon frere! In fact, it is just the opposite. Aside from the political class, I have borne witness to a people's struggle against incredible odds to survive in an extremely harsh environment. The dignity and warmth of Bangladeshis knows no bounds. I regret if anyone has misunderstood this.

I intend to write about Lebanon now. My blog is "Beirut and the Art of Being",

http://beirutandtheartofbeing.blogspot.com/

I hope you follow along.

Is This Any Way to Treat a Lady?

2008-02-10T08:19:00.000+06:00

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheik Hasina, being led from court.

Rats, Bad Helicopters & Bangladesh

2008-02-09T10:39:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh has had two pieces of bad news recently. The normal bad news continues apace, the military dominated government refuses to lift the state of emergency. So, for the foreseeable future, it is illegal for citizens to exercise some fundamental rights, e.g., protesting the fact that thousands of people are in jail without being charged with any offence and freedom of the press.

A date certain for an election is still elusive, though we are always told that "it is coming, it is coming." Inshallah the election will happen. And if it does not happen, well, God did not want an election.

The Bangladeshi Army makes a boatload of money from UN peackeeping duties. In fact, one of the five star hotels in Dhaka, the Radisson Water Garden, is partly owned by the military and was built with funds the military made through UN peacekeeping operations.

The UN's Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan urgently requested member states to provide it with helicopters. Ever keen to burnish their international reputation, Ethiopia and Bangladesh offered the use of their fine whirling machines.

Upon closer inspection, the UN accepted the Ethiopian helicopters, but rejected the helicopters put forward by Bangladesh. The UN stated that "discussions with Bangladesh are on-going." Oh the shame of it all. But seriously, who would want to fly around the western deserts of Sudan in a Bangladeshi helicopter? No amount of danger pay could compensate for that risk!

Even more tragic, a plague of rats has destroyed the crops of tens of thousands of people living in the remote Chittagong Hill Tracts. Aid workers have warned that the destruction of crops has left the people in a near famine situation.
The rat population has soared in recent weeks as these hungry beasts feed off the bamboo forests, which are blossoming for the first time in decades.
Prasenjit Chakma of UNDP, who has visited the area said that people there had been reduced to eating roots to survive, but even these are now running out.

He said fields had been stripped of their plants, and are now dotted with large rat holes. "The rats are much bigger than usual. They eat everything that is fresh and green," he said.
The rodents have multiplied at an alarming rate - the bamboo blossom is such a good food source for them that when they eat it they can breed up to eight times a year - four times more often than normal.
According to local folklore, the flowering of the bamboo, and the subsequent surge in rat numbers, occurs every 50 years. They say the last time it happened was 1958.

And let us not forget, this is the Year of the Rat.

A Honking Good Idea

2008-02-03T13:31:00.000+06:00

In Bangladesh, drivers honk their horn a lot. Some people say the horn is third gear.

Honking serves to alert everyone that an important person is coming by and attention and respect should be paid to this VIP. Of course, every Bangladeshi driver wants others to think his boss is a VIP.

Honking also serves to alert others of impending danger. Of course, drivers and pedestrians are an inattentive lot and, because everybody is honking their horn, it is impossible to distinguish the honk of impending peril and the honk of … well, habit. Did I tell you that Bangladeshis honk their horns a lot?

Here is an idea that could, if implemented, staunch the noise:

Mail to the Editor: Taxing the Horn

Sir,

I have a proposal that I think would (1) put money in the exchequer and (2) reduce the tremendous amounts of noise pollution in Bangladesh.

All motor vehicles in Bangladesh, cars, buses and CNGs, must have a device installed that is directly connected to the motor of the vehicle and the horn. This device runs on credits, similar to telephone credits, and these credits allow the driver to blow the horn of the vehicle.

Whenever the driver of the vehicle blows the horn, one credit, at a cost of Taka 1, is deducted from the device. If the device runs down to zero credits, the vehicle’s motor is blocked and the vehicle cannot run until additional credits are downloaded into the device.

Dolphin Killing in Bangladesh – it’s the rage

2008-01-30T16:50:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh is a conservative country and, like in all conservative societies, new ideas and the unfamiliar are rejected out of hand.

Bangladeshis have told me that they eat with their hands because the Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h.) also ate with his hands. It seems that the fact that Mohammad did not have cutlery is irrelevant. Any excuse is a good excuse.

Press reports in late January state that an extremely rare river dolphin was beaten to death by fishermen in southern Bangladesh.

Fishermen at Mongla, near the Sunderban mangrove forest, netted a Ganges River Dolphin and beat it to death because, the fishermen stated, they had not seen this kind of creature before.
The men then tried to sell it for what it is, a rare and endangered mammal, with no success. Out of frustration, the men gave up and dumped the creature outside a local museum and asked the museum director to kindly pay them for their efforts. Whereupon the museum director called the local police and filed a criminal complaint against the fishermen.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are just 1,200 Ganges River Dolphins alive today, minus one.

The Bangladeshi Army - in Control

2008-01-10T14:11:00.000+06:00

Notes from 2005

2008-01-10T10:41:00.000+06:00

Honestly, labour here is so cheap that we could have ten or fifteen people working away doing, well, doing anything. House labor is about $1.50 per day. Outside labor is cheaper.

We don't have much in the field of manufactured goods, except for clothes. The import taxes hereare out of mind. We consume what is produced locally. Rice. Lots and lots of rice. The stuff drives me crazy. Bangladeshis eat rice at every meal.The political situation is, as you may know from "The Economist" and other sources of obscure information on world politics, dodgy here. The state of emergency started about two months ago. The army is in charge and most of the senior politicians have been arrested for corruption charges. They found building materials and clothing from the Prime Minister's relief fund, meant for the poor, on the properties of these senior politicians. One guy, the former Minister of Finance, built housing for the workers at one of his factories, the PM's Relief symbol was clearly shown on the corrugated metal sheeting, and he was charging his workers rent. There are also a lot of luxury cars that are being abandoned on the roads here.

The plunderers don't want to get caught with their booty, so they arejust leaving them on the sides of the roads or in fields. It's crazy. There's also a lot of demolition of illegal buildings. During the previous two governments you could bribe government officials for anything and everything. Five years in a row Bangladesh was rated as the world's most corrupt country. The world champions or sorts. In any event, say you have a shop and want to extend it out onto the side walk. Bribe the local policeman and city council man and you just got yourself an extension of your shop. Of course now people have to walk in the road because you're on the sidewalk. But, so it goes. So the demolition is now going apace. If you have a strong back and a sledge hammer, you can get work right now. When the next government comes to power, probably in a couple of years or so, the bribery and illegal building will start again. Nothing really changes here.

Bangladeshis tend to stare at white people: All the time. All the time. I am used to it. It used to bother me. But the truth is, and this is a terrible thing to write, we foreigners don't really think of Bangladeshis as human beings. They are considered by most foreigners as little better than animals. You'd have to be here and experience life here to fully understand this.

Human life in Bangladesh has very, very little value. This country has 145million people. Way too much. People die all the time in the fields, the roads, everywhere and you can see people that are dead or dying when you ride around in your car. Beggars constantly tap on your car window at stop lights. We ignore them. If you don't, you can't get through life. I am now fairly used to the situation and am one of the few foreigners who rides a bicycle through the masses. But they don't molest me. They would never hurt anybody. They just want money. I think most of them know me, but there is no way I can know them. They are too many and they are all skinny, dark, with black hair and outstretched hands. I am "boss". All white men are boss. I speak a bit of Bangla and I salute them, tell them that "Allah will give you baksheesh (tips), not me." That causes them to look to the sky and praise Allah and I keep riding my bicycle.

Bangladeshis are very gentle people. Meek in fact. However, if they catch one of their own stealing they have a tendency to gang up, and I mean hundreds of people, and they usually beat the person to death and sometimes even hang them from the nearest tree or pole. The police never intervene. The gang would do the same to the police. I have seen this gang "justice"and it is horrible. I always think the individual gang members are cowards and ... and I don't know what.

Once I was with the children and we saw a man getting beaten for stealing a mobile telephone and I tried to get the children away as quickly as possible. Personally, I have never ever had any problem whatsoever. First, I am white and a man. Second, I am two or three times bigger than one of them. I was told by one of my Bangladeshi colleagues that they are in awe of me becauseof my size and they think I must be very strong.

Actually, I could never do the physical work these people do. They are skin and bones, but their muscles are like ropes. I am sure I could do some damage in the first two minutes, but that would be it. Fine. I accept mystatus since there is nothing to do anyway. We, the white community, are fine.

We have our maids and drivers and large houses. The American School educates our children better than most privateschools could in the US. We have our clubs, tennis matches, dinner parties,whiskey and grilled steaks and we complain about how difficult it is to find a good maid or cook.

One American woman who has a staff of about five told me once that, what with the domestic staff's personal problems, requests for money for children's schools and doctors, she felt she was running a plantation. It's true. I have no doubt that in ante-bellum south the landed aristocracy had the same conversations one could hear in our clubs today. "God, my maid is so lazy and I think she is stealing from me. I would fire her, except I don't think I can replace her before we go on holiday."

And there you have it. Abject poverty and relative indifference from the elite class. I must say, though, as bad as the foreigners are, the rich Bangladeshis are worse. Not only are the maids and cooks expected to do household work, but the provide the master of the house with other personalservices as well. There are ten year old children taken from the villages who work in rich Bangladeshi houses. What they do I am not sure, but every Friday the Bangladeshi rich parade these children through the parks similar to taking show dogs out for a walk. I will stop here. More later when the spirit moves me.

Notes on Inner Peace and Corruption

2008-01-10T10:39:00.000+06:00

Inner peace? Who said anything about inner peace? This place drives me nuts. The best way to describe Bangladeshis is that they are over grown children. As immature, selfish and unthinking as a human being could possibly be.

Of course they have their good sides, we all do. They are kind and gentle souls most of the time.The political situation will resolve itself. It always does. This is only about money and power. Nothing else.

Those in elected office get all the marbles. Thus, politics in Bangladesh is a hard fought scrabble for the perks, i.e., the juicy, rich fruits that the office office will bring. Issues like pollution,unemployment, poverty, women's rights, preservation of natural resources, these matters are never discussed. Not at all. That is the most frustrating aspect of life here.

Notes from 2006 - Lighten your Skin

2008-01-10T10:29:00.000+06:00

Recently I have been hunkering down a bit in good old Bangladesh and observing, with some trepidation, this country slowly clawing its way to a serious crisis. The executive summary would read like this: (1) parliament ends its mandate on 27 October; (2) appointment of a caretaker government to follow; (3) election must be held by 19 January 2007; (4) political leadership awash in arrogance and self-interest. The two political parties, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the opposition Awami League, have been ratcheting up their blood feud over the past few weeks and yesterday we had one of a series of clashes between the Awami League and the police. 100 injured and Sunday, our first work dayof the week, is a strike day. Strikes are now becoming more common than work days. Strikes here mean that if you go out with a tie on you are liable to get a rock up side your head.

There are men stationed throughoutthe city, except for the diplomatic zone where the foreigners live, who watch for anything smelling of business-like traffic.The day after the strike (in Bangla, "hartal") there is a line of burnt out buses, cars and these CNG driven mini-taxis on a small street I pass by in the morning. Rickshaws are ok. Everything else is verboten.

The two primary political parties are led by women and many who don't know Bangladesh think that is a sign that this country must take gender rights seriously. Khaleda Zia is the wife of the BNP's founder, Major General Ziaur Rahman. He was once the Prime Minister and he was once killed for that too. His wife took over in typical sub-continent fashion. Zia was a home maker and she never finished high school. It's rumored she is illiterate. I passed by her at a reception a few weeks ago and was struck by how pasty white her skin is, very unhealthy and very un-Bangladeshi.

She might use this "Fair andLovely" skin whitening cream. Aside from the arsenic and lead in the cream which will shut down your liver and colon, it doesn't do anything. Not even whiten your skin. There's a commercial on Bangladeshi TV showing a stunt man who stunts for the real actor in the movie. The stunt man does his stunt and watches as the real movie star picks up where he left off and drive away with a beautiful girl. The voice over says, "your dark and a loser. Lighten your skin and be a winner." So he does. In the next scene the stunt man is lighter and he has better clothes and his hair is combed. When he does his stunt and takes off his motorcycle helmet the director realizes this guy is handsome and the beautiful actress creams herself over his lovely white skin. The two drive off together and the real actor is left to pout and kick the empty bottle of "Fair and Lovely" in disgust.

In any event, I deviate. Sheik Hasina of the Awami League is trying to gether old job back as PM. Her father, Sheik Mujibur Rahman, was the father of the country. Aside from locking up anybody who disagreed with him, he was,in his own right, a great man. He led East Pakistan to freedom in 1971 from their Muslim brothers to the west. He also dropped the "Muslim" in the Awami Muslim League and tried to bring Hindus into the government. All that got him a bullet in the head from some Bangladeshi military officers. Sheik Hasina and her sister were abroad and they were the only ones in his family to survive.

An aside: "sheik" does not have any connotation of nobility oranything else. Like "Khan", it is a distant remnant of bygone days ofeastern Afghanistan and Wiziristan. There are rickshaw pullers, and that is as low as you can get here, who are Sheik So and So. Some people here have"Khan" at the beginning and end of their name. Khan Mohammed Salahuddin Khan, for example. That's not normal, but it exists. "Seid" though is a big deal. Seids are descendants of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or you can just do the acronym "pbuh". That "pbuh" reminds me always of theFlintstones and the Water Buffalo's leader, the Grand Pubah.

Those kind of thoughts could get you stoned here. Not that kind of stoned either. So, what has happened here is the election has been engineered by the ruling party. The caretaker government is to be headed by the last retired supreme court chief justice, according to the constitution. Zia did a quick amendment to the constitution, which was easy because the opposition boycotted parliament, and increased the retirement age of supreme courtjustices from 65 to 67. That ensured her man got the job.

Lots of other things too, not registering Christians and Hindus for the voters list because these minorities tend to shun the BNP because they have allied with the Muslim fundamentalist parties. However, the Awami League was in bed with these same fundamentalists a decade ago and seem to have forgotten how convenient it was for them back then.

A Note from the Days Prior to the Care Taker Government

2008-01-10T10:24:00.000+06:00

In Bangladesh we seem to be heating up in the run up to the election.

The election should take place in January 2007. The caretaker government should take power in October 2006. The Supreme Court just threw out the new voters' list prepared by the Election Commission, a body dominated by ruling government party men. All hacks. The voters list had, for example, 50voters registered whose residence is a bus counter in the center of the city. Villages of over 3000 Hindus and Christians only had a handful of voters registered. This makes sense because the government coalition issupported by two Islamic parties that make no bones about their desire to throw out "worldly laws" and bringing in sharia law, i.e., God's law. The heathens and other unbelievers should be driven into the sea. If they are lucky maybe India will take them in.

What else? We have load shedding now three or four hours per day. Load shedding is a euphemism for cutting the electricity off. If it weren't for the generators that run on gasoline the stuff in the refrigerators and freezers would have to be thrown out. Of course, only the richest .02% of the country has refrigerators and freezers. The remainder of the people don't eat cheese or milk – no way to keep it fresh.The country needs 490 KV of electricity per day. It produces 300 KV. This government neglected power development projects completely and, even if they got to work on it right now, it would take five or six years before we comeup to even.

The Prime Minister said that the reason we have electricity shortages is because development is going so well we are using a lot of electricity. So, you see, there is no problem. All is well.

Of course business is suffering and the common people who need electricityto clean the filthy water are suffering. Garment workers burned down a bunch of factories because they weren't getting paid. The PM just bought herself two new Chinese helicopters that, I am sure, are meant to lift her out of the crowds when they storm her residence.Oh yes, how could I forget, the PM just got back from Thailand and she is noticeably whiter and her face is smoother. We have this problem with girls putting whiteners on their faces to lighten their skin so they can be beautiful and successful. There's one product called "Fair and Lovely" made in India that is popular. The ads show a young girl who is a loser; she uses "Fair and Lovely" lightens up her skin and she has boyfriends, nice clothes and apparently a high powered job in an office. You get the idea. It was just reported that the product has dangerous amounts of mercury that causes lots of problems to the kidney, liver and brain. This would be a good case for Bangladesh's first class action law suit.

That's it from here for now.

Some Snap Shots of Life in Bangladesh

2007-12-17T12:37:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh Prisons Train Fly Killers

2007-12-10T09:38:00.001+06:00

In Bangladesh, prisoners who merit exemplary punishment are sentenced to “rigorous labour”. After serving twelve months of their sentence, the prisoners are assigned various jobs within the prisons. They can make stools out of bamboo, ring the prison bell to notify changes during the day, clean, wash or even keep written records of prison activity. For each full year of satisfactory rigorous labour, the prison authorities request the government to reduce the prisoner’s sentence by three months.

Rigorous labour tasks are assigned based on a number of factors, e.g., age, education, health and the prisoner’s enthusiasm for the work itself. Until recently, prisoners chopped wood within the prison compounds. Prison officials terminated that activity when it became clear to them that axes in the hands of some prisoners might pose a threat to security and safety.

VIP prisoners, like the former minister of civil aviation, are given tasks that are appropriate for their “esteemed status”; however prison officials will not divulge what these tasks are.

For those prisoners who are ill, weak or simply expert in this field, the prison assigns them the rigorous task of killing flies. This is true.

Each prison in Bangladesh has teams of fly killers and the government has a relatively complex method of tracking their kills for the purpose of reducing their sentence. Fly killers work six hours per day in shifts of three. Most prisoners kill flies with their bare hands, but some prisoners have improvised fly swatters from leaves and sticks. The most proficient fly killers view these implements of death as amateurish and liable to smear the work product.

In order for a prisoner to receive credit for his work day, he must show a minimum of six dead flies per hour. Flies that are smashed beyond recognition are not counted.

Mohammad Aiyb Quadri is serving a fifteen year sentence in Dhaka’s prison for poisoning his neighbour’s livestock, as well and his neighbour’s wife. Mr. Quadri is a legend within the facility for his fly catching expertise. He stakes out a position near the jack fruit tree in the prison court yard because, as he explains, the flies like to mate on the leaves of the jack fruit tree because the female fly’s feet adheres to the leaf’s sticky resin. This keeps the female fly from flying off pre-ejaculation. Also, the flies usually enjoy a snacking on the resin after their tryst.

Mr. Quadri disdains the use of fly swatters. His hand quickly moves through the air and, usually in one scoop, he grabs two or more flies in one of his firm, sinewy hands. Then, ever so slightly, Mr. Quadri taps the fly with his finger tip with just enough force to meet the government’s requirement that the fly is dead and, out of a sense of professionalism, that the entire body remain intact. Mr. Quadri has been known to throw away flies that were oozing fly juice or otherwise disfigured.

Mr. Quadri often lectures new prisoners assigned to the fly killing brigade that their work is important and it should be done with a sense of humanity and pride. Prison officials confirmed that Mr. Quadri is a model prisoner who will be remembered long after he departs the prison’s walls.

An Armed, Wide Eyed Bangladeshi

2007-12-09T12:09:00.001+06:00

Bangladeshi goverment says, "a state of emergency is cool"

2007-12-06T11:32:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh is under a state of emergency and some constitutional rights, such as freedom of speech and assembly, have been suspended. The Constitution of Bangladesh has provisions for the government to enact a state of emergency and, arguably, the Caretaker Government was facing an emergency situation when the state of emergency was declared back in January 2007.

For State parties that are signatories to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, like Bangladesh, Article 4 permits States to derogate from certain rights guaranteed by the ICCPR in "time of public emergency". However, any measures derogating from obligations under the Convention must only be to the extent required by the exigencies of the situation. Once the emergency ceases to exist, the Caretaker Government must immediately restore the citizens their rights.

On 4 December, four university professors were convicted of leading a silent protest against the army beating university students on their campus. The professors received two year jail terms and fines. Rather than get into whether the convictions and the sentences were fair and equitable, which I think they were not, especially in light of the fact that the Caretaker Government is very selective about who it prosecutes for violations of the state of emergency, (it seems that university professors and starving people on the coast of the Bay of Bengal are subject to the law, but some political activists are not), I would argue that the Caretaker Government’s continued imposition of the state of emergency on all the citizens of Bangladesh is excessive, unreasonable and an abuse of power.

Maintaining a state of emergency and continuing to suppress citizens’ constutitonal civil and political rights because it is convenient or because it makes the Caretaker Government’s work easier is wholy unjustified.

The danger is that this government will continue to abuse its authority by failing to lift the state of emergency and this might spark tremendous resentment that will spill into the streets. We know what will happen then.

The Starving Have No Right to Protest

2007-12-03T19:27:00.000+06:00

According to Maj. Gen. M. A. Matin, Bangladesh’s Chief Coordinator of Disaster Management, starving villagers recently hit with cyclone Sidr will no longer be allowed to protest the fact that they are starving.

Maj. Gen. Matin reminded the nation that a state of emergency is in effect in the country and persons who violate its anti-protest rules will be arrested.

Thousands of people are still homeless and without adequate food or clean water since Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh on 15 November and, despite the fact that international donors have provided the government with hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, cash and food, True to the government's threat, on Sunday police arrested 14 people for demanding that local authorities provide them with food and water in a demonstration at a school ground in Barguna District.

The arrested men were detained in police custody for the day.After their arrest, about five hundred villagers in the area went on a hunger strike to demand the release of the arrested people. They also refused the relief offered by the government. Those arrested were subsequently released by the police.

Despite the fact that the US government, the UN, the European Union and others pour money into Bangladesh, there are increasingly critical reports of corruption in the distribution of relief supplies.

It is now incumbent upon the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh to educate those that are struggling to survive on the coast of the Bay of Bengal that the state of emergency is superior to their right to food and water.

Clearly these cyclone survivors believe that their survival is more important than the political reforms that this government has undertaken. Instead of wasting time on food supplies, the government should, as a matter or priority, ship these individuals Bangladeshi flags to improve their patriotic spirit.

Dead Animal Removal for Whiskey

2007-12-01T17:38:00.000+06:00

The Dom are the under class within the lower castes of Hindu society. They are the lowest of the low. They are relegated to cleaning toilets, sewage pipes and things much worse. Some believe that Europe's Roma, or gypsies, originated with the Dom community of the Indian subcontinent.

In the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr that devestated Bangladesh, immense numbers of cows, chickens, goats and dogs litter the water ways of the coastal community. While the human bodies have been largely collected and dumped into pits. The animal carcases are still rotting in the canals, lakes and ponds. Below is a story that was published in Dhaka's "New Age" newspaper on 1 December 2007.

"Eighteen members of ‘dom’ community, who cremate dead bodies, have been hired from Bagerhat town to remove decomposing carcasses strewn over a large area in the upazila following the cyclone. The upazila administration hired them a few days after cyclone Sidr had ravaged the upazila on November 15. The administration offered locals Tk 500 for burying each carcass but none in the locality agreed to do the job which prompted the authorities to hire ‘doms’ from Bagerhat. UNO Shanewaz Talukder lamented the attitude of the local people saying that no one had responded to their call to help remove the decomposing carcasses which posed a dangerous threat to human health. ‘We had no other way but to hire them,’ said the UNO, adding, ‘The doms travel to Sharankhola everyday and return to Bagerhat in the evening after doing their work.’ ‘When we approached them the doms readily agreed to do the job. They do not ask for money for their job except transport to carry them to and from Bagerhat and some whiskey. The air in the area is still heavy with the stench of decomposing carcasses. Many carcasses are still lying on the river banks and crop fields."

Born to Beg in Bangladesh

2007-11-29T09:28:00.000+06:00

I thought about writing about my perceptions of Bangladeshis and the fact that begging is a large part of the culture, history and life in Bangladesh. But I hesitated. I hesitated because (1) I genuinely like the people of Bangladesh at a certain level and I do not want to write offensive pieces about them; (2) being poor is never a nice state to be in and it might appear that I am insensitive to poverty; (3) many of this country’s 150 million people have no option other than to depend on the charity of others – I am thinking of the children, invalids and elderly and (4) I have seen many of the country’s villages and the people live a subsistence lifestyle; they live like their ancestors did five hundred years ago or fifty thousand years ago. There is not much begging going on in the villages because everybody lives a rural life dependent on the harvests.

There is much equality in rural Bangladesh. Everybody has very little.

A good starting point for understanding any people is the neighbours.

Pakistan has been Bangladesh’s protector, tyrant and friend at various times in the past half century. Like Bangladesh, Pakistan was born post British Raj as a homeland for India’s Muslims. However, unlike Pakistan, Bangladesh has a strong element of Hindu culture.

I asked a Pakistani, who has lived in Bangladesh for many years, what Pakistanis think of Bangladeshis. He said this: “the stereotypical Bangladeshi is small, dark, a coward, prone to emotional outbursts and he is a born beggar.” Rather harsh stereotype, even by neighbourly standards.

I asked an Indian from New Dehli the same question. He said, “Indians don’t really think of Bangladesh at all. Bangladeshis are backwards, ungrateful and not to be trusted.”

Certainly the comments above should be taken as what they are. Gross exaggerations. No people, especially 150 million, can be classified in this way. Nevertheless, I think it important to hear the views of peoples whose histories and cultures have crossed this delta area.

To foreigners, it is striking that Bangladeshis are not reluctant to ask for assistance. In fact, Bangladeshis tend to beg a lot. Begging is a profession in Bangladesh. It should also be noted that Hindu holy men, sadus, live off the alms of the Hindu community. Buddhist priests also collect rice and other food in their bowls from the faithful and, by giving alms, prayers may be answered or luck bestowed on the giver.

But in Bangladesh it is different. From the street beggar to the highest echelons of government, Bangladeshis have mastered the art of looking miserable. When Bangladeshis sight a foreigner or any other opportunity to collect money, they transform themselves instantly by creating a hang dog expression of utter helplessness and desperation. Shoulders droop, the head hangs low and the eyes look furtively at the target to discern whether the intended effect is actually working. The next step is, depending on whether it is a street beggar or a government minister, to tell a tale of woe and ask plaintively, “can’t you help me?”

Now, this scene is played out daily in Bangladesh in millions of ways. Bangladeshis use it against Bangladeshis and foreigners alike. Of course, its effect on fellow Bangladeshis is limited in scope and success.

Why is it that this act of begging seems to be acceptable in Bangladesh? It is not simply because the country is poor. I know from first hand experience that Africans and the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, some desperately poor and traumatized by conflict, would never ask for assistance. They would see this as undignified and degrading. And this is what I think is lacking in Bangladesh; pride. Bangladeshis are, generally, lacking in self confidence. They admire fair skin and western ways, yet privately denigrate the west, its politics of arrogance and its paucity of morality.

Bangladeshis rejoice for three days when their national cricket team wins a game because there is so little in Bangladesh to be proud of; at least in terms of success. Bangladesh survives and, that in itself, is a victory. When survival is a constant and seemingly elusive goal, there is not much room left for pride. At least the way the west defines the term.

A Slow Train Wreck and Bangladesh

2007-11-26T10:05:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh's Caretaker Government has been in power for eleven months. It has rounded up tens of thousands of citizens and jailed them under the Government's Emergency Powers Act. The exact number of detainees is unknown, probably even to the government. A hundred or so high profile politicians, businessmen and social personalities have been arrested on various corruption charges or, in the case of the former Secretary-General of the Awami League, unknown offences.

The government has been extremely unfortunate, even by South Asia standards, with weather related disasters. The monsoon rains brought heavy flooding to the north and centre of the country and, most recently, the southern coast was hit by cyclone Sidr.

In rhythm with these periodic bouts of bad news, the government's refrain is that elections will be held by December 2008.

Whether the government will last for another year will require more than just luck, which has not to date been in the government's cards.

In its early days, January and February, Bangladeshis reveled in a bit of shandenfreude when senior politicians were trotted off to jail and the public was allowed to gawk at the luxurious gold plated bathrooms, Lexus SUVs and private menageries of the once all powerful. The former Law Minister was busted with a couple of dozen bottles of liquor and three cases of beer (alcohol is illegal for Bangladeshi citizens without a doctor's certificate). And this was cathartic and Bangladeshi's great masses felt relieved that this cabal of corrupt princes finally got their just rewards.

Whether they will receive a fair trial, or any trial at all, seems, with the passage of time, a remote reality.

As a result of the government's crackdown on corruption business has suffered. It is not just that most of the luxury vehicles that once plied the pot-holed roads of Dhaka are now sitting in police compounds or secreted in rented garages awaiting more free wheeling times. It is that upper middle class and that small clutch of rich are simply not spending much money any more. People with large sums of money are afraid to show what they have for fear of coming under the government's anti-corruption gaze. So, business orders are down, the real estate market that was once booming is withering and the working class and the poor are feeling the pinch.

The price of essentials, i.e., rice, cooking oil, lentils and vegetables, are now too costly for even the middle class. That, and that alone, will determine whether the government staggers to December 2008. Not the fact that under emergency rule the press is prohibited from publishing anything deemed “provocative”. Not the fact that political activity is banned, including demonstrations.

The downfall or success of this government rests of the price of a kilo of rice.

Hizb ut-Tahrir and Bangladesh

2007-11-24T16:11:00.000+06:00

The US military, primarily the Navy and Marine Corps, are involved in distributing food, water, clothing and medicine to Bangladeshis affected by the recent cyclone.

The problem in Bangladesh is that the government does not have the ability to transport these items to the cyclone hit areas. Too many roads are blocked by fallen trees and flooding. So, into the breach steps the US military with its helicopters, ships and planes to transport to the needy.

On Friday, after the afternoon prayers at Dhaka’s main Mosque, Bangladeshi followers of Hizb ut-Tahrir protested the presence of the US military in Bangladesh.

Hizb ut-Tahrir in Arabic means Party of Liberation. It is not just present in Bangladesh, it is an international, sunni, pan-islamist organisation whose goal is to unite all Muslim countries in an Islamic state or caliphate under sharia law.

The party’s website is: http://www.hizb.org.uk/

Hizb ut-Tahrir believes that, by creating an Islamist state that will carry the Da'wah of Islam to the world, it is doing the will of God. It believes this is part of a comprehensive solution to provide sincere leadership that cares for and protects its citizens from the colonial foreign policies of George W. Bush and bring an end to US interventions, energy inspired wars, puppet (Muslim) governments and western values forced by the barrel of a gun.

In short, these people are not predisposed to liberal democratic values.

The Bangladeshi Army’s chief of general staff, Maj. Gen. Sina Ibn Jamali, acknowledged that there is “sensitivity” to American military involvement in Bangladesh's relief operations. He said, the Americans will be working with us but very few of them will have to step foot in Bangladesh. They will stay on their ships in the Bay of Bengal.

We can be grateful that the thousands upon thousands of starving Bangladeshis who are drinking dirty water can now rest peacefully knowing that the kafirs will keep at sea, where they belong. Alhumdillah!

A Conversation on the Bangladeshi Coast

2007-11-24T09:37:00.000+06:00

Between Barisal and the coast of the Bay of Bengal lies a small village whose name means little to anyone except those unfortunate enough to live there. Dhaka is light years away and, fortunately for those in the village, few of the venal crimes committed in Dhaka have much effect on the village. Life goes on pretty much the way it did fifty years ago, which was similar to life two hundred years before and on and on.

One week after cyclone Sidr pounded the village the people are living al fresco and their primary concern centres on finding potable water.

The women collect fetid water from the local canals. In the first few days after the cyclone hit the area, the women were careful, even fastidious, about ensuring that the area of the canal was free from visible detritus, such as dead chickens, cows and the brackish, oily gunk that collects now on the surface of the water.

Now, the women are lethargic and don’t see the necessity to trudge up and down the canal to find water that appears to be relatively clean; since it is now clear to all that the water is fetid and unhealthy. As one lady in the village remarked, “we have to eat, don’t we? How else can we boil our rice?”

As this lady is stoking up a fire to cook some rice for her family her husband, Sohil, and a neighbour, Nazul, squatted and dreamed of the days when they could chew their calming pan and share village gossip:

Sohil: “the big man from the Army said that nobody will suffer from hunger or want because of the cyclone. Perhaps they will come tomorrow and help us.”

Nazul: “it is not true. We are left to fend for ourselves and only Allah can help us. You know the government high ups only use our misery to squeeze more money from the foreigners. It has always been this way”

Sohil: “but aren’t they men too? Muslims like us? They should be working 24 hours a day to bring us help. They know our children are dying. They have children too and will take pity on us.”

Nazul: “you are a fool and only good for catching fish. Tomorrow we will find an old, crazy woman, perhaps Shamima if she is still alive, and walk to Barisal. There the Saudi government has set up thousands of tents and those with money can live in this tent city. Our leaders are coming from Dhaka by air and they will bring many foreigners with them. If we push the old woman to the front, perhaps they will load her up with food while they take her picture with these honourable big shots. Allah will help us by delivering to us these self-important big shots who love to be kindly to the poor – so long as there is a camera close by”

A Confederacy of Dunces

2007-11-22T13:35:00.000+06:00

“When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Jonathan Swift

Travel by Rickshaw in Bangladesh

2007-11-20T13:23:00.000+06:00

One of the most common forms of transport in Bangladesh is by rickshaw. These three wheeled bicycle powered carriages transport more than 80% of the population (my estimate). Buses that are driven by suicidal mental hospital escapees transport the remainder of the population.

In Bangla wallah is a person who does, it is a person employed in a certain capacity or connected with a certain thing or activity. For instance, a computer wallah is a computer expert. A rickshaw wallah drives a rickshaw and these unsung men and boys expend enough energy in one day to power an aircraft carrier on a couple of trips back and forth across the Pacific.

The price of a rickshaw ride depends on (1) the distance, (2) the weather, (3) whether you appear to be rich or poor, (4) whether you are Bangladeshi or a foreigner. I ask Bangladeshis how much they pay and then I pay that plus about 10% more. Foreigners are expected to pay more and many have no idea what the going rate is for a ride. Typically, a two kilometer ride on a good day costs about 10 to 15 taka (.15 to .20 US cents).

All rickshaw wallahs have heard the story of the rich foreign man who got on a rickshaw, befriended the kindly wallah and then showered him, his family (depending on the story) his village .... with baskets of money. I am convinced that when they huddle up at their tea stalls they mull over this story in its various forms and pray that today will be their day.

Rickshaw wallahs not only provide transport, they will query you as to whether you are in need of ganga, hashish or "good pussy". It seems that the rickshaw wallahs do not know of any bad pussy. All the pussy they know is good. And that a positive sign; the life of the rickshaw wallah must be much better than one would imagine.

There are several amazing things about these loin cloth wearing, brown skinned, betal nut chewing labourers. One, they always know where you live. You don't have to tell them your address. You simply say, "ami jabo home." I am going home. And they will take you home. Rickshaw wallahs obviously gossip more than grandmothers sitting on the backporch snapping beans because these guys know where we live, who are children are, what we bought at the grocery store and when we are going on vacation.

One rickshaw wallah sort of chastised me last week. He told me that I have not ridden on his rickshaw since October of 2005. One must take this in stride and offer a bit more of a tip at the end of the journey.

Most rickshaw wallahs are from villages outside the city. They arrive with very little money and big dreams about making their fortune. The reality is that rickshaws are usually rented out at 150 taka per day and the average rickshaw wallah can only earn approximately 300 taka on a normal day. With the remaining 150 taka, he must pay for his hovel, his food and then manage to save enough to send some money back to his, usually large, family in the village. A daunting life indeed, good pussy aside.

Cyclones and Bangladesh

2007-11-19T10:33:00.000+06:00

As you no doubt know, Bangladesh is now digging through the devestation of the cyclone that pummeled its southern coast on the night of 15 November. Sitting here in Dhaka, about four hours north of the coast, I listened as the fringes of the cyclone cut past our city and, mercifully, only destroyed several thousands of poor huts and shacks. On Friday morning I got up and inspected the damage.

The entire landscape was littered with leaves, twigs and branches. Several large trees were felled, including a beautiful old palm tree next door to our residence. The palm tree must have been over a hundred years old.

In Bangladesh there is no need for muncipal clean-up crews. In the early hours of Friday, before the winds had even died down, poor women and their children (I am not sure what the men were up to) were out on the streets collecting everything the wind brought down. A vertiable wind fall for the poor. First, the women dragged the large limbs and small trees to an open field and these were subjected to a day of hacking. Then an army of women and children commenced gathering up all the pieces of wood and leaves and collected them in small, neat piles.

Each pile was sorted and allocated to a woman; then the piles were slowly placed on any available head and carted off to the poorer sections of Dhaka to serve as kindling and fuel.

By evening, the streets of Dhaka were almost as clear as the day before the storm, aside from the feces and other garbage.

Social Cohesion in Bangladesh

2007-11-19T10:05:00.000+06:00

I am reading the book, The Kumar of Bhawal and the Secret Of Indian Nationalism by Partha Chatterjee. It is a story of a Bengali prince (kumar) who is thought to have died and then returns to claim his lands and servants. It is a fascinating account of East Bengal in the 19th and 20th centuries and an enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in the politics, sociology and psychology of Bengal.

One passage from the book refers to a 19th centur y British civil servant's diary entry. The man had served the Raj in various capacities and in various cities. In his final years he was posted to "Dacca" and wrote "[p]ower, loneliness, hard work and an acquiescent public seemed to be ordained as one's natural setting. One struggled with poor success to maintain a life of some comfort and elegance in the face of insistently hard conditions. The facts of life are raw and bleak. There is no ice, food has little nutriment, lighting is with oil lamps and primative punkhas flap overhead. Life is like an expedition. But there is one overriding satisfaction - one is master of everything that goes on around one."

A Brahmin landlord wrote that "most of the population is extremely poor. The poor are almost without exception totally illiterate ... the men have the sexual morals of animals. One could say that the tenants who work the land are a combination of stomachs and testicals."

Why Democracy Cannot Be Imposed

2007-10-29T12:52:00.000+06:00

Chevron – Burma’s Generals’ Best Friend

2007-10-06T09:19:00.000+06:00

The world was stunned when the Burmese government came down hard on democracy protesters. The Burmese people were shocked to see security forces beating their revered saffron-robed Buddhist monks

After almost two weeks of protest, many monks have disappeared. The monasteries have been emptied. One report says thousands of monks are imprisoned in the north of the country.

George W. Bush, keen to polish his democratic credentials as his star fades over the smoke and misery of Mesopotamia, denounced the Burmese generals and, for once in his administration, President Bush got his foreign policy right.

Nevertheless, what many people do not know, and what the US administration is silent about, is that US based Chevron is one of the biggest foreign investors in Burma. Indeed, without Chevron, the Burmese generals would have much less money to spend on their luxury villas, champagne and …. well, bullets and truncheons.

The first lady, Laura Bush, said, "The deplorable acts of violence being perpetrated against Buddhist monks and peaceful Burmese demonstrators shame the military regime." Nobody will be able to say that Mrs. Bush merely sat around giving teas.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used strong language to denounce the generals when she said, "the United States is determined to keep an international focus on the travesty that is taking place." What Ms. Rice does not reveal is that she served on the Chevron board of directors for almost a decade and she was paid handsomely for her services. Chevron even named an oil tanker after her.

Burma has large natural gas reserves, as does its neighbour Bangladesh, where Chevron is busy extracting that country’s natural resources.

In 1997, the U.S. government placed sanctions on Burma for, among other things, using slave labour to build a gas pipeline. Whole villages were uprooted and compensation for the land was, so to speak, a pipe dream.

However, the US sanctions have one loophole; companies that already worked in Burma are exempt. Enter Unocal. Unocal had some small operations in Burma (it is also active in Bangladesh) and Chevron saw an opportunity shimmering in the heat and humidity of south Asia’s jungles. Chevron bought Unocal and now operates in Burma in total compliance with US laws. Business is business and politics is politics, but a company without a good team of lawyers is not worth a bloody saffron robe.

Preventive Detention in Bangladesh – Preventing What?

2007-10-05T18:31:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh fought for its freedom from an oppressive Pakistan in 1971 because, among other things, the Pakistanis had a habit of squelching dissent by invoking the Special Powers Act, Britain’s contribution to human rights law, and preventively detaining trouble makers.

The right of the government to “preventively detain” a person is very handy. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh all invoke this obscure law in difficult situations, i.e., when there is no evidence readily available to arrest and charge a trouble maker.

Preventative detention has three specific features, first, it is detention and not imprisonment; second, it is a detention by the executive without trial or inquiry by a court; and third, its object is preventive and not punitive.

It is, in short, a legal short-cut. The government of Bangladesh would like the international community to believe that it stands for the rule of law and, when it is convenient, it does. However, there are times when the law is …. well, it is inconvenient.

George W. Bush understands this problem very well. Torture is bad. Of course it is. But, well, there are sometimes when that is what is needed and these terrorists do not deserve the protection of our laws. Our forefathers fought for civil and human rights for decent and good people. But terrorists are neither decent, nor good and these protections were never intended to give these people succor. Quick justice is what is needed. That is all these people understand and deserve.

Abdul Jalil is the General Secretary of the Awami League in Bangladesh and he spoke out against the caretaker government’s excesses. He questioned the constitutionality of the government. He questioned whether the government had a legal basis for imposing a state of emergency and thereby suspended many fundamental rights of the citizens. But most egregiously, he spoke out against military intelligence officers using torture against detainees. That was Jalil’s undoing.

On 28 May 2007, security forces arrested Jalil at his office in Dhaka. He was remanded to custody for four days. After completing his four day remand, he was sentenced to one month’s detention. On 3 July he was ordered to serve another three months detention. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted into the Coronary Care Unit of Sheik Mujib Medical University in Dhaka for treatment for various aliments. On 4 October, Jalil was ordered to serve another three month’s detention.

No charge, no access to legal council, no end in sight. What a perfect and useful little law. George W. Bush, you should sit up and take note. Bangladesh could teach the US Department of Justice a few tricks.

Why Do Muslims Go On Rages?

2007-10-03T22:03:00.000+06:00

Recently, a 20-year-old Bangladeshi Muslim cartoonist sketched a cartoon that appeared in a local Bangla newspaper. It was intended to caricature the local culture where every man tends to add “Muhammad” before their name. In the cartoon, when an elderly imam asks a little boy carrying a cat a few questions, the imam instructs the boy that in Bangladesh, all males' first name is Muhammad. The imam asks the boy what he has in his hands and the boy answers, ‘Muhammad Cat.’

This created outrage amongst Bangladeshi Muslims. The leader of Khelafot Andolon (Caliphate Movement), Maulana Ashraf, stated that “the cartoon indicates disgrace of the Muslim prophet by naming a cat ‘Muhammad'. Similar to the Danish cartoon incident, the prophet Muhammad has been defamed in Muslim majority Bangladesh.” The head cleric of Bangladesh’s National Mosque, said "this is is a grievous offense, this is dangerous."

This is all very disturbing and it runs counter to the fundamental tenents of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad was born into a land of robbery, infanticide, idolatry and brutality. Muhammad found the area that is now present day Saudi Arabia to be inhospitable and superstitious. There was no rule of law. There was the tribe and those without a tribal allegiance were doomed to death. It was, in short, an unforgiving land.

Muhammad set out to change all that. The Koran is a vast, vague book, filled with poetry and contradictions, much like the Bible. One can find passages that condemn war and incitements for armed struggle for the greater good. There are beautiful expressions of tolerance and stern threats against unbelievers.

But, all in all, the society that accepted the teachings of Muhammad was a more just and humane society than that which preceded him. Muhammad sought to give women a modicum of protection and to instill honesty in business transactions. Compared to the raping, pillaging and plunder that went on prior to the rise of Islam, life was infinitely better.

Muhammad taught that Muslims, those that submit to the will of God, must follow certain rules without deviation. Moreover, despite the fact that many claims have been made of Islam being spread by the sword, Islam was primarily adopted by Arabs, Turks, Persians, etc., because Islam restored peace and predictability to what was a very violent and unjust world. Islam mandates that orphans, widows and the poor be cared for. This is not the duty of the state. This is the duty of all Muslims with means.

In fact, when Muslims took over a city, they largely allowed local practices and religion to remain. Non-Muslims were obliged to pay a special tax, but Muslims were obliged to pay their zakat tax to the poor as well. On balance, Muslim invaders were probably infinitely more tolerant than Catholic Church inspired inquisitors and crusaders from farther north; a brief look at the plight of the Jews abundantly proves that point.

The Koran also commands Muslims to be tolerant and to not give into the urge to take justice into their own hands. For example, the Koran says: "Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best, who have strayed from His path, and who receive guidance. (16:125)."

"Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel evil with what is better (41:34)."

In Sura 52:45,47,48 the prophet admonishes to Muslims to leave the unbelievers alone and to wait patiently for the Lord to punish them: "So leave them alone until they encounter that day of theirs, wherein they shall perforce swoon with terror ... And verily, for those who do wrong, there is another punishment besides this... Now await in patience the command of thy Lord, for verily thou art in Our eyes."

Lastly, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) urged his followers to take advantage of God’s gifts. With regard to women, Muhammad said that women were like the fields and that Muslim men should free go into their fields as they see fit. It should, I think be the same with our sense of humour. It is, after all, one of God’s gifts. Cartoonists go into the fields as you see fit.

Bangladesh, Free the Cartoonist Arifur Rahman

2007-10-02T18:56:00.001+06:00

Finding God Through Faith & Reason

2007-09-27T13:08:00.000+06:00

Because I often do not have enough to do, I ruminate on religion. Not thoughts about how I can be a better person or the essence of God. During important periods, like Ramadan, I wonder about what separates and divides all the religious groups in our world.

I do not want these entries to be about me. I want to write about my perceptions. However, on a subject like religion, I must bring to the fore a smattering about my own religious background for you, dear reader.

I was reared a Protestant. I lived in Jerusalem, so I know about Judaism. Even studied Hebrew when I was in this most fascinating city. I have lived in various Muslim societies. Some conservative and some where the Muslim (read Bosniak) girls seemed to be in competition to see who could wear the shortest skirt. I have also lived in Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic communities.

So that is me.

I was invited to Iftar, the Muslim meal that breaks the day long fast, and was asked whether Christians ever fast. Yes, I replied, some do and some don’t. A very unsatisfactory reply I thought. But then I asked, “what really separates us?” I mean, Muslims and Christians. I ponder various combinations too: Muslim and Jew, Jew and Christian, Hindu and Buddhist, and on and on.

I certainly do not have the definitive answer that would satisfy everybody, but these are my thoughts:

Thomas W. Lippman is the author of an excellent book, “Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World.” In it, Lippman writes that there are five pillars to the Islamic faith. (1) the profession of faith, “there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God; (2) daily prayer; (3) payment of the zakat or alms tax; (4) fasting during Ramadan and (5) the haj or pilgrimage to Mecca.

In addition to these five pillars that all Muslims must abide by, every Muslim must also adhere to certain ethical and moral codes. A good Muslim must be honest, he must be patient and humble, he must avoid alcohol, pork, etc. In short, a good Muslim must be good. If the five pillars are observed and the man or woman is good, s/he will be judged by Allah as deserving of paradise. This is the end game: heaven.

Christians, on the other hand, must first and foremost accept Jesus as our savior, the Son of God, the lamb of God who died for our sins. Those that accept Jesus and who ask forgiveness are cleansed and that, in short, would make one a Christian. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Like Muslims, Christians should also lead good lives in addition to accepting Jesus as the Christ. Aside from the rules prohibiting pork and alcohol, for Catholics it is no meat on Fridays, both Muslims and Christians would pretty much agree on what good social and ethical practices are. No stealing, no adultery, respect for our parents, assisting the poor and distressed, etc.

Now, here is the dilemma: Muslims do not consider Jesus as the Son of God. Muslims believe Jesus was not even killed. He was taken up into heaven by God and will return to earth again and then he will die a natural death, Koran 4:157. In fact, Muslims believe that one of the few unforgivable sins is to profess that Allah has a son. Thus, the mere idea that Jesus, who Muslims revere as a prophet, is the Son of God is blasphemy of the highest order.

Given that almost every individual takes the religion of his or her parents, assuming that both parents are of the same religion, which most are, it seems natural that every Christian and Muslim today has taken their religious beliefs because of their environment. That is to say, Muslims believe in Allah without a son and Christians take it as a matter of faith that Jesus is the Son of God because each individual Muslim and Christian was born into a situation where it would have been highly unusual to reject the tenants of one’s parent’s faith.

A devout Christian believes that a devout Muslim cannot enter heaven because he has not accepted Jesus as the Son of God. Likewise, a Muslim views a Christian’s belief in Jesus and the Holy Trinity as a rejection of the one true God. Christians are, in Muslims’ view, polytheists.

In light of the fact that both religions require their followers to lead “good” lives, this one, perhaps not so small, issue seems to separate these two schools of religion with no possibility of reconciliation.

This cannot be right. Because, if it is, God is extremely cruel and arbitrary. If Jesus is the Son of God, how can one billion Muslims, many of whom are leading good lives, be barred from heaven, and vice versa for Christians?

So, at this point, dear reader, I should probably put forth my conclusion. There is a God, but God is not Muslim or Christian or Hindu or any other religion. Before any of these religions existed, there was God. Religions, especially religious practices, the rituals and dogma, are made by man. This does not mean that religions are wrong or that they have no value. They do. Religious practices bind people together and, more often than not, serve to keep order within the community.

What seems clear though is that no religion has a monopoly on the truth. Nevertheless, almost every religion I have ever studied claims that it is The Religion, it is blessed by God.

Either only one is right or they are all wrong. Or, maybe they are all right.

I will choose the second and third. I think they are all wrong in advocating that one religion is the favourite of God and the others are cursed and outside the Grace of God. I think they are all right in that they all urge their followers to live good lives and to treat our fellow man and woman as brothers and sisters. In fact, that seems to be the common thread in most religions. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That was first articulated by Hillel, who was a famous Jewish religious leader who lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod, but now I deviate.

Judaism vs. Islam or Judaism vs. Christianity, which one shall I contemplate first?

Our Neighbour is Calling for Help!

2007-09-26T14:10:00.000+06:00

Burma, or Mynamar as the military dictatorship refers to this south Asian nation, is going through a critical period right now.

The whole world is watching as large street protests, led by Buddhist monks, are gaining momentum throughout the country. Burma's democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has spent most of the past twenty years under house arrest and she was, albeit briefly, allowed outside to greet the protesting monks several days ago.

No reasonable person would deny that the Burmese are living under a repressive regime that has stripped the population of practically all their civil and political rights. Moreover, sanctions appear to have little to no effect on the military rulers. In fact, for over a decade, the military junta isolated the country from the rest of the world in a manner similar to that of North Korean leadership.

So, what can be done to assist these couragous people who are risking their lives for democracy? Well, China wields the most power in Burma. It shares a border with the country and it invests heavily in Burma's minerals and other natural resources. There are some energy deposits and more might be found. Certainly China would rather not see blood shed next door in the run up to the olympics in Bejing.

Bangladesh also shares a border with Burma. Bangladesh's Caretaker Government recently signed a deal to build an international road that would facilitate trade between the two countries. Moreover, Bangladesh is a fellow member of SAARC and SAARC countries have pledged to help each other in building democratic practices. At least in theory. In practice, SAARC members never criticize another SAARC member because everybody is, to one degree or another, dirty.

This is very unfortunate. Just when the people of Burma need solidarity and support from their neighbours, countries like Bangladesh turn their backs.

The government of Bangladesh might find it hypocritical to support the democracy protesters. This is a government, after all, that has imprisoned scores of thousands of people and, using the state of emergency, denied them bail. The Bangladeshi government forced a local television station off the air because it was hosting talk shows that delved into the current political situation too deep for comfort. The government has even closed the universities because they tend to serve as a focal point for student protestors.

Come to think of it, the people of Burma live in a neighbourhood that is fairly cold and inhospitable to those who desire democracy and human rights. Maybe they should move to New Zealand?

Who Let the Cat Out of the Bag?

2007-09-24T11:36:00.000+06:00

In my last note, I wrote about the 20 year old Bangladeshi cartoonist who was jailed when the daily Prothom Alo published one of his cartoons entitled “Name”.

On Friday, large groups of men left their Friday prayers in Dhaka with more on their minds than love for their fellow man. Groups of worshipers took to the streets in protest of the cartoon, denouncing it as offensive to Muslim sensibilities. One group of men intended to protest in front of the Prothom Alo office, and no doubt cleanse the premises with fire, when they were confronted by Bangladesh’s finest kitted out in riot gear.

Clashes took place, naturally, and the rioters made it home for their iftar meal by the early evening. All in all, many would say, Allah would have been pleased with the day’s events.

But what exactly was in that damnable cartoon? What heathen’s message was it that caused fasting Muslim men to march through 35% C heat and sun to deliver justice to the heretics?

This is a translation from the Bangla version of the cartoon, which is a conversation between a young boy and an elderly Muslim man:

Old Man: "What is your name?"
Boy: "My name is Babu."
Old Man: "Boy, it is customary to mention Muhammed before the name. What is your father's name?"
Boy: "Muhammed Abu." (“Abu” means “father” in Bangla)
Old Man: "What's this in your lap?"
Boy: "Muhammed cat."

Blasphamy in Bangladesh

2007-09-19T21:35:00.001+06:00

In Bangladesh you are prohibited from criticizing the government. We are under Emergency Law and many fundamental freedoms have been suspended.
Recently, a cartoonist was arrested in Dhaka because the government claimed he insulted Islam.

Mr. Arifur Rahman, the cartoonist, published a cartoon in the weekly supplement of “Prothom Alo” in which he used the name “Mohammed” in his drawings. The government deemed the cartoon as “hurtful to the religious sentiments of the people."

To date, it is difficult to know exactly what offence the cartoonist was involved in because the government has confiscated and burned every Prothom Alo paper with the “offensive” cartoon.

Moreover, even though they have not seen the cartoon, every government official and politician in Bangladesh is lining up to condemn this terrible crime.

I just want to know, what exactly was in that cartoon?

We pray to God, who is all merciful and all knowing, that he look upon his people in Bangladesh and, if there is any sin or wrongful action of any kind, forgive us, for we know not what we are doing. The Lord God, Allah All Mighty, knows very well that we have been suffering from a host of plagues that have been visited upon us. God, you know that the floods, dengue fever, inflation, corruption of high government officials, civil disturbances, and on and on, have taken us to the edge. We pray that you will understand that we need to engage in a bit of fun, albeit irreverent, from time to time in order to keep us sane.

We know that you know that we mean no offence and we know, deep down, that you, All Mighty, have a great sense of humour. In fact, you are indirectly responsibile because you created us with a sense of humour. So, please Allah, send down a sign to the government of Bangladesh that the cartoonist should not be punished. He should be released from jail. No harm, no foul, so to speak.

We ask that you grant our interim Caretaker Government the mental capacity to see the difference between blasphemy and political satire.

Snapshots of a Child's Life in Bangladesh

2007-09-17T09:39:00.000+06:00

The Fine Art of Policing in Bangladesh

2007-09-14T14:31:00.001+06:00

Policing in Bangladesh is never going to be easy. There is chaos, confusion, corruption and a cacaphny of diverse people yelling instructions and supplications to the police every minute of the day.

Police are woefully underpaid. A new recruit earns approximately USD 50 per month and senior officials only several hundred USD per month.

One could wonder, what kind of person would want to be a policeman in Bangladesh? Aside from poor salaries, their conditions are deplorable. But there are some fringe benefits. Baksheesh. The word baksheesh has its origin in Persia and it which means "gift". When the Moguls moved eastward, they brought their words and customs to the Indian subcontinent and the concept of baksheesh took root like a giant redwood tree.

It is rumoured that police applicants pay up to USD 2,000 to 3,000 to secure a position on the force. Since the average Bangladeshi's annual income is less than 1/5 that amount, an aspiring police officer must often collect gifts or loans from family members.

Once on the police force, the police officers must quickly go about recouping his investment. There are family members to be repaid and, besides, who can live on USD 50 per month?

All Bangladeshis, most especially the poor and powerless, are subject to the whims of the policeman. Rickshaw pullers know that when the policeman's hand comes out, failure to give over a few taka will result in a sharp whack from the policeman's baton or bamboo stick. Sometimes the rickshaw pullers suffer the beating in order to spend that measily few taka for a cup of tea or a biscuit.

It is an uneasy relationship between the public and the police.

The UN and some foreign governments are trying to teach the police to be more professional and to engage in "community policing". But we are a long way from that.

Below is an article in today's newspaper "The New Nation" that highlights the state of police/community relations:

"An angry mob beat up two members of the elite Rapid Action Batalion (RAB) for torturing a garments businessman at the city's Mirpur under Kafrul thana yesterday morning.All the RAB members and the businessman were admited to the Casualty Unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). DMCH sources said the condition of businessman Ali Huq, who is an ex-footballer and the owner of garments factory Royal Bangla Design Ltd, was stated to be critical as his left hand was broken due to the RAB torture and eight stitches were given him at his backside and head.The injured RAB members were identified as ASI Kamran, 30, and Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Safayet Hossain, 30, of RAB-4. Witnesses said that as the motorbikes of RAB members' and Ali Huq collided, near the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) office at about 11 am, Ali Haq locked in an altercation with the RAB members over the incident At one stage, the RAB members beat up Ali Haq, who was going to shopping along with his 4-year-old son Shahed, by iron rods. Witnessing the incident, the local people got infuriated and beat up the plain clothes RAB members Kamran and Safayet, witnesses said. Meanwhile, other RAB members also rushed to the spot and joined their colleagues. Sub-Inspector Faruq Hossain of Kafrul thana admited the incident and said, "We heard the incident but none come to file any case."

Deductive Reasoning and Bangladesh

2007-09-13T15:22:00.000+06:00

The average life expectancy in Bangladesh is 61.8 years for males and 63.4 for females, which does not seem too bad considering the abject poverty that the vast majority of Bangladeshis endure. In fact, in terms of life expectancy, Bangladeshis are doing better than Russian men who, on average, live 58 years. Russian women can expect to live to 72.2 years of age.

No doubt Russian men are succumbing to the effects of too much vodka and cigarettes. Nostrovia!

As throughout the Indian subcontinent, household servants are a part of the landscape in Bangladesh. Even some maids have maids and so on. One expatriate lady I know here in Dhaka told me that her maid insisted on leaving every day at 4 pm sharp. One day she inquired about the need for the maid to leave not one minute after 4 pm and she speculated it was to avoid the traffic. No, no, she was told the maid said she had to be home before 5 pm so that she could ensure that her maid did all the work to her satisfaction. The maid told her employer, “you know, Madame, these people are lazy and they require constant supervision.”

Unfortunately, though, many children are brought in from villages to work in middle class and upper class homes in the urban areas. These children, as young as five or six, do menial tasks, like taking out the garbage, sweeping, helping the older servants, etc. The children’s families are sometimes given a small amount of money. But often, simply the fact that a richer family has taken the responsibility of feeding and housing the child is payment enough and villagers try to comfort themselves that now the child will have an opportunity to earn money in the big city. The truth is much grimmer.

These children live a life as 21st century slaves. They are not schooled, they work long hours, they get minimal amounts of food, scant medical treatment and, grimmest of all, sexual violence is all too common.

Yesterday I read through the local English language newspaper and saw two articles on child servants who fell from apartment balconies to their death. In another article on the same page, an eleven year old girl was found hanging dead from a ceiling fan by her sari. The article reported that the police found the girl’s hands bound behind her and there were deep wounds on her back and skull. The article went on to say that the police have registered the death as a suicide, but they have left open the possibility that there could be another cause of death and have asked any witnesses to come to the local police station to file a report.

Snapshots of Life in Bangladesh

2007-09-12T16:47:00.000+06:00

Censorship and Bangladesh

2007-09-11T17:28:00.000+06:00

Three weeks ago, I bought “The Economist” here in Dhaka and discovered that the article on the riots at Dhaka University was torn out. I checked all the magazines and the article was skillfully removed from each one.

A bit perturbed to suffer the lash of the Caretaker Government's censorship, and increasingly interested in what heinous thoughts were in the article, I went on “The Economist” website, printed it and distrubuted it to every person I could find.

Today, I found that the 8-14 September edition of “The Economist” has another article on Bangladesh, that article is below, and it too was ripped out.

Mass arrests, torture in the prisons, no bail. These things are now common place in Bangladesh, but we are entering a new and dangerous phase when "The Economist" is trifled with. Do not touch my "Economist"!

Aside from the issue of freedom of the press, I figure the Bangladeshi government owes me a few taka for taking part of my magazine.

The minus-two solution

Sep 6th 2007 DHAKA From The Economist print edition:

Both the country's leading civilian politicians are in detention. One way or another, the future looks green.

EARLIER this year Bangladesh's generals tried and failed to consign the countries' two leading civilian politicians to exile. Now they have locked them both up. On September 3rd police arrested Khaleda Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and prime minister until last October, and her younger son, on charges of corruption. Mrs Zia (pictured above after her arrest) will be the next-door prisoner in Dhaka's idle parliament building to her nemesis, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, prime minister from 1996-2001 and leader of the Awami League, the other big party.

This will be uncomfortable for both women, who loathe each other. Judging from the sentences meted out in recent months by specially created courts to members of their kleptocratic coteries, they can expect long jail sentences. Until now, despite Bangladesh's regular appearance at the top of global corruption league tables, the only politician ever convicted of graft was General Hossain Muhammad Ershad, Bangladesh' s military ruler in the 1980s. In a rare moment of unity, the two women ousted him in 1990. Since then the parties that they managed to turn into patronage-based personality cults have won about 90% of votes in elections.

But so appalling was the begums' record of governing the country that most of its 150m people were relieved when the generals took control in January. The mechanism intended to rescue democracy from viciously confrontational two-party politics—an unelected caretaker government to oversee elections—collapsed because the BNP picked a partisan president to rig the poll. Instead, the army forced him to resign as the head of the caretaker government, cancelled parliamentary elections, declared a state of emergency and installed an interim regime to pave the way for elections by December 2008.

Encouragingly, the army has so far resisted following the example of so many military regimes that form their own political parties to prolong their rule. But this, of course, might change. There is little to reassure Bangladeshis that the generals' attempt to redesign society and stamp out corruption will not end up as the totalitarian disaster that follows so many coups.

It is not clear for how much longer the emergency government will be able to keep people quiet. Since January it has detained an extraordinary number: more than 250,000, according to Human Rights Watch, a monitoring group. The army chief, Moeen U Ahmed, has accused “evil forces” of instigating student riots last month. To Bangladeshis, such language is as painfully familiar as the repression that followed the students' call for the early restoration of democracy—censorship, arrests without warrants, and the beating-up of intellectuals and journalists.

Last week a magistrate's court heard two professors allege they were tortured while detained on suspicion of fuelling the campus violence. The court released them back into army custody. According to Odhikar, a Dhaka-based human-rights group, 126 people have been killed by law enforcement agencies since emergency rule began; at least 22 were tortured to death.

Despite the elections promised for next year, and efforts to mend a voters' list bloated with millions of extra names, this is not a country preparing for a return to democratic politics. The government refuses to lift the state of emergency. Even if it did, that would not resuscitate the political process. The BNP is in a mess. Hours before her arrest, Khaleda Zia expelled Mannan Bhuiyan, the BNP's secretary-general, for “a conspiracy to split the party”. The League, for its part, has found it impossible to part with Sheikh Hasina, who remains popular. No self-respecting politician will enter the fray while the army runs the show. Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel-prize-winning microcredit pioneer once seen as a potential candidate to fill the political vacuum, floated a party earlier in the year, but has scrapped plans to enter politics.

The generals and their civilian front are finding that their legitimacy, which rests on their competence, is eroding. In part, this stems from bad luck. Devastating floods and rising international prices for oil and food have worsened the plight of the poor. But the economic consequences of military rule have become apparent. Garment exports, the economy's backbone, have plummeted. Investment has ground to a halt. To reverse the trend, business leaders, the army chief and the pliable head of the civilian administration, Fakhruddin Ahmed, this week held a “brainstorming” session. It is more likely to have made investors cringe than reach for their wallets. The state is desperately trying to hold down prices through administrative measures, though they will inevitably rise further during Ramadan later this month. Last month it decided, in effect, to use $300m of its foreign reserves to pay for fuel subsidies.

Meanwhile Western governments and donors, who backed the army's seizure of power, are getting cold feet as human-rights abuses mount and public opinion turns. Even so, diplomats say that the present regime is “the only game in town”. The generals' secular stance and tough opposition to Islamist extremism still make them attractive to Western governments. But with the two big parties decapitated, the fear is that the Islamists, both the mainstream and a more radical margin, will profit from the political vacuum and growing economic discontent.

This week India, alarmed by the alleged involvement of Bangladeshi terrorists in last month's bombings in the southern city of Hyderabad, urged its neighbour to speed up the restoration of democracy. It would be messy, but as India knows from watching its other neighbour, Pakistan, so is the alternative.

Henry Kissinger and Bangladesh

2007-09-11T13:24:00.000+06:00

Henry Kissinger, is a former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State. He was a proponent of Metternich's realpolitik and he never met a dictator that he did not like; or at least he never met one that he thought he could not do a deal with. That is, in essence, realpolitik.

From Chile, to Argentina, to East Timor, to Angola to Cambodia, Kissinger guided a US foreign policy that ran rough shod over democratic principles and international human rights law.

Unfortunately, this 84 year old man still has his fingers in the US foreign policy pie. At least up until 2005, Kissinger had President George W. Bush's ear and was whispering sweet nothings about how the US objective in Iraq must be total victory. So far the man seems to have a perfect track record.

In Bangladesh, Kissinger's name is brought up from time to time and it is never with fond memories. In 1970, Pakistan and Bangladesh were one country, West and East Pakistan, respectively. In that year, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League won a majority in the election and this frightened the West Pakistanis who felt that the Bengalis would now dominate the National Assembly. The West Pakistanis, through the Army, started to suppress the people of East Pakistan and a liberation movement was born.

Sheikh Mujibur rallied the people of East Pakistan and active resistence started. On 26 March 1971 Sheikh Mujibur, now referred to as "Bangabandhu", the father of the nation, delcared the independence of Bangladesh.

The Pakistani army commenced a major crackdown on Bangladeshi "freedom fighters" and Bangaldeshi started to see their fight as a war of liberation.

Sheikh Mujibur was arrested by the Pakistani forces and imprisoned in an effort to stifle the rebel movement.

In late 1971, with the assistance of India, Bangladeshi forces beat back the Pakistani army and gained control of what is present day Bangladesh. However, all was not well in newly liberated Bangladesh. There were maurading stray Pakistani soldiers, poverty, destruction and not all Bengalee men fought for the liberation. These pro-Pakistani elements were called "Rajakars" and they were accused of all sorts of criminal acts, ranging from rape to murder to arson.

Henry Kissinger never supported the liberation of Bangladesh. US foreign policy was focused on a strong Pakistan that would counter India, a leader in the non-alligned movement. Moreover, Kissinger feared that a newly independent Bangladesh would provide an opening for the Soviets or the Chinese. In fact, Sheik Mujibur’s first foreign trip was to Peking.

Kissinger convinced President Nixon to refuse assistance to the Bangladeshis who were fighting for their independence and, many believe, he actively worked against the liberation movement. Kissinger was quoted in 1971 as dismissing the idea of an independent Bangladesh by saying, “the place is and always will be a basket case.”

It is the basket case comment that sticks in the throat of Bangladeshis and, when Sheik Mujibur was murdered on 15 August 1975 by rogue Bangladeshi military officers, many saw the hand of the CIA in the killings.

To this day, one of the most pejorative terms used in Bangladesh is America dalal, or American stooge. Bangladeshi politicians, especially those from Sheik Mujibur’s Awami League, view American activities with suspicion.

Kissinger’s legacy in Bangladesh lives on.

Work and Play in Bangladesh

2007-09-11T10:53:00.000+06:00

George Orwell, Lithium and Bangladesh

2007-09-09T14:58:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh has periodic flooding. This country is, in effect, an amalgamation of river sediment abutting the turpid Bay of Bengal. After the dry heat of April and May, warm waters of the Bay of Bengal give up vast quantities of water into the atmosphere and this water vapor floats up and over Bangladesh and eventually runs into the cool breezes coming down off the Himalayas. Thus, the monsoon season begins.I have never seen rain like in Bangladesh. When it rains here the clouds unlease their load in torrents of water. Sheets of water hurry down so hard and so fast that visibility goes to zero. There is no wind when it rains though. There is just a constant downpour that mingles with the grey, humid, warm day.

Bangladeshis, and foreigners as well, attribute all sorts of ailments to the monsoon rains. Back aches, skin rashes, head aches, loss of appetite, increase of appetite and general malaise. Of course, the hot dry season is responsbile for these same problems as well.

Right now residents of Dhaka are watching in trepedation as the rivers rise in the north. The northern part of the country has been under water for the past five days or so and the river banks are well past their “danger level”. The rivers fill up faster than normal because of the accumulation of silt in the rivers and canals. There is also illegal building along the rivers’ edges and filling in of lakes and ponds for housing and industrial use.

I read an article in a local paper recently in which local residents tired of sending petitions to local government officials to dredge out the local canals, so the citizens gathered one day, labourers, physicians and housewives and the like, and, using their hands, they dredged their canal. In typical Bangladeshi fashion, the local political boss showed up the next day to “inaugurate” the dredged canal with a gaggle of journalists in tow. The locals sent the politician packing with a sound beating. Fortunately the journalists were on hand to record the event for posterity.

When I shower and shave in the morning I listen to the Government’s local news in English. It’s my routine and it allows me to ease into my work day without any abrubt jolts that would cause me to want to jump back in bed.

The Government’s local news is unfailingly opptimistic and laudatory. The Government’s international news follows and it is dominated by the three “I’s”, India, Israel and Iraq and it is unfailingly scathing and pessimistic. In any event, the local news is a cross between “1984”, “The Simpsons” and lithium.

Today’s local news read like this: (1) the Chief Adviser (the civilian head of this military backed government) decided that the work of his government has been more than satisfactory. The government has “accomplished” 78 of 115 initiatives and the remainder are “close to being accomplished”; (2) the Chief Adviser ordered all police and government officials to stop taking bribes and to be sincere and honest in their work; (3) the Chief Adviser, with the assistance of the Army Chief of Staff, will monitor the flood situation and ensure that no person suffers or is unduly affected by the rising waters. The Chief Adviser assured all citizens of Bangladesh that he is working without stop on this matter. The Chief Adviser also informed the public that the Government has ordered an action plan for future flood situations, should they occur.

After that encouragement, I am ready to sally forth and face the day.

The Quintessence of Bangladesh

2007-09-06T20:41:00.000+06:00

Wherever I go and wherever I live, I often find myself asking, “what is the quintessence of this place?” What is that fifth element? Earth, air, fire and water are all fairly apparent, but that 5th element, numero cinque, is often elusive. And so it is with Bangladesh.

I have a few quintessential Bangladeshi snap shots to relate, but first I must harken back to another time and place. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I lived in Sarajevo, BiH, and loved every minute of it. They just don’t make countries like Bosnia any more. Ok, there is ethnic cleansing and a boatload of nationalism, but when it comes to food and drink and natural beauty, nothing beats BiH. Dobro maximus.

The quintessence of anything is that which is at its most pure state. This is quintessential Bosnia and Herzegovina: I drove from Sarajevo to Visegrad, that mythic city set on the banks of the Drina River and made famous in Ivo Andric’s Nobel prize winning novel “Bridge Over the River Drina”. I had a reservation at a local hotel that had a spa. In the local language, spa is “toplice”. So, being one appreciates the comforts of life, I came prepared with my flip flops and bathing suit.

On arrival, I noticed when I was checking in that I was the only guest. No problem. This is post-war Bosnia and I am a fairly long-term former Yugoslav resident. The first stop is the bar for a mineral water and coffee. Now, I could go on and on about coffee in BiH. Whether it is Serbian coffee or Croatian or Bosnijak or whatever. Those of you who have been to the former Yugoslavia know what I am talking about. But, moving along: I ordered a coffee from the waiter, who was dressed in standard communist waiter attire, and asked him whether the hotel had a sauna. The waiter looked at me with a Balkan snarl on his lips and said, in Bosnian/Serbian, “of course, this is a spa!” I gave a nod indicating, “ok.” Then I thought for a second and asked, “does the sauna work?” The waiter’s demeanor immediately changed to that of a whipped dog and he replied, “no, it is broken.” That, dear reader, is Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The two photos above are a Bangladeshi painting warning about the dangers of AIDS and the Mahmed Pasha Sokolovic bridge in Visegrad.

Now, on to Bangladesh. Three quintessential moments in Bangladesh are these. (1) I saw a rickshaw pulling an old, invalid man in his wheelchair. The wheelchair was tied to the rickshaw with a sari. (2) you know how you see quick scenes when you are riding in a car? Once, when I was traveling through Dhaka I saw, all so briefly, a man squatting in his doorway, picking his teeth with a large pair of scissors.

(3) the last example is a bit longer; a friend of mine has a driver who is from a village outside of Dhaka and the driver’s father had taken out a loan from a local loan shark. Nothing unusual about that. In Bangladesh, many people have to take loans to make ends meet. Locals seem to have a propensity to want to eat on a daily basis and, sometimes, two times a day. There is always, in every city and every village, a loan shark. This man will loan money at a high rate to anyone and, against all costs, he is to be avoided. That is, unless you want to eat. Now, these loan sharks are notorious for their diligence. Collection day for the interest on the loan is always on a Wednesday and Tuesday is the worst day in the village because every debtor is scrambling to find money for the Wednesday payment. During major floods, the government cannot deliver food aid, but every Wednesday, come hell or high water, the debt collector and his assistants come into the village by boat and seek out their debtors. So, the driver's foreigner employer and a few of his friends heard of the father’s misfortune and inquired about the amount of the debt. It was a paltry $80 and, amongst the group of foreigners gathered, we quickly came up with the $80 plus another $40 or so. The British called this a "whip around". The entire sum was given to the driver’s father and he prostrated himself before the bedeshis in thanksgiving. Gratitude, good feelings and the milk of human kindness was flowing for all on this occasion and we foreigners went off with joy in our hearts. After a week, my friend asked his driver what his father did with the excess money. Buy a cow or a goat? No, his father loaned the $40 to another villager and was now living off the interest of the loan. From oppressed to oppressor.

Anna Nicole Smith and Bangladeshi Garment Workers

2007-09-06T11:04:00.000+06:00

I want to be balanced about Bangladesh. One should seek balance in all things. While it is true that Bangladesh is poor, conservative, corrupt, inefficient and dirty, it is many other things.

For instance, the countryside outside of Dhaka is enchanting. It is generally flat and fertile. If you throw a seed on the ground here, something will grow. Which causes me to wonder so often why we don’t have the variety of fruits and vegetables that one finds in Thailand? Thailand has a similar climate as Bangladesh, but in Bangladesh the fruits and vegetables are seasonal. The best time of the year is winter, from November to February. Winter here means dry weather with a maximum temperature of 28%C and a minimum of 17%C. Bangladeshis actually die of cold in this weather. I bask in the relative coolness of the days. Winter is the best time of the year to visit Bangladesh.

But, it is true that living in Bangladesh means being cut off from the world. It’s a country of sensory deprivation in many ways. There is very little stress, so long as your rice bowl is full and, the last time I looked, mine was overflowing.

I read a lot on the internet. New York Times, Washington Post, and others. We have the BBC on TV. From afar, I watch what is going on and am amazed, frustrated, angry and astounded. From the Iraq debacle to Anna Nicole Smith to every little piece of crap that seems to pop up to catch the attention of the American public. Is it any wonder that the world is aghast at the US? I am caught in the middle though because I know America and I can understand how things could get to where they are. Sometimes I wonder if Americans have too much time on their hands.

For the average Bangladeshi, it’s really about getting that bowl of rice every day. Today’s objective is to get that bowl of rice. Tomorrow is not really thought of today. But if tomorrow comes, that bowl of rice will figure high on the list of objectives, unless there is something life threatening going on. It’s a fairly simple equation and they’ve been doing it since the beginning of man’s time here.

I am convinced that tens of thousands of years ago man did not permanently live in Bangladesh. If he had an option, he would live up in the hill areas of modern day east India. God did not intend Bangladesh to be a permanent place of habitation. Thousands of years ago, man probably migrated here at select times of the year for hunting or fishing. Then, when the monsoons came and the heat waves, he got the hell out of this land.

Flooding is Bangladesh's history, its identity. Bangladesh is essentially a drain, the subbasement of the subcontinent, an unsteady formation perched atop shifting sands dumped in the Bay of Bengal over recent geological time. Bangladesh’s topography is constantly in flux, sliced up and patched together by silt-heavy rivers dropping through the country like a holy terror. I have no doubt that God must be looking down on this land and muttering, “what in the hell are those people doing. Can’t they see that the place is off limits?” But here we sit – and sweat.

A Bangladeshi acquaintance of mine recently did a documentary on the garment workers in Dhaka. Send me your address and I will try to mail a copy to you. It’s in Bangla with English subtitles. The garment industry, and I know a lot of foreign garment factory owners, many Italians, Koreans, Germans and Pakistanis, has brought a lot of change to this conservative country that is 90% Muslim. As an aside, many westerners, especially Americans, are mistaken when they view Muslim people as socially conservative because they are Muslim. Many are; it’s true. But these people are conservative because their culture is conservative. For instance, in Bangladesh, the Buddhists, Hindus and Christians are just as conservative as the majority Muslims. They’d be socially conservative if they were Episcopal – maybe. In any event, I think one would be hard pressed to find a more socially conservative place than this soppy, overcrowded spot of land. Women never look men in the face, they do the Taliban walk with the woman three steps behind. No shaking hands with women – that leads to undressing you know. And on and on.

In any event, the garment workers. These girls are usually about 13 to 14 when they come to Dhaka from the village. They work for ten or fifteen years and by then they are literally worn out. They live in communal structures down by the river and eat communal meals of rice and that is pretty much it. Most of their money goes back to the family in the village. They work 14 hours or more per day, seven days a week. They eat approximately 1400 calories per day and, as a result, they slowly waste away. Not many vitamins are in rice so they are anemic. There is of course sexual violence against them by the factory foremen, the landlords and anybody else who has an opportunity to have a go at them. And I don’t know why, but this one fact sticks out to me. Most develop kidney problems because they are highly encouraged to not go to the toilet during their work day. They must sit long periods and stitch, sew and package those inexpensive clothes that our stores need. These girls work for about $25 to $35 per month. They live on half of that and send the rest home. Incredible. I see these seas of brightly colored girls marching to and from the factories when I come to and from work. Their shifts vary according to the work orders and they can be seen at any time of the day or night. What amazes me is that they take such good care of their clothes, hair and skin. They have that light walk of young girls and I always put the newspaper down to watch them.

These girls work themselves close to the point of death, or at least they work themselves to the point of being worn out, for less than the cost of the computer I am tapping away on. I can’t get over it. To them, though, this is normal and, so long as they get a bowl of warm rice with some oily vegetables, they are as happy as they can be.

Maybe Anna Nicole Smith should have been a garment worker.

Transport in Bangladesh

2007-09-06T09:33:00.000+06:00

Transport in Bangladesh takes many forms. There is the ubiquitous rickshaw, three wheeled rickshaws, also called mini-taxis, the train and the bus. As you can see from the picture to the left, riding a bus in Bangladesh is not for the feint of heart. Every day, one can read of buses racing across country roads and careening wildly into ponds, rivers or simply becoming airborne, momentarily, over flood embankments. In fact, those passengers that die in bus accidents usually die of drowning, not from the collision itself. One of the reasons bus travel is so risky is that the drivers rarely have any training and, indeed, most do not even have a driver’s license. Why bother with trivial matters when there are people that need to get moving?

I have personally witnessed these vast, hulking buses hurtling down tree covered roads at speeds that are unsafe under any country, even on the Bonneville Salt Flats. There is one rule on Bangladeshi roads and one only: the biggest vehicle has the right of way. Jungle rules of the road.

There is also something else that might require some additional information. You will no doubt notice that in this picture there are men riding on the back and top of the bus. These men are not necessarily riding on the outside of the bus because there is no room inside the bus. Oh no, dear reader. You see, in Bangladesh, all possible pieces of transport are possible and of value. These airconditioned, al fresco positions are cheaper. These men pay for a reduced ticket and then take their place, grab a piece of the bus and off they go. I always thought that, aside from the hazards of rain and wayward tree branches, these outside bus positions might be infinitely better than those inside. Think of huddling unwashed masses in a hot, humid tin can. Riding on top looks a lot better now, doesn’t it? And with that extra few taka you saved, you can treat yourself to a cup of tea on your arrival. Alhamdulillah!

Notes from my first trip to Bangladesh

2007-09-05T14:23:00.001+06:00

I first came to Bangladesh in December 2004. While scrounging through my files I found this note I wrote on my impressions of this country. In 2004, I had no idea that I would come to live here on a long-term basis. In fact, if someone told me that that would come to pass I think I would have snuck off to Papua New Guinea and laid low until I pass retirement age.

___________

Notes from my first visit to Bangladesh, December 2004

Well, it took two days, but I am finally in Dhaka. What a long, strange trip it was. It is Monday morning, I am five hoursahead of Central European Time, and I am still groggy but wantto write to you of some of my thoughts and experiences thus far.First, the flight. It was terrible. Late from Belgrade you know. Boban, the JAT representative in London was kind to me, put me up in a hotel near Heathrow airport,and even gave me tickets for the bus to the hotel and back. The hotel was ok by airport hotel standards. I spent almost EUR35 for a steak and cheese sandwich and two beers. I must remember to never eat, much less visit, London again. Nothing elegant, but certainly adequate. I woke up early, went down to an English style breakfast. The tea was soothing and I prepared myself to battle the airline forces to get off my waiting list and on to a flight to some where in Asia. I managed to snag the London-Qatar flight. Then fly on to Dhaka from Qatar. Long flight and, when in Qatar, the effect of my size and colour came to the fore. At the Qatar airport, I was picked out of the masses that were pushing and thronging to get in the flight waiting area. Two men, official looking because they carried sticks, came out, took my ticket and passport and put me on a bus. I was the only one on the bus. I was driven to the airplane, seated and served some juice. The masses were delivered later and they entered at the rear of the plane. The stewardess was from the Philippines, young and full of,"thank you, sirs." The only person with me in my section was the Qatar Charge' d'Affairs to Bangladesh. He snoozed and I watched movies.When we arrived in Dhaka, the Charge' and I disembarked. A Bangladeshi man approached the Charge', took his passport and invited him to the VIP lounge. He looked at me up and down and took my passport too. While our passports were stamped and our luggage sought, I got my first taste of Bangladesh. The VIP room was full of mismatched, overstuffed furniture with a dysfunctional television blasting some Indian pop music to gyrating Indian - could have been Pakistani or Bangladeshi as far as I know - girls trying to be sexy in saris. Our passports were solemnly given over to us with a bow. My luggage did not make the trip. I filled out my missing baggage claim over an incense burner that gave off some merciful fumes to mask this heavy, humid wave of smell that seemed to come from humans, fruit and some type of stagnant pool of water. There are still people in the world who use manual typewriters and two fingertyping has not gone out of style.When I exited the airport, the soldiers and sundry cadre of airport officials melted away when I walked past them, I came into an already hot morning that was the third and last day of the Bangladeshi celebration of their Hajj. 3 million Muslims descended upon Dhaka to walk around in the heat, urinate in the bushes and generally fill up the streets with their white robes and pill shaped hats. It took 2 ½ hours to drive to my hotel and I dozed in the back of the taxi while streams of men, I saw few women, walked past the taxi in the opposite direction to pray for prosperity and more children. Really, that was this year's theme. It would seem the two concepts are in conflict,but with God's help everything is possible. Fast forward to the hotel, brushing teeth with bottled water, EUR10 lobster that I have not tried yet, but will tonight. I met two of my colleagues this morning, both Bangladeshi, one a lawyer the other an accountant. They brought me to the Project Office which is in the middle of the most crowded part of Dhaka they claim. I believe it, but am prepared to see more bodies, thickly bunched up making group suicidal moves in streets infested with rickshaws and smoky taxis. Oh yes, one other thing. On the way from the airport yesterday, I saw trains going out of the city. There were people riding on top of the trains. I do not mean one or two boys. There were hundreds of men and some of them were standing up. For some reason I did not think it was unusual. Now I am off to pay my respects to the General Manager of the building that houses our Project Office. A little tea, a little polite talk and we will all be ready for lunch. All cacooned in this warm, humid air that transfers pungent smells so, so easily.

A day in the life in Bangladesh

2007-09-05T10:47:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over 50% of the population earn less than $1 per day and that one wage earner is often the only person in the family who is earning money. Thus, a family of six, seven or, often many more, live on $1 per day. Bangladeshis often talk of the cost of living, never in glowing terms, and they judge inflation by the cost of one kilo of rice.

The vast majority of Bangladeshis live on rice. One can say that Italians eat a lot of pasta, Germans potatoes or Americans ... what, cheeseburgers?. But Bangladeshis live on rice. They eat rice for every meal. Not that they have that many meals on a regular day, mind you. But when they eat, they eat mainly rice. I see the men I work with eat the same thing every day for lunch. Rice, fried vegetables, dal (lentils) and a very, very small piece of some meat or fish. Bangladesh is 90% Muslim, so the meat is either chicken, mutton or beef. Imagine this plate of food; now imagine it as being 90% rice - because that is what it is. The vegetables, dal and that sliver of meat or fish is only for taste. It is the rice that fills the stomach.

In January 2007, a kilo of rice cost 10 taka. Today a kilo of rice costs 21 taka.
One US dollar is equal to 70 taka.

Thus, you can see that most Bangladeshis live a precarious existence. Any disruption in the flow of earnings, e.g., a strike, a flood (and both are all too common here) will cause biological havoc. Most Europeans and North Americans can live for weeks and weeks with no food. Most Bangladeshis are malnurished and they cannot last more than several days without food, especially the young and the old.

I have often wondered whether westerners would pay large sums of money for a guaranteed weight loss programme. If so, I think I have the answer: come to Bangladesh and take a job as a rickshaw wallah for several months. When you arrive back in London, Toronto or Miami, your friends will ohhh and ahhh over your svelte figure. Oh, and you will certainly have a nice tan too.

This idea might merit some more thought. I welcome your views too, dear reader.

Pictures from Bangladesh

2007-09-03T15:54:00.000+06:00

No missives of Bangladesh would be complete without some photographs of this amazing country. No where in the world are things as chaotic, unorganized, slow and completely without purpose as Bangladesh. While the traffic and bureacracy can drive you completely insane, there are more tender moments here and these pictures, I think, show that.

Another Former Prime Minister is Hauled Off to Jail

2007-09-03T14:34:00.000+06:00

Today is 3 September 2007 and two events happened on this date in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I started this blog, "Bangladesh, Asia's Dirty Little Secret", and Khaleda Zia, a former Prime Minister, was unceremoniously arrested in her home and hauled off to jail.

I am hazarding a guess that in the history of this beleaguered country, the latter will overshadow the former. Nevertheless, I must sally forth with my undertaking, the raison d'etre for this blog.

I live and work in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a most peculiar country inhabited by incredibly frustrating, unfortunate people. I will, therefore, write about what I know. Or at least what I perceive and think. That is the best that any of us can do.

Since 11 January 2007, Bangladesh has been under emergency rule. The first caretaker government, that was led most ineptly by the President, collapsed and a new caretaker government took over with the backing of the army. The state of emergency, which is provided for in the constitution, means that many fundamental rights, e.g., freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and speech, are tightly regulated.

In practical terms, I do not think the average Bangladeshi notices the difference between “normal” times and the state of emergency. For most Bangladeshis, surviving takes precedence over freedom of the press. Besides, if you exercise your right to free speech in the wrong part of town, you might meet your end then and there.

The arrest of Khaleda Zia, the president of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), puts at two the number of former prime ministers now in jail. Zia's arch rival, Sheik Hasina, the president of the Awami League (AL), was locked up by the caretaker government in July. Both are charged with corruption.

The allegation that both former prime ministers are suspected of corruption should come as no surprise to anybody. Bangladesh was the world champion in Transparency International's corruption index for an amazing five years running. Incredible. When one thinks of the competition for this coveted title, Ukraine, Russia, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya, it is almost unbelievable that one country could manage to come out on top, or bottom I guess, for five consecutive years. But we did. We certainly did. Bangladeshis have their PhDs in corruption. It might not have been invented in Bangladesh, but corruption has been refined into an art.

Back to the two begums, or ladies. Both Hasina and Zia have some history in common. Hasina's father was the founder of Bangladesh. He was murdered in 1973. Hasina only escaped because she was out of the country. Zia's husband was a general and he took power after the demise of Hasina's father. He was also murdered. So, both these ladies have chips on their shoulders and open secret that they cannot stand each other. The reason for their mutual dislike is not so commonly known. Some say Hasina thinks Zia had a role in her father's death. Some, certainly the more facile among the population, claim it is a simple cat fight between two ageing matriarchs.

Whatever the reason, they are both in pre-trial detention and they are not eligible for bail by virtue of the state of emergency. How charges relating to alleged acts of corruption dating back six or seven years ago has anything to do with the state of emergency is a mystery to me and, I suspect, the government as well. But, as they say in Italian, "ogni scusa e una buona scusa", any excuse is a good excuse. And that is good enough for Bangladesh.